NextGear Capital & Nichibo

We’ve partnered with Nichibo, one of Japan’s largest used vehicle suppliers, to enable dealers across the UK and the Republic of Ireland to fund vehicles imported with Nichibo through their Stocking Plan, making NextGear Capital the first stock funder in the UK to support imports from Japan.

This partnership was made possible by our recent Stocking Plan update, which now enables users to fund unregistered vehicles, including 100% of the vehicle price and disbursements, making NextGear Capital the first UK funder to offer this solution to dealers.

The import market is growing in the UK and Ireland, with vehicles from Japan already accounting for 50% of imported vehicles to the Republic of Ireland. This is driven by the distinct quality advantages these vehicles offer over locally sourced stock. Cars from Japan typically carry lower mileage, benefit from less corrosion due to minimal road salt use and are subject to some of the world’s most rigorous roadworthiness inspections, helping to reduce overall reconditioning costs.

With this new partnership in place, dealers using Nichibo’s platform can now load vehicles imported with Nichibo as trade source vehicles within their NextGear Capital Stocking Plan. This gives dealers access to Nichibo’s inventory of more than 140,000 vehicles available at auction in Japan each week, with the flexibility to fund purchases without tying up capital. Vehicles are supported on plan for 120 days for independent dealers and 150 days for franchise dealers.

Zoe Sutton, Head of Partnerships and SBS at NextGear Capital, commented: “As competition for quality stock continues to intensify, our new partnership with Nichibo opens up a new and desirable source of vehicles for dealers across the UK and Ireland. By enabling Japanese imports to be funded through their existing Stocking Plan, we’re giving dealers the freedom to diversify their stock mix and access global inventory without tying up their own capital, helping dealers to stay agile in an increasingly competitive market.”

Chay Anderson, European Regional Manager at Nichibo said: “This partnership gives dealers a smarter way to source stock without tying up cash or running around the country chasing the right cars. Nichibo gives them access to a vast array of vehicles at auction in Japan, with our team on the ground physically checking vehicles before purchase so they can buy with confidence. Working with NextGear Capital removes a major cash flow barrier and makes Japanese imports a more practical, scalable stock strategy for UK and Irish dealers.”