December/January 2022

C hanged MOT patterns, plunging new car sales and an older car parc all offer opportunities, but how will garage businesses manage? Factor in an ageing workforce and a steep technological curve making vehicles ever-more complicated, and we see there are clearly issues that need to be addressed. All of this is before we even talk about the switch-over to EVs, and the ongoing question of access to data, and other legislative issues. We have asked a number of the leading representative organisations how they see 2022 playing out. Challenging SMMT Senior Section Manager Peter Lawton observed: “While better than 2020, 2021 was still an extremely challenging year for the UK automotive sector. Companies across the industry continued to battle the pandemic, with staff and component shortages in particular causing acute difficulties. Vehicle production was, and continues to be, badly hit by the global shortage of semiconductors and new vehicle sales are still negatively impacted. “The pandemic continued to affect the service and repair sector too. Millions of vehicles were given six-month exemptions to their MOT in 2020, so the industry has had to manage slower springs and busier autumns. It is something which SMMT has been working closely with members and DVSA to try and smooth out with public- facing campaigns, including ‘Beat the Rush’, and reminders encouraging motorists to present their vehicle for MOT sooner if they can. DVSA and SMMT members have shared MOT test data which gives cause for optimism, albeit a little cautiously. “Although spring 2021 MOT activity was still down on the last ‘normal’ year of 2019, it is up markedly on spring 2020. Similarly, the expected manic autumn this year is still far busier than it was in 2019, but not looking quite as bad as 2020. Protyre monitors the response from motorists to the MOT reminders it sends and their analysis confirms that a good swathe are presenting earlier for extended autumn tests, far more than would usually. Good news.” Right path Peter continued: “Although it seems that the ‘trough and peak’ situation is evening out a little, a return to total MOT normality will take more time. Yet we appear on the right path and as 2022 begins there is some hope that the worst should be behind us. Indeed, SMMT forecasts that new car and light vehicle registrations will rebound to just shy of 2 million sales with UK car production also bouncing back to 1.1 million units. These new registrations will help to smooth the MOT peaks out further. “There is still some work to do on the amount of people who typically present late, however, our conversations on how to tackle this continue with DVSA and the Home Office. The UK has some of the safest roads anywhere in the world, a situation which cannot be allowed to deteriorate, and no vehicle should be allowed to go beyond its normal MOT test date. The average age of cars in use is also increasing, now standing at the oldest on record at 8.4 years. This could well feed into increased activity at MOT, regular service needs and added repairs.” Mechanisms The changing face of the car parc will necessitate a change in garages according to Peter: “Ultimately the shift to increasingly hybrid, electrified, connected and automated vehicles with sophisticated advanced driver assistance systems will demand a shift in the skill set amongst workshops and technicians. Many have invested in these areas already, of course. Meanwhile, SMMT is engaged with government and other stakeholders to ensure that as transport is decarbonised, every sector is given support to remain on the right side of the skills development curve.” Future legislation will have an impact too: “SMMT is also engaged with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) on a much-anticipated consultation on new Motor 8 AFTERMARKET DECEMBER/JANUARY 2022 BIG ISSUE www.aftermarketonline.net WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO IN 2022? After a rollercoaster 2020 and 2021, we ask some of the major sector organisations what they expect to see take place in 2022, and beyond How garages interact with new generations of customer will be vital for their continued growth ”