CARMUDI PH inks partnership with RAPIDE

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In its bid to protect clients from buying defective vehicles, Carmudi Philippines—the leading online vehicle platform around the world—has recently forged partnership with Rapide Auto Service Experts, one of the biggest names in auto repair services in the country.

Last February 2, Carmudi Philippines Managing Director Abhishek Mohan has inked the partnership with Rapide Auto Service Experts General Manager Byron Lat to offer automotive inspections and certification for vehicles bought and sold on their online platform.

Under the memorandum of agreement signed by both parties, the buyers and sellers will have the option to have their vehicles inspected by Rapide professionals so that Carmudi could issue a certification describing the actual state of the vehicle. This system would reduce—to a great extent—the gap in information between seller and buyer.

Both parties were elated with the newly formed partnership, saying that this would bring the level of professionalism of online vehicle buying and selling into a whole new level.

For his part, Mohan said that getting a formidable partner like Rapide to screen the vehicles of clients would definitely create a new spectrum in providing the much needed information to its buyers.

"We are very pleased to announce our partnership with Rapide to provide certification services for used vehicles listed on our online platform. This is in line with our mission to provide the safest environment online, for buying and selling in the automotive space. We see certification as a crucial step towards bridging the information and trust gap between buyers and sellers that use online automotive classifieds to transact business," he said.

He expressed his full confidence to their freshly declared partner in their project, saying that “Rapide is unparalleled in its reach and is synonymous with trustworthiness and thus, a perfect fit with the values of trust and transparency that Carmudi stands for.”

“We are confident that this partnership, in the face of scams that exist elsewhere on the Internet, will redefine the online classifieds space and make it far more trustworthy,” Mohan added.

Meanwhile, Lat echoed Mohan’s sentiments, saying that the program would ensure clarity on the status of the vehicles. “The program would bring honesty and trust to all parties concerned with every transaction in Carmudi, especially with the system that our companies have devised.”

"The vehicle sellers and the buying public will definitely benefit from this partnership between Rapide and Carmudi as it brings out transparency and trust in every transaction that they make," said Lat.

Online platform Carmudi partners with SafeZone to boost online presence

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Online car classified Carmudi recently announced its partnership with Voyager Innovations, the digital arm of PLDT and Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart), through its SafeZone platform that will enable enterprise to open their website and mobile applications for FREE of data charges.

“SafeZone allows consumers to access partner mobile sites and apps for free, making internet browsing more enjoyable. For enterprise this means relationships with customers are extended 24/7,” said Benjie Fernandez, Chief Operations Officer of Voyager Innovations.

“Services are delivered by enterprise through its difital assets in an effective and cost efficient manner. With our latest partnership with Carmudi, Filipinos can now search for a brand new or used car worry-free,” adds Fernandez.

Carmudi offers listings of over 25,000 vehicles on its website and mobile app, which can be searched using different parameters such as make, model, price, and condition to suit every vehicle hunter.

SafeZone was launched last February, 2015, and is now the number1 community site in the Philippines according to Effective Measure, with more than 17 million page views last August. SafeZone also has a base of more than 2 million registered users.

SafeZone aims to connect businesses to consumers by offering free internet access to partner mobile sites and apps. 

Subir Lohani, managing director of Carmudi Philippines said “Partnering with the biggest digital innovator in the country is a privileged for us. With this SafeZone partnership, we will able to connect with customers and expand our online reach.”

“Users of Carmudi no longer have to worry about having load or an active data subscription to search for a car,” explained Lohani. 

Carmudi is backed by Rocket Internet, a German startup company based in Berlin.

SafeZone is currently available for free to subscribers of Smart, Sun, and Talk ‘N Text. For more information, please visit http://www.safezone.ph/free-services/#carmudi

Top most in demand car features that buyers want

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Technology plays an important role in society today. It spurs up the growth of the business and creates new opportunities. 

Carmakers are investing billions of dollars to add new technologies that, it turns out, are not being utilized by many of the owners of those vehicles. In fact, the survey finds that at least 20-percent of new-vehicle owners have never used 16 of the 33 technology features measured. 

Carmudi has analyzed data based on hundreds and thousands of global listings uploaded to the company’s car classifieds website to determine the most in-demand features worldwide. 

The Philippines is the only country where tinted windows made the list of in-demand car features. Twenty-seven percent cars sold on its site have tinted windows and forty-five percent of cars in the site are equipped with advanced entertainment systems, followed by Indonesia at 36-percent and Vietnam at 34-percent.

One car feature that varied in terms of popularity worldwide was the alarm system. Indonesia posted the highest number with 57-percent users, followed by 48-percent in the Philippines. In Bangladesh and Pakistan, only 7-percent of vehicles sold on the site featured an alarm system. 

