Welcome to our Autumn/Winter 2013 Trade Newsletter
Welcome to our Autumn/Winter edition of the Cartell Trade Newsletter. In this edition we will be informing you of some important motoring news and developments from Cartell over the past few months including our new product CPG.ie. We have a special offer for our customers and some information on some changes Cartell will be introducing over the next few months along with a chance to WIN some tickets to this New Years Eve big party in Killarney! So enjoy our latest edition and have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
CARTELL.IE
The latest on the street
As 2013 draws to a close, it seems the introduction of the dual plate system has not had much of an impact. Our latest statistics show that a total of 86,057 native vehicles have been registered this year so far slightly down from 86,980 in 2012 and significantly down from 99,417 native vehicles for the same period in 2011 (The final end of year figure for 2012 is 94,090 and 104,035 for 2011).
With used vehicles, the second hand market shows that less used vehicles are coming into the showroom, with 735,655 transactions taking place to date in 2013. A staggering 56.7% (417,390) of transactions happened outside of the trade. Only 17.8% (131,143) of transactions were traded into the trade with 15.4% (113,486) transactions being traded out of the trade showing that dealers are holding stock.
These used vehicle sales statistics can be broken down by make/model/year/location etc. Please note that these numbers reflect actual transactions and not the number of vehicles. To help combat this and get more people into their dealerships, Cartell have been working with dealers and manufacturers using successful products such as registration based exact price servicing.
Our €50 Christmas gift to you!
Over the coming days you shall receive our Christmas card with a small gift inside. In addition to this, we would like to offer you up to €50 FREE credit! Simply top up your trade account during December with €200 to €500 (ex. VAT), and we will give you an additional 10% EXTRA FREE! To claim your free credit, email trade@cartell.ie after you have made payment and your 10% will be credited to your account. Please note it may take up to 10 working days for your FREE credit to appear. It’s our way of saying thank you for using Cartell and wishing you a Merry Christmas.
What’s coming in 2014?
Did you know that Cartell.ie carried out more Trade Vehicle History Checks in November 2013 than any other month in our 7 year history?After successfully completing an upgrade to enhance user experience on Cartell, we will be introducing some new fresh changes on the site. It is now easier than ever to navigate through the site and in 2014 we will be introducing new easier to read reports. These reports will be easy to understand giving you a better view of the vehicles history and it’ll be easier to detect issues that may have gone unnoticed before. We have introduced payments by PayPal which has proved very successful and we intend to extend this payment option to trade users. We will be adding new data fields into these reports giving you more information about the vehicle you are checking. We have new products such as CPG.ie (see below). We thank you for all the feedback received and happy to implement your suggestions where possible. These improvements are for you, our valued customers. Your feedback helps Cartell to continue to be the best Vehicle History Check and VRM supplier in Ireland.
CPG.ie – Car Price Intelligence Guide
CPG is a new kind of valuation tool for consumers and trade, built to support both buyers and sellers in setting fair prices; it is very easy to use, requiring customers to enter only the car’s registration number and mileage in order to receive the latest view of the typical advertised price. A global first for Ireland, CPG’s market leading valuation performance is based on unique relationships with two of Ireland’s leading motoring organizations.
First with ‘Carzone’, CPG is the only car valuation guide able to incorporate data from this source – Ireland’s leading used car site. Through our relationship with Carzone we have built a data map of car values containing over two million pieces of information. This incredibly detailed map allows us to effectively and fairly predict current prices for even the rarer less frequently found cars in the market.
Secondly, all CPG values are supported by ‘Cartell’, Ireland’s leading used car intelligence company. The ‘Cartell’ relationship delivers for Irish customers a true world first, a used car guide that automatically takes into account information specific to the actual car, such as the number of owners, when setting a value.
