Abiega alba

Auction giant BCA has responded to growing demand for hybrid and electric vehicles with new auctions dedicated to zero-emission-capable vehicles.

The auctions are supported by its innovative technology that allows buyers to bid online or via smartphone.

In the UK, each sale features up to 100 vehicles with clients including major leasing companies, such as Tusker, Zenith, Ogilvie and RCI.

BCA Online operations director Duncan Reaney said: “BCA continues to see strong growth in sales to digital bidders and the creation of specialist events, such as this newly launched EV/hybrid e-auction, make it easy for professional buyers to locate the vehicles that they are interested in.

“Using decision intelligence to determine the optimal channel to market whilst developing digital products to support our customer’s physical activities are important elements of BCA’s strategy.”

More than 300 buyers took part in the first sale, with many joining via BCA’s Buyer smartphone app.

The app can be used to find, track and bid on vehicles. It has attracted more than 10,000 users since launch and more than 50% of active buyers have used the app since its introduction.

Last year, BCA Europe launched a weekly online sale of plug-in vehicles under the banner of 'Electric Fridays' to create a Europe-wide marketplace.

The programme brings together BCA's plug-in stock in one place for international buyers in Europe.

Alba Abiega (pictured), BCA European EV marketline director, said: “The results of early sales show that increasing the choice and simplifying the task for our buyers leads to better liquidity and prices for our vendors and increased cross-border trade."

Jean-Roch Piat, BCA divisional chief executive officer, said: “With the adoption of EVs accelerating across European markets, our business partners need an optimal remarketing channel for these vehicles. We have put EVs at the heart of our strategy, and are investing ahead of the curve, with a dedicated team already in place to manage the wider transition into electric vehicles.”

Last year, BCA reported that more than 1,000 trade buyers across Europe were regularly trading in electric vehicles.

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