Automotive Business Magazine – Q3 2026 – Digital edition - Flipbook - Page 3

From the editor...

here are many quite interesting
social observations you can
make as a renter in a small
flat, on a street in London
that is generally occupied by
people in, let’s say, different
circumstances. Our (not very) reliable
old banger, faithfully used for the
daily commute, road trips, helping
friends move, nipping to the shops, and
everything in between, sits among an
unlikely cohort.
It has no screens, no entertainment
system, and in fact, no functioning air
conditioning (please take a second to pity
me in the recent weather). And yet, due
to the capital’s characteristic of having
a true melting pot of different social
groups – not just from one road to the
next, but one terraced house to the next
door block of flats – this unassuming
workhorse (I’ll mention no brand, for fear
of editorial favouritism) stands out on our
leafy semi-suburban street.
As I write this, an Audi parks up
opposite my window, a pleasing moment
to prove a point, although I guess I could
have made it up.
Running this magazine, I watch with
interest the microcosm of wider trends
that gets played out on a street where
a decent majority of people have the
The Team
Jessica Bird ....................................................... Managing Editor
disposable income, even in these difficult
times, to make vehicle choices beyond
‘does it run, and how hard will I be hit
by ULEZ?’
While a Mini still sits nose-to-nose with
a Discovery a few spaces down from
the aforementioned Audi, there is a quiet
revolution in my lazy version of a test
group. Over the past months, I’ve noticed
with interest as a dyed-in-the-wool Tesla
faithful over the road quietly swapped it
out for a shiny new Jaecoo, for example,
and they’re not the only one.
This is not just an excuse to nose on
the neighbours. There is a sea change
happening across the UK, and whether
you’re a fleet decision-maker, dealership
or just an enthusiast, it is likely to have
an effect – it’s up to you whether this
is inconvenient or exciting. Even for
those fiercely loyal to buying British, the
likelihood is that the shape of the OEM
landscape is going to change.
This issue, we take a deeper look at the
road ahead for both new entrants and
longstanding legacies. In the background
of all of it, of course, is the prevailing
push to electrification. With all this going
on, who knows what my London road will
look like in 10 years time.
Jessica Bird
Contributors
Adam Wingrove | Bodo Philipp
Calum James | Conrad Mummert
Adrian Simpson ................................................. Editor-At-Large
Craig Cheetham | Dan James
Milly Standing ................................................................ Reporter
David Weeks | Dr Amir Soltani
Dylan Robertson ........................................................... Reporter
newsdesk@astormedia.co.uk
Brian West ................................................... Group Sales Director
brian.west@astormedia.co.uk | 07799 368 181
Stuart Wakeling ..........................................Head of Sales, Automotive
stuart.wakeling@astormedia.co.uk
Ashley Edwards ................... Director of Business Development
ashley.edwards@astormedia.co.uk | 07798 733 744
Tom Watts ................................. Operations Director, Automotive
Orson McAleer .............................................................. Designer

ISSUE 3 Q3 2026
Gerry McCaig | Greg Wilson

Hayley Peters | James Wallingford
Jonathan Carrier | Katherine McLoughlin
Keith Hawes | Kelly Pinner
Lee Swinerd | Marcel Wendt

JAECOO
8 SHS P
DOES THE EVERYTHING SUV DELIVER?

Tom Middleditch | Wendy Swaine
Laura Strolconoka .................................... Campaign Manager
Ryan Fowler ................................................................... Publisher
Astor Media Limited
43 Albion Place
Maidstone
ME14 5DZ
United Kingdom
Felix Blakeston ........................................... Associate Publisher
Helen Thorne ..................................................................................... Accounts
finance@astormedia.co.uk
Q3 2026
AUTOMOTIVE BUSINESS
3

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