Why we built Auto Power Search
Auto Power Search grew out of my own car search. Three cars in five years, nine platforms, a spreadsheet as a workaround, and one missed offer that settled it. A dealer contributed the feature list that became the first roadmap. What came out of it is a platform that starts from what people need and translates vehicle data into language anyone can read.
“We exist because searching for a car frustrated me so much.”
Three cars, five years, nine platforms
Over the past five years I bought three cars. One for me, two for my family.
I searched autoscout24.ch, autolina.ch, autouncle.ch, tutti.ch and comparis.ch. Then I widened the search across the border: gebrauchtwagen.at, willhaben.at, mobile.de. Plus the dealers’ own websites.
Pretty quickly I was sitting in a spreadsheet, copying by hand everything that mattered. It helped me keep track and stay focused on what I actually needed.
The offer I missed
A car purchase rarely happens right away. It happens soon. And when a good offer appears, you have to run.
Time passes and good offers disappear. At some point I wondered whether I was on the wrong platform, or had imagined that car altogether.
Back to the spreadsheet. The link I had saved led nowhere. The car was sold. One opportunity gone, and the search started almost from zero.
At least from then on I knew exactly what I wanted. The feeling of missing that one chance took care of that.
On none of those platforms did I get the prompts that would have kept me in the game, focused and pointed at what mattered.
A dealer’s list became the first roadmap
Then I met a dealer who worked at one of the largest importers in Switzerland. I told him about the idea. He was kind enough to hand me a list of features he missed on every platform he knew.
That list became the very first product roadmap.
Instead of waiting for someone else to solve this one day, I got my hands dirty. A small team, plus a larger one made of several AI agents. And everything I had learned.
Where that experience comes from
It started about 15 years ago. I was project director at Nurun in Barcelona, running SEAT Global’s marketing initiatives across every digital channel.
I convinced SEAT to build the first brand-owned online sales platform for their new and used cars: Losincreiblesdeseat.es.
Even then my focus was the user experience. And one thing stood out: nobody had ever built a car configurator that translates technical jargon into human language.
Back then everyone asked whether you wanted a 1.6 CDI or a 1.8 TDI. What is the difference? How is anyone supposed to choose? Today the same question simply wears different clothes: xDrive 40i or M60i xDrive, 330e or 318i, 2.8-l-D-4D.
User-centred instead of product-centred
Behind this sits one of the most common marketing problems there is: the difference between user-centred and product-centred marketing.
User-centred marketing puts people’s needs at the centre. Product-centred marketing puts the product first, driven by features and technical terms that sometimes need a dictionary.
So my mission was set: build a platform that starts from what people need, gives them a good experience, and leads to the right car in four ways.
- For everyone who knows exactly what they want. The detailed search, with every filter.
- For everyone who wants to discover it. The playful swipe search that learns your taste as you go.
- For everyone who wants guidance. The configurator, which starts from your life and your budget rather than from engine displacement.
- For everyone who would rather hand the search over. The AI search agent, which watches the market for months and gets in touch as soon as something fits.
A year of data work
The sheer volume of vehicle data is rarely well structured or documented. That made the road here demanding.
After a year of analysing, crunching and rebuilding, the result speaks for itself.
The platform is ready
It is finished and packed with features I am proud of. On the “nice to have” features we saved not a single penny.
Onboarding of the first dealers is under way. I am personally looking forward to opening the public side as soon as enough vehicles are listed.
And if you have ever missed a feature on a platform like this one, get in touch. My ears are wide open for what you need. We will find a way to get it done.
FAQ
Who is behind Auto Power Search?
It was founded by Marc Pedri, long time ago he served as project director at Nurun in Barcelona with responsibility to run SEAT Global's digital channels. Auto Power Search It is built by a small team, supported by several AI agents.
Is Auto Power Search independent?
Yes. The platform belongs to no importer and no dealer group. That is why every dealer gets the same tools on the same terms.
Where does the platform stand today?
In founding-dealer onboarding. The public side for buyers opens as soon as enough vehicles are listed.
How do I reach the founder directly?
Through the form at the end of this article, or the contact page: https://autopowersuche.com/en-ch/support. Every message reaches a person and is not answered by an AI.