Automotive Insights has appointed Andy Barratt as chairman of its advisory board.
The Manchester based consumer market intelligence firm, which surveys more than 1,000 UK motorists each month, said the move supports its plans to expand its insight offering across the automotive sector.
Barratt brings experience from senior roles at Ford of Britain, as well as positions at Toyota, Lexus and emerging Chinese brands across the Middle East.
He is also a former vice president of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
Barratt said the industry still faces challenges in fully understanding consumer behaviour despite increasing competitive pressure.
“It was once said that ‘data is the new horsepower’ in the automotive industry,” he said.
“Yet despite fierce competition, price pressure, shifting consumer expectations and the growing threat from new entrants emerging from China and across Asia, the sector still has a blind spot when it comes to truly understanding the consumer.”
He said he was attracted by the company’s platform and its focus on delivering timely insight to the market.
“We know just how important customer insights are to the retail automotive industry today,” he said, adding that he was impressed by the level of insight available.
“I was excited to get involved, and assist the team with their purpose of setting the new standard in just in time market intelligence.”
Nigel Morris, commercial director of Automotive Insights and Research Services, said Barratt’s appointment reflects the company’s growth ambitions.
“Andy’s appointment is another demonstration of our ambition, and his experience will further inform our future plans both in the UK and internationally,” he said.
The business is preparing to publish its first annual report later this month, overseen by Richard Walker.
Walker said the report combines desk research with proprietary data from a survey of 12,000 UK motorists.
“It has been a really interesting project to pull this report together,” he said.
“With us being able to use a combination of extensive desk research with our propriety data from surveying 12,000 UK motorists, it certainly will provider readers with a unique understanding of the insights behind the numbers.”