28/07/2022
otoplus buys 25% stake in Pilot Garage
Istanbul, Turkey, 27 July 2022
Continuing to grow in Turkey with an innovative business model for buying and selling second-hand vehicles, otoplus made a significant investment and bought a 25% stake in Pilot Garage, the auto appraisal company that operates with 300 service points across 72 cities in Turkey.
Johan Nel, CEO, letgo, spoke at the signing ceremony on Wednesday, July 27 in Istanbul to announce the agreement: “This investment marks another important step in our strategy towards building a leading company in the used car industry in Turkey. We first partnered with Pilot Garage across Turkey one and a half years ago and now we are thrilled to turn this partnership into a solid investment. Driven by this partnership, we aim to become a trusted partner that covers all processes involved in second-hand vehicle trading by creating an end-to-end customer experience from digital to physical. We recognise the challenges the sector is facing, and we continue to find solutions to create a better industry. Joining forces with Pilot Garage, which provides auto appraisal services at TSI standards with 300 service points across Turkey, will help us attain this goal much sooner. The second-hand vehicle sector in Turkey is a highly active, dynamic, and large market. We believe in Turkey’s potential and continue to invest in this market.”
Cihan Emre, founder CEO at Pilot Garage noted that this partnership will bring an innovative outlook and build on the trust in the second-hand vehicle sector. Cihan Emre added that the partnership of the two brands, which both operate with the principle of transparent and professional service, will create great excitement in the sector, “Since 2011, the year that Pilot Garage was founded, we have performed appraisals on more than 10 million vehicles and built a vast portfolio. Our partnership with otoplus, the corporate business model for buying and selling second-hand vehicles offered by letgo, one of the most preferred second-hand shopping apps in Turkey, marks the start of a new period when we will introduce many more innovations to the sector.”
From partnership to shareholding
otoplus first partnered with Pilot Garage one and a half years ago, and expanded its network to 63 service points in 26 cities. With the new deal and investment, otoplus and Pilot Garage are deepening their partnership, which will involve integrating the digital and physical experiences and offering a faster, easier, and more secure way of buying, selling, and appraising vehicles. As a result, appraisal, buying, and selling procedures will be performed more widely in a more organised manner. With plans to launch innovative projects in the times to come, otoplus and Pilot Garage aim to contribute to the sustainable growth of the sector.
otoplus offers a solution that covers the entire buying and selling process
otoplus, founded in December 2020 to bring a permanent solution to the problems experienced in buying and selling second-hand cars in Turkey, operates as letgo’s corporate business model for second-hand vehicles. The brand aims to make second-hand car shopping easier, more secure, and better organized across the digital and physical platforms and covers the entire customer experience by integrating letgo’s experience in the digital world into the physical.
Pilot garage provides services in TSI standards with a wide vehicle portfolio
Pilot Garage, founded in 2011 and currently providing auto appraisal at 300 service points across Turkey, performs appraisals on an average of 3,000 vehicles daily and 90,000 vehicles monthly with a steadily expanding dealer network. Pilot Garage, which dominates the appraisals in the second-hand vehicle market and embraces an innovative and dynamic business approach, provides corporate appraisal services in TSI standards with a wide vehicle portfolio.
About otoplus
letgo, one of Turkey’s largest second-hand shopping platform, developed otoplus as a business model to find permanent and radical solutions to consumer needs in the car category. In addition to enabling its customers to sell their cars securely, easily, and quickly at a single point without a loss on the value of their cars, otoplus also facilitates the buying process with the assurance of letgo. All the vehicles in the vast and diverse portfolio of otoplus are listed transparently, with TSI-approved appraisal reports and images showing even the smallest details. Furthermore, a 12-month or 20,000 km warranty covers the risks that may arise after the purchase is concluded. The buyers also benefit from a 20-day return policy. Users that intend to sell their vehicles provide the required information on the otoplus website (otoplus.com) or the letgo app to receive a preliminary price offer and are then invited to an otoplus center by appointment. Following a free appraisal performed by experts at this center, a final price at a fair value is quoted for the car. If the customer finds the offer favorable, the parties proceed with the formal procedures and then payment is made in cash. For more information about otoplus, please visit otoplus.com and download the letgo app to your Android and iOS devices. In addition to the otoplus centers in Maslak, Pendik, Ataşehir, Vega Shopping Mall, and İzmir, partnering Pilot Garage branches across Turkey also provide the services of otoplus by appointment.
About Pilot Garage
Established in 2011, Pilot Garage Oto Ekspertiz created its automobile appraisal/Automobile Check-Up Franchise system with its increasingly expanding dealer network in Türkiye, rendering its services for reliable car sales and purchases. Technicians certified in their respective fields appraise consumers’ vehicles checked using state-of-the-art equipment. With more than 300 TSE-certified dealers across Türkiye, Pilot Garage Oto Expertiz is an institutional brand that appraises an average of 3,000 vehicles every day and approximately 90,000 vehicles per month. Wary of any problems after the transaction, many customers who wish to sell or purchase a used vehicle, and even to learn about the new vehicle they purchased choose Pilot Garage Oto Ekspertiz branches with TSE-approved appraisal certificates that render services in line with its principle of trust first. Pilot Garage Oto Ekspertiz provides services in numerous provinces and districts across Turkey, offering customers reliable, quality, and impartial results. You can learn about the vehicle you wish the purchase through transactions that can also be made remotely regardless of your location and easily decide on whether to buy or not.
