Used Car News

LAS VEGAS - The National Auto Auction Association will soon release a draft of its proposed certification plan on the group’s Web site.

NAAA leaders discussed these plans during recent industry conferences.
The certification task follows NAAA’s recent standardization projects involving electronic condition reporting and arbitration.
Bob McConkey, chairman of the NAAA’s auction standards committee, said the existence of 20-plus consignor certification programs has proven a challenge in the auction lanes.
“To facilitate (so many certification programs) is terribly complex for auctions,” he said. “We want to simplify that process.”
The committee agreed a program featuring three different levels of certification would work since most existing programs have three levels.
The program would focus on open sales and only address wholesale transactions.
However, like arbitration and condition reporting, standardization of certification poses its own problems.
Dan Heinrich, AmeriCredit’s vice president of asset remarketing, said the company’s research shows that its own brand is strong and adds value to its vehicles.
Since consignors like AmeriCredit have put considerable resources into their certification brands, McConkey said any standardization plan must not overshadow those personal brands.
The NAAA standards committee also wants to make sure the draft allows small companies to benefit from a NAAA certification brand.
The association is experimenting with different designs that would create a NAAA certification logo that would also include a consignor logo/identification, too.
Getting everyone’s input and establishing a consensus on the issue is critical for any plan to work, McConkey said.
“We’re not just going to listen to the loudest guy in the room,” he said.
Those interested in reading and commenting on the proposal will get there chance by the end of the month when the NAAA is expected to post the draft of the plan.