BERLIN (Reuters) - German used-car dealing platform Auto1 said it could seek a public offering in future but a 2018 cash infusion from Japan's Softbank means it has no immediate need for extra funding of its European growth plans.
Last year's Softbank's deal valued Berlin-based Auto1 at 2.9 billion euros ($3.27 billion), making it one of Germany's top so-called tech unicorns.
It is virtually unknown to consumers except through its used car buying arm Wir Kaufen dein Auto (We Buy Your Car) in Germany and similar names elsewhere. It operates from Finland to Romania to Portugal, 30 countries in all.
Revenues rose by 32 percent to 2.9 billion euros last year, and although it is profitable in Germany, investments in other markets have led to a loss on group level.
"Currently, an initial public offering is not a topic for us," Auto1 co-founder Christian Bertermann told Reuters, adding this could change in future.
Auto1 buys cars using its vehicle pricing database to calculate an offer within minutes and then sells the vehicles on to one of its roughly 55,000 dealerships for a commission.
Its platforms helped 540,000 vehicles change hands in 2018.
The company will now also start a retail platform to compete with Scout24's Autoscout unit or Ebay's Mobile.de offering, Bertermann said.
He confirmed a Reuters report about Auto1's talks with Scout24 about an acquisition of Autoscout, adding that these would not lead to a takeover.
Scout24 in February agreed to be acquired by buyout groups Hellman & Friedman and Blackstone.
Auto1 was set up in Berlin by entrepreneur Christian Bertermann after having trouble selling two old cars owned by his grandmother, along with Koc, who previously worked at Rocket Internet-backed firms Zalando and Home24.
(The story corrects number of dealerships to 55,000 in paragraph 6)
(Reporting by Nadine Schimroszik,; Writing by Arno Schuetze; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)