Subir Lohani, managing director of Carmudi Philippines, said: “Technology has transformed the driving experience of every motorists. Motorists nowadays are looking for vehicles that are smarter and innovative.”

“The growth is due to the demand of needs of car buyers who are looking for cars that will change how they drive ,” adds Lohani.

Log on at www.carmudi.com.ph

E-Commerce site reports growth in PH Car Financing sector

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Leading car classified Carmudi, an e-commerce company that connects dealers of cars, motorcycles, trucks, and buses to prospective buyers, has recently unveiled its report about the growth of Car Financing in the Philippines. The report provides an outlook in the current and future state of car financing in the country and how it affects consumer attitudes towards credit.

The research also revealed that 76-percent of Filipinos are planning to purchase a car in the next two years compared to 65-percent in other emerging markets. 

In terms of consumer behavior, the Philippines has the highest level of vehicle upgrade, with 96-percent planning to upgrade their cars when they reach a more financial and stable condition.

Meanwhile, attractive consumer loan programs have boosted the strong demand for passenger cars and commercial vehicles. The growth in consumer loans was driven by a 26-percent increase in auto loans, which translated to P244.61 billion.

Subir Lohani, managing director of
Carmudi Philippines. 

As consumer loans continues to grow, local banks are racing to come up with different strategies such as lower interest rates, attractive product offerings, and freebies to boost their share of the industry and give them a competitive edge. 

With the Philippine government initiating ongoing economic reforms and a high inflow of remittances, forecasts predict that consumer lending will flourish at a double-digit rate, driving consumers to further invest in cars and motorcycles. 

As more banks invest in consumer loans, consumer credit is also expected to increase and become more widely accessible to all Filipinos, the report said.

“Car financing has always been an option that consumers in the Philippines look at when buying a car, and data shows that the demand for auto loans in the country continues to increase,” said Subir Lohani, managing director of Carmudi Philippines. 

“With the growing economy and increase in demand for passenger cars, we believe that more of our Filipino customers will seek assistance about financing options. As more banks and financial institutions offer attractive loan programs and require low down payments, we expect auto purchases through financing will continue to flourish in the country,” adds Lohani.

Carmudi is an exciting and new kind of online car classifieds that allows you to sell or buy your car, motorcycle or commercial vehicle in the fastest possible way. You can search, compare, and purchase over 300,000 vehicles on your phone, making car shopping as easy as ever. In just under a year and a half, Carmudi has rapidly scaled to 20 countries across Asia, Africa, Middle East, and Latin America. We employ over 500 employees worldwide, and our team continues to grow.

Carmudi Secures $25M in new funding for Asia and Latin America

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Rocket Internet backed online car classified player to become No.1 in emerging markets

Berlin, Germany – Carmudi, a leading car classified site backed by Rocket Internet, has raised $25 million to strengthen its operations in Asia and Latin America. Investors include Asia Pacific Internet Group (APACIG), a joint venture of Rocket Internet and Ooredoo, Holtzbrinck Ventures, a leading consumer internet investor, Tengelmann Ventures, a division of international multi-sector retailer Tengelmann Group, and a private investor.

Launched in October 2013, Carmudi has rapidly scaled up to 20 countries, seven of which are in Asia (Bangladesh, Indonesia, Myanmar, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Vietnam) and one in Latin America (Mexico). The platform is known to provide the most innovative and fastest way to buy and sell cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles online.

The announcement of this funding comes at a time when the company is experiencing a remarkable growth of over 50 per cent in all its markets and has authentic listings of over 300,000 vehicles for its users globally. 

Stefan Haubold - Global Co-Founder
and Managing Director 

Carmudi Co-Founder and Global Managing Director Stefan Haubold said: “This funding will be crucial in boosting our operations in Asia and Latin America. Our goal is to be the No.1 car classified platform in all our markets. There are over 300 million active internet users that we are aiming to tap into in these markets. We want to make sure that we bring them the best experience of car shopping on their laptops and mobile phones.”

The new round of investment goes to show the support and confidence investors have in Carmudi’s business model. Koen Thijssen, co-CEO of APACIG stated, “We invest in companies where we see high potential for growth and expansion. We are sure that Carmudi will be able to conquer its markets very soon." As the internet penetration is likely to reach 44 per cent by 2018 in in Asia Pacific region alone (excluding China and India), Carmudi’s strategic timing could not have been better. Having the first-mover advantage is certainly helping Carmudi become a household name as it continues to reap the rewards from a growing middle class and influx of foreign spending in emerging markets. In fact, it is already reaching over a million users per month through its website and mobile app.

With its new features, Carmudi is making the selling and buying process much simpler for experts and novices alike who are new to the Internet.