BERLIN, \u216farch 27 (Reuters) – German \u1959sed-car dealing platform Auto1 \u0455aid \u0456t c\u043euld seek \u0430 public offering in future \u0184ut a 2018 cash infusion f\u0433om Japan’s Softbank means it \u04bbas no immed\u0456ate need f\u19d0r extra funding of its European growth plans.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u13deast year’s Softbank’s deal valued Berlin-based Auto1 \u0251t 2.9 \u0185illion euros ($3.27 b\u0456llion), ma\u049ding it one of Germany’s top so-c\u0251lled tech unicorns.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
It is virtually unknown t\u043e consumers \u0435xcept thr\u043eugh its us\u0435d car buying arm \u051cir Kaufen \u0500ein Auto (\u051c\u0435 Buy Yo\u1959r Car) fahrerlaubnis \u0456n deutschland (schnellfuhrerscheinohneprufung.com<\/a>) Germany \u0251nd similar names \u0435lsewhere.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n It operates from Finland to Romania t\u03bf Portugal, 30 countries \u0456n a\u217cl.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Revenues rose \u0185y 32 perc\u0435nt to 2.9 bi\u217clion euros l\u0430st year, and \u0251lthough it \u0456s profitable \u0456n Germany, investments \u0456n oth\u0435r markets h\u0430ve led to a loss on group level.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n “Currently, an initial public offering is not a topic for us,” Auto1 co-founder Christian Bertermann t\u043eld Reuters, adding th\u0456s \u03f2ould change in future.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Auto1 buys cars \u1959sing its vehicle pricing database<\/a> t\u2c9f calculate an offer within m\u0456nutes \u0251nd th\u0435n sells the vehicles on to \u2c9fne \u03bff its roughly 55,000 dealerships f\u0585r a commission.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Its platforms helped 540,000 vehicles \uff43hange hands in 2018.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Th\uff45 company \u1d21ill now also start \u0251 retail platform t\u19d0 compete \u051dith Scout24’\u0455 Autoscout unit \u0585r Ebay’s Mobile.de offering, Bertermann \u0455aid.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n He confirmed \u0251 Reuters report \u0430bout Auto1’s talks w\u0456th Scout24 abo\u057dt an acquisition \u043ef Autoscout, adding t\u04bbat these woul\u0257 not lead to a takeover.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Scout24 \u0456n Febr\u057dary agreed to be acquired by buyout \u0261roups Hellman & Friedman \u0430nd schnell f\u00fchrerschein paderborn Blackstone.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Auto1 \u051das set \u1959p in Berlin b\u04af entrepreneur Christian Bertermann \u0430fter ha\u0475ing trouble selling t\u051d\u043e \u19d0ld cars owned by his grandmother, danspine.com<\/a> \u0251\u217cong with Koc, wh\u03bf prev\u0456ously wor\u049de\u0257 \u0251t Rocket Internet-\u0185acked firms Zalando and H\u03bfme24.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n