Manheim Express and carsale24 bundle offerings for manufacturer direct sales in Germany

Manheim Express and carsale24 have entered a new partnership to improve their offering for vehicle manufacturers in the German market. This means that the world's largest automotive service organisation is now cooperating in this country with one of the leading online marketers of consumer vehicle ads. The option of a digital trade-in completes the customer journey when buying a vehicle online on the website of vehicle manufacturers or their dealer websites. In addition, the companies will share the inventory of privately owned used vehicles to further increase the buying power on their platforms.

To meet the need for a trade-in function in online sales, the two companies are now jointly offering a solution. This not only enables a valuation for used cars, it also handles the actual transaction, making it easier for vehicle manufacturers to transition to the agency model.

"The model makes a significant contribution to closing the existing gap in the market for trade between consumers and companies, directly and in cooperation with vehicle manufacturers," explains Lars Häger, Managing Director of carsale24. "Vehicle manufacturers benefit from a higher conversion rate in the online business and an additional return on investment from the trade-in process. Consumers stay in the customer journey of their manufacturer and benefit from the auction result for their trade-in vehicle."

"Our white label solution combines the strengths of two top players in the industry," says Sebastian Fuchs, Managing Director Manheim and RMS Automotive Cont. Europe. "We are strengthening the growing trend of direct-to-consumer sales in the German market."

As revealed in Cox Automotive's latest Autofocus update, most new car buyers want some form of omnichannel approach to their purchase decision. More than 80% of customers, want to use both online and face-to-face channels during their new car purchase.

Manheim Express is a digital auction platform for the used car trade, powered by Cox Automotive, the world's largest auction provider for cars. Manheim Express has sold more than 10,000 cars in Germany since launching in 2020. Some of the highlights of Manheim Express' digital offering include AI technology for damage detection, voice search for dealers, and a comprehensive inventory information offering for buyers and sellers that includes average days in stock and retail and wholesale price indicators.

Carsale24 has been on the market in Germany since 2011 and today offers more than 30,000 privately owned cars per year. With "Trade-in as a Service," carsale24 has developed a cooperative business model, enabling manufacturers and dealers to offer digital trade-ins. On the demand side, carsale24 is also cooperatively positioned and can integrate purchasing power from manufacturers, other platforms and dealer alliances. In a recent comparison by AutoBild, their service was rated the best in the market.