HAKAN KOÇ / CO-FOUNDER OF AUTO1
How Hakan Koç helped build an €8.2 billion used-car platform.
From Berlin to more than 30 countries. The story behind wirkaufendeinauto.de, AUTO1.com and Autohero.
Read the story ↓
You may know wirkaufendeinauto.de or Autohero. Hakan Koç helped build the company behind both.
Koç grew up in Kiel in a family that had immigrated from Turkey. After studying law at Bucerius Law School in Hamburg, he moved into the technology industry, working at Rocket Internet and home24. In 2012, he co-founded AUTO1 in Berlin with Christian Bertermann.
A simpler way to sell a used car.
The initial problem was practical: make it easier to sell a used car. The company launched wirkaufendeinauto.de for private owners, then AUTO1.com for professional dealers. Autohero later added direct sales to consumers.
Those three brands connect different parts of the same market: people selling a car, dealers looking for stock, and people buying their next vehicle.
€8.17 billion in annual revenue.
In 2025, AUTO1 Group reported €8.17 billion in revenue, up 30.3% on the previous year. It sold 842,271 cars.
The group operates in more than 30 countries. From a German starting point, it built a business serving sellers, dealers and buyers across Europe. Its second-quarter 2026 results reported 240,298 cars sold, up 19.9% year on year.
The work behind the number.
Koç served as co-CEO until November 2020 and now chairs the supervisory board. The company’s subsequent growth reflects the work of its management, employees and partners as well as its founders.
Global Laureates recognises people with roots around the world whose work is shaping Germany. Koç’s story connects that theme to a business many people encounter through its familiar brands.
GLOBAL LAUREATES / 2026
Whose work should
Germany know about?
We’re sharing 93 stories of people with roots around the world whose work is shaping Germany. Nominate someone whose contribution deserves attention. Self-nominations are welcome.
Nominations open until 31 December 2026.Sources & photo credits
- AUTO1 Group, 25 February 2026: full-year 2025 results.
- AUTO1 Group: company history, brands, board biography and photograph.
- deutschland.de, 17 February 2022: Koç’s family background.
- AUTO1 Group: Hakan Koç’s official biography, May 2025.
- AUTO1 Group, 29 July 2026: second-quarter results.
Researched 30 September 2026. Financial figures are AUTO1 Group’s reported results.
