McCarthy Group is not small fry. Headed by the charismatic Brand Pretorius, it was the first to start a call centre-based car business. It has created a B2B exchange called ProcureTrade, a joint venture with IT group AST . But Motoronline doesn't seem fazed. The company is launching a B2B auction facility for dealers.
Auctions take place every day.
Other plans include involving the government's National Traffic Information System in its commercial undertakings. This will help smooth the process of registering new cars once sold, something that will save days usually lost to delays, he says. Motoronline also hopes to create a financial clearing house for the industry, in a joint venture with Mibco. The service would deal with pensions and medical aid issues for motor industry employees. But he hopes it will break even by the end of its first year of operation, though he admits it won't be easy.