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Are Petrol-Powered Extended Range EVs Coming to Europe?
Extended Range Electric Vehicles are booming in China and re-entering the European conversation. Could petrol-powered range extenders help accelerate EV adoption — or complicate the transition?
Paul Bennett
6 days ago3 min read
EV Residual Values, Auto ABS, and the New Rules of Automotive Finance
Electric vehicle residual values are reshaping auto ABS markets. As EV depreciation becomes harder to predict, lenders and investors are rethinking how residual value risk affects automotive finance and securitisation.
Paul Bennett
Mar 83 min read
If You Think Compliance Is Expensive, Try Non-Compliance
The UK motor finance redress scheme highlights the true cost of non-compliance. As CCD II approaches across Europe, auto finance providers must rethink governance, affordability checks and commission structures.
Paul Bennett
Mar 84 min read
Partnership Fatigue: Why Not Every Business Relationship Needs the Label
The word “partnership” is now used so freely that it risks meaning nothing at all. A reflection on corporate language inflation and the value of clarity in business relationships.
Paul Bennett
Feb 203 min read
Global EV Adoption Is a Regional Story: Why 75% of New Cars Worldwide Are Still ICE
From a European perspective, the world may appear to be rapidly electrifying. The reality is more complex: approximately 75% of global passenger-car sales remain internal-combustion.
Paul Bennett
Feb 134 min read
Electrifying Europe: What Norway’s EV Revolution Teaches the EU5 and Beyond
Norway has achieved near-total EV adoption. For the EU5 - Germany, the UK, France, Italy and Spain - the challenge is not whether to electrify, but how to adapt Norway’s model at scale.
Paul Bennett
Feb 64 min read
Trust in the Age of AI: Why Transparency, Empathy and Expertise Now Drive Transactions
We have more information than ever, yet trust has never been scarcer. As AI reshapes business, the human ability to build trust through empathy and expertise becomes the ultimate advantage.
Paul Bennett
Jan 303 min read
Prescription Without Diagnosis Equals Malpractice: Why L.A.E.R. Matters in Automotive Retail
Too many sales conversations begin with a solution instead of a diagnosis. In automotive retail, L.A.E.R. - Listen, Acknowledge, Explore, Respond - creates trust, value and long-term loyalty.
Paul Bennett
Jan 235 min read
2026: The Year Speed Kills Scale in the Automotive Industry
The era of predictable five-year cycles is over. In 2026, agility becomes the automotive industry’s defining currency - from AI and cybersecurity to China and sub-€25k EVs.
Paul Bennett
Jan 163 min read
Outstanding Customer Experience in 2026: The Ultimate Competitive Advantage for Automotive Retail
As products and finance become increasingly commoditised, customer experience has become the final true differentiator in automotive retail - and regulation is accelerating the shift.
Paul Bennett
Jan 93 min read
AI Voice Agents in Automotive Retail: Why Speed of Response Now Defines Customer Relationships
Automotive retail is entering its next competitive era. AI voice agents are changing customer expectations, compressing response times and reshaping how dealers convert leads and retain loyalty.
Paul Bennett
Dec 19, 20254 min read
The European Automotive Crossroads: Heritage, Electrification and the Chinese Challenge
As Europe approaches 2026, its automotive industry stands at a defining crossroads. Electrification mandates, Chinese competition and structural economic pressures are reshaping the future of European manufacturing.
Paul Bennett
Dec 12, 20254 min read
2026 and beyond: Reinventing Europe’s automotive promise
As we approach 2026, the European automotive industry continues to face unprecedented challenges. The industry that gave the world iconic vehicles like the Beetle, Mini, and E-Type must now reinvent itself at warp speed to survive in a rapidly changing global market, writes Paul Bennett, Managing Partner of Madox Square.
Paul Bennett
Dec 10, 20258 min read
Trade Cycle Management 2.0: Why 2025 Marks a Turning Point for Automotive Lifecycle Strategy
Trade Cycle Management is re-emerging as a defining strategy in automotive finance. In 2025, AI, circular economy principles and data-driven lifecycle control are reshaping how OEMs and captives drive retention and profitability.
Paul Bennett
Dec 5, 20254 min read
Europe at a Crossroads: EU EV Mandates, Industrial Risk and the Rise of Chinese Automakers
Europe’s automotive industry faces mounting pressure from accelerated electrification targets and surging Chinese competition. With 13 million jobs tied to the sector, regulatory flexibility may prove decisive for Europe’s industrial future.
Paul Bennett
Nov 28, 20254 min read
Why Trade Cycle Management will be key in 2026
As margins tighten and competition rises, captive finance firms, and now independent lenders, must adopt technology-driven, multi-lifecycle strategies to turn single sales into recurring profit streams, writes Paul Bennett of advisory firm Madox Square.
Paul Bennett
Oct 30, 20257 min read
Europe’s auto industry at a crossroads: Time for decisive action
As Chinese automakers surge into Europe and legacy manufacturers accelerate their EV transition, the stakes have never been higher. Munich’s upcoming Global Data Automotive Europe Conference will be a pivotal moment to chart a bold path forward.
Paul Bennett
Sep 25, 20257 min read
Europe’s EV revolution hits the mainstream
From niche to necessity, EVs are reshaping the automotive landscape as technology, policy, and consumer choice converge, writes Paul Bennett, Managing Partner at Madox Square.
Paul Bennett
Sep 4, 20255 min read
Solving the unstructured data dilemma in financial services
From improving compliance to reducing manual workloads, today’s AI tools are helping financial institutions transform customer...
Paul Bennett
Aug 3, 20254 min read
How EV uptake is rewiring the UK’s corporate fleet transport sector
How EV uptake is rewiring the UK’s corporate fleet transport sector
Paul Bennett
Jun 2, 20255 min read
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