The increase in new vehicle sales at the AutoWallis Group’s Retail Business Unit significantly surpassed both the Hungarian and regional averages in the first half: it grew by 17.9% to reach 4,924 units even though Hungary only saw an 11.9% increase* in the number of registered vehicles. Used vehicle sales saw an even more dramatic rise of 26%, to reach 1,205 units, with the services related to the business unit seeing an increase of 6.1% in the number of service hours for a total of 96,626. All in all, the major vehicle trading company and mobility service provider in the region closed a very strong half year in terms of its Retail Business Unit.

Although sales have seen continuous growth in the Distribution Business Unit since last fall, the AutoWallis Group sold 5.8% fewer vehicles for a total of 19,309 units due to one-off and significant base effects. Contrary to the decrease in the first quarter of the year, sales increased from 9,277 units in the second quarter of 2023 to 10,729 vehicles (+15.6%) year on year. The reason for the decreased sales volumes in the first half is technical in nature, explained by the exceptionally high figures in the last quarter of 2022 and the base period — the first and second quarters of 2023 — which was further exacerbated by delayed handovers due to increased transport times caused by the Suez Canal and the geopolitical situation in the Red Sea. As previously indicated by AutoWallis, last year’s increased registration figures were a result of the deferred purchases due to the coronavirus epidemic, the chip shortage, and global shipping difficulties coupled with a large backlog of orders waiting to be fulfilled. Although these one-off effects have now been balanced out, the transport issues may continue to cause delays extending between the quarters despite the fact that order volumes exceeded the planned quantities. The half year-level decrease was primarily due to SsangYong (-1,892 vehicles), which was offset only in part by the increase in Opel sales (+355 vehicles).

AutoWallis’s Mobility Services Unit (which includes the Group’s short and long-term vehicle rental services as well as fleet management) saw a substantial increase in the number of rental events, topping out at 191,124 thanks to the acquisition of wigo carsharing. In addition to wigo carsharing, growth was also fueled by Sixt, operated by AutoWallis in Hungary, and wigo fleet management (previously Nelson Flottalízing), which belongs to the group: figures increased by 15.1% to reach 3,775 units. The number of short-term vehicle rental (wigo carsharing + Sixt) days decreased slightly (to 86,126 for a drop of 0.6%), primarily due to the transformation in Sixt’s portfolio (less long-term rental agreements and more short-term rentals).

Regarding the sales data for the first half, AutoWallis CEO Gábor Ormosy explained that they are in line with the expectations of the Group, which expects to see continued growth compared to the base period in the coming quarters in the current macroeconomic environment, meaning the number of vehicles sold annually may see substantial increases. Gábor Ormosy emphasized that based on the Group’s updated strategy, AutoWallis’s new vehicle sales may reach 100 thousand units in 2028, of which 75 thousand will be at the Distribution Business Unit and 25 thousand at the Retail Business Unit. Based on the performance of mobility services, which is increasingly gaining strength along with sales, they expect the Group’s revenue to reach HUF 750 billion with EBITDA profits of HUF 40 billion by 2028, both of which figures are double the respective 2023 results.

* Market data by DataHouse.

AutoWallis’s retail sales see continued growth