NEWS

Introduction from Peter Groftehauge

Welcome to our Spring edition of our Global Group Newsletter. With the automotive continually in a state of flux and with BEVs continuing to look at establishing themselves around the world, our Indicata Market Watch used car pricing insights report has celebrated its sixth birthday.

Sixty reports have all been published with the aim of supporting every vehicle asset owner around the globe to help them make more strategic decisions when setting residual values and used car prices. Find out how to download our latest report in our Market Watch 60 article.

Happy birthday Claus

Someone else who is also celebrating a birthday is our CTO, Chief Technical Officer Claus Christensen who has been with the company for 25 years. He was Autorola Group’s first employee and during the past two and a half decades he has helped build the business into what it is today – a state-of-the-art digital remarketing business based in 20 countries serving some of the world’s biggest blue-chip businesses. Read my tribute to Claus’s Autorola career in this edition of the newsletter.

Introducing a new-look Autorola brand

You will also notice that the newsletter looks a little different after we launched a re-brand of the company and its business units in early February. The re-brand will continue to be rolled out across the globe and came about after we felt that the new Autorola Group had grown up and become a global business that works with blue chip automotive brands across 20 different countries and five separate continents, and our new brand reflects this.

Our vision remains the same – to provide class-leading digital solutions that will support and grow our customers’ businesses, and our new branding takes us visually to that next level. We hope you like the re-brand.

Toyota Spain onboards Fleet Monitor and Digital Showroom

One of those global brands that are working with us are Toyota and read how its Spanish business has onboarded our Fleet Monitor and Digital Showroom platforms to feed ex-rental cars back into its nationwide network of dealerships.

We are working more closely than ever with rental companies across the globe by helping them with the challenging task of managing their inventory from new car delivery to remarketing used cars into the wholesale market, into dealers or back into OEMs through buy-back agreements.

Autorola Germany helps manage used car uncertainty

Autorola Germany meanwhile is helping support the country’s used car market as it goes through a period of uncertainty. Country manager Henrik Meissner tells us of the success of a new simultaneous auction they are running for large blue-chip bank, while Indicata is being relied on by the big OEMs more and more as they continue to navigate the subject of used BEVs.

In addition, Germany is playing its big part in balancing the European supply and demand of used cars by managing the import and export of tens of thousands cross border cars through our MarketPlace remarketing platform.

We hope you enjoy our latest newsletter.

Best wishes,

Peter

www.linkedin.com/petergroeftehauge

For the first time since it was founded in 1996, Autorola Group was excited to launch an updated visual identity, including a new logo, colour palette, and typography.

This redesign reflects the company’s transformation from a Danish pioneer in online car auctions to a global leader providing innovative digital solutions across multiple business areas within the automotive industry.

The new visual identity was officially launched in early February, across Autorola’s digital platforms and will be gradually implemented across offices, trade fairs, and other physical touchpoints in the following months.

Strengthening the connection between business units

The goal of the new identity is to create a modern, professional, and recognisable brand expression that strengthens the connection between all three business units while reinforcing their relationship with Autorola Group.


“When Autorola was founded in 1996, we were a small Danish start-up focused on the local market and the first provider of online car auctions in Europe. Since then, we have expanded to over 20 countries across five continents and added two extra business divisions—an advanced fleet management solution (Autorola Solutions) and a data-driven market insights tool (Indicata),” said Peter Grøftehauge, CEO and founder of Autorola Group.

Digital global solutions

“We have been focused on innovation and the development of enhanced digital solutions while expanding our global presence. Over the past years, we have undergone a strategic transformation and now provide digital solutions to some of the world’s largest and most influential companies. As a result, Autorola is stronger today than ever before, and our new visual identity should reflect this strength.

“We aimed for a more unified brand expression across Autorola’s business areas while ensuring each division maintains its own unique identity,” explained Martin Lasthein Creative Director from Studio Reset, who developed the modern new design in close collaboration with Autorola.

New Logo:

Previous Logo:                                                                                    

                                

Toyota Spain has taken a step towards the digitalisation and optimisation of its remarketing processes thanks to the implementation of Autorola Solutions’ tools.

The adoption of the Fleet Monitor and Digital Showroom platforms has transformed the management of their used vehicles, thereby enhancing their operational efficiency, system integration, and process automation.

Manual and fragmented processes

Before this transformation, Toyota Spain faced significant challenges due to manual and fragmented processes. The lack of centralisation and reliance on external systems made it difficult to manage and sell its rental vehicles efficiently to its dealer network.

