NEWS

Introduction from Peter Grøftehauge

Welcome to the late summer/early Autumn version of our group newsletter at a time when the used markets in all countries are thriving with strong buyers and strong prices.

There remains a shortage of three and four-year old stock caused by the Covid supply new car supply problems of 2022. In this type of market vendors must rely on data more and more to make sure they do not sell their used vehicles too cheaply.

Edwin Acosta Burga, who heads up our Indicata fleet sales, is having more conversations with fleet vendors who want supportive used vehicle data to help them make more strategic decisions.

They like the fact that we are a data company that also sells used vehicles globally across our Marketplace auction platform. That gives us a very strong differentiation.

Hertz New Zealand has adopted our eRepair platform to modernise its damage management processes and to align it with our systems already in use in Australia. In an exclusive case study, the team share with us how the platform is helping support their business efficiencies.

Indicata’s Global Business Unit Director Andy Shields has conducted comprehensive research recently into OEMs and their used car programmes by analysing 73 franchised networks across 12 countries. We share the findings which make for interesting reading and make some suggestions on how these programmes can be run most efficiently.

With AI becoming more of an integral part of our business lives we have used the technology to help launch an exciting new podcast channel called Automotive Insights. The podcast brings our group’s wide range of products and services to life in an informative and interactive way. Check out the podcast which is available across a number of different channels.

Also, we just concluded our annual ALG (Autorola Leader Group) conference, which this year took place in Malmö, Sweden. Over the course of three days, leaders from 22 countries and our HQ came together to shape the strategic direction of Autorola for the next five years. The energy and commitment from all participants were outstanding, with a shared focus on ensuring that we continue to deliver relevant products and services that support our customers’ efficiency across the entire remarketing value chain.

And for those going to the Fleet Europe Remarketing Summit in October as an official sponsor we look forward to seeing you in Luxembourg.

Best regards 

Peter

www.linkedin.com/petergroeftehauge

By adopting Autorola’s eRepair platform, Hertz New Zealand has taken a major step toward modernising its damage management processes — delivering faster repair handling, improved visibility, and new operational possibilities across the business.

The shift to Autorola’s eRepair platform came as Hertz sought to align its systems with those in Australia, ensuring consistency and efficiency across operations. The platform now acts as a single source of truth for all damage repairs, from capture to completion.

Instant claim case creation

One of the biggest early wins has been instant claim case creation. Any time a vehicle damage image is captured via the app, a Vehicle Incident Report (VIR) is automatically generated, and the eRepair system instantly creates a claim.

The old manual-entry process is now obsolete — along with the risk of missed or delayed cases. This has significantly shortened the claims handling period, improved overall efficiency, and boosted the customer experience.

Visibility that drives results

Managers now have an instant overview of jobs across all regions thanks to eRepair’s dashboard — a feature that’s proving invaluable for tracking progress and allocating resources, while also contributing to faster claim processing and greater accuracy.

As Joanne Caulfield, Fleet Manager, Hertz New Zealand explained: “From a manager’s perspective, I enjoy being able to view the dashboard page to track progress of jobs for all staff and regions from start to finish.”

Phased rollout, smoother transition

Rather than flipping the switch nationwide, Hertz has adopted a region-by-region rollout allowing for targeted onboarding, reduced disruption, and direct support where it was needed most.

“The support from Martin Bennie and the Autorola team has been exceptional. The communication and ongoing help from project start to the current time has been appreciated immensely,” explained Joanne.

The Autorola team worked side by side with Hertz staff and suppliers, offering rapid query responses, hands-on error resolution, supplier training, and clear, consistent communication. This approach has built user confidence and ensured early adoption has been very strong.

Opening the door to new services

Beyond claims, the platform is expanding Hertz’s capabilities. Puncture and windscreen chip repairs can now be processed through eRepair — something the old system couldn’t handle. The platform also manages salvage vehicles, giving visibility on total-loss units and helping source parts for other repairs.

The partnership between Hertz and Autorola is already delivering measurable benefits, and with the platform’s potential still unfolding, it is set to further streamline operations, improve accuracy, and expand repair capabilities — a transformation driven by collaboration and smart technology.

