NEWS

Welcome to the Autorola Group newsletter.

While 2022 has so far been a year of automotive challenges and economic pressures on a global scale, it has been a year of strong and steady growth for Autorola.

Delivering strong results for our customers

As a group, we have expanded our business not only through new contracts with major global brands, but also the cross selling of products and services to existing clients, both of which have delivered strong results.

As ever, we publish the latest INDICATA Market Watch report, which gives our latest insights and data into how the used car market is responding to the lack of stock volume.

Overall, the market remains stable but used car inflation is beginning to slow down across Europe. Prices are softening across Europe and can be seen as a sign that some balance is returning to the market after two years of high prices.

To read more about these trends, look at the full report below.

Autorola Turkey and Australia continue to grow

This month, we have interviewed with Asli Göker, Deputy General Manager of the territory. Autorola Turkey has has a period of strong growth, thanks to the signing of several major new contracts in the region, and the launch of Autocom, which facilitates used vehicles sales in B2B, B2C and C2B transactions. Read more about how Autorola Turkey has driven growth against a background of used car inflation above 100% in the full article below.

Philip Browne is Autorola Australia’s country manager, and his team has come out of the pandemic with valuable new contracts with the rental industry as well as offering a unique upstream selling proposition to fleets. Read more about Australia’s success story in our interview with Philip Browne below.

New remarketing contract with the BMW Group

Finally, I am delighted to report that we have announced a new, four-year European remarketing contract with the BMW Group. This sees Autorola working with BMW and MINI dealers across Europe to optimise used car values and stock availability via our dedicated wholesale platform. To read more about this exciting new contract see the article below.

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Autorola has signed a new four-year pan-European remarketing contract with The BMW Group to help its BMW and MINI dealers optimise used car values and stock availability across Europe.

Autorola has built a dedicated, closed B2B remarketing platform across Europe for the continental BMW and MINI dealer group organisations. The fully integrated solution provides online auction services as well as the individual components such as vehicle valuation and logistics.

Utilising all Autorola products

The contract includes BMW national sales companies, Alphabet Fleet Management and BMW Financial Services and utilises all three Autorola products; the online MarketPlace remarketing platform, INDICATA’s real time used car pricing data and the Fleet Monitor asset management platform.

BMW’s national sales companies, Alphabet Fleet Management and BMW Financial Services will be able to upload their ex-lease, rental, and company cars onto a closed version of Autorola’s MarketPlace European online platform which is only accessible by franchised BMW and Mini dealers.

Helping optimise used car sales and values

“We are extremely proud of winning this tender to work with the BMW Group. We have put our two decades of online remarketing experience into helping the BMW Group support its dealers, leasing, and finance businesses to help them optimise used car sales, values, and availability across Europe,” explained Morten Holmsten, Autorola Group’s global MarketPlace business unit director.

“The first online auctions have already gone well with some strong prices achieved. We look forward to growing the number of buyers bidding and increasing the number of used cars in each online auction,” he added.

Opening stock up to dealers Europe-wide

BMW Group’s new European remarketing partnership opens used car stock up to dealers on a Europe-wide basis at a time when there are vehicle shortages across all markets. It also enables unwanted, repeat, or overage stock to be made available within the confines of the BMW family, thus matching up supply and demand.

The first phase of the new contract went live in June and enables 10 European countries (Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Finland, France, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden) to sell used cars online. A total of 15 markets will be eligible to buy used cars via the online platform.

Despite a used car market which has stalled due to inflationary challenges, Autorola Turkey had enjoyed a period of strong growth. This strengthening of Autorola Turkey’s operations began during the pandemic, when the closure of physical auction sites meant that the used car industry had to digitalise rapidly.

Autorola’s existing suite of powerful digital sales tools meant that it had a ready solution to keep the used vehicle market afloat during this time. The results generated during this period of transition have meant that partnerships formed during this time have strengthened since, allowing Autorola Turkey’s market share to flourish, even in uncertain times.

Autocom: a new product to facilitate used car sales for everyone

Launched to allow both the purchase and sale of used cars from private owners, Autocom is the latest product from Autorola Turkey, which works in a C2B, B2C and a B2B scenario.

