Germany-based Auto1 Group is signing a lease agreement for a reconditioning center where used cars will be reconditioned for its online shop, AutoHero. Insourcing used car reconditioning allows AutoHero to fully control every step of the process, resulting in a faster and more efficient reconditioning process, said the company.
Located in Ath, Belgium, the facility is just 30 miles from Brussels and has a surface area of 50,000 square meters (more than 538,000 square feet). AutoHero’s reconditioning center will recondition up to 18,500 vehicles per year at full capacity, according to the company.
The facility is linked to all Auto1 purchasing branches in Belgium. The company expects to create more than 200 new jobs in various areas. Operations will include quality control, reconditioning, cleaning, photography and video recording to ensure excellent vehicle quality. The reconditioning center will begin its operations at the end of 2022.
Christian Bertermann, CEO and co-founder of AUTO1 Group, says, “After the successful opening of our own remanufacturing centers in four European markets, the signing of our first remanufacturing center in Belgium represents another important milestone for our growth and profitability strategy. With the remanufacturing center in Ath, we are creating ideal conditions to offer our customers significantly more vehicles in excellent quality.”
With the signing of the seventh AutoHero reconditioning center contract in less than a year, AUTO1 Group’s in-house reconditioning capacity now stands at 132,000 vehicles per year at full capacity. Auto1 only recently rented two new processing centers in Italy for the same purpose.
AutoHero is an online seller of used cars in Europe and a brand of Auto1 Group. The company enables its customers to buy used cars. The company offers all its vehicles for sale with the AutoHero quality standard, which is upheld with in-house remanufacturing. Buyers can receive free delivery of the vehicle directly to their homes or collect them at the center.
Founded by Hakan Koc and Christian Berterman in 2013, Auto1 Group is currently Europe’s largest digital dealer of used cars and is the parent company of WirKaufenDeinAuto, Auto1 and AutoHero. Headquartered in Berlin, the group reported revenue of €1.6 billion ($1.7 billion U.S.) in Q1 2022. The firm is a multi-brand technology company for users buyig and selling used cars online.
