The certified pre-owned segment appears to have begun 2012 on the right foot in January, as sales continued to show year-over-year improvement and continue momentum from 2011, which was the best year in CPO history.
Overall, there were 131,229 CPO sales in January, according to Autodata Corp. Despite this being nearly a 17-percent slide from December, it marked a 6-perent increase from the opening month of 2011.
And many individual automakers enjoyed particularly strong months, with some either hitting or narrowly missing best-ever Januaries. Meanwhile, Porsche had its best CPO month of all time, as it sold 812 certified vehicles, a year-over-year improvement of 23.4 percent.
Over at Volkswagen, it also began the year especially strong, notching its best January on record as it moved 5,953 certified vehicles. This represented a 35.4-percent hike.
VW management attributed the robust start to its dealer base and applauded the progress the program has made in recent months.
“Volkswagen CPO sales have started off stronger in 2011 than any other year in the 10-year history of the program. Our dealer engagement is approaching 100 percent and our sales and market share continue to grow,” said Scott Weitzman, general manager of used-vehicle operations at Volkswagen of America.
“It is a tribute to our dealers’ tenacity and creativity in vehicle acquisition that we continue our strong sales roll,” he continued. “We had truly thought the network would be short of adequate inventory starting in October, yet sales have been climbing steadily since.”
Weitzman noted that Volkswagen’s gains on the new-car side continue to prove fruitful for its used-car operations, something he counts as “fortunate.”
“In January, VW dealers sold new cars at a pace not seen since 1974 and they are trading in more quality vehicles (both VW and other brands) as a result. The overall health and profitability of used-car operations at Volkswagen dealerships is improving every month. Remarkably, all of this growth has come without any significant changes to our CPO program,” he added.
“Our success during a period when many competitive programs are making solid enhancements in their offerings, reinforces our belief that Volkswagen CPO maintains a superior dealer and consumer offer,” Weitzman went on to share. “We applaud the enrichment of all CPO programs in the market as it ensures a solid foundation for growth and consumer adoption across the industry going forward.”
Mercedes-Benz saw its CPO sales climb 7.8 percent with 6,945 units sold. Scott Penza, manager of pre-owned operations for Mercedes-Benz USA, pointed to “dealer engagement” as the major catalyst for success.
“We attribute the sustainability of our CPO program and achievement of our sales objectives to dealer engagement. Our dealers certify a very high percentage of their pre-owned vehicles which speaks to their commitment to the program and our customers,” Penza shared.
“Our efforts in 2012 will be focused on continuous improvement to ensure the Mercedes-Benz certified pre-owned program provides dealers with the tools they need, thus providing our customers with the exceptional experience they have come to expect from Mercedes-Benz,” he added.
On the domestic front, General Motors reported CPO sales of 22,849 units in January, up 5 percent year-over-year.
View the original article here
auto notes
No comments:
Post a Comment