Consumers rate buying from a dealer equal to do-it-yourself dentistry
% Some of the newswires I read are a summarized mishmash of several topics. The following URL has OT items I have excluded. I am only focused on automakers selling via the Internet. First see: % - http://www.upi.com/Business_News/2013/11/10/Toyota-unveils-fuel-cell-car-Point-click-spend-30000/UPI-21751384079400/ ... Internet car sales Anyone who buys a new car without first doing some research on the Internet is either lazy or crazy, but can the same be said for buyers who actually purchase a vehicle online. With tons of information, from in-depth auto reviews to pricing, available at the click of a computer mouse or touch of a fingertip on a tablet, doing research online before making the purchase is a no-brainer. General Motors Co. thinks more consumers are ready to avoid the wheeling and dealing that goes on in the showroom entirely and the No. 1 Detroit automaker is rolling out a new online shopping tool. Some consumers rate buying a new car from a dealer about the same as do-it-yourself dentistry. More new car sales are being negotiated by email, which eliminates a lot of variables for savvy consumers who don't feel confident taking on a wily salesperson on the dealer's home court. It's easier to find the vehicle you want, equipped the way you want, and get the price you want without all the face-to-face haggling. Call it the art of the virtual deal. But there's that leap of faith of shelling out tens of thousands of dollars (plus tax) for a vehicle you may have never even driven. "We want people to start buying cars over the Internet," said GM Chief Executive Officer Dan Akerson, who added it "doesn't mean we're going to bypass our dealers." As it expands, GM's web-based application called Shop-Click-Drive will give shoppers electronic access to the entire network of 4,300 brick-and-mortar dealers, allowing shoppers to negotiate a price, get an estimate of the value of a trade-in, and apply for financing. Shoppers can schedule a test drive or request the new vehicle be delivered to their driveway or parking spot. If the experience sounds a lot like buying an appliance on Amazon.com, there's no doubt of the comparison. Tesla Motors, which manufacturers the all-electric Model S sedan, pushed sales through its website but ran afoul of franchise laws that protect dealers' turf in many states. Dealers like to get customers inside the showroom where they can try to sell them expensive add-ons, extended service contracts, insurance products and service work. More than have 100 dealers signed up for a test of GM's online shopping app since January and have sold more than 1,000 vehicles online in eight states, the Detroit Free Press reported. "I never even walked into the dealership or met my salesperson," said Debbie Mahaffy of Gladwin, Mich., describing her purchase of a new 2013 Chevrolet Camaro to The Wall Street Journal. "I never even test-drove it. I wanted to do everything strictly by email." GM says only about 10 cars have been delivered directly to buyers and stresses that Stop-Click-Drive is not intended to eliminate dealers or showrooms. "There are a lot of people who do things online, and those customers are asking the question: Why can't I buy a car online?" said Jim Bement, the manager of GM's online retailing program. GM says dealers like the program because it generates high-quality leads and a higher rate of sales than other referrals. Most potential new car buyers prefer shopping on the Internet and taking a test drive at the dealership before writing that check -- or making an electronic funds transfer ... [© upi.com] - % OK, so GM has dealerships, yet are pulling a Tesla to compete by also selling via the car-dealer-less online method. GM is not alone, other automakers selling online. See the following ... (more at the bottom) % http://tottenhamnews.org/sci-tech-3/you-can-order-mercedes-from-the-internet-1676.html You can order Mercedes from the Internet! [2013/12/02] - ... from the company, a new business strategy of internet car sales was noted. Starting tomorrow, customers can order on the Internet and they want a new tool ... http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20131202/AUTO0104/312020053/1148/auto01/Mercedes-starts-sell-cars-online-first-German-Web-store Mercedes starts to sell cars online with first German Web store [2013/12/02] - Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz will start selling cars online for the first time through its dealership in Hamburg, following BMW in experimenting with Internet sales. http://www.courthousenews.com/2013/12/02/63317.htm Russians' Car Dreams Sink in Internet Potholes [2013/12/02] - "Instead, the Kapustins use images of cars and information about them gathered from other online car sales sites to advertise these vehicles as ... http://www.marketwatch.com/story/ford-prepares-for-online-rush-led-by-f-150-shoppers-this-holiday-weekend-2013-11-26 Ford Prepares for Online Rush Led by F-150 Shoppers This Holiday ... Nov 25, 2013 - Ford pioneered a digital dealer strategy in 2000 and has seen online sales leads increase ... "Buying a car is largely an in-person transaction by necessity ... http://www.whec.com/article/stories/s3225649.shtml Internet transforms car buying process Nov 22, 2013 - The internet is transforming the auto retailing industry. As more ... Though the average salary of a sales person rose last year, many dealerships are eliminating ... http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-21/the-great-disruption-comes-to-auto-dealers.html The Great Disruption Comes to Auto Dealers Nov 21, 2013 - The Internet didn't get rid of the dealers, but it forced them to become much more ... Average gross profit on a new-car sale dropped to $1,283 last year from ... http://www.autoworldnews.com/articles/5174/20131121/death-of-a-haggling-car-salesman-sales-jobs-shift-as-more-customers-research-online.htm Death of a 'Haggling' Car Salesman: Sales Jobs Shift As More ... Nov 21, 2013 - During the last 15 years, the Internet has revolutionized the car sales industry, forcing those working the showroom to become more "concierges than ... http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304672404579182061400578466 Say Goodbye to the Car Salesman Nov 20, 2013 - Now he's becoming like everyone else—stuck most days in a chair in front of a computer screen. The Internet has been upending car sales for ... http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2013/11/20/tesla-battles-auto-dealers-direct-sales-consumers/3f1xBFN21xH8QqQc3jijTP/story.html Automaker Tesla looks to bypass car dealers Nov 20, 2013 - But the expensive bauble on sale in this storefront is a car — the ... a comfy store or over the Internet rather than the traditional showroom ... http://blogs.wsj.com/corporate-intelligence/2013/11/12/what-internet-ford-doubles-down-on-its-car-dealers/ What Internet? Ford Doubles Down on its Car Dealers Nov 12, 2013 - Ford Motor Co. has relied on dealers and showrooms to sell its cars for more than 100 years, and plans to keep on doing so despite the rise of ... http://www.newsday.com/classifieds/cars/gm-sells-1-000-cars-online-seeks-more-internet-sales-1.6394208 GM sells 1000 cars online; seeks more internet sales Nov 6, 2013 - DETROIT - An online shopping service for General Motors Co cars and trucks is being expanded to GM dealers throughout the United States. http://business.time.com/2013/10/10/buying-a-car-online-is-about-to-get-way-easier/ General Motors Pushes Online Car Sales Oct 10, 2013 - Though online shopping has become ubiquitous in recent years, buying a new car remains a distinctly retro experience. However, a new ... % Even Craigslist wants a piece of the action. See: % http://www.newsday.com/business/press-releases/craigslist-to-start-charging-car-dealers-publishers-increase-automotive-leads-with-autoconx-systems-automotive-vertical-solution-provider-1.6505510 Craigslist to Start Charging Car Dealers; Publishers Increase ... Nov 27, 2013 - The online classified giant will begin charging auto dealers to list vehicles on their platform next month. Publishers need to be poised to take advantage of this ... % At the same time the above is going on, the Auto Dealers are only fighting Tesla. See: % http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/business/2013/12/03/auto-dealers-seek-to-stop-teslas-way-of-selling.html Auto dealers in Ohio seek to stop Tesla's way of direct selling Columbus Dispatch-3 hours ago Tesla, a California-based maker of all-electric cars, has faced similar attempts to prohibit company-owned dealerships in Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York ... ... http://www.washingtonpost.com/cars/tesla-faces-off-against-car-dealers-in-another-state-ohio/2013/12/03/61b5cd6e-5c3e-11e3-8d24-31c016b976b2_story.html % So, if the NADA [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Automobile_Dealers_Association ] monopoly allowed Tesla to have car dealerships, but Tesla never used them, that would be OK?!? Something smells really wrong here. The media is touting that automakers' use of online sales will be the end of dealerships. If so, why isn't NADA stopping that instead of just focusing on Tesla? Its like there's a Good-Ol'-boy double-standard ... What gives? % For all EVLN posts use: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/template/NamlServlet.jtp?macro=search_page&node=413529&query=evln&sort=date {brucedp.150m.com} -- View this message in context: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/Internet-sales-automakers-playing-both-sides-against-the-middle-tp4666530.html Sent from the Electric Vehicle Discussion List mailing list archive at Nabble.com. _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
