Nathan Coe, CEO of Autotrader, joins Sean Farrington for this episode of Big Boss Interview to discuss how rising fuel prices, the rapid growth of Chinese carmakers and advances in AI are reshaping the UK car market.
Coe says the recent spike in petrol prices has triggered an immediate shift towards electric vehicles, with enquiries on Autotrader up 30% month-on-month. He says higher fuel costs are pushing more buyers to reconsider the total cost of ownership, accelerating interest in EVs.
He also highlights the rapid rise of Chinese manufacturers in the UK market, describing their growth as “mind-boggling”. Firms such as BYD, he says, have scaled in a year what took Tesla six to seven, helped by competitive pricing and a shift in consumer behaviour - with EV buyers showing less loyalty to traditional brands.
Coe is also asked about the Competition and Markets Authority investigation into online reviews, stressing the company’s focus on acting with integrity.
On AI, Coe says Autotrader is working with firms including OpenAI, Google Gemini and Meta, and argues that while investor concerns about AI have weighed on the company’s share price, it has not seen a fall in traffic and believes the technology will strengthen its offering rather than disrupt it.
Presenter: Sean Farrington
Producer: Jeevan Nerwan
Editor: Henry Jones
00:12 Fliss and Sean set up interview 01:47 Nathan Coe joins the pod/Iran war impact on EV demand 09:10 Chinese car sales in the UK growing faster than expected 16:08 The UK's EV transition 18:42 CMA investigation 23:53 AI