The number of new registrations for petrol and diesel vehicles in the UK is declining rapidly while new registrations of electric vehicles are growing faster than ever and if the current trend continues, EV sales could overtake petrol and diesel sales by the end of this year.
During 2021 we published a number of thought leadership articles and hosted a series of webinars bringing together experts from G&T and across the industry to discuss the rise of electric vehicles - according to a recent study, one in four cars produced in Europe will be fully electric by 2025 with European factories producing more than two million electric cars annually within five years.
This move towards electric vehicles is creating opportunities for disruptors to enter the market. These disruptors are unconstrained by large property portfolios and existing sales networks and have brought fresh thinking around the route to market. During 2021 G&T delivered the first UK studio for luxury Korean automotive manufacturer, Genesis Motor Europe. The studio, located in Westfield Shepherd's Bush, is the brand's only physical retail presence.
Most experts believe that a combination of online and traditional sales will be the future. Despite COVID-19 acting as a catalyst for online sales, the physical experience of buying a car is unlikely to become completely redundant with showrooms still forming part of the sales journey. However, in the future buyers will expect a blended retail type sales model allowing them to seamlessly transition between online and offline experiences with retailers having to place a greater focus on adapting forecourts to accommodate digital and remote selling.