Manheim Auctions’ Nashville Auto Auction (NAA) announced that it was recently named 2002 Auction of the Year by General Motors. According to the company, the award is given annually to the best-performing General Motors-sponsored auction in the nation. Auctions are judged on all aspects of the auction process. While sale retention is the most important criterion, other categories include reconditioning, dealer attendance and administrative functions.

“We set a goal to reach the number one position with General Motors,” said Sam Chaple, auction manager of NAA. “Our entire staff pulled together to make it happen. We structured our team to attain it, we met our goal, and our feet haven’t hit the ground yet – we are ecstatic.”

The General Motors team at Nashville set the goal after Chaple and his management staff joined the auction staff in 2000, when General Motors ranked the auction 28th out of 50. It tied for a rank of seventh in 2001, before rising to first place in 2002.

“For almost 20 years, Nashville has worked hard to create a valuable partnership with General Motors, to provide high levels of service and top-quality products to our General Motors dealers,” said General Motors director of Used Vehicle Activities Jeff Heichel. “That tradition continues, and we are proud to recognize the entire staff at the NAA for all they’ve done.”

“In 2002, we sold 20,000 GM cars, our team excelled in getting the auction’s name out to Nashville buyers, and we had a great mix of vehicles,” said Chaple. “Looking forward, I expect this honor to further boost the morale of our fantastic team, since they now know what is achievable. I also expect our buyer base to increase, as more dealers see the quality that NAA brings.”

The award will be presented January 22 at the NAA facility and will be accepted by Chaple and Kelly Conger, general manager of NAA and vice president operations Midwest group for Manheim.

“All of our auctions focus on providing value,” said Jamie Porter, executive vice president of operations. “Our industry as a whole provides great value. Auctions bring buyers and sellers together. They represent the open market at its most basic level, and they drive the used vehicle marketplace.”

Last year, 43 million used vehicles – worth more than $372 billion – were sold. There are more than 218 million vehicles on the road today, and all of them will be remarketed at some point – some of them several times.

“Auctions play a vital role in the remarketing process, as proven by the number of vehicles that drive through their lanes annually,” said Porter. “In 2002, the 294 wholesale auctions nationwide handled more than 16 million vehicles, selling more than 9.5 million at a value of just more than $80 billion.

“The open, live, competitive bidding atmosphere of auto auctions empowers buyers to determine product value and ensures sellers receive true market value for their products,” he said. “To get true market value for a vehicle, there is no better place to go than to an auction.”

About Manheim Auctions

Manheim Auctions offers services that impact every stage of a used vehicle’s life cycle. These include transaction, reconditioning and certification services, managed remarketing, end-of-lease-term management services, vehicle transportation, dealer floor planning, retail inspection and government auction services. The company also assists auto manufacturers, fleet and lease companies, banks and other financial institutions in selling their used vehicle inventories.

A wholly owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises, Inc., Manheim Auctions has more than 32,000 employees at its 124 auctions and related businesses. Manheim is a global remarketing organization with 85 auctions in North America and additional operations in France, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. In the year 2002, the company says it auctioned more than 9.5 million vehicles at its North American auctions.