Automobile Shortage of new vehicles … manufacturers are getting into the opportunity


What could be better than a recent opportunity to compensate for the absence of a new vehicle that cannot be delivered within a reasonable time?

This is the choice made by Renault, Stellantis, importers such as the Emil Frey group or even well-known automotive agents.

Newly built technical centers give cars a second life. This affects the carbon footprint by extending the lifespan.

In a reconditioning centre, only what is strictly necessary is changed; this for budget and time constraints. It’s all about money and margin. Photo B. Jouvin

Reconditioning, the vein

The slowdown in the new home market has a corollary: the second-hand market is doing wonderfully (+13%) at a record level compared to last year.

This market is estimated at more than six million transactions. This is why manufacturers are interested in the reconditioning of used vehicles; vehicles that return from long-term rental, rental with option to buy and which have the advantage of having low mileage.

Industrialization of the process

Since 2013, several players have invested in reconditioning units: Aramis Auto, Emil Frey and, more recently, Spoticar (a Stellantis brand) and Renault.

For Jean-Philippe Bahuaud, manager of Renault’s used vehicle factory, “the second-hand market for 2 to 5 year olds is booming and we are going to work for our dealers with quality standards for new vehicles (VN)”. A way to restore the margins that disappear with the decline of the new.

Success in speed

In Flins, where the Factory VO is located, four production lines process 180 second-hand cars per day with integrated technical control at the end of the line; the goal is to put the car up for sale as quickly as possible.

Result, the reconditioning is carried out in 8 days instead of 21 on average. Indeed, the price of a second-hand item is constantly reassessed; the longer it stays, the more it loses value.

It is also necessary that the price of the reconditioning is economic compared to a garage. Factory VO can thus benefit from very competitive prices on spare parts because it only deals with Renault, Dacia and Nissan products.

After the mechanics and any painting work, the car is cleaned before leaving for the shooting which will allow the posting of the ad.  Photo B. Jouvin
After the mechanics and any painting work, the car is cleaned before leaving for the shooting which will allow the posting of the ad. Photo B. Jouvin

Objective: number 1

Located in Hordain in the North of France, the Spoticar site has a 6,000 m2 workshop and 15,000 storage spaces. This multi-brand center currently has a capacity of 100 cars per day with one team.

Static and dynamic expertise on 100 checkpoints, mechanical preparation, track test, painting, bodywork, aesthetic preparation, the prepared vehicles meet Spoticar quality standards. The goal is to become number one in the sector.

A concept destined to multiply

The reconditioning units are viable from a thousand vehicles processed per year; that of Aramis handles 400 cars per week. The capacity of Emile Frey’s factory in Ingrandes is 30,000 per year; a new center is in preparation in the Drôme. A Factory VO factory is planned in Seville…

To ensure success, the players are betting on the growing share of rental vehicles, with however a small problem: faced with economic uncertainties, some companies are extending their LLD contracts; hence a small lack of used vehicles.



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