Pace Group
Pace Group is a privately held Danish digital automotive company operating 10+ interconnected platforms — including car marketplace Bilhandel.dk, vehicle-data service TjekBil, and dealer auction SmartSalg — serving Danish car dealers, consumers, and automotive ecosystem partners with marketplace, lead generation, data API, and AI-powered marketing tools.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersAarhus, Denmark
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Pace Group does
Pace Group ApS is a privately held Danish digital automotive company headquartered in Aarhus, founded in 2021 as Bilhandel ApS and rebranded to Pace Group in June 2024. It operates a portfolio of more than ten interconnected platforms and services for the Danish car market — including the Bilhandel.dk car marketplace, TjekBil (license-plate lookup and vehicle data), SmartSalg (closed dealer-to-private auction), NEMbilhandel (digital contract signing via MitID), vindicate.io (vehicle fraud prevention), and enthusiast sites such as BilGalleri and MotorcykelGalleri. Its technology stack is anchored by direct integrations with Danish public vehicle registries (Motorregistret/DMR, Færdselsstyrelsen, Tinglysningsretten) and a public TjekBil API for B2B data customers, combined with dealer-side modules for lead generation, AI-powered chatbots, AI-generated video (via partner Phyron), automated social media, and cross-border vehicle import (Pace Import).
Pace generates revenue through a diversified mix of streams: subscription plus per-lead fees from car dealers on Bilhandel.dk, transaction fees on SmartSalg auction purchases, volume-based data and API monetization, partner/brand activation for insurance, financing, and importer customers, and commission on Pace Import. Its go-to-market blends product-led growth (self-serve consumer platforms reaching 600,000+ active car seekers and 800,000+ active car consumers monthly) with a direct sales team of dealer consultants and a Sales Director covering Danish dealer accounts. Heymate is the main shareholder, and the company is currently pursuing inorganic growth via its UK lift-maintenance subsidiary Deltron Lifts (LDC-backed) and minority strategic investments (e.g., Indian EV-charging startup ROADGRID), making Pace Group both a Danish automotive digital platform operator and a multi-vertical holding entity.
Pace Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Pace Group
- Legal name
- Pace Group ApS
- Website
- https://pace.dk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Pace Group is a privately held Danish digital automotive company operating 10+ interconnected platforms — including car marketplace Bilhandel.dk, vehicle-data service TjekBil, and dealer auction SmartSalg — serving Danish car dealers, consumers, and automotive ecosystem partners with marketplace, lead generation, data API, and AI-powered marketing tools.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Pace Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Aarhus
- HQ country
- Denmark
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Pace Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Lead Generation (Bilhandel): Dealers pay for customer leads generated from Bilhandel.dk. Payment is per qualified lead (email or phone call from user). Monthly subscription for car inventory listing with additional per-lead charges. Cancellation terms: 1 month notice.
- SmartSalg Transaction Fees: Dealers pay purchase fees when buying cars through SmartSalg auction platform. Fee based on winning bid price. 7-day payment terms after bid acceptance.
- Data/API Solutions: B2B customers (data companies, marketing setups) pay for vehicle data, valuations, technical data, and market insights. Volume-based pricing with attractive rates for larger volumes.
- Partner/Brand Activation: Car dealers, importers, insurance companies, financing companies, and other automotive ecosystem players pay for brand activation, vehicle-specific advertising, brand visibility, email campaigns, and in-app messaging to reach Danish car owners.
- Phyron Video Services: AI-generated video products for car dealers - inventory videos and paid ads for social media platforms. Automates video creation from existing images and data.
- Pace Import Commission: Platform facilitating car imports from European suppliers. Pace acts as intermediary, with Nordic Auto Connect handling purchases, documentation, and transport. Commission-based model.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Lead Subscription - Monthly fee plus per-lead charges |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | SmartSalg - Free access, transaction fee on purchases |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Data Solutions - Volume-based API pricing |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Pace Import - Fixed buy-now prices |
| Subscription | Monthly | Leadbooster Premium - Enhanced marketing package |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels9 records
Marketing channels7 records
Pace Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Pace Group ApS is a Danish automotive digital platform company that operates multiple online marketplaces and data services spanning the entire car ownership lifecycle. The company connects car buyers, private sellers, and professional dealers through platforms such as Bilhandel.dk (dealer listings marketplace) and SmartSalg (auction platform for private sellers), while providing vehicle data, history lookup (TjekBil), fraud detection (vindicate.io), digital sales contracts (NEMbilhandel), and API/data services to dealers and B2B customers.
Product overview
Pace Group operates a platform-plus-services architecture centered on Denmark's automotive digital ecosystem. The core platform includes Bilhandel.dk (primary marketplace), TjekBil (vehicle data/lookup), SmartSalg (dealer-to-private auction), NEMbilhandel (digital contracts), vindicate.io (fraud prevention), and several specialty sites (BilGalleri, MotorcykelGalleri, Privatleasingtilbud.dk, Nummerpladeregister, TjekBilsyn). Dealer-facing modules include lead generation services (Lead Abonnement, Leadbooster Premium), marketing tools (SoMe Booster, Databaseret trafik, Phyron AI video, AI chatbot), and Pace Import for European vehicle sourcing. A public API (TjekBil API) provides vehicle data, pricing, and service history to external developers. The company was founded in 2021 as Bilhandel ApS and rebranded to Pace Group in June 2024.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Bilhandel: Denmark's best-rated car marketplace on TrustPilot, generating leads for car dealers
- TjekBil
- SmartSalg
- NEMbilhandel
- vindicate.io
- BilGalleri
- MotorcykelGalleri
- Nummerpladeregister
- Privatleasingtilbud.dk
- TjekBilsyn
- Pace Import
Products and services
- Bilhandel.dk
Quantifiable outcome
- 14% of inquiries lead to sales
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Pace Group
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Pace Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
AI capability7 records
Feature7 records
Pace Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Motorregistret (DMR)coreData partnership providing access to Danish vehicle registry data including technical specifications, registration information, and ownership records. Core data source for TjekBil and other Pace platforms.
