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.