#34 Autotrader CEO: Chinese Car Growth is "Mind-boggling"

#34汽车交易网CEO:中国汽车增长令人“难以置信”

Business Matters

2026-04-09

40 分钟
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单集简介 ...

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
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单集文稿 ...

  • Welcome to Big Boss Interview.

  • I'm Fliss Hanna and Sean Farrington is in the driving seat this week.

  • Who have you been speaking to, Sean?

  • Yeah, I've been chatting to the boss of the UK's biggest online car buying platform.

  • It is, of course, AutoTrader.

  • The chief executive there is Nathan Coe.

  • There was lots to chat about changing worlds of car purchasing that there's been in recent weeks.

  • Because of the increases in petrol and diesel prices.

  • They've seen changes there, but just also over a broader length of time.

  • He was very interested on the changes in particular of Chinese cars and the options that we have now to buy Chinese cars.

  • It was very, very strong on the impact that has had on the UK market and where that might go next.

  • We delved into where the world of AI might take the world of a company like Autotrader, how we engage with it.

  • Back in the day, decades ago, it would have been flicking through a magazine that came out once a week.

  • Fast forward to today and in the next decade,

  • will there even be the website that we 're chatting to or will it be through other means as well?

  • Recently, Autotrader has had to engage with the competition regulator because of some investigation that the regulator

  • is pursuing into reviews, whether they 're misleading, whether they 're fake reviews, some questions about moderation.

  • Of reviews and negative reviews for Autotrader to have to have a look at as well.

  • So we heard his response to that situation.

  • There was lots to talk about, so let's get into it.