NEWS

March introduction from Peter

Mar 26, 2021   written by Autorola

For many we are already passing one year of living with a global pandemic. It has been a very tough year for many, and the used car market has seen many peaks and troughs of activity which we have followed via our INDICATA Market Watch insights report.

We have now published 14 reports which gives insights into 13 countries. All the reports are hosted online at www.indicata.com/corona so please feel free to download copies if you need a detailed overview of the pandemic-led market trends.

Italian used car market bounces back
Italy was one of the very first countries in Europe which was impacted but from February 2021 it had experienced nine consecutive months of used car market year-on-year growth. The new NEDC emissions tax scheme like the one in France is already restricting new car sales to the benefit of the used car sector. It shows that the used car industry is very resilient.

According to our Spanish subsidiary it will be the year of the used car as WLTP legislation is impacting on new car sales and already the market is looking to import used cars to satisfy demand. Read more about the Spanish market in our interview with country manager Robert Lohaus in this newsletter.

We are also seeing a change in what consumers want to buy and since the beginning of 2020 ex-fleet stock has replaced older cars in popularity. With more ex-fleet cars coming back into the market after contract extensions in 2020 and as more new cars get delivered then that spells good news for all markets. We will keep a close eye on these trends during 2021.

MarketPlace is balancing used car supply and demand
As always, our Marketplace online used car portal is helping European countries balance their shortage or surplus of cars while more asset owners are using INDICATA’s real time used car insights to make the most informed decisions about buying and selling their used cars. And our global team is constantly innovating with new products and services.

Vehicle equipment levels have always had an impact on the value of used cars, and through the recent launch of INDICATA’s equipment/options functionality this has been made much easier. Feedback from dealers has been very positive and this month we have added further functionality to INDICATA with the launch of its 0km/pre-registered cars.

Three types of used car identified
The INDICATA dashboard now identifies three types of used car category to help dealers accurately assess the value of their own stock and that of their local dealer rivals.
  • 0km/pre-registered vehicles which have been registered by the dealer and sit on their forecourt but have never been driven
  • Demonstrator stock which generally has a few hundred kilometres on the clock and are a few months old
  • General dealer used car stock
Watch our short film to find out more how this functionality can help your used car business.
As always please stay safe and we look forward to seeing more used car markets return to some form or normality during 2021.

Best regards
Peter Grøftehauge (LinkedIn)

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INDICATA Market Watch report tracks the pandemic’s impact on Europe’s used car industry

Mar 26, 2021   written by Autorola

While the Coronavirus pandemic continues to impact Europe’s used car market our Market Watch report provides dealers, OEMs and vehicle asset owners with valuable insights on how individual countries are being affected.

February’s markets continued to be impacted by various degrees but the big winner in every country is online selling of used cars. Online sales have become a key part of selling used cars through the crisis and going forward there is little evidence to support a full return to pre-crisis operating models.

Used car sales are down year-on-year
Overall February used car sales volumes reduced by 0.6% compared to January 2021 and year-on-year February 2021 used car sales were down 5.2% and 8.1% down year-to-date.

Here are some more highlights from our latest report:
  • Typical ex-fleet vehicles aged 3-5-years old are faring better than older used cars
  • Turkish market is showing the strains of a market returning to normality
  • Poland sees some tactical sales activity to try to fill supply constraints
  • Only France and Austria are showing tactical sales activity
  • Used petrol (-9%) and diesel cars (-11%) saw sharp falls in used car sales YoY but there are supply constraints in some markets
  • YoY used car sales increase for BEVs (+131%) and hybrids (+85%) as alternative powertrains become increasingly popular. BEV sales were up 7% month-on-month and hybrids up 9%
  • Total used car stock levels going into March 2021 are 3.2% lower than January but 6.2% higher than March 2020, and 12.3% above the same month in 2019
  • Stock turn for BEVs increases by 7% year-on-year as other powertrains sees a small fall
  • ICE vehicles (diesel 6.0x, petrol 5.3x) remain the fastest selling used cars
To receive your free copy of our 13-country 20-page report every month simply register at www.indicata.com/corona


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Autorola Spain’s country manager Robert Lohaus is predicting 2021 as the year of the used car

Mar 25, 2021   written by Autorola

 

Spain’s new car market fell in 2020 by 32.3% and in 2021 sales have continued to fall. This has been mainly due to the reduction in demand for daily rental by both leasing companies and consumers have been impacted by the pandemic.

During the past 12 months this has reduced the supply of ex-rental cars entering the used market. Combine that with the growing number of extended fleet contracts made by leasing companies then the used car supply has continued to fall.

Used car demand and prices remain strong.
Meanwhile, demand has remained strong and so prices continue to rise which is why some dealers have turned to Autorola for help in importing used cars from other European countries to help meet demand.

Autorola remains at the heart of balancing the supply and demand of used cars within Spain via its MarketPlace remarketing portal using the group’s digital multi-language Cloud based technology.

