vAuto Expands Upside, Giving Sellers in Texas a New Way to Wholesale | vAuto

Dealers are maximizing their profitability with a proven, one-of-a-kind wholesale solution
that’s now available across more than two-thirds of the U.S.

ATLANTA – March 21, 2024 – vAuto continues its mission to help dealers maximize returns on every vehicle with a significant expansion of its one-of-a-kind wholesale solution, Upside, into the Texas market. Made possible through the combined power of vAuto, Kelley Blue Book and Manheim, Upside is the only end-to-end wholesale solution that enables dealers to acquire trade-ins at the right price while helping ensure a profitable wholesale exit. With this expansion, sellers in The Lone Star State will now be able to make more money and wholesale profitably in any economic market—right inside their vAuto workflows. 

"At vAuto, we strongly believe that dealers can—and should—be profitable in retail and wholesale, which is why we took the traditional wholesale risk-reward equation and flipped it on its head,” said Derek Hansen, vice president of Operations, Inventory Management Solutions, at Cox Automotive. "The saying goes that 'everything is bigger in Texas,' and we look forward to showing our Texas dealers just how much bigger their wholesale profits can be with Upside."

With this most recent expansion, Texas dealers can join the more than 500 dealers in 30+ states who have the confidence to say yes to every trade-in that comes their way, as Upside gives them a profitable wholesale exit. For current Upside subscribers, that has translated into closing more retail deals—and the proof is in the numbers: Upside dealers who have a Kelley Blue Book Instant Cash Offer Buying Center close between 30-40% more retail deals on their Instant Cash Offer leads than those who do not subscribe to Upside.

How it works:

The Upside experience starts at the point of appraisal with the industry’s leading trade-in tool: Kelley Blue Book Instant Cash Offer. Once the offer is generated, dealers will see their exit options on their vAuto appraisal page, including the “Upside Minimum.” This minimum is the lowest price they will receive if they choose to wholesale the vehicle through Upside, and the amount will always be higher than the Instant Cash Offer. The takeaway? Dealers will know the baseline for how much profit they can count on right when they’re appraising a car.

If a dealer decides to wholesale the vehicle, Upside takes care of all the work that comes next. A concierge will come to the dealer’s lot to perform the inspection and create a detailed condition report with industry leading imaging. They will then list the vehicle in the next Upside Direct sale, which offers a trunkful of additional benefits for sellers, including:

• Minimized risk. When a seller lists with Upside, there’s no risk of loss, no matter how the bidding shakes out. Every vehicle that runs through an Upside sale will sell, eliminating the possibility of unsold inventory.
• Higher Profit Potential. Yes—sellers can see profits on every vehicle, but it gets even better. If a vehicle sells for more than the Upside minimum, which happens frequently, sellers keep the lion’s share of that upside. In fact, Cox Automotive has given approximately $30 million in profit share back to Upside sellers since the first sale.
• Faster Sales = Reduced Carrying Costs. Not only do dealers have the ability to make a profit on their wholesale vehicles, but they’re also saving on other costs as well. According to Manheim data, dealers who subscribe to Upside cut their average time to sell by 61%, averaging around 3.5 days compared to the previous average of ~9 days, reducing their carrying costs for wholesale-bound inventory. It’s a win-win equation. Dealers save more and make more with Upside.

Upside Benefits for Buyers

While sellers are tapping into a one-of-a-kind wholesale experience, buyers also benefit by accessing highly sought-after inventory in a unique experience that’s built using all the best practices in wholesale. For Upside Direct inventory, which can be accessed via the Manheim Marketplace, every vehicle is listed at 50% of MMR. And since the units are sold via a no-reserve sale, every vehicle sells—even those with just one bid by the end of the sale.

Upside stands behind its listings, so if a vehicle arrives and doesn’t match the condition report, buyers can easily return it. In addition, eligible Upside Direct units come with a complimentary DealShield DS360 21-Day Return Guarantee. The result: buyers can confidently find great deals that will help boost their inventory and their own profit potential.

“From the beginning, we knew that Upside offered dealers a whole new way to wholesale, and the response from buyers and sellers alike has been resoundingly positive,” Hansen added. “In the coming months, we look forward to bringing this unique solution to even more dealers across the nation, as we know demand is high for the kind of value that only Upside can provide.”

Upside Direct inventory is available every weekend from Friday at noon ET through Monday at 4:00 ET and can be accessed directly on UpsideDirect.com with a Manheim login, as well as on Manheim.com. Dealers interested in learning more about selling with Upside can visit TakeTheUpside.com or reach out to their vAuto representative for more information.

About vAuto

Founded in 2005, vAuto revolutionized dealers’ used vehicle operations by providing them with innovative technology, tools and business intelligence. As a Cox Automotive brand today, vAuto delivers unmatched solutions and actionable insights that help dealers maximize returns on every vehicle. Fueled by the Variable Management philosophy, vAuto’s flagship offering, ProfitTime® GPS, helps dealers optimize each vehicle’s unique profit potential, from appraisal through pricing. vAuto’s other solutions include Provision, a used vehicle management solution; Conquest, a new vehicle inventory management and pricing system; Stockwave, which enables dealers to efficiently find and purchase vehicles from 300+ marketplaces; merchandising solutions such as Intelligent Promotion and Snaplot 360; and iRecon, which helps dealers improve their reconditioning process and get vehicles retail ready faster.

About Cox Automotive

Cox Automotive is the world’s largest automotive services and technology provider. Fueled by the largest breadth of first-party data fed by 2.3 billion online interactions a year, Cox Automotive tailors leading solutions for car shoppers, auto manufacturers, dealers, lenders and fleets. The company has 29,000+ employees on five continents and a portfolio of industry-leading brands that include Autotrader®, Kelley Blue Book®, Manheim®, vAuto®, Dealertrack®, NextGear Capital™, CentralDispatch® and FleetNet America®. Cox Automotive is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises Inc., a privately-owned, Atlanta-based company with $22 billion in annual revenue. Visit coxautoinc.com or connect via @CoxAutomotive on X, CoxAutoInc  on Facebook or Cox-Automotive-Inc on LinkedIn. 

Media Contact:
Julie Zorn Jackson
Senior Manager, Public Relations | Cox Automotive

julie.jackson@coxautoinc.com | 404.558.7837