Cox Automotive Australia (CAA) subsidiary, Manheim, is partnering with Chery Motor Australia to power its ex-fleet demonstrator auctions.
From April 2024, Manheim will run its dealer-only closed internal auctions. These campaigns are the channel through which Chery’s franchise dealers can bid on low-kilometre used vehicles from the distributor’s fleet for their floor plan.
The first Chery Motor Australia and Manheim digital dealer-only auction saw more than 30 ex-company vehicles sold to the highest bidder within the franchise dealer network, each destined to be sold as low-mile used vehicles for budget-conscious buyers.
The Manheim auction saw 33 Chery dealers participate, with multiple dealers winning cars for their showroom floor. The clearance rate was 100%, meaning every ex-company vehicle on the block was snapped up.
“Cox Automotive Australia is pleased to work with Chery Motor on its remarketing strategy and delighted to see many of its franchise dealer partners participate in ex-company fleet vehicle auctions,” said CAA chief executive Stephen Lester.
“In today’s retail market, low kilometre used vehicles are an important piece in the puzzle for franchise car dealers, and the results suggest Chery’s growing range of SUVs are ticking the right boxes. We saw the online auctions were watched by Chery Motor executives in Sydney and China, and the degree of interest in how the first run went was high.”
The relationship with Chery Motor can grow beyond closed dealer auctions, added Cox Automotive Australia’s head of OEM Heath Stubbs, stating the company’s respective senior management teams were now exploring new ways to broaden the collaboration between the two organisations.
“Cox Automotive Australia is eager to explore additional services we can offer to support Chery Motor’s impressive volume aspirations in Australia,” says Stubbs. “This presents us with an exciting opportunity to strengthen our partnership further and drive even greater success together.”
As well as Manheim wholesale auctions, Cox Automotive Australia offers a range of retail services to carmakers and dealers, including its newly developed AI-enabled lead management system, Lead Driver, and fixed operations customer experience platform Xtime, which counts several of Australia’s automotive OEMs as clients.
“We’re delighted to be partnering with Manheim, which is a proven leader in the digital auction space, and the results are testimony to the fact that the growing range of Chery models in Australia is meeting the needs of consumers. We look forward to working closely with the Manheim team and our dealers to continue this positive momentum”, says Chery Motor managing director Lucas Harris.
