🇩🇰 Du finder den danske version af denne artikel her.

At Selected Car Group, it’s about much more than cars. It’s about passion, courage, and community. With five strong pillars—Leasing, Investment, Events, Collection, and Race—the group has brought together some of Denmark’s most passionate automotive companies under one roof.

Leading the marketing efforts is Claus Smed, Group Marketing Director, who works every day to give customers the chance to experience more.

Claus doesn’t come from a traditional automotive background; he started in advertising, where aesthetics, storytelling, and curiosity have always been his driving forces. For him, it’s about raising the bar—whether in the customer journey, company culture, or communication.

We spoke with him about the company, passion, digitalization, and why conversations remain his greatest source of inspiration.

Claus Smed, Group Marketing Director, Selected Car Group

Claus, if someone had never heard of Selected Car Group, how would you describe the company?

“We are a family of companies, all united by a passion for cars. We operate across five pillars; Leasing, Investment, Events, Collection, and Race. So no matter what kind of automotive passion you have, there’s a place for you here. At the heart of the group is our desire to raise the bar. For us, it’s not just about keeping up with trends, but about preserving the classic in a modern world. We embrace elegance, aesthetics, and that feeling when something just feels right. That’s the bar we aim to raise.

And it’s not just about cars; it’s about culture, events, and everything surrounding them. We have customers across the country and are physically present with showrooms on Zealand, Funen, and Jutland.”

Which values are most important to the company?

“When I got this job, I called my mother to tell her. She said many things, but one line stuck: ‘That sounds very passionate.’

And that really hits the mark. Without passion, there would be no Selected Car Group.
Beyond that, it’s about courage. We dare to lead. We are proud of what we do. And community is a key value for us, a sense of togetherness that runs across our entire universe.”

Which customers do you primarily serve?

“When you drive past one of our showrooms, it’s clear that we are a premium brand. We bring together a unique collection of expertise in premium, enthusiast, and collector cars.

But we actually work with all vehicles in the premium segment.

You don’t need to have millions in the bank to become a customer. Many people grow into our universe over time. Premium comes in all shapes, sizes, and price points, depending on where you are in life. Our customers usually have strong opinions and a deep passion for cars, but everyone comes from their own starting point.”

Which trends do you see as most significant for the automotive industry right now?

“We can break it down into three areas.

First and foremost, it’s about the experience. Every sale should be personal and unique. It might sound like a cliché, but most people don’t buy a car every day. This is where our ‘Mærk mere’ (‘Feel More’) campaign comes in, defining what driving pleasure really means.

Next, digitalization is more important than ever, especially along the customer journey. We’re investing heavily in this area, so we’re stronger digitally than ever before. We’ve launched an app that makes it even easier to be part of our universe—whether you’re a customer or a potential one. Increasingly, more of our communication happens through the app.

Finally, there’s electrification, which Denmark is leading the way on. We need to navigate this wisely, as demand for electric vehicles is growing significantly.”

Especially the latter two areas involve a high degree of innovation, both in cars and in marketing. Isn’t it hard to keep up?

“You’re right. And that’s why the answer to your question is that you can’t talk about innovation without talking about technology. We’ve invested a lot in navigating a market that evolves almost daily—and in bringing in key people who elevate us both professionally and personally. Our marketing department is significantly larger and far more specialized than it was just a few years ago, and that comes with responsibility.

It’s largely about curiosity and the courage to try new technology, even when it requires thinking differently than before. No one can afford to sit still in this fast-paced industry.

Even though technology plays a bigger role than ever, it’s still the classic values that hold us together—passion, aesthetics, and creating something that genuinely feels awesome. That’s often what makes us unique.

At the same time, it gives us plenty of opportunities to experiment, especially because it’s much easier today to measure whether an idea makes business sense. So we embrace it fully. We’d rather test than do nothing. This applies both to marketing and to the business as a whole, where the ability to turn ideas into action quickly is absolutely critical.”

What are your ambitions for the next 3–5 years?

“I can answer that clearly and concisely: we aim to be a market leader, but not necessarily the biggest. We want to grow in the right areas.

For us, it’s not about volume, but about quality. The most important thing is that our customers feel at home in our universe and stay with us.

We have an international presence that we want to expand, but always with respect for our DNA, focusing on experience, service, and quality throughout. We’re not chasing growth for growth’s sake; we want to get even better at what we already do well.
In short: we aim to raise the bar every single time.”

You mentioned your app earlier. Can you tell us a bit more about it? It’s interesting that you haven’t just “moved your website into an app,” as we often see.

“You’re absolutely right and that was the point from the very beginning. This is our largest digital initiative to date. We’ve brought all our companies together into one universe, where customers can store their documents, sign agreements, and communicate directly with us.

At the same time, the app opens up access to events and exclusive experiences that are only available there, offering much more than just a digital service. We do need to get even better at telling this story, because the app is not just for existing customers. It’s also a way to invite new people into our universe and let them experience what we stand for.

It’s still new, but the reception has been excellent. Version 1.0 is live, and we’re already working on optimizing it and adding new features. We’ll probably never be completely finished, and that’s exactly what makes it exciting, because the app constantly evolves alongside our customers and their needs.”

How do you measure success in marketing?

“We measure everything. We work on two tracks, brand and leads. We report continuously and aren’t afraid to try new things. But we’re also not afraid to shut them down if they don’t work. The goal is to get the maximum return from our budgets.”

You come from the advertising world. What attracted you to the automotive industry?

“I wasn’t born a car guy, but I’ve always been fascinated by aesthetics and beautiful things. I’ve always been drawn to stories and the iconic. The automotive industry contains all of that and it also carries the mission of raising the bar. That applies from the level of our salespeople to every single campaign. We strive to be the best.”

What inspires you the most?

“Conversations. People. It could be athletes, creatives, or entrepreneurs. Many ideas start with a simple conversation. Curiosity is important and I’m also inspired by my own team. They’re young, talented, and understand technology at a level that constantly pushes us forward.”

This is the first part of our series on Selected Car Group. We explore the iconic automotive house in all its facets – from race cars and collector’s items to digital innovations and experiences that let customers truly feel more.

Culture, business & inspiration – delivered weekly from Copenhagen. Join 55,500+ subscribers!