Movilidad Sobre Ruedas

·55 min·5 clips

Chimo Ortega and Tania Puche explore how vehicle auctions drive the booming used car market with industry insiders.

1. Movilidad sobre Ruedas on Capital Radio dedicates an episode to the dynamism of Spain's used-vehicle market, recorded at the fourth edition of Gambam's industry conference. 2. Guests are Antonio Aboy (BCA, Spain's leading vehicle auction company), Ángel de Andrés (ClickArts, independent used-car distributor), and Fernando Mireles (director general of Gambam, a used-vehicle market analytics platform). 3. The episode's core argument is that vehicle auction companies are the hidden engine of Spanish used-car retail, connecting upstream fleet disposals to independent dealer networks. 4. Tania Puche reveals that independent multi-brand distributors now represent 52% of auction-house clients — up five percentage points year-on-year — as large used-car operators accelerate dealership expansion. 5. Fernando estimates that roughly half a million vehicles pass through auction companies annually in a Spanish used-vehicle market of around 2 million units, making auctions responsible for approximately one quarter of all transactions. 6. Antonio describes BCA's position as one of the few remaining operators running physical auctions in Spain — comparing the company to the 'village of Asterix' — alongside its digital auction platform. 7. Ángel explains that ClickArts uses auctions as one of several supply channels, alongside import, rental returns, and fleet leasing, valuing them primarily for price transparency and the volume of vehicle-condition data they provide. 8. The panel identifies the used-car sector's structural problem: Spain imports nearly 150,000 used vehicles annually (up from 77,000 pre-COVID) at an average age of nine years, while simultaneously exporting newer ex-rental vehicles to avoid local registration tax. 9. Fernando and Antonio describe this as a policy failure: the tax system makes it more profitable for rent-a-car operators to export nearly-new vehicles than to sell them domestically, resulting in an ageing domestic used fleet. 10. New vehicle average prices have risen 45% since 2019, priced many buyers out of the new-car market and pushed demand toward vehicles more than ten years old. 11. Chinese and Asian brands reached 10.6% of Spanish registrations in 2025 and over 25% in interior provinces by entering at pre-COVID price levels rather than matching European manufacturers' increases. 12. Fernando emphasises these brands are not cheap in absolute terms — they are simply priced where European cars were five years ago — and anticipates an 'elitist' positioning trend as they build brand equity. 13. Chimo recounts a personal anecdote from 2022: visiting a macro-dealership and finding a segment-A used vehicle priced higher than its original new-car rate, illustrating the post-pandemic price inversion. 14. The AI discussion centres on a shift from 'big data fever' — accumulating data without actionable use — to AI as a decision-support layer that processes all data simultaneously. 15. Antonio describes BCA's live AI application: the system analyses trade-in photos, assesses vehicle damage, and tells dealers the purchase offer and predicted auction price in real time, replacing experienced human appraisal. 16. BCA operates a development centre in Coimbra staffed by university graduates building AI applications for the vehicle valuation and logistics chain. 17. Fernando argues that AI is also changing the buyer side: consumers now use AI to compare prices across European markets, contributing to the rise in cross-border vehicle imports. 18. The panel identifies a warranty law mismatch as a secondary structural barrier: the existing Spanish warranty law is not calibrated for older vehicles, making it difficult for professional dealers to offer used cars beyond seven or eight years old. 19. Fernando argues the Sustainable Mobility Law, which was due for regulatory development by March 4, should include subsidies for Euro 6 used vehicles — directing policy away from new-car incentives toward the high-volume older end of the fleet. 20. The episode is technically dense with statistics and policy references, suited to automotive industry professionals; general listeners interested in why used cars are expensive will find the price and import segments accessible.

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