Autorola has launched a new podcast channel which brings the group’s wide range of products and services to life.

Called Automotive Insights, it an exciting new communications channel for automotive professionals spanning OEMs, dealers, leasing and rental companies, and banks.

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The podcasts communicate broadly from an Autorola Group perspective to explain the value-added nature of its range of products and services when integrated together into the Autorola sweet spot proposition across the entire vehicle life cycle.

Specialised content

In the future the podcasts will include more specialised content on the Marketplace wholesale used car remarketing website and Indicata’s used car pricing and insights platform.

In the first episodes of Automotive Insights, AI hosts Mary-Alice and expert Michael Loftus explore: 

• How Autorola’s business units collaborate to deliver smarter lifecycle management. 
• How digital asset management and workflow process tools like Fleet Monitor are transforming operations and boosting ROI.

Check out Automotive Insights on Spotify and the following channels:

▶️ Apple Podcast: Click here

▶️ YouTube: Click here

▶️ Our website: Click here

▶️ Spotify: Click here

“Over the last years, Indicata’s reputation has steadily strengthened, driven by the proven quality of its data across the fleet, leasing, rental, banking and OEMs sectors.

“Since working with our country subsidiaries and with the corporate guys selling Indicata as a pan European proposition we have seen a very positive reaction to our future and present values from across the fleet sector”.

We are a data company that also sells used vehicles

“Users like the fact that we are a data company that also sells used vehicles globally across our Marketplace auction platform. Used vehicle sales via Marketplace create our wholesale values so we have real life examples of how individual used markets are performing.

“We are not a data company that buys it in, analyses it and suddenly we are experts at used vehicle trends. That gives us a very strong differentiation.

Vehicle portfolio valuation

“The biggest success we have had is with large leasing, rental and finance companies who are using our data to support the valuation of their vehicle portfolios. With some fleets having hundreds of thousands of vehicles it is important that they can use reliable data to evaluate the value of their assets.

“As we have such a strong source of quality data, we are helping power both country portfolio and pan European vehicle asset valuations. Banks and big leasecos tend to value their fleet assets quarterly while we have some rental customers valuing their fleets each week such is the fast turnover of vehicles in this sector.

Fleets are selling used vehicles cross border

“They are then deciding which are the best countries to sell those used vehicles – another job we can support them with. Autorola Solutions and Autorola MarketPlace remains one of Europe’s biggest cross border used vehicle sales ecosystems and working in partnership with Indicata data we can quickly help fleets decide which countries to sell their vehicles in.

“With Autorola Solutions, our Fleet Monitor + Forecast asset management platform can manage assets and workflows across the life of vehicles which gives us a sweet spot of connected vehicle management, forecast, valuation and remarketing services that is unique. New pricing data is supplied to fleets on a daily basis in real time, so it is always providing the very latest insights to customers.

Supporting pricing departments with RV forecast data

“We know the pricing departments of leasing companies are interested in what vehicles are going to be worth in two, three or four-years’ time and that is where our Indicata Forecasting proposition comes into its own with data helpfully split by propulsion type.

“Indicata Forecasting uses our market-leading valuation engine to give a quality and consistent data set for current valuations and future RV curves. The Indicata Forecasting team then overlays fact-based macro-economics and trends providing a transparent market specific RV forecast.

Supporting Brazilian fleets and finance companies

“While Europe’s fleet and leasing pipeline of opportunities continue to grow, we I have been spending time in Brazil as we continue to help revolutionise the fleet and remarketing of used vehicle led by country director Marcelo Cabral de Barros and his team.

“Brazil’s asset and finance community like the transparency of our Indicata data which has been available in the country now for a few months. We are very well established to work with all the major fleets and banks in Brazil to help them manage their assets more effectively.

“In Europe we are growing in all countries, and Indicata Spain, Germany and France have seen the biggest growth in the fleet sector in 2025. We have some big-name brands coming on board and in our home country of Denmark we are also progressing our relationships with fleet customers.”

For further information on how Indicata can help your fleet remarketing operation contact us through https://indicata.com

A comprehensive study by Indicata has exposed significant performance gaps across OEM used car programmes, revealing that while these initiatives show positive market impact, the majority of networks are failing to deliver sufficient returns on substantial investments.