- FærdselsstyrelsencoreData partnership providing traffic authority data including inspection data, technical information, and regulatory records. Essential for TjekBil vehicle inspection lookup service.
- TinglysningsrettencoreData partnership providing registration and lien information from the Danish registration authority. Critical for debt checks and ownership verification on Pace platforms.
- BilinfocoreIntegration for automatically importing dealer inventory. Pace pulls car data from Bilinfo for dealers to list on Bilhandel without manual data entry.
- AutoDesktopcoreAlternative inventory integration for dealer car listings. Allows dealers to automatically sync their inventory to Bilhandel for lead generation.
- Nordic Auto Connect ApScoreHandles purchase of vehicles from foreign suppliers, documentation processing, transport coordination, and delivery to buyer's address in Denmark for Pace Import service.
- Safepay Nordic ApScorePayment processing partner for Pace Import. Facilitates secure and documented payment process for car imports.
- PhyroncoreAI video generation technology that automatically creates vehicle videos and images from existing photos and data. Integrated into Bilhandel dealer inventory.
- Bilhandel Partners (Dealers)coreHundreds of car dealers use Bilhandel to list inventory and generate leads. They pay subscription and per-lead fees to access Pace's 600K+ monthly car seekers.
- Facebook/Instagram/MetacoreAdvertising partnership for Leadbooster Premium and other marketing products. Pace runs dealer ads on Meta platforms targeting car buyers.
- GooglecoreAdvertising partnership for dealer visibility on Google search. Integrated into Leadbooster Premium product for dealer car marketing.
Scale indicators17 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights9 records
Pace Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Cars.com: US-listed car marketplace offering dealer leads, OEM advertising, and data products. Comparable dealer-services business with multiple monetization streams.
- Mobile.de: Germany's leading car marketplace (owned by Adevinta). Operates an analogous dealer subscription + consumer listing model with vehicle data services, though at significantly larger scale.
- AutoScout24: Europe's largest online car marketplace, operating in multiple countries. Comparable marketplace-plus-data business model at much greater scale across DACH and beyond.
Direct peers
- Auto1 Group: European digital used-car platform combining B2B auction, B2C retail, and dealer software. Comparable marketplace-plus-auction-plus-fintech model that overlaps with Pace's SmartSalg and Pace Import.
- CarGurus: Data-driven car marketplace using pricing transparency and dealer reputation. Closest conceptual analog to Pace's data-forward approach (TjekBil valuations, fraud checks via vindicate.io).
- Bilbasen: Denmark's largest classified car marketplace, owned by Schibsted. Most direct competitor to Bilhandel.dk in the same geography with similar dealer lead-generation business model.
Emerging players
- CarVertical: Vehicle history and valuation data provider operating across Europe. Closest analog to Pace's TjekBil and vindicate.io products, though with cross-border rather than single-market focus.
- heycar: European used-car marketplace backed by Volkswagen and others. Targets similar dealer and consumer pain points around trust and inventory transparency in adjacent markets.
Regional players
- Auto Trader UK: UK's dominant car marketplace with similar dealer subscription and lead-generation model. Comparable in monetization, but operates in a different national market.
- DBA.dk: Denmark's largest general classifieds site (also Schibsted-owned) with a strong car vertical. Indirect competitor for consumer car listings in the same Danish market.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Pace Group social profiles
Digital presencePace Group compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Pace Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Pace Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Pace Group subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Pace Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Pace Group M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Pace Group
What does Pace Group do?
Pace Group ApS is a Danish automotive digital platform company that operates multiple online marketplaces and data services spanning the entire car ownership lifecycle. The company connects car buyers, private sellers, and professional dealers through platforms such as Bilhandel.dk (dealer listings marketplace) and SmartSalg (auction platform for private sellers), while providing vehicle data, history lookup (TjekBil), fraud detection (vindicate.io), digital sales contracts (NEMbilhandel), and API/data services to dealers and B2B customers.
Is Pace Group a public or private company?
Pace Group is a private company. It is classified as private equity controlled and is currently operating.
When was Pace Group founded?
Pace Group was founded in 2021. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Pace Group based?
Pace Group is headquartered in Aarhus, Denmark, in the Europe region.
How does Pace Group make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Lead Generation (Bilhandel) is the primary driver. The others are smartSalg Transaction Fees, data/API Solutions, partner/Brand Activation, phyron Video Services and pace Import Commission.
Who are Pace Group's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Cars.com, Mobile.de and AutoScout24. Direct peers are Auto1 Group, CarGurus and Bilbasen. Emerging players are CarVertical and heycar. Regional players are Auto Trader UK and DBA.dk.
Does Pace Group have an API?
Yes. Pace Group offers a public vehicle data API through TjekBil that provides vehicle information including technical data, inspection records (synsdata), outstanding debts (gæld), registration fees (registreringsafgift), vehicle tax (ejerafgift), and more. The API also provides unique data such as Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). Data can be retrieved via VIN (stelnummer) or license plate (registreringsnummer) lookups. They also offer service history data from digital service books for vehicles from 2010 onwards, and a pricing API that calculates wholesale and retail prices based on license plate and mileage. Developer documentation is at api.tjekbil.dk/swagger/index.html.