Singapore – Carro, an AI-driven used car marketplace based in Singapore, has announced the promotion of Katherine Teo as its new chief marketing officer, moving beyond her recent role as the regional head of marketing for the company and its subsidiaries across Asia-Pacific.

In an exclusive conversation with MARKETECH APAC, Teo shared her continued plans for the marketing and branding efforts for the company.

“I will continue to drive strategic marketing and branding efforts for the Carro Group, with a focus on strengthening synergy across our ancillary businesses, such as for insurance, our after sales arm Carro Care, and Genie Financial Services,”

She also added, “We are prioritising new, emerging markets such as Japan and Hong Kong, and our ancillary businesses in finance, insurance, and after sales. “

It is worth noting that Carro had recently acquired Beyond Cars, a Hong Kong-based user cars buying and selling platform; as well as marking its expansion into Japan with a partnership with SoftBank back in 2022. Moreover, Carro had also announced an investment with production house Driven Communications, and even received funding from DRB-HICOM for its Genie Financial Services.

When asked about her learnings that she will bring to her senior role, Teo said, “Continue to foster a culture of creativity. 
It’s really simple: we want to make great ads that people want to see. We want to continue to put out quality campaigns that are rooted in strong consumer insights. And to do so, I believe in cultivating an honest, open team that can sprout radical, refreshing, and fun ideas. After all, our marketing campaigns are a culmination of many minds put together.”

Under her recent marketing role at Carro, the company has seen multiple marketing campaigns that she oversaw, including its first regional brand film alongside TBWA\Singapore, as well as the launch of multiple short drama series in its regional markets to celebrate Carro’s eighth anniversary.

Teo also added, “We should be marching to the beat of our own drum. 
Trends come and go, especially in the digital space and social media. As APAC’s largest online used car ecosystem and market leader, I believe we should always explore and do what works for us.”

When asked about the particular marketing challenges for the used car industry in the region, she explained that with more platforms bringing more unique selling points (USPs), there is a challenge for brands in the space to come up with new ways to stand out from diverse markets.

“More and more used car marketplaces are starting to communicate the same USPs. Soon, there will appear to have no clear point of differentiation to the consumers. This is a unique challenge because we’ll need to find a way to stand out and help customers know us, like us, and choose us,” she stated.

Part of Carro’s selling point is the assurance to its customers that the pre-owned cars are certified by the company’s in-house inspectors, making sure that the cars pass up as good as new.

“We’ll start to see more offering of certified pre-owned cars. As the industry leader, our focus remains on offering Carro Certified cars that are as good as new. As trust and transparency continue to be the main thrust of the industry, we will continue to ensure that our customers’ trust sit at the heart of all that we do. Beyond just Marketing, the company will continue to invest in technology, data, and talent that go into building quality products and a Carro Certified car that is as good as new,” she concluded.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Local-based used car trading platform myTukar is preparing to open more physical inspection centers in Malaysia by the fourth quarter this year in the cities of Johor Bahru, Kuantan, Batu Pahat, and Seremban. 

The endeavor, supported by automotive marketplace CARRO, will follow the three recently opened branches in Malacca, Penang, and Ipoh last September, adding the 2,000 dealerships network in the country, which has seen 23,000 car transactions since the company’s establishment.

In addition, the targeted Johor Bahru opening would be myTukar’s second branch in the said city, and will serve as the company’s Southern Logistics hub.

Each myTukar branch will have the capacity to accommodate three cars at any given time, with a total of up to 300 cars per day that can be served. As cars are given inspection and evaluation within 30 minutes, customers can enjoy free WiFi, refreshments and a comfortable waiting lounge with each branch they visit.

Fong Hon Sum, CEO of myTukar stated the the company’s move towards opening more branches is a significant move since its establishment in 2018, and adds that with their ongoing mission to digitize trading of used cars, it aims to help car dealerships also move towards digitizing their services.

