BMW is becoming more certain that the agency sales model is the right way forward for the business and may introduce it by 2027. Mini transitioned to an agency model in the UK on March 1 this year, with customers able to purchase online and dealers facilitating the customer handover. That comes even as many UK dealers believe the wider shift to agency is running out of steam. Most UK dealers are not persuaded. Fifteen per cent of dealers believe economic pressures, such as rising costs for electrification and competitive new-car markets, could force manufacturers back toward agency.