New GM Experiments With Car-Selling on eBay
July 10, 2009
DETROIT -- The new General Motors that emerged from bankruptcy Friday is planning
an
experiment with eBay for online car buying.
"We're working on new ways to make car buying more convenient for our customers, including an innovative new partnership with eBay in California to revolutionize how people buy vehicles online," GM CEO Fritz Henderson said at a press conference.
"Customers will be able to bid on actual vehicles just like they do in an eBay auction, including the option of choosing a predetermined 'buy it now' price," he said.
"We'll be testing this and other ideas with our dealers over the next few weeks, and hope to expand and build upon them in the coming months. In all cases, our goal is to make the shopping and buying process as easy as possible for GM customers -- on their time and their terms. Stay tuned."
Dealers are involved in the experiment, with vehicles being delivered to customers at dealerships.
Henderson said California was selected because it is a huge market where GM has underperformed, as it has on the Coasts and in metro markets. "It's a big market and one where we want to change," he said in a conference call.
As a culture, GM needs to experiment and see if things like this work, Henderson said.
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