The Koch dealership in Schwäbisch Hall is the winner of the Used Car Award 2012. At the Automechanika in Frankfurt am Main, the trade magazine "Gebrauchtwagen Praxis" presented the award for the seventh time together with its partners Dekra, Real Garant and Santander Con- sumer Bank. The magazine honored five dealers who impressed with their concepts and services. Their ideas put the used car business on a reliable and sustainable footing.



First place went to the Skoda dealership Koch in Schwäbisch Hall. The dealership scored points with its combination of effective vehicle presentation, market-driven prices and sophisticated processes. As a result, the dealership has almost quadrupled its used car sales in the last three years. "Enthusiasm for the cause and creative ideas were clearly noticeable at Autohaus Koch," commented Silvia Lulei, editor-in-chief of "Gebrauchtwagen Praxis", on the decision. Gunther Riedel, Head of Sales at Skoda Auto Deutschland, praised the Koch dealership as an "important pillar in the Skoda dealer organization". He conveyed the importer's congratulations and saw the award as a "logical consequence of the work done in recent years".



Second place went to the Toyota dealership Wahl in Neubrandenburg. The dealership in the north-east of Germany impresses with sustainable customer loyalty campaigns: For example, every used car comes with a ten-year main and emissions test included. Carsten Schopf, Used Car and Residual Value Management at Toyota Germany, was delighted with this achievement: "The customer focus practiced by the team at Autohaus Wahl is what makes it so successful."



Third place went to the Mercedes-Benz Mainfranken branch in Würzburg. In February of this year, the branch opened a new used car center that has been thought through down to the last detail. The declared aim is to be the number one for Mercedes-Benz annual cars and young used cars in the region. On behalf of the manufacturer, Günther Schildenberger, Head of Sales Management Used Cars South at Mercedes-Benz Sales Germany, praised the ranking of the Mainfranken branch: "The path we have taken shows how important an intelligent link between the new and used car business is."



The Audi Center Essen of the Gottfried Schultz Group and the Mercedes-Benz dealership Schade & Sohn in Eisenach were the other top five contenders. A total of 60 companies took part in this year's Used Car Award 2012. The jury was made up of representatives from the "Gebrauchtwagen Praxis" editorial team and the sponsors.



The winners of the Used Car Award 2012



1st place: Koch Automobile GmbH, Schwäbisch Hall

2nd place: Autohaus Wahl GmbH, Neubrandenburg

3rd place: Mercedes Benz Mainfranken branch, Würzburg

4th place: Gottfried Schultz GmbH & Co. KG Audi Center Essen, Essen

5th place: Schade & Sohn GmbH & Co. KG, Eisenach



"Gebrauchtwagen Praxis" is the leading information service for the professional used car business. The wide range of topics covered by the monthly trade journal extends from sales and purchasing to legal and tax aspects through to preparation and service. www.gebrauchtwagenpraxis.de offers high-quality tools, e.g. a database with exclusive KBA data, as geodata with in-depth selection down to municipal level, and in print prepared by segment. The parent company Vogel Business Media is one of Germany's leading providers of specialist information with around 100 trade journals and 60 web portals, business events and numerous international activities. Its headquarters are in Würzburg. The company celebrated its 120th anniversary in 2011.