The AutoWallis Group is breaking records in all of its business segments, with 60 percent of last year’s total annual vehicle sales already achieved in the first six months of this year. The group, which is present in 14 countries in the region, sold 15,379 vehicles in the first half of the year, up 32 percent on the previous year, despite the series of difficulties experienced by the automotive industry. At 44 percent, the greatest growth was seen by the Distribution Business Unit, with the vehicle sales of the Retail & Services Business Unit also seeing growth above 10 percent and the number of service hours increasing by 24 percent. The Group’s vehicle rental division also performed well even before the summer peak season: the number of rental events more than doubled and the number of rental days increased by almost a quarter.

The AutoWallis Group is successfully pursuing its growth strategy, having outperformed not only the Hungarian but also the European market on a quarter-on-quarter basis. In addition to the effects of transactions, the ongoing growth in sales figures is also organic: the increases in numbers are substantial even without the acquisition of the Slovenian Avto Aktiv closed in April. According to Gábor Ormosy, AutoWallis CEO, the strong performance is based on the implementation of the growth strategy laid down earlier and updated in 2021, one of the key elements of which is a regional presence in 14 countries and the parallel development and expansion of wholesale and retail activities. He emphasized that this diversified portfolio is the basis of the Group’s balanced performance despite any possible economic downturns in a country or the weaker performance of a brand or activity. The automotive market in the region covered by AutoWallis has continued to grow above the European average, despite the fact that the inflation and economic outlook is currently not favorable anywhere. Gábor Ormosy explained that some brands and types are still experiencing delivery disruptions and longer production times, but both the sales and the customer side are basically used to these. Purchases put off following the coronavirus may increase the volume of orders, and fear of the continuous increase in vehicle prices may also temporarily boost demand. At the same time, rising inflation and a possible economic downturn will make industry players cautious and, in the long term, could catalyze the consolidation already underway in the industry, which the AutoWallis Group intends to use to support further growth.

The number of vehicles sold by the AutoWallis Group jumped by 32 percent to 15,379 units in the first half of the year, a faster pace than in the first quarter. Of the company’s two business units, the sales of the Distribution Business Unit grew only organically in the period: by 44.3 percent to 10,659 units. This exceptional growth is attributed to the SsangYong and Opel brands. The performance of the Retail & Services Business Unit was bolstered by the Slovenian Avto Aktiv in the second quarter, though strong growth was seen in all areas even without it. The business unit sold 3,783 new (+10.4%) and 937 used (+11.3%) vehicles. The importance of this growth is illustrated by the fact that in comparison, the Hungarian passenger vehicle market experienced a slowdown of 13.4 percent*. The services offered by the Retail & Services Business Unit expanded as follows: the number of service hours increased to 77,983 (+24.4%) and Sixt, represented by the AutoWallis Group, more than doubled the number of rental events (+113.4%). At 26 percent, the growth in the number of rental days was a little less, amounting to 83,410. The figures indicate that shorter term rentals, generally for tourism purposes and with higher coverage, have increased again in the quarter preceding the summer peak season.

* Market data by DataHouse.