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AURES Holdings Group sets new sales record again in 2022

Prague, 10 January 2023 - The network of AAA AUTO, Mototechna, Auto Diskont and Driverama car dealerships, operated by AURES Holdings, achieved the best sales result in its 30-year history last year, selling a total of 89,100 vehicles. This was despite continuing problems with new car production, the war in Ukraine, rising inflation and a shortage of used cars. The Group achieved the sales record thanks to its strong market position combined with its unique direct-to-consumer sourcing technology and the launch of Driverama in Germany. The Group last year also reported more than 2.8 million customers served since 1992.

"I am pleased that despite the worsening economic situation and the shortage of used cars on the market throughout Central Europe, we have again managed to sell more cars than in the previous year. I consider the overall result of 89,100 cars sold in four countries to be very good given the challenging market conditions. We owe thanks to our employees and especially to our customers, who have continued to support us over the past twelve months, as they have over the past 30 years," said Karolína Topolová, CEO and Chairman of the Board of AURES Holdings, which operates the international network of AAA AUTO, Mototechna, Auto Diskont and Driverama car dealerships.

The best-selling brand in the Czech network of AAA AUTO car centres is traditionally Škoda, which has been losing ground slightly over the last few years. Despite this, it holds onto its top spot by a wide margin. "The fact that sales of Skodas as a proportion of total sales has, over the last ten years, fallen from thirty-three to less than twenty-seven percent is part of the natural development of the market. At the same time, Volkswagen, which accounts for twelve per cent of our sales, and the more affordable Asian brands have strengthened significantly. However, for Czechs, Škoda will always remain a firm favourite and the best-selling brand in our network," Topolová added. It is not surprising then that the top places are occupied by Skodas. The Octavia comes first (9.2%), the Fabia second (6.6%) and, perhaps for the first time in the more than 30-year history of the AURES Holdings Group, Škoda is also third, with the luxury Superb (3.3%). The Rapid is also in great demand, but it has been out of production for over a year and has been replaced by the not-so-successful Scala. In Slovakia, the Skoda Octavia and Fabia also hold the top spots, while Opel leads in Poland with the Astra and Insignia.

TOP 10 best-selling cars in the AAA AUTO and Mototechna network in 2022

Although estate cars were the best sellers in 2021 for the first time ever, hatchbacks returned to the top spot in 2022. "While people were looking for spacious cars in the pandemic, with the outbreak of the war in Ukraine and the rise in fuel prices, they had to think about making savings instead. That's also why some customers started to buy second and third cars for the family, in the form of small and economical runarounds. Often these are older cars with lower purchase costs, which, due to the rise in energy prices, will pay for themselves despite the higher cost of other services such as insurance, for example, or buying on credit. In our network of car dealerships, interest in hire purchase has increased across the board. The highest percentage is in Slovakia, where it accounts for 41% of sales. This is the highest in several years," Topolová pointed out. The most significant upsurge in interest has been for SUVs, which now account for 24% of overall demand. Hatchbacks account for 27% and estate cars 26%. The situation is similar in Slovakia, where hatchbacks come first by far (at 31%), estate cars second (25%) and SUVs third (23%). SUVs perform more strongly in Poland, where they are now second, with 22%. Hatchbacks hold the first place as always, with 36%, and estate cars come third, with 17%.

Looking at sales by engine type, petrol cars were purchased by 54% of AURES Holdings customers in the Czech Republic. "Whether here in the Czech Republic or in neighbouring Poland or Slovakia, the popularity of petrol cars has increased significantly in all countries and sales of petrol cars have been the highest in our 30-year history. In Poland, the share is as high as seventy-one percent, and in Slovakia, these cars have been the top sellers for the last few years, with a share of over 50%. The demand for petrol cars has risen with higher fuel prices and it goes together with the stronger demand for the hatchback body type, for which it is still the primary powertrain," explained Karolína Topolová. Although interest in alternative fuels is also growing, it is still small , at no more than 1% of total sales. However, AURES Holdings is preparing for growing demand here over the coming years and has included clean mobility in its ESG strategy through to 2030.

Customers are buying better equipped vehicles every year. Transmissions are a case in point, with a steady increase in demand for automatic transmissions in recent years across all countries where the Group operates. Last year, more than 27% of customers in the Czech Republic bought a car with automatic transmission, compared to 26% in Slovakia and over 18% in Poland. Similarly, interest in four-wheel-drive vehicles is growing, thanks to the stronger SUV sales. Over 17% of cars sold in the Czech Republic were 4x4s, compared to 16% in Slovakia and 10% in Poland. In terms of colour, Czechs and Slovaks most often choose silver grey or white, while Poles prefer black, followed by silver grey in second place.