Autocom allows a customer to value their vehicle online using the INDICATA lead generator platform. If the estimated price is accepted, the customer can book an inspection appointment at one of five branches across Turkey (four in Istanbul and one in Izmir), where the vehicle is inspected using Autorola’s in-house inspection technology.

If the offer made is accepted, Autorola pays the customer up front, before marketing the vehicle via its digital showroom, to B2B and B2C buyers to bid on and purchase.

This clever integration of different Autorola tools, combined for the benefit of both the trade and retail customer has allowed it to increase its brand awareness with the Turkish public, helped by a marketing campaign conducted on social media.

In the months since Autocom was launched, the response from the public has been strong, with several hundred sold via the platform and plans to roll the brand out further across Turkey.

A maturing marketplace supported by Autorola

Compared to neighbouring territories, the used car market in Turkey has still yet to mature. Autorola’s strong base of automotive solutions has been adding value to all customer businesses, whether buyers or sellers. Powerful, data driven products are providing trust and increased returns to customers as the market matures. The cross-selling of Autorola solutions to its customer base has been key to the growth of business in the region enabling it to serve the needs of the remarketing industry by 360 degrees.

New partnerships drive growth

Autorola Turkey, which now works with the top 10 global OEMs, continues to add value to the used car operations for franchised dealers with the complete range of ​​services it offers.

In the months to come, Autorola Turkey will continue to broaden its customer base outside of purely OEM clients.

Autorola has also announced multiple new insurance companies across Turkey, which use its INDICATA used car data to estimate valuations on their book of assets. At a time when there has been used car inflation in the country of over 100%, companies who are taking the residual risk on their assets are using the data to understand how this is impacting values.

While some internal processes have had to be adapted to meet the specific needs of these new customers, following the signing of three new companies in recent months, Autorola Turkey continues to penetrate this new market with INDICATA’s live used car data which has previously not been available to the market.

The result of the growth of business in Turkey has meant the growth of the Autorola team, and at the beginning of September, its team had grown to 201, with further expansion planned before its 10^th anniversary in April 2023.

Autorola Australia became a net carbon neutral company in February 2022 and as more corporates sign up to reducing their emissions working with a supply chain partner with similar ambitions has become vitally important.

Online remarketing is well known for being a more environmental way of selling used cars and Autorola employed the services of an independent advisor to measure this saving. For every 1,000 used cars it sells it can report a carbon footprint saving of 92.8 tonnes of carbon emissions. And that’s before the emissions saved by buyers not having to drive or fly to a physical auction are taken into account.

A good company to do business with
“It makes us a good company to do business with,” explained Autorola Australia general manager Philip Browne.

“More and more Australian businesses are becoming aware of their carbon footprint and not only is our business carbon neutral but the online service we offer is dramatically reducing emissions and costs when selling used vehicles.

“The first time a used car moves during the online auction process is when the buyer collects it, which also saves transportation costs for the vendor. It is a win win situation for everybody,” he added.

Growth in upstream selling
Australia has seen its number of fleet vendors grow as Autorola’s upstream selling continues to be a powerful proposition. Under the principles of upstream selling when a used vehicle is defleeted it already has a new owner.

Autorola inspects vehicles a month or so before they are due for de-fleeting which gives companies a chance to undertake repairs and where applicable make insurance claims to get them repaired and ready for sale.

Vendors receive payment on de-fleet day
“Vendors like the fact they are receiving payment for a used vehicle on the day it is de-fleeted. We liaise with the dealer supplying a new vehicle to ensure the handover process is totally seamless. When a driver receives their new car, we have a new buyer waiting for their old one. With the increased demand for used cars in the current market, upstream selling helps keep prices strong,” said Browne.

Autorola has onboarded its in-house Fleet Monitor asset management system for each of its vendor customers so it can track the different stages of a vehicle’s life. Fleet Monitor data reminds Autorola when a vehicle is due to be de-fleeted, and with new car delivery delays still in place they can liaise with the dealer on the delivery schedule of the driver’s new car.

