28/01-09   -   Press releases

Autorola Goes to Portugal

The Autorola Group, a Danish based pan-European online car auction company, has opened a subsidiary in Lisbon, Portugal, lead by Country Manager Miguel Vasallo, 38 years old.
Miguel Vassalo is an engineer, MBA and he comes from a position as Branch Manager with Cimtertex in Portugal. Prior to that, he worked for the Portuguese distributor of Suzuki and Saab.

The opening in Portugal, marked by a reception at the Danish Embassy, has been highly successful:
“We have received a tremendous reception by the branch and the press. It’s obvious that the market have missed a reliable, fast and secure remarketing channel on the web", said Mr. Vassalo.
He has already made agreements with several Portuguese car leasing companies and financial institutions. In the current financial crisis, they need a faster sales flow, and Autorola’s well-proven online concept is clearly the instrument they need.

In Portugal, Autorola.pt benefits from the lack of direct competition – and the company’s level of service:
“People in Portugal are not used to get any service when buying on the net. Contrary to that, we deliver service by telephone practically all around the clock. Our customers are actually stunned by the support we deliver", Mr. Vassalo added.
The Portuguese car sellers also benefit from the Autorola’s pan-European strategy which allows remarketing of cars across the boarders. The cars go, where the demand is.
“We have 63.000 registred car dealers ready to bid for the cars, and this year we expect to sell 200.000 cars all over Europe. Portugal fits right into this plan", said Peter Groftehauge, CEO and President of the Autorola Group.