The AutoWallis Group closed a strong Q4 last year, meaning the sales of the company listed in the Premium category of the Budapest Stock Exchange set records in all areas in 2022. The number of vehicles sold by the AutoWallis Group last year increased significantly, by 25 percent for a total of 31,303. The greatest increase was experienced by the Distribution Business Unit, which grew the number of vehicles sold by 34.4 to reach a total of 22,174. The acquisition of Renault Hungária, carried out by AutoWallis jointly with the Portuguese company Salvador Caetano, played another role in growth. The acquisition contributed to the increase in the last three months (+1,873 vehicles); however, organic growth was 23 percent even without this transaction. SsangYong played an important role in this growth, as the Korean brand saw sales jump by 99.4 percent (+3,638 vehicles). Last year, the Retail & Services Business Unit sold 7,314 new (+5.7%) and 1,815 used (+12.5%) vehicles, which figures were strengthened by the sales of Avto Aktiv starting from the second quarter. The Slovenian company sells 4 vehicle brands in 5 cities, making it a major player on the neighboring country’s retail market, without which the sales of new and used vehicles would have dropped by 2.6 and 4.9 percent, respectively. These results are outstanding in light of the fact that the Hungarian passenger vehicle market experienced a slowdown of 8.54 percent last year*. Thanks to the strong diversification in AutoWallis’s strategy, the differences in the markets of the region’s countries can be balanced out even in the short term. The services field in the Retail & Services Business Unit saw an increase in service hours of 25.7 percent to 163,862 hours, with organic growth of 2.8 percent even without the acquisition of the Slovenian Avto Aktiv. Sixt, represented by the AutoWallis Group in Hungary, increased the number of rental events by 43.9 percent to 22,525 and the number of rental days by 28.9 percent to 211,511 in 2022. Last year, the average fleet size grew by 45.4 percent to 877, thanks to improving tourism figures.

In connection with the 2022 sales figures, AutoWallis CEO Gábor Ormosy emphasized that the Group again closed a record year and is on the right track to realizing its announced strategy. He pointed out that retail sales have already surpassed the sales target of 8,600-9,100 set for 2025. As regards wholesale, the figures of Renault Hungária (Renault, Dacia) work towards strengthening the numbers for this year, meaning the sales of AutoWallis’s Distribution Business Unit may in 2023 already come close to realizing the goal of 39,200-43,000 vehicles set for 2025. Looking at the short-term outlooks for 2023, the CEO said that despite the unfavorable outlook for inflation and the economy, the market continues to see deferred purchases and order backlogs remain exceptionally high, while fears of further increases in vehicle prices may also temporarily boost demand. In light of the changing supply and demand relationships on the market, the turbulent macroeconomic environment, and the growth which is significantly more dynamic than the pace set in AutoWallis’s strategy, the company is considering whether it is necessary to amend the indicators set in the strategic goals previously published.

* Market data by DataHouse.