THE majority of cars will continue to be bought from dealers despite the explosion of internet-based car trading companies, according to Peugeot managing director Tod Evans. He followed Rover and Glass's Information Services in predicting the demise of the e-commerce traders which have sprung up on the back of the new car pricing debate.

Most e-commerce companies are trading on the promise to provide continental Europe-sourced vehicles at a lower price than UK new cars, but Evans believes price differences will eventually disappear and long term, he said: 'Unless you have a product to sell you will not stay in business. I don't think these companies have a future.'

However, he admitted that some new car buyers want to buy over the internet and says the industry - Ford and Vauxhall already provide an internet car buying service - will, as a whole, move towards offering discounted cars to internet buyers with the transaction carried out direct with manufacturers and the delivery and servicing of vehicles carried out by dealers.