Co-founder and Group CEO Eric Cheng in a commentary said:
"Over the years, we faced many challenges, and the Covid-19 pandemic brought along a new set of obstacles.
"Most of us would know people who are struggling, be it financially, mentally or physically in these hard-hitting times.
"I have been lucky to meet so many people from all walks of life through my role at Carsome, and I’d like to believe that we are doing our utmost best in each encounter to help those we met.
Cheng.
"Carsome was built based on this idea to help consumers have a better experience when buying and selling cars.
"Ultimately, we want to support people to move forward in their lives, even if it means helping those in need and believing that we can make a difference by supporting the community in meaningful ways.
"We want to be part of a thriving community that beats the odds together," Cheng said of the company's recent initiatives under #CarsomeCares.
He said Carsome employees of fellow "Carsomers" had shown true loyalty in ensuring that the business runs as smoothly as it can, notwithstanding the challenges of working from home and lockdown restrictions.
"They are the backbone of Carsome, and their health and safety are our top priority.
"With this in mind, we recently launched our very own employee vaccination drive to ensure the safety of both our employees and our customers.
"The initiative helps our employees, who have not already secured appointments through the national vaccination programme, get their vaccination faster.
"It also helps us play a part in helping the country reach herd immunity and return to some sort of normalcy in our daily
lives.
"At the time of writing, close to 150 Carsome Malaysia employees and Carsome Academy students have or will be vaccinated through this initiative.
"We are also extending our vaccine supplies to our partners across the chain to help them get vaccinated at a faster rate, so that we can work together to ensure the safety of everyone in the entire used car ecosystem - from suppliers, retailers to customers - and keep each other protected," Cheng said.
Carsome’s Human Resources director Mohd Afifi Zahari (centre) leading the employee vaccination drive.
He also said Southeast Asia’s largest integrated car e-commerce platform had introduced the Used Car Dealers Buy Back Programme to aid overstretched partner-dealers.
"We help our partner-dealers by buying back the cars they bought from Carsome, at the same price they paid.
"To-date, under the programme, we have bought back cars from more than 10 dealers at a total value of close to RM1mil.
"Through this programme, we hope to help our partner-dealers maintain cash flow and liquidity to continue sustaining their businesses through this pandemic," he said.
Cheng also said the company is giving graduates a little boost through its graduate auto-financing programme.
"Many need a car to get to their first jobs - especially at a time where private vehicle ownership is preferred out of hygiene and safety concerns - and the reality is that with no credit history, it is hard to get a loan approved by conventional banks.
"As long as they graduated in the last five years with at least a degree, all they need is an employment offer letter and a comfort guarantor with no minimum requirements, something different from the traditional guarantor required by common banks, to get a loan to purchase a Carsome Certified car," Cheng said.
He also said the recent #BenderaPutih country-wide movement that caught the company's attention.
"Despite facing struggles of their own, many Malaysians rose to the occasion to help.
"This reminded us that humanity is not lost, and inspired us to support the #BenderaPutih initiative.
"To aid the cause, we began an internal donation drive to buy essentials for our 48 volunteers to deliver to those in need.
"We also collaborated with SESO, a local non-profit enterprise against food poverty.
"As their transportation partner, we have been helping SESO to deliver food and supplies to various Klang Valley locations they identified.
"In fact, just last weekend, we have sent out more than 100 care packages courtesy of HappyFresh, to those in need," Cheng said.
