WeBuyCars is preparing to licence its in‑house vehicle inspection tool, Inspectify, to rival dealers within the next six to twelve months, a move that could open a fresh revenue stream for the JSE‑listed retailer. CEO Faan van der Walt told TechCentral after the group’s interim results that the platform will remain internal for another six to twelve months before being offered outside the WeBuyCars network, though several interested parties have already made contact. The decision follows years of relying on third‑party inspectors such as Dekra, a practice that began to feel increasingly out of step with what buyers actually want. Inspectify was built to turn highly technical inspection data into plain‑language reports that the average consumer can grasp, addressing a clear gap in the market.
The platform does more than simply translate jargon; it now incorporates artificial intelligence to model total cost of ownership, factoring in maintenance, fuel consumption and depreciation. Van der Walt explained that this added layer will help first‑time buyers – a significant portion of WeBuyCars’ clientele – make smarter choices and avoid the regret that often follows a purchase. To counter concerns about marking its own exam, WeBuyCars subjects every Inspectify report to random, independent audits across its branches, a discipline that has already led to fewer complaints about vehicle condition.
Our sources indicate that the data generated by Inspectify is being treated as a strategic asset, a point emphasised by chief digital officer Wynand Beukes during a recent media call. Beukes noted that bringing inspections in‑house gives the group full control of the platform, the customer journey and the underlying data, which can then be leveraged for deeper insights.
H2: How Inspectify Could Reshape the Used‑Car Market
Van der Walt described how the inspection feeds into a “loss probability matrix” that flags vehicles likely to incur losses based on model‑specific faults at various ages. This matrix not only highlights potential problems but also attaches a rand value to each repair, turning a generic note about ball joints into a precise cost estimate. The information is also used to refine repair costing, giving buyers a transparent view of what they might spend after signing the contract.
Beyond the software, WeBuyCars is developing a vehicle‑scanning system nicknamed “WeEye”, which uses high‑resolution cameras to capture thousands of images of a car from every angle, including underneath. AI models trained on this visual dataset can detect scratches, dents and previous paintwork, and the technology is slated to become part of the Inspectify offering in the near future.
Behind these innovations sits an in‑house IT team of roughly one hundred people, covering full‑stack and front‑end development, technical support and testing. The retailer has also taken a minority stake in software house Agile Bridge, a move van der Walt said was designed to create a talent pipeline rather than simply outsource work. By mixing its own developers with Agile Bridge staff on shared teams, WeBuyCars hopes to retain expertise while staying agile.
He added that AI tools – specifically Anthropic’s Claude – have begun to reshape the company’s thinking about engineering headcount. When a senior resource leaves, the team now pauses before recruiting a replacement, because the AI capabilities have proven “phenomenal” in boosting productivity.
Inspectify is one of two flagship digital products built inside WeBuyCars; the other is WeFin, a vehicle‑finance platform fully integrated with the group’s stock management. Beukes explained that owning both finance and inspection channels lets the retailer capture margin and customer‑journey data that would otherwise stay with third parties, strengthening its competitive edge.
Financially, WeBuyCars reported a 7.8 % rise in revenue to R14.2‑billion for the six months to 31 March, while headline earnings slipped 1.6 % to R500.1‑million as aggressive pricing from Asian brands and a buoyant new‑vehicle market squeezed used‑car margins. The group is pressing ahead with the rollout of three new vehicle “supermarkets” in Montana, Lansdowne and Witbank, even as headline earnings per share fell 1.7 % to 119.7c. Buying volumes grew 3.2 % to 95 328 units and sales rose 2.3 % to 93 519 units, while the share price traded 6.3 % higher at R37.28 at 1.45 pm on Monday.
As we continue to monitor the evolving landscape of South Africa’s automotive sector, it is clear that WeBuyCars’ bet on proprietary AI‑driven inspection could set a new standard for transparency and trust in the used‑car market. If the rollout proceeds as planned, Inspectify may not only diversify the retailer’s income but also raise the bar for how buyers evaluate pre‑owned vehicles across the country.