Thanks to the collaboration between Hervé Massé, Head of Autorola Solutions Spain, and Toyota Spain, these challenges were turned into opportunities with the technical implementation of the project led by the Autorola Solutions team from its Danish headquarters.

The project was completed in just five months and the solution was launched in August 2024.

Seamless digital platform with lean processes

The adoption of Fleet Monitor and Digital Showroom has enabled Toyota Spain to achieve:

• Centralised access: Unified control of all remarketing activities on a single platform.
• Process automation: Reduced manual workload and improved security and operational efficiency.
• Integrated digital ecosystem: Simultaneous management of multiple suppliers, fostering competitiveness and ensuring transparency.
• Guaranteed scalability: The ability to handle high-volume transactions quickly and reliably.
  
  

Toyota Spain’s digital transformation is already delivering tangible and measurable results that include:

• Efficient inventory management: Simultaneous listing of over 800 rental vehicles in ‘Buy Now’ mode with advanced search tools.
• Total automation: Streamlined processes for used vehicle sales, invoicing, logistics, and ownership transfer.
• Error reduction: Automation ensures accurate and consistent data at all times.
• Brand personalisation: A branded platform aligned with Toyota’s identity.
• Enhanced scalability: The system efficiently handles constantly increasing volumes while serving the entire Toyota dealership network of 77 dealers and 161 sales points who sold nearly 100,000 cars in 2024.
  
  

Toyota Spain: Ready for the Future of the Used Car Market

With this transformation, Toyota Spain has strengthened its position as a leading player in the management of used vehicles from the rental market, by setting new standards for innovation in the sector.

The partnership with Autorola Solutions is defined by a digital transformation that has enabled Toyota to manage its operations more efficiently, profitably, and securely, ensuring its used vehicle offering is competitive and aligned with market demands.

Photo caption: From the left:

“Today Claus is Autorola Group’s CTO, Chief Technical Officer, having joined Autorola initially as its head of software development and system operation in 2000. He is a software guy, and we are celebrating his 25 years with us developing market-leading software and systems from our Danish headquarters in Odense.

“It is a perfect moment to reflect on Claus’ incredible journey and contributions. As our very first employee, Claus has played a vital role in shaping Autorola into what it is today.

Making a lasting impact on Autorola

“His dedication, hard work, and unwavering commitment have made a lasting impact on both the company and those who have had the pleasure of working alongside him. On this milestone occasion, I would like to share some memorable moments and qualities that truly define Claus and his remarkable journey with us.

“One of the first stories that comes to mind is from many years ago when we were attending a conference in the USA. We decided to take a boat trip to the Bahamas, completely underestimating the length of the journey. As a result, we ended up with only a few hours at our hotel.

Positive attitude and sense of adventure

 “Despite the challenges, Claus’ positive attitude and sense of adventure made the experience unforgettable – he took it all in stride and was a true wingman, just as he has proven to be countless times over the past 25 years we have shared together.

“Claus is the epitome of professionalism. He is always well-prepared, highly skilled, and dynamic in his approach to work. These qualities make him a fantastic colleague to collaborate with. Over the years, Claus has faced numerous challenges, especially with the introduction of modern technologies and the growth of our company. He has navigated these changes with remarkable ease and perfection, continuously evolving in his role.

Someone we can always count on

“What I appreciate most about working with Claus is his directness, kindness, and unwavering reliability. He is a trustworthy and responsible individual; someone we can always count on to get the job done. And I enjoy having Claus on board as a trusted friend and colleague.

“Here’s to Claus and his 25 years of exceptional service and commitment to Autorola. We are incredibly fortunate to have him on our team, and I look forward to many more years of working together. A huge thank you, Claus, and congratulations.”

Being Europe’s largest used car country comes with its challenges and opportunities for both vendors and buyers, but one thing that remains consistent is their positive response to buying and selling used cars online.

Autorola Germany is becoming ever more creative on how it can sell vendor cars online with a simultaneous auction the latest technology it has launched to help attract more bids and keep prices strong.

Simultaneous auctions

“We have developed the simultaneous auction technology in-house. We host the online customer auction on our systems which can then be extended to multiple external auction platforms through API links supported by Autorola’s Fleet Monitor asset management workflow system.

“That way cars are marketed to a wider audience which makes vendors happy as there is greater competition to buy stock which means higher prices.

