Manheim Auto Auction in Manheim, Pa., hosted a ground- breaking Cinema Sale for BMW North America on Dec. 3, drawing 70 BMW dealers, who bought 347 vehicles from four different Manheim locations.

More than 370 BMW units were available from Ohio Auto Auction in Grove City, Ohio; Atlanta Auto Auction; Riverside Auto Auction in Riverside, Calif.; and Manheim Auto Auction. This "mega block" concept attracts buyers from various markets together in one arena, giving them the option to buy vehicles from different locations, while all title and paperwork is conveniently administered from one location, according to Manheim.

“We think that Manheim Auto Auction did a very good job putting this sale together,” said Randy Beil, manager, auction/center sales and vehicle logistics for BMW Financial Services. “Everything worked out exactly as planned, and the results we attained exceeded our expectations.”

Manheim Auto Auction converted three of its auction lanes to represent a movie theater environment by carpeting the concrete floors and hanging curtains to divide the lanes. Lounge chairs provided VIP seating and a concession stand offered customary movie treats. Entertainment for dealers attending the sale included movies featuring BMW products and the newly available BMW X3 SUV and 5 series sedan.

Vehicles do not run through the auction lanes during a cinema sale. Instead, dealers view a digital image of each vehicle for sale on large plasma screen televisions, as well as a projected image of the Electronic Condition Report for each car. The lane display clearly indicates the location of each unit as it is being offered for sale. Dealers are then able to bid on vehicles from comfortable seats in a movie-like setting. Traditional auctioneers solicit bids and ringmen gather offers from the floor.

“The cinema sales are becoming very popular with dealers,” said Ron St. Denis, director of online operations for Manheim Auto Auction. “They really do enjoy the relaxing movie theater atmosphere, and technology is now giving them the unique ability to view and buy cars from four different locations during one sale at one auction.”

The sale was also offered to BMW dealers through Manheim’s Simulcast service, an online system that allows dealers to remotely bid on and buy vehicles as they are moving through live auction lanes. The 35 dealers who physically attended the Dec. 3 sale competed with 35 online buyers from all across the country, who purchased 60 percent of the total vehicles sold.

“Ninety-one percent of the vehicles received at least one Internet bid,” said Rich Perkowski, field remarketing team manager for BMW Financial Services. “The Simulcast technology provided an ideal ratio of online buyers to compete with dealers in the lanes, and having those 2,577 online bids accepted during the sale enabled us to move more than 90 percent of our cars – we’re ecstatic.”

Six Lazy Boy recliners and thousands of dollars’ worth of BMW merchandise were awarded to participating dealers.

About Manheim

Manheim is a provider of automotive services to commercial sellers and automobile dealers.

By offering multiple selling opportunities and a full array of services – reconditioning, certification, marshalling, title management, managed remarketing, repossession, end-of-lease-term management, retail inspection, vehicle transportation and dealer floor planning – Manheim says it impacts every stage of a used vehicle’s life cycle.

Manheim is also a technology provider, supplying tools designed to help commercial sellers and dealers, not only manage their businesses, but also realize the full value of their vehicles.

A wholly owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises, Manheim is a global organization with 32,000 employees at its 124 worldwide locations.