Automotive Business Magazine – Q3 2026 – Digital edition - Flipbook - Page 39
INT ERVIEW
ENGINE IUS
scaled, Engineius is able to offer
customers drivers for their cars at shorter
notice. It also means that there are more
opportunities for drivers to make more
money, so as Jones says, “it’s a win-win.”
He continues: “We're now 600-plus
drivers operating nationally, so if your
vehicle needs moving to Bristol with 14
hours' notice, we've got enough drivers
on the platform that we'll find a way of
piecing it together to get it to work.”
Inevitably, customers want to know
that the vehicle is being delivered by
a professional, and will arrive in the
condition it was bought in. In a digital
and interconnected age, there is a
strict expectation around evidence and
tracking. To this end, using the Engineius
system, the driver can take photos before
and after the vehicle has arrived at its
destination, to keep a record of the
condition, through Engineius. Similarly,
customers can track the driver through
the Engineius app, with the driver
providing an ETA before embarking on
their journey.
Engineius began its life working with
fleets. Now, the dealership space awaits.
Dealers and ffleet customers have their
requirements. As CEO, Jones has set
own requirem
and adapt to differing needs.
out to learn an
“We’ve got th
the technology that can
different service levels, different
deliver differ
different delivery
grades of inspection, diffe
customisations,” he explains.
times, and cust
“So we want tto prove that the business
making sure that we have
model works, m
from across the industry.”
representation fr
Notably, Jones
Jon has found that
into a different sector of the
branching int
industry has allowed the company
same industr
the technology, ensuring that
to really test th
customers with completely different
two custome
satisfied by the
requirements can be s
same platform.
the deteriorating quality of UK roads.
Poor road surfaces can cause damage,
and while windscreens, for instance, are
becoming more advanced, they are also
more expensive to repair.
Automotive companies are operating on
razor-thin margins, so it is integral that
they are efficient and prepared.
Jones says: “Necessity is the mother of
all invention, but I do think that actually
those who have taken slightly longer are
the more successful ones, being able to
plan, calibrating every day, executing
efficiently. It's those who actually have a
strategy and know where it's taking them
that succeed.”
With efficiency comes sustainability.
Engineius’ ability to reduce wasted
journeys aims to reduce CO2
emissions and allow clients to be more
environmentally friendly. This is an ethos
that spreads through the company.
Jones says: “We do a lot in the office
to make sure that we're as efficient as
possible. We offset our carbon. We have
quite a young, dynamic workforce, and
it means a lot to them to know that we
are thinking progressively about how we
manage sustainability.”
In the US, for example, it is common
to have a ‘chaser car’ to tail the vehicle
being delivered to ensure it gets there
safely, and to do the return journey. Jones
argues that this is an inefficiency that
well-thought-out platforms and systems
can eliminate.
“We want to do more vehicle
movements for more customers at
high service levels and optimise our
technology along the way,” he says.
“We would love to share more of these
benefits with our customers, so we are
developing a product where customers
can utilise our technology for their own
drivers, [using] our core technology.”
Facing challenges
already beleaguered by
In a sector alr
from geopolitical insecurity to
challenges, fr
winds of ZEV Mandate targets
the rising win
economy, a particular
and a turbulent econ
Engineius is to balance its
challenge for Engin
capacity with increasing costs.
growing capacit
The cost of fu
fuel, for example, means
optimisation is highly
that route optimis
combining jobs wherever
important, as is co
Jones also sheds light on an
possible. Jon
element of vehicle movement:
overlooked ele
Future of vehicle movement
While the fundamentals remain
unchanged, the technology underpinning
vehicle movement is becoming
increasingly sophisticated, creating
opportunities to improve efficiency,
visibility and customer experience
simultaneously.
Vehicle movement should no longer be
viewed as a necessary administrative
task, but as a strategic part of the
automotive ecosystem.
Q1 2026
Q3
AUTOMOTIVE BUSINESS
39