Fleet Monitor gives Autorola a competitive advantage
It is a platform that gives Autorola an advantage over its competitors as it provides complete transparency on a vehicle asset from the time it joins a customer’s fleet until its disposal.

Like so many countries more vendors and buyers have moved to sell and buy used vehicles online since the Covid pandemic. It is now becoming the preferred way to sell and buy used cars in Australia with vehicles being inspected remotely and vehicle descriptions and images being uploaded onto the MarketPlace platform to be sold via an online auction.

Online auctions hosted by a live auctioneer
Australia’s online auctions are a little different to most as they are hosted by a live auctioneer. Buyers enjoy the atmosphere it creates, and it has found favour with an increasing number of fleet and OEM vendors, including Honda.

Despite the semiconductor challenges connected with new car supply Browne believes the daily rental companies are starting to recover from the pandemic and are now running fleets that are up to 90% of pre-pandemic levels. Over the past two years Autorola’s relationship with the rental industry has got much closer and it now provides three key services to the sector.

It sells used rental cars via MarketPlace online auctions which continue to make good money, it inspects and sells salvage cars across the country on the industry’s behalf which involves a remote inspection and selling it from where the car has been stored.

Refurbishing ex-rental cars
And Autorola manages the pre-sale repair process for multiple rental companies which ensures their disposal cars are refurbished ready to make the best prices in the used market.

“Our services fit well with the rental industry, and it has been a major growth area for us. We can help and support them to reduce their disposal, repair, and salvage costs at a time when they are still recovering from two years of uncertainty due to the Covid pandemic. It mirrors what we did with insurance companies and their salvage. We helped and supported them to reduce their disposal costs and optimise residual values which is very satisfying,” said Browne.

Used car inflation is slowing down across Europe according to the latest INDICATA Market Watch used car insights report.

European used prices were just 0.3% higher from the start of August moving into September compared with the high prices experienced in late 2021 and early 2022.

Discounting Turkey where mega inflation has forced used prices up by 117% points since the end of 2021 prices on average have risen by 9.9% in Europe during 2022. Austria (12.1%), Portugal (11.6%), Spain (11.2%), Belgium (11.1%), France (10.7%) and Italy (10.2%) have all experienced a double-digit price increase. Only the United Kingdom have experienced a price fall in 2022 of -3.6%.

Are used cars beginning to stabilise?
“We will have to wait and see whether this is an early sign that used car prices are beginning to stabilise. Used car sales continue to be compromised by stock shortages and some markets are reporting a softening in retail demand caused by a rise in inflation,” explained Andy Shields, INDICATA’s global business unit director.

“New car supplies remain restricted which is contributing to fewer ex-fleet and ex-rental cars hitting the used market. These dynamics are working together to shape a used car industry that has experienced huge change over the past two years.

Stock falls for third month running
“There are no signs that prices or demand will plummet anytime soon, but it’s the first sign we have seen in 2022 that the market might just be settling down at its ‘new normal’,” he added.

August sales in Europe were 10.6% lower than for the same period in 2021, partly hampered by stock constraints which fell for the third consecutive month, and consumers spending money going on holiday rather than buying a used car. Only France reported a year-on-year increase in sales (29.9%) which was fueled by a rise in manufacturer-backed registrations of sub-12-month-old used cars.

Starved of used cars
The Portuguese and Spanish market continue to be starved of used cars at a time when historically daily rental companies would be reducing the size their fleets at the end of summer. To reinforce the size of the problem, in Portugal dealer stock levels fell by 13.0% between 1 August and 1 September.

Used EVs which have been the source of many used car stories from INDICATA in 2022 saw a fall in sales based on a shortage of stock and soaring energy prices dampening demand. However, those used EVs that were in demand experienced a stock turn better than all other powertrain types.

Diesel stock turn remains strong
A boom in new hybrid car sales prior to the pandemic continues to satisfy current used car demand, while diesel stock turn remains strong despite falling from favour with many buyers.

“It is another market anomaly where the high price of EVs is putting off some drivers from going electric while others cannot get into an EV quicker enough. The next two or three years of the used market look set to be very interesting,” said Shields.

For a free copy of the latest INDICATA Market Watch report go to www.indicata.com