Willing to skip the test drive? Don’t like car salesmen?
General Motors has some cars it would like to show you.
The government-rescued automaker announced on Monday that it is starting a trial in which consumers can buy new cars through eBay, the online sales site, allowing buyers to purchase Chevrolets, Buicks, GMCs or Pontiacs before they set foot in a dealership.
The program will be initially limited to California, but the company hopes to extend it across the country.
“GM and our dealers are reinventing the car buying experience,” Mark LaNeve, GM vice president of U.S. sales said.
The company is pitching the new online sales effort as a sign of renewed innovation at the automaker, which underwent a bankruptcy filing earlier this year and has been kept afloat with a $50 billion investment by U.S. taxpayers.
Currently, eBay lists many cars for sale, but a large majority of those are used. This latest program makes more new GM vehicles available online.
While past proposals to sell cars over the Internet have angered dealers who feared they would be left out — the new program enlists GM dealers and connects them to consumers through the Web site.
About 90 percent of California’s 250 eligible GM dealers have signed on for the program, and collectively they will be listing about 20,000 cars.
When the site, gm.ebay.com, begins operation Tuesday, consumers will have two methods of buying the cars.
They can accept the “buy it now” price — that is, without haggling — with those prices set lower than sticker.
Or they can choose to make an offer and begin a negotiation.
The site also allows consumers to compare prices across models and dealerships, determine the value of their trade-in, and whether they qualify for the federal “cash for clunkers” program.
A company spokesman said California was chosen as the trial site because GM would like to build its market share there. Currently, GM has a 13.5 percent market share in the state, far behind its national market share of 19 percent.
“Many people don’t like to set foot in a dealership,” said GM spokesman John M. McDonald. “This affords them opportunity to do all their shopping online.”
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
