AutoNation lets buyers purchase a new vehicle entirely online
AutoNation Inc., the nation’s largest automotive retailer with 257 dealerships, has launched a program that allows car shoppers to complete their new or used vehicle purchase entirely online.
The company launched its AutoNation Direct program in July and is now piloting complete online car buying in Atlanta where AutoNation has 14 dealerships.
AutoNation sees its AutoNation Direct program as a way for new car buyers to complete the Internet buying cycle. “We are selling direct online in a couple of markets,” AutoNation president and chief operating officer Michael Maroone told analysts on the company’s recent third quarter earnings call. “I can tell you that the customers that are buying online really like the experience.”
At AutoNation Direct buyers begin by entering a ZIP code. They then use drop-down menus to select a specific vehicle make and model and use other tools to select a price range and choose options such as a color and trim package. Shoppers can also use a used vehicle calculator to determine a price for their used car. Once the dealer and the customer agree on a price for the used car as trade-in, the amount is deducted from the final purchase price.
AutoNation shoppers also can use an online finance center to calculate monthly car payments and apply for credit. If the credit is approved, customers can use a credit card for a down payment and arrange to have the new vehicle delivered directly to their home or arrange for a pick-up at the dealership.
New car shoppers can use the fax or e-mail to exchange quotes, contracts and title and licensing documents, but the deal isn’t final until all paperwork is signed when the vehicle is delivered. To steer car buyers through the online purchase and to verify paperwork and financing, AutoNation assigns each customer a service rep who communicates with customers by phone or secure e-mail.
For its part, AutoNation will analyze how vehicle buyers in Atlanta like the process before rolling it out to other dealerships. “We like what we have seen, but it is too early to say that it is going to go across the whole country and what kind of impact that it would have,” Maroone told analysts.
Back...