The groundbreaking research analysed 73 OEM franchised networks across 12 countries, uncovering systematic issues that prevent manufacturers from maximising the potential of their used car investments.

“The results are eye-opening,” said Andy Shields, Indicata’s global business unit director. “While OEM used car programmes consistently outperform independent dealers, our analysis shows most networks are leaving significant value on the table through poor execution and inadequate performance measurement.”

Finding 1: Investment vs. Returns gap across 73 networks

Indicata’s comprehensive network analysis revealed a troubling disconnect between programme investment and returns:

• Total OEM programme investment estimated at €1,100 per unit across remarketing programmes, certified pre-owned initiatives, and network improvement.
• Average premium achieved: only €450 per unit – less than half the investment cost.
• Certified Pre-Owned dealers achieved 1.7% median price premium above market rates, with top performers exceeding €1,000 per unit.
• However, significant numbers of network dealers consistently price below market when first listing cars, missing revenue opportunities.
  
  

Finding 2: OEM-owned locations undermine their own objectives

Most concerning was that OEM-owned locations fundamentally priced used cars lower than both franchised dealers and the overall market.

“If an OEM’s objective is to support residual values, managing their own networks is failing to achieve that goal. OEM-owned locations appear more focused on clearing old stock at high speed than supporting residual value objectives and network profitability,” said Shields.

This finding challenges the assumption that manufacturers know better than their dealers how to execute used car strategies.

Finding 3: The silver lining – used car capability drives new car success

Despite network performance issues, the study’s analysis of 130 franchised dealers revealed a critical business insight that should encourage OEMs to address their programme shortcomings:

• Dealers with superior used car capabilities achieved 23% better new car penetration compared to weaker performers.
• A 55% better new car penetration was achieved when maintaining strong focus on own brand used vehicles.
• Significant improvement in overall profitability with strong used car operations benefitting new car performance and aftersales.
  
  

“This data fundamentally changes how OEMs should view used car operations. Used car capability isn’t separate from new car success – it’s the engine that drives it. The challenge is that most OEM programmes aren’t unlocking this potential,” said Shields.

Indicata’s OEM call to action

The study provides a clear three-step roadmap for manufacturers seeking to address these performance gaps:

1. Acknowledge the performance gap: While your programmes outperform independents, most are not delivering sufficient returns on the substantial investments being made.
2. Implement proper measurement: Establish reporting structures that track real KPIs: • Network share improvement for your brand • Residual value enhancement through premium positioning • Continuous improvement in network used car capability
3. Focus on execution excellence: Move beyond point-of-sale materials and warranties to help dealers optimise pricing, stock management, and operational processes.
   
   

“The opportunity is enormous. OEMs that address these execution gaps will see dramatic improvements in both network profitability and new car performance. Those that don’t will continue to subsidise underperforming programmes while missing significant value creation opportunities.” concluded Shields.

*12 countries include: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom

For further insight into Indicata’s OEM used car brand research contact Jon Bulloch jbu@indicata.com

Autorola’s leaders from 22 countries and colleagues from its Danish headquarters came together in Malmö to review and discuss the group’s strategic plans for the next five years.

The focus was as much on improving the Autorola business and creating value for its customers as well as growing the business.

This mindset is very much part of the group’s core DNA to ensure each colleague and country moves forward in the same direction. This is vital in a global business which stretches from Mexico and Brazil in the west, across Europe and into the Middle East and Australia.

Rich discussions

Peter Groftehauge, Autorola’s Group CEO said: “We had many rich discussions on how we can continue to improve our business. I was truly impressed by the high level of engagement across the group. The enthusiasm, collaboration, and drive to make a difference were remarkable.

“It makes me proud – and genuinely happy – to see how committed our leadership team is to push Autorola forward. This mindset is a vital part of our core DNA,” he added.

The meeting comes out a time when Autorola MarketPlace is leading the way as Europe’s used vehicle cross border platform, INDICATA is the ‘go to’ used vehicle data and pricing platform for lease companies, rental companies and banks for vehicle portfolio valuations and Autorola Solutions is onboarded by more companies to manage their assets and workflows from cradle to grave.