MANHEIM CONTINUES INTERNATIONAL EXPANSION

Manheim officially commemorated its expansion into Turkey by hosting a VIP pre-sale event and grand opening celebration at its new Istanbul operating location on May 28. The festivities included Turkish dancers, entertainers, live music and a sale that featured 350 vehicles and attracted 178 buyers.

"The Istanbul team did a terrific job in celebrating this milestone event and showing our customers that we're truly delighted to be doing business in Turkey," said Manheim senior vice president of international operations Mike Langhorne. "We are truly pleased to be partnering with Borusan, a leader in this industry, and look forward to celebrating many more milestones in the months ahead."

The sale featured units from Derindere Turizm Otomotiv San.Tic.A.ª, ALD Automotive Turizm Tic.A.ª.and Fleet Corp. A total of 210 vehicles were sold or 60 percent of the 350 vehicles offered. The 5,000-square-foot Istanbul facility is equipped with two auction lanes, full detail shop and hosts sales every Wednesday, at 1 p.m.

In January of this year, Manheim announced that it had entered into a joint venture with Borusan, Turkey's leading used car remarketing company. Borusan previously operated auctions, as well as online and print automotive classified listings, under the Otomax brand throughout Turkey. Otomax has operated the location since 2001. The new Manheim sales will allow dealers to bid on vehicles as they run through traditional auction lanes; previous sales at the Istanbul location required dealers to bid from theatre seats as they viewed photos of vehicles that were parked outside the facility.

The facility is co-managed by Brent Green and Cengiz Temel. Brent Green previously assisted with the opening of Manheim's China operations. Both report to Manheim vice president of international operations Mark Brunn.