After four record years, the AutoWallis Group again started the year with strong sales figures, almost doubling (+86.2%) the number of vehicles sold in the first quarter of 2023 compared to the same period last year, reaching a total of 13,800. The Distribution Business Unit again achieved the greatest growth, seeing an increase of 113.1 percent and total sales of 11,223 units in the segment. The acquisition of Renault Hungária also played a role in the growth, which has contributed to figures since last October (a total of 3,576 Dacia and Renault vehicles were sold in the first quarter), though organic growth was 45 percent on its own as well. With an increase of 91.6 percent (+1,640 units), SsangYong contributed the most to this latter expansion, though Opel’s 16.2 percent growth (+521 units) is also worthy of mention. Of the smaller brands, Jaguar and Land Rover (+52.2%) and Isuzu (+176%) also showed good results. In the first quarter, the Retail & Services Business Unit sold 2,091 new (+26%) and 486 used (+0.2%) vehicles. The growth was in part due to the Slovenian Avto Aktiv, which has been a member of the Group since April of last year; however, expansion reached 12.5 percent even without this factor, which in itself significantly exceeds the 3 percent growth of the Hungarian passenger vehicle market. The services field in the Retail & Services Business Unit saw an increase in service hours of 51.6 percent to 45,004 hours, with organic growth of 16 percent even without the acquisition of Avto Aktiv. The Group was able to continue growing in the field of short-term car rentals as well: Sixt’s partner in Hungary, Wallis Autókölcsönző Kft., increased the number of rental events by 9.7 percent to 4,556 in the first quarter, with an increase of 9.9 percent in rental days to 43,060. With the consolidation of Nelson Flottalízing Kft. in the AutoWallis Group in February, long-term car rentals and fleet management services also underwent significant increases. As a result, the Group provided 3,565 vehicles to its clients in the first quarter.

Regarding the first quarter’s sales figures, AutoWallis CEO Gábor Ormosy said that Nelson’s numbers, which is also among the top 10 fleet management market’s players in 2023, also contribute to the Group’s performance together with Renault Hungária and AvtoAktiv. These latter acquisitions bolster AutoWallis’s services portfolio, further increasing crisis resistance and diversity. As regards plans for the year, the CEO confirmed that as the challenges of the business environment urge caution on all fronts, AutoWallis will continue down the path specified in its strategy in a responsible and selective but active manner, just as it has done so before. The CEO also said that despite the unfavorable outlook for inflation and the economy, the market continues to see deferred purchases and order backlogs remain exceptionally high.

* Market data by DataHouse.

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The AutoWallis Group kicked off the year with strong sales figures