The City Bank auctioned a fleet of 46 official vehicles that belonged to the Chamber of Deputies of the Nation. The auction had been announced by Martín Menem, who presides over the venue, as a cutting measure that accompanies “the austerity mandate entrusted by the President”, as was promoted at the time.
Of all the vehicles that were auctioned, the one that got all the initial attention was the Toyota Hiace Wagon, the van used Sergio Massa since 2021, when the model entered the official fleet of the Chamber of Deputies. In fact, he continued to use it after he left his position as a deputy and became minister of economy in Alberto Fernández’s government.
Other vehicles available for auction were the Toyota SW4 and Camry, several Volkswagen Vento, Peugeot 408, Nissan Sentra, Chevrolet Cruze and Peugeot Partner, among others. There was also a Passat with the engine block and alternator removed and a trailer.
This fleet was located in the fifth basement of the chamber’s annex building and Prior to the auction, interested parties could visit it to observe the condition of the vehicles.
The auction was held so onlinethrough the Banco Ciudad platform, and ended at 5:40 p.m. on Monday, April 8. The total collection of what was auctioned reached $370,400,000.
Massa’s minivan, less than expected
The Toyota Hiace Wagon that Sergio Massa used for almost three years started the auction with a base price of $26,000,000. Speculation indicated that could raise up to 40 millionsince it is also a vehicle with executive category.
This model configuration includes capacity for 10 occupants with luxury seats with armrests and the possibility of reclining the seats. Some of them have electric regulation and footrest. All the upholstery is leather and its large side and sliding doors are electrically operated.
Each row of seats (3-2-2-3 layout) has its corresponding air conditioning outlets and the rear seats have a total of 6 USB ports to connect devices. It comes equipped with a 2.8-liter, 163-horsepower turbodiesel engine, which is linked to a 6-speed automatic gearbox.
Toyota began assembling this model at its Zárate plant but not this Wagon version, which is imported from Japan. Although it appears on the Japanese brand’s website, its current price is not listed. The last reference is $74,900.
“I must admit that I am a user of the truck and it is the most beautiful in Argentina,” said Massa in the middle of last year when Toyota announced that it was going to begin assembling the utility versions of this model.
That “truck” that the former economy minister was talking about is the one that belonged to the fleet of the Chamber of Deputies and that has just been auctioned. And if an expectation was maintained to know how much it would sell for, reality showed that it was much lower than expected: It sold for $28,000,000.barely two million more than the initial base and far from the projected 40 million.
However, the vehicle that raised the most at the auction was another Toyota that Massa also frequently used. This is the 4×4 SW4 that ended up selling for $41,700,000.