Following it’s market debut in support of Toyota’s recent advertising campaign, CPG is currently in final testing with selected Motor Trade and Financial Services customers in advance of a full launch in the New Year, and has already been shown to be consistently easier to use and more accurate than existing guides. If you would like to join our test panel, or simply learn more about how CPG could help your business then contact richard@cartell.ie
Clocking rate still above 10%
National Mileage Register (NMR) hits 10 million
Vehicle data expert Cartell.ie reports that the rate of clocking in Ireland is still above 10% although it has reduced marginally this year. The rate is now to 10.5% down from a rate of 11% in January. The figure of 10.5% is based on a sample size in excess of 50,000 from a data-set which is the most complete in the Irish market. The rate of clocking had been steadily increasing since the recession commenced. The figure of 11% – recorded earlier in the year – was the highest rate recorded by the company. The current figure of 10.5% is still almost twice as high as the comparable figure in the UK which still stands at 6%.
The company attributes the fall in the clocking rate to increased awareness of the issue among consumers following various campaigns to highlight the prevalence of the issue here. To assist in combating the rise in vehicle clocking in the Republic of Ireland, particularly concerning private-to-private transactions which are vulnerable under current consumer provisions, Cartell’s legal division drafted a Bill which seeks to criminalise vehicle clocking in the Republic of Ireland. The Bill passed Stage I in the Oireachtas at the end of the 2012 Dáil Sessio and is set for Stage II later in 2013.
Meanwhile Cartell.ie report the National Mileage Register (NMR) has now hit 10 million individual mileage readings. Set up to coincide with the establishment of the company in 2006 the NMR is a database of mileage readings which allow the prospective purchaser to make a better informed decision about the vehicle he/she wishes to buy.
Jeff Aherne, Director Cartell.ie, says:
We are delighted to have reached 10 million readings. It’s been a lot of work to get to this point. However the clocking rate is still far too high. Road safety, running costs, and maintenance outlay are all serious issues for car buyers and access to a database this size affords purchasers the chance to avoid pitfalls in the used vehicle market – which is still buoyant”
Used vehicle transactions up 35% in September 2013
Trend is upwards in used car market
Vehicle History Expert Cartell.ie reports on a spike in Used Vehicle Transactions in September. The total number of used vehicle transactions, seen as a good indicator of overall activity in the market, shows that 93,550 vehicles changed hands – the highest monthly total since the company started recording monthly transactions in 2009. The figure from September 2013 was up 35 per cent on September 2012. The spike in used vehicle sales may be attributed to the Government changes to the off-the-road tax regime where queues outside motor tax offices were widely reported in the press. The net effect of this regime change meant that owners had to declare vehicles off the road. To declare the vehicle off the road, ownership documentation had to be properly filed and this may have resulted in a late rush to declare ownership.
Overall, the used car market is set for 900,000 transactions in 2013 and eclipse last year’s total of 888,738. These figures are all the more impressive considering that there has been limited new stock passing down given the low volume of new sales which themselves are down 7% year-on-year. This has had the effect of keeping values strong in the used market and encouraging the importation of vehicles from the UK.
Jeff Aherne, Director of Cartell, says:
2013 has been another strong year in the used car market which is helping to offset the fall in the new market. There is every reason to suspect that 2014 will be another good year in the used market.” For those thinking of buying a used vehicle, there is no better time than the run up to Christmas. Dealers will discount vehicles rather than have the stock sit over Christmas where it is depreciating. And just like the rest of us, dealers need their cash at Christmas too”
Significant increase in levels of vehicle finance
New players VW Bank and BMW Financial Services make big impact
Vehicle data expert Cartell.ie reports that significantly more vehicles for certain key registration years are being offered for sale with finance outstanding than last year. In the case of 2012 vehicles the levels of vehicles offered for sale with finance outstanding has jumped from 15.9% in Q4 2012 to 22.6% in Q2 2013 – a huge increase of 42%.
Similarly in the case of registration year 2011 there has been a surge in vehicles offered for sale with finance outstanding – up from 18.5% in Q4 2012 to 20% in 2013. Based on extensive data checks carried out by Cartell.ie, the proportion of vehicles offered for sale with finance outstanding is 10%. Historically, the highest level recorded by the company is 16%. The overall decrease is reflected in relative drops in finance levels for 3-year old and 4-year old vehicles.
