“Delivering new and innovative ways to offer quality pre-owned inventory to our dealers is a top priority for us,” said Patrick Clark, general manager Sales Channel Development for BMW Financial Services. “Dealers told us how much they enjoyed the flexible sale environment and wide selection of BMW vehicles.”
ATLANTA – Taking advantage of Manheim’s diverse Marketplace offerings, BMW Financial Services conducted its first-ever, Digital Block™ open sale for dealers on November 14. The unique sales experience enabled dealer participants onsite and digitally to view and bid on 174 premium vehicles via Simulcast from BMW’s Performance Center in Thermal, California. Roughly 74 percent of the units – sourced from Manheim Riverside, Manheim San Francisco and Manheim Nevada – were sold.
“Delivering new and innovative ways to offer quality pre-owned inventory to our dealers is a top priority for us,” said Patrick Clark, general manager Sales Channel Development for BMW Financial Services. “Dealers told us how much they enjoyed the flexible sale environment and wide selection of BMW vehicles.”
The Digital Block open sale was attended in person by a dozen dealers, including one that purchased 16 vehicles. In addition, 129 clients participated digitally including some from as far away as New York, Texas and Washington. At one time, there were as many as 85 participants using Simulcast.
During the event, a live auctioneer described vehicles as they appeared on a large screen and took bids from participants. Although vehicles did not run down the lanes, critical information – such as condition reports, high-quality images and vehicle grades – was available to help dealers buy with confidence. This type of sale saved clients time and money, as they bid digitally, previewed cars without traveling to an auction and arranged to have vehicles delivered to their places of business.
“We value our close working relationship with BMW Financial Services,” said Mark Davidson, senior national account director, Cox Automotive. “Because of BMW’s relentless commitment to innovation, together we’ve delivered many programs that benefit our companies and mutual dealers.”
Responding to client demands for efficiency and convenience, today over half of Manheim’s physical sale attendance occurs via Simulcast. And this year alone, Manheim expects 215,000 vehicles will be sold outside of its physical auction facilities through its digital and mobile platforms.
In addition to the Digital Block sale, BMW Financial Services and Manheim have partnered on other efforts such as the mobile sale at Fluor Field in Greenville, South Carolina and a web-based vehicle portfolio management solution for BMWGroupDirect.com powered by RMS Automotive. The organizations have also collaborated to develop the BMW National Workshop at Manheim Riverside and offer a variety of vehicle services that enhance vehicle value prior to sale.
About Manheim North America (www.manheim.com)
Manheim® is North America’s leading provider of vehicle remarketing services, connecting buyers and sellers to the largest wholesale used vehicle marketplace and most extensive auction network. Through 127 traditional and mobile auction sites and diverse digital channels, the company helps dealer and commercial clients achieve business results by providing innovative end-to-end inventory solutions. Approximately 18,000 employees enable Manheim to register about 8 million used vehicles per year, facilitate transactions representing nearly $57 billion in value and generate annual revenues of $3 billion. Headquartered in Atlanta, Manheim North America is a Cox Automotive™ brand. For more information, visit http://press.manheim.com.
About Cox Automotive
Cox Automotive Inc. is transforming the way the world buys, sells and owns cars with industry-leading digital marketing, financial, retail and wholesale solutions for consumers, dealers, manufacturers and the overall automotive ecosystem worldwide. Committed to open choice and dedicated to strong partnerships, the Cox Automotive family includes Autotrader®, Dealer.com®, Dealertrack®, Kelley Blue Book®, Manheim®, NextGear Capital®, vAuto®, Xtime® and a host of other brands. The global company has 34,000-plus team members in more than 200 locations and is partner to more than 40,000 auto dealers, as well as most major automobile manufacturers, while engaging U.S. consumer car buyers with the most recognized media brands in the industry. Cox Automotive is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises Inc., an Atlanta-based company with revenues exceeding $20 billion and approximately 60,000 employees. Cox Enterprises’ other major operating subsidiaries include Cox Communications and Cox Media Group. For more information about Cox Automotive, visit www.coxautoinc.com.