We protect residuals for our vendors.
“We never shut our business during lockdown as all Autorola systems are based in the Cloud. We carried on servicing the needs of our vendors and buyers with our teams working from home. We are in a unique market position in protecting residual values for vendors by helping them make the right disposal decisions. We are also helping dealers source stock through the adoption of cross border remarketing strategies,” said Robert.

Like many Autorola businesses Spain is using INDICATA’s real time used vehicle pricing portal to help vendors make the right decisions by finding where the best prices are for used cars. That includes exporting stock to other European countries which is where the group’s cross border experience comes in very valuable. When it comes to importing used cars to Spain, Lohaus and his team use INDICATA data to source the best cars at the best prices, making pricing ‘more dynamic’.

The Importance of dynamic pricing is very clear to see. Autorola has noticed a considerable demand increase for real time data from Spanish dealers and leasing and rental companies. Asset owners want to improve their market position by analysing market trends and develop pricing strategies to optimize their used car results and increase revenues.

“Our INDICATA team is consulting with its customers’ to provide bespoke solutions to help them meet their ambition of moving to a digital pricing platform,” explained Robert.

Spain’s used car market is changing.
As with many European countries Spain’s used car market is changing, not just in the type of used cars consumers are buying but also with the greater adoption of digital technology to make remarketing more efficient.

“Diesel has been the favourite fuel with consumers for many years but in 2020 it was the first time that petrol reached more than 56% of registrations. We have not seen big sales of hybrids or electric cars in Spain yet and the consequences of vehicle registration price increases caused by WLTP is another reason why new car sales are not growing back to pre-pandemic levels.

Moving away from spreadsheets
“What we are seeing is more companies moving from valuing their cars on spreadsheets to adopting INDICATA and our digital remarketing workflow management systems. They are beginning to understand the importance of making remarketing decisions on real time data which INDICATA and our remarketing systems provides.

“The pandemic has forced companies to work from home which has created many challenges for employees as their systems do not allow them to access company data from home. For Autorola the Cloud is second nature and Spanish companies are now embracing more technology to increase their productivity and workflows,” said Robert.

It is not just the remarketing sector that is moving to digitalisation but the entire country. Google is investing €500M in a European Cybersecurity Centre in Malaga, while Deloitte will establish its Deloitte Cybersecurity Centre in Madrid providing managed security services for the EMEA region. There is huge investment set to be made in Spain in the coming years as the society and therefore the economy is transformed.

Speeding up change in our country
“The pandemic has helped accelerate the speed of change in our country. There is an ambition to do things better and become more efficient which will help transform our economy to one that does not just rely on one or two key sectors such as tourism.

“Autorola is proud to be at the cutting edge of the reinvention of the Spanish remarketing sector and we already have the tools with MarketPlace, INDICATA and Solutions to become the leading force in the market. Everything is now set for 2021 to be Spain’s year of the used car. I am very proud of the Spanish Autorola team and to be part of the Autorola Group. It is a very good company to work for,” said Robert.

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INDICATA launches 0km/pre-reg feature to help dealers track sales and prices of pre-registered cars

Mar 25, 2021   written by Autorola

INDICATA has launched a new 0km/pre-registered (pre-reg) feature on its used car valuations and sales insights portal to help dealers manage the growing number of cars being pre-registered in their individual markets.

As OEMs look to grow market shares with tactical dealer registrations, it is vital car dealers can initially price 0Km/pre-registrations correctly and continue to monitor the market to remain competitive as other dealers take pricing actions.

Tracking and valuing 0km/pre-reg cars
Generally, dealers aggressively discount 0km/pre reg cars to sell them quickly to avoid costly depreciation which is why being able to track and value these higher risk vehicles separately from the rest of their used stock is important.

This new functionality also allows a dealer to set up specific price strategies for different vehicle categories. INDICATA automatically tracks adverts within the category and now dealers can manually set age and/or mileage criteria that identifies vehicle categories.

Dealers no longer risk comparing a demo car against a pre-reg car
That means when dealers run their vehicle pricing comparisons against similar category vehicles, they do not risk comparing a demo car against a pre-reg car, or pre-reg car against a normal used vehicle. After all each category has a distinct pricing.

The INDICATA dashboard now identifies three types of used car category to help dealers accurately assess the value of their own stock and that of their local dealer rivals.

Three categories of used car
The INDICATA categories are:
  • 0km/pre-registered vehicles which have been registered by the dealer and sit on their forecourt but have never been driven
  • Demonstrator stock which generally has a few hundred kilometres on the clock and are a few months old
  • General dealer used car stock
Pre-reg and 0km cars can comprise 30% of dealer stock
Andy Shields, INDICATA’s business unit director said: “In some OEM brands and models, pre- registrations account for over 30% of new car sales, with 0km and pre-registrations becoming an important part of a dealer’s stock. Therefore, being able to use INDICATA to track values in real time will enable dealers to proactively manage their 0km, pre reg and demo vehicles more efficiently.”



For further information go to www.indicata.com

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