Statistics published by Cartell.ie indicate that buyers have a one-in-eight chance of purchasing a five-year-old vehicle with finance outstanding. From a sample of over 5,906 vehicles offered for sale and checked via the Cartell.ie website in 2013, the figures show that 11.7% registered in 2008 are still on finance. Even older vehicles are regularly offered for sale with finance outstanding – 8.4% of all 2007 registered vehicles offered for sale had outstanding finance against them.
Volkswagen Bank and BMW Financial Services hold a combined 16% of the automotive finance market in Ireland. Both these players, who only recently entered the market, have an estimated market share of 8% each based on results of finance checks carried out by Cartell in 2013.
Director Jeff Aherne, Director of Cartell.ie says:
Once again these results show the importance of checking for outstanding finance – just because a vehicle is older doesn’t mean it’s free of finance. Every day customers are getting caught buying an older car assuming the finance has been paid off.”
Applus launch Cartell.ie UK Car History Check
We are delighted to announce the launch of the Applus+ UK Car History Check. As an introductory offer and for a limited time only, the cost of this check has been significantly reduced on the Applus website.
This is Ireland’s newest Car History Check. It is conveniently located on the Applus website. Anyone who wants to import a vehicle can go directly to the Applus website and get all of the information they need. Remember that an appointment to have your vehicle inspected must be made within 7 days of the vehicle entering the State, in order to register and pay the VRT (and any other tax liabilities due on the vehicle). You must then complete the registration process within 30 days of arriving in the State.
Use Cartell on your smartphone
2 years ago, Cartell launched its mobile trade site for all our dealers to use. It’s not an App that needs to be downloaded from various stores; it’s simply a responsive site that will work on any smartphone. No need to download, simply go to the internet on your phone and login to Cartell trade and you will see that the site changes to fit your screen – whatever smartphone you are using. Once logged into your account you can easily carry out Cartell Trade checks when you are out and about. You can look at your balance, previous checks and top up your account on the go. This has been a great success and a lot of trade checks are now carried out on smartphones. Have you tried our mobile trade site yet?
Cartell IT Upgrade
Did you know that Cartell.ie carried out more Trade Vehicle History Checks in November 2013 than any other month in our 7 year history? To better scale with our ever increasing customer base and to provide faster and newer services more effectively, the Cartell IT department will be carrying out significant infrastructure upgrades over the Christmas period. We expect to have some scheduled downtime, probably in the region of about 2 hours while we await switchover, however, we have decided to carry out this work in the dead of night (~2am) over a weekend while everyone is tucked up in bed. Normal Trade and Consumer users should experience a seamless transition; we will work closely with our B2B customers to ensure there is little or no interruption to service. IT will keep in contact over the coming weeks with more specific details, especially w.r.t. changes in IP addresses and a chance to dry run the new infrastructure beforehand. If you have any concerns please contact support@cartell.ie or keep an eye on our System Status Page
Spend New Years Eve in Killarney!
Spend this New Year’s Eve 2013 with Sharon Shannon and Band and special Guests Shane McGowan and Mundy, To celebrate the launch of 21 – definitive Sharon Shannon, which features the new Christmas song. ‘Christmas time Again’, multi –award winning, SHARON SHANNON is doing a 6 date tour in Ireland, with her band and specially featured guests SHANE MC GOWAN and MUNDY.
McGOWAN, front man of the Pogues and renowned for his songwriting talents, including Fairytale of New York is a perfect guest for Sharon’s up-tempo and high octane brand of trad. And of course, she and MUNDY will reunite for the first time in a number of years having stormed the charts with GALWAY GIRL, some years back. Look forward to a long night of energy and fun, packed with hits—a perfect way to celebrate the festive season.
Cartell in association with the INEC, have 3 pairs of tickets to give away. For your chance to win a pair of tickets, simply become a fan of Cartell on Facebook www.facebook.com/cartellcarcheck and answer the question on our page.
Careers
Cartell has one of the best Automotive Data Processing teams in the world. As we continue to grow we require talented staff to join and grow with our team. In 2014 we hope to release several ‘world first’ products that we have been playing with for the past two years. Please have a look at our open positions and if you know of somebody looking for a challenge, send them a link! Visit our Careers page.