If there was anything left that one couldn’t purchase on Amazon, it was perhaps high value purchases such as cars. That barrier too, is being shattered today as the E-commerce behemoth has now officially entered the online car sales market with the launch of Amazon Autos. With this, consumers can customers to browse, select, and purchase new vehicles directly from participating dealerships, and will be 48 cities across the U.S., including key markets like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Atlanta for now. Later next year, the service will be expanded further as part of Amazon’s efforts to diversify its offerings and capture a larger share of the automotive retail sector.
“Starting today, vehicle shoppers in 48 U.S. cities can browse, order, finance, and schedule pickup of a new Hyundai vehicle from their local participating dealer directly on Amazon. Amazon Autos offers online automotive shopping from Hyundai dealers across major metropolitan areas nationwide (see full list below). We continue to add more Hyundai dealerships, and next year, we will roll out additional manufacturers, brands, cities, and new functionality,” the company noted in an official statement.
In a nutshell, Amazon Autos functions as an intermediary, helping to connect buyers with local sellers, pretty much in line with what Amazon does in general. With the platform, consumers will be able to search for cars by specific criteria such as model, trim, color, and additional features. This is unlike the traditional dealership experience, where customers often face sales tactics and haggling over prices. With Amazon Autos, users can simply shop from the comfort of their homes and make the car-buying process more convenient and transparent. If they have an existing vehicle, then they can get a valuation of the same and trade it in towards the price of the new vehicle.
In addition to this, consumers can secure financing directly through the platform by completing the paperwork online, eliminating the need for long, drawn-out visits to dealerships. Once the payment is processed, customers can schedule a time at their convenience in order to pick up their new vehicle from the dealership. For now, Amazon Autos is partnering exclusively with Hyundai dealerships to offer new vehicles on its platform. This collaboration limits the initial selection to Hyundai models, though, which may restrict some customers’ choices. Unlike other online platforms such as Carvana and CarMax, which primarily deal in used vehicles, Amazon Autos will only offer new cars.
“We’re partnering with dealers and brands to redesign car shopping—making it more transparent, convenient, and customer-friendly,” Fan Jin, global head of Amazon Autos, commented on the matter. “With Amazon Autos, we’re bringing the simplicity and ease customers expect from Amazon to car shopping, one of their largest purchases, while offering dealers a new channel to connect with a broad audience. We’re excited to have Hyundai as our exclusive launch partner and look forward to welcoming more brands and expanding our selection to customers as the program grows. It’s still early for us and we welcome customer and dealer feedback as we continue to add new functionality, expand to additional brands, and iterate on the customer experience.”
