MOTOM is an independent automotive technology business with ambitions to challenge and drive fundamental change across the wholesale remarketing sector of the UK automotive industry. Uniquely supported by 12 seasoned remarketing experts who served as pre-launch advisors, MOTOM was unveiled in the autumn of 2022. The B2B used car trading app, and its desktop sibling, delivers a robust digital platform that is interactive, engaging, and intuitive to use. And as the market anticipates a cooling in values, MOTOM’s low-cost proposition compliments users’ appetites to drive down their total cost of defleet and/or acquisition.
The MOTOM management team is underpinned with over 100 years of experience across the automotive finance, mobility, fleet, and asset management sectors and includes two regarded personalities from the fleet and leasing industry. CEO, Julian Humphreys brings board level experience from his time with Interleasing, General Motors, and Maxxia group whilst CCO, Mel Goodliffe held senior roles with CitiCapital Fleet, Thrifty and Flexxilease.
Julian Humphreys, commenting on the launch of MOTOM said “The key output from our research advisory panel was clear in that potential users were looking for a low-cost trading platform that is not only easy to use but allows them to make buying and selling commitments in minutes rather than hours. We also found that many wanted additional tools and big data to help their businesses better compete with the wave of supposed disruption in the sector and be assured that they are dealing with an independent business that truly understands the dynamics of the market”.
Mel Goodliffe, pondering the 2023 landscape, said “the next 12 months will accelerate unprecedented change in the sector with macro-economic influences such as recession and enhanced asset management. On a local level, the MOTOM telephone support team, speaking with users, are gathering wide-ranging feedback that includes EV transition and values, ULEZ vehicles, rising APRs and consumer confidence alongside the future of disruptors, agency models and the rising cost of defleet and acquisition”.
Whilst launching in what has been another buoyant year for the used car sector MOTOM has still grown its community to over 450 carefully vetted users and Julian Humphreys believes a lot of the sign-ups are driven, not surprisingly, by "the ease of search for appropriate stock and a growing sensitivity to the increasing costs of acquisition”. Humphreys added “we believe our technology, together with big data, can help and deliver enhanced market intelligence and profitability in used car wholesaling and further protect the space from the many disruptors and other challenges that continue to impact the sector.”
So as 2022 and their launch activities edge towards the next stage of their evolution, what are Humphreys’ take-aways from this year? “MOTOM's simple deliverable and low-cost proposition has attracted some fantastic feedback from buyers and sellers. Additionally, we have engaged with traditional wholesale competitors such as auction houses and car supermarkets, acknowledging the growth in phygital, and franchise dealer groups of all sizes and DMS businesses recognising MOTOM as a meaningful string to their strategic remarketing bow”.