“With the opening of new branches in 2020, we are committed to expand our customer touchpoints for an unrivalled car selling experience. More branches are already on the horizon to cover more cities in Malaysia by 2021. This nationwide expansion strategy is aligned to and complements CARRO Group’s strategy to continuously expand and digitalise car trading for the South East Asia Region,” Fong stated.

This new strategy for the company is an addition to the company’s latest partnerships and collaborations this year. Partnerships include financial scheme with financial institution CapBay, digital platform SISMA Auto Glenmarie SELEKT Center, and Sime Darby Auto Selection for inventory management.

“These few key initiatives launched during the COVID-19 pandemic were key to drive business recovery and to fuel growth for the automotive industry in Malaysia. As the fastest growing online used car trading platform in Malaysia, myTukar remains committed to providing the best online experience, driving digital innovation and offering unwavering support to the used car ecosystem,” added Fong.

Petaling Jaya, Malaysia – In its plan to revolutionize the trading experience for its pre-owned car customers, Sime Darby Auto Selection (SDAS), a subsidiary of Sime Darby Motors Malaysia and has partnered Malaysia’s used car trading platform myTukar to boost its customer experience

Sime Darby Auto Selection is a Malaysia-based corporate multi-brand pre-owned car dealer. 

The collaboration between SDAS and MyTukar would not only enable SDAS customers to access a wider procurement grid which would present more choices for them, but would also improve transparency and accuracy on every used car transaction.

In addition, SDAS is looking to enhance its inventory management by leveraging myTukar’s big data analytics.

Jeffrey Gan, SimeDarby Motors Malaysia’s managing director for retail and distribution said,   “We aim to become the largest and most trusted certified pre-owned car dealer in Malaysia.The digitalised process that Tukar provides ensures that our customers will receive the highest trade-in value, through a seamless and transparent experience for peace of mind in selling their cars and buying used cars”. 

Fong Hon Sum, CEO of myTukar said, “myTukar is excited to begin this journey with Sime Darby Auto Selection and we welcome their inspectors onto myTukar’s technology-enabled 2 platform. I strongly believe that this partnership will reinforce our mutual vision of giving customers a seamless and transparent process of purchasing and selling their cars.”

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – The Malaysia unit of used-cars trading platform Carsome will now be available on the eCommerce platform Shopee.

The platform, which caters to both sellers and buyers of second-hand vehicles runs its own website, and now with the extension to Shopee, those looking to buy gain another avenue to view and purchase from the company’s selection.

Cars will be listed with complete car specification details and multi-angled photos. All featured vehicles also come with a one-year warranty and a five-day money back guarantee. Carsome assures that cars are “Carsome Certified,” which indicates that vehicles have passed the company’s inspection, ensuring that it has not been in a major accident, has no frame damages, and has not been through a flood.

Additionally, Shopee users can purchase a RM500 cash voucher at the special promotional price of RM199 and use it to pay for the down payment of their selected cars.

According to Carsome Co-founder and Group CEO Eric Cheng, the collaboration enables Carsome’s official store on Shopee to be the first online store selling used cars in Malaysia.

“We are proud to work with Shopee, who have been very supportive in our endeavor to reshape and elevate the used car buying experience through digitalization,” Cheng said.

Shopee’s Regional Managing Director Ian Ho said that the launch of Carsome in the platform is just in time as they gear up for the 10.10 Brands Festival. 

“Carsome will gain exposure from the increased customer traffic to the platform and by leveraging it, bring about the awareness that users can now experience a new way of shopping for quality used cars,” said Ho.

Carsome is currently running a number of promotions, and those buying through Shopee will also be able to avail them, such as exclusive Carsome merchandise for the first 100 test drives, and the Refer-A-Friend promotion, with which successful buyers can invite their friends and family to buy from Carsome, where both parties can receive combined cash rewards of up to RM800.

Carsome is a Southeast Asia-focused company where aside from Malaysia, it has presence in Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore.