Editor's note

Welcome to the Motor Finance subscriber edition of the year, where we take takes a retrospective look at the main themes and events that have affected the UK car industry over the last 12 months.

Leaders from across the motor finance industry have offered their views on the year, covering the ongoing chip shortage, the incredible demand seen in the used car market, the increasing urgency around the EV transition and much more.

We also take a deep dive into our data files to see which stories on the Motor Finance website attracted the most traffic over the course of the year.

Our final feature of the year focuses on Millennials and Zoomers and the changing nature of vehicle ownership. Younger customers are online, environmentally conscious and more used to subscribing to products than owning them. How can the market adapt to meet their needs?

Reporter Chris Farnell also dissects the Cox Automotive Insights report that was published last month, offering insight into the potential direction of the UK automotive sector as we swiftly move into 2022.

We also have a piece contributed by Sherif Malak, partner and member of the mobility team at Shoosmiths, which looks at the monetisation of vehicle data and how important the trend could be for automotive manufacturers in the future.

In our final Comment section of the year, Nick Chadaway, managing director at DMN Logistics describes what could be a major shake-up in the vehicle movement industry with the introduction of electric alternatives. NovaFuri’s Garry Jones looks at the correlation between the significant demand in the used car market and the growth of digitalisation, while Jonathan Pollard of First Response Finance explains why the company invested heavily in a new collections system.

Stay safe, have a great Christmas break and we’ll see you back next year for the next edition.

Chris Lemmon, editor