REDWOOD CITY, CA - OPENLANE, Inc., an online auction company in North America for automotive dealers to buy and sell wholesale vehicles, announced the growing momentum of the company’s Dealer Group Remarketing Solutions program.

Geared toward making the remarketing process more seamless for dealer groups, the program caters to the special needs and requirements that consolidated, multi-location dealerships have for acquiring quality wholesale vehicles to sell at their various locations. Since meeting with OPENLANE at the 2009 National Automobile Dealer’s Association (NADA) Annual Convention and Expo one year ago, many prominent dealer groups have experienced significant sales momentum from participating in the program. Overall, sales for the groups that met with OPENLANE have grown nearly 50 percent by utilizing OPENLANE’s 13-private label auction sites as well as the company’s Open Auction site at www.openlane.com.

“OPENLANE really understands what is important to volume buyers and sellers. They’ve really partnered closely with us to come up with a buying solution that meets our specific needs—from the interface and tracking system we use on the site to the efficient, fast and easy way to transport our vehicles to multiple locations in bulk,” said Andrew Walser, Walser Automotive Group. “The level of attention and level of service our group receives from OPENLANE is absolutely first-rate.”

Dealer groups have different buying requirements than independent dealerships, in part based on the sheer volume of vehicles required to fill their lots as well as the size and demands of their buying and selling transactions. Through the Dealer Group Remarketing Solutions program, OPENLANE helps dealer groups reach more buyers while saving money and staying competitive. For dealer groups, the ability to buy and sell in volume online provides increased profits, lower operating costs, reduced sales cycles and additional convenience in keeping their businesses running, since employees no longer need to travel to and from physical auctions to acquire vehicles for multiple locations. For dealer groups interested in joining the program, OPENLANE will available to speak at the 2010 NADA convention in San Francisco, Feb. 5-7, at its booth, Moscone Convention Center North Hall, booth #4173N.

“The success of the Dealer Group Remarketing Solutions program over the past two years has really been quite remarkable,” said Chuck Tapp, Vice President, Institutional Sales, OPENLANE. “OPENLANE understands that dealer groups need a streamlined solution that enables them to easily buy, sell and transport in volume from a centralized location. The program’s growth is a testament to OPENLANE’s innovative approach and commitment to working with dealers and consignors to create the best remarketing solutions on the market. We’re looking forward to growing the nationwide footprint of the program throughout 2011.”

OPENLANE has tailored its Dealer Group Remarketing Solutions expressly with dealer group requirements in mind. Unique features of the program include:

1. Buying Needs:

   
   

   1. Support for dealer group buying models, including centralized corporate purchasing, store-level buying and customized variations based on need

      
      

   2. Access to OPENLANE’s Open Auction (www.openlane.com) with thousands of units available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Dealer groups are also eligible to access OPENLANE’s private-label auction sites based on brand affiliation

      
      

   
   

2. Selling Needs:

   
   

   1. Ability to manage all wholesale inventory through one, easy-to-use online interface with tools for listing and tracking each available unit

      
      

   
   

3. Transport:

   
   

   1. LThe only online auction that provides the option of transport via a wholly owned and integrated transport service, CarsArrive

      
      

   2. Online tools to manage group moves, including store-to-store, for purchases from both OPENLANE and non-OPENLANE venues

      
      

   
   

4. Reporting:

   
   

   1. Standard or customized reporting based on individual dealer group needs

      
      

   2. Full visibility into purchasing and selling date, as well as for grounded vehicle opportunities

      
      

   
   

5. Service and Support:

   
   

   1. Each dealer group is assigned a dedicated OPENLANE Dealer Group Coordinator to handle all requests and inquiries and to help maximize sales and buying opportunities

      
      

   2. A team of more than 100 sales and customer service support specialists actively soliciting buyers for dealer group inventory

      
      

“We have a very high standard for our used vehicles—anything that’s mechanically or physically challenged in any way won’t make it onto our lots,” said Tom Ahl, Tom Ahl Family of Dealerships. “Our experience working with OPENLANE has been extremely beneficial, and we’ve been able to take advantage of a number of the company’s value-added services, such as their post-sale inspection service. OPENLANE ensures that we’re getting the high quality of vehicles that we expect.”

For more information on OPENLANE’s Dealer Group Remarketing Solutions, please visit: www.openlane.com/pdfs/Dealer_Marketing_011011.pdf.