Growing support for online auctions

“We are selling several hundred used cars for a finance provider via this route each month. We are also providing a similar service for a major leasing company and a well-known OEM is also about to sign up to using our online auction technology,” said Henrik.

Helping vendors achieve higher prices comes at a time when the German used market is under a cloud of uncertainty. The recent elections have resulted in a coalition government being formed while the economy has shrunk in two consecutive years.

2025 looks set to deliver a small GDP growth all of which has combined to reduce consumer confidence which constricts their car buying habits.

Static new car market

New car sales remained static in 2024 at 2.8 million cars, but the biggest area of uncertainty was BEV sales falling by 27.4% in 2024. New car sales predictions in 2025 are predicting a 1% rise in sales while BEVs are expected to grow by 75% to over 600,000 units which is an immense rise in just 12 months.

That is where Indicata’s used car pricing trends and insights are in high demand from OEMs, leasing and rental companies and banks as they aim to understand where the used market is heading.

Future residual values

With many of these 600,000 new BEVs being supplied on contract hire or personal finance, asset owners are having to work harder than ever to predict future residual values which protect them from undervaluing cars whilst maintaining competitive monthly rentals.

“The car market is in that demanding situation where it doesn’t know what is coming next. Used BEV prices fell by around 10% in 2024 which is tough for vendors but this value for money contributed to a rise in sales across all model types.

“January provided the first sign that used BEV prices have stabilised according to the latest Indicata Market Watch report. January also saw BEVs take up the top three fastest selling places with the BMW i3, Tesla Model Y and Mercedes EQB which reinforces a growing demand for used BEVs.

Used BEV market sentiment keeps changing

“Despite this positive news we are still receiving consistent calls from large fleet owners requesting to source data on the market. They are valuing their assets on a regular basis as the market sentiment for used BEVs keeps changing and we continue to help and support them with ongoing data provision,” explained Henrik.

Germany grew into one of the Autorola’s largest import/export country in 2024 and is the centre of many cross-border sales for Europe for the group. Export rate is currently 34% and over 10,000 used cars were imported into Germany using Autorola MarketPlace in 2024. Around 30% of Autorola Germany’s used car sales are cross border with different countries preferring to source diverse types of cars.

Cross border sales

Used BEVs head to Denmark and The Netherlands, while some of the older used cars go to eastern Europe and the four to five-year-old five door hatchbacks are heading to Portugal where used demand continues to exceed supply.

“We estimate our cross-border figure could increase to 40% of our sales as we help our own customers and other European countries balance up the supply and demand of used cars across Europe. We provide a valuable service of completing all paperwork when a vehicle moves countries as well as providing a full logistics service. It is a very strong proposition,” he added.

Indicata’s 32-page Market Watch report is celebrating its sixth birthday and continues to bring you used car insights and trends from 13 European countries.

From retail price trends, stocking volumes and sales split by fuel type it provides a regular snapshot in how each country’s used market is performing. Ultimately if you need any more detailed data from any of the 13 countries in the report, please contact your individual Indicata country representative.

Market Watch 60 has just been published and its executive summary looks like this:

• Petrol engines have the highest sales in Europe with a market share of 45%.
• The effects of the chip crisis and the sellers’ market are increasingly disappearing from Europe’s used car market.
• Europe’s fastest-selling used cars are all electric.
• One in three cars and almost 30% of all used LCVs are less than 2 years old.
• Full hybrids are in demand and achieve top values comparative with ICE engines.
• The marketability of electric LCVs is falling again and MDS values at 100+ are building.
• The share of electric car sales under 2 years of age in Denmark exceeds 75%.
• The Market Day’s Supply of BEVs in France is deteriorating, taking an average 18

additional days to sell, around double that of diesel and petrol.

• The share of eLCVs in Germany is below 6% of sales under 2 years old.
• Poland launched a new programme in February providing grants of up to 40,000 zloty (approx. €9,500) for purchasing/leasing EVs including a scrappage scheme.
• BEV’s share of the Spanish new car market remains currently at 5.6%.
• Overall, around half of all Swedish new cars have a plug (PHEV and BEV).
• The petrol Omoda C5 model is among Türkiye’s top 3 fastest-selling cars.
• In the UK BEVs have increased to over 10% in the 3–4-year-old age segment.
• Two out of the top three of Europe’s top-selling used cars are Volkswagens.

To find out more on how used BEVs are performing in 13 European countries download the latest copy of our Indicata Market Watch used car insights report at   www.indicata.com