We sat down for a chat with Roberto de Celis, General Manager of Classifieds and Digital Business at Vocento (Sumauto and AutoScout24). He's one of the undisputed leaders in the motoring classifieds market, and the conversation was hugely valuable for any professional who wants to understand where the market is heading.
Are classifieds still just a noticeboard where professionals pay to post, or does survival depend on becoming true strategic partners for dealerships?
We talk with no filter about:
✅ The current market: we analyse the state of prices, stock and the adjustments coming in used vehicles.
✅ The impact of Chinese brands: how their arrival is changing the rules of the game and resale prices.
✅ Leads and profitability: what to do to capture, qualify and convert better without throwing money away.
✅ Artificial Intelligence: real use cases that are already helping used car dealers.
✅ The future of portals: their evolution from simple "noticeboards" into true business partners providing local and European visibility.
✅ Google VLA and social media: how to attract traffic and make the most of platforms like Meta to find buyers.
✅ Digitalisation: why professionalising your online shop window builds more trust and closes more sales against so much competition.
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🎬 CHAPTERS
00:00 - Introduction
02:34 - Introducing Roberto de Celis and the birth of Sumauto
06:14 - The evolution: from word-count classifieds in the local paper to the marketplace
07:34 - Buyer profiles: Leasing or owning a car?
09:12 - Financing vs. Leasing: What's the best financial decision?
11:39 - AutoScout24: how to connect the European buyer with the local dealer
17:54 - The impact of the 20 Chinese brands and the imminent drop in used car prices
21:39 - Lead efficiency, business partners and why prices are rising on portals
25:52 - 70% of small dealers don't pick up the phone: AI solutions
29:00 - The new role of Artificial Intelligence in search and Google
31:45 - Meta Ads to sell car stock, Google and the new opportunity for dealers: Google VLA
37:25 - YouTube strategy: Garage Days and vehicle test drives
40:48 - The professionalisation of used car dealers and the fight against online scams
43:49 - The future of Sumauto and the market of 8,000 used car dealers in Spain
44:35 - Wrap-up
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