A Carsome employee inspecting a car at its inspection centre.
“We also observed that consumers who are watching their spending and budget have a preference for used cars over new ones for their affordability and value for money, ” he says. “These opportunities became the right timing for us to introduce the new way of buying cars by providing customers with a seamless online-to-offline experience in buying used cars, topped off with peace of mind and quality assurance, ” says Cheng.
“We were able to navigate through these uncertain times and came out stronger, thanks also, in part, to the continuous support from our investors in the form of advice on managing the business in times of uncertainty, sharing vital information that influences key business decisions and also bridging the connection with key industry partners, ” he says.
Its significant performance last year has also put Carsome on a stronger base for an accelerated growth trajectory for the coming years. Reports note that the company has achieved operational profitability as of October 2020, excluding headquarter costs. This year, Carsome is aiming for annual growth of three times, and Cheng says the platform is on track to surpass US$1bil in transacted value as it continues to expand its footprint to more cities in Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.
He points out that interest in online used car selling platforms increased by 55% in Malaysia, 34% in Indonesia and 19% in Thailand.