Manheim’s Simulcast says it had record-breaking success at the BMW highline sale at Manheim’s Atlanta Auto Auction on July 2. Of 130 vehicles sold, 84 percent were purchased by online dealers via Simulcast, says the company.

Simulcast is Manheim’s online system that allows dealers to remotely bid on and buy vehicles as they are moving through the live auction lanes. In this closed sale, nearly 1,400 online bids were submitted, a record in terms of the ratio of bids to the number of cars offered.

“Dealers from 10 states, including some on the West Coast, were able to bid on vehicles they may not otherwise have been able to see,” said Gordon Warren, vice president of Manheim Interactive. “Their participation kept the bidding lively and contributed to the overall success of the sale.”

Of the 138 vehicles offered, 130 were sold. Of those sold, 109 were purchased via Simulcast by 11 dealers, said the company.

“We are excited about the increasing use of Simulcast by dealers,” said Rich Perkowski, national auction manager of BMW Financial Services. “It is a unique way for more dealers to attend sales and bid on the vehicles they are interested in.”

Manheim currently has 187 lanes at 38 auctions operating on Simulcast, with more than 20 customers, including both dealers and commercial accounts, selling vehicles on the system. Manheim estimates that by the end of August, Simulcast will be installed in 217 lanes at 48 Manheim auctions. Simulcast has attracted more than 7,500 dealers into the auction lanes via the Internet.

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 technology provider to the wholesale auction industry, Manheim says it offers technology tools that help dealers and national consignors handle their remarketing transactions more efficiently.