You Can Now Purchase Your Subsequent Hyundai on Amazon in These 48 Cities

Image Source: 123rf.com

You read the title right. As of yesterday, you can officially buy a vehicle on Amazon. In 48 cities across the United States, customers are able to buy new Hyundai cars from their local participating dealer on Amazon. So, what does this new feature entail? How is it limited? Here is everything Amazon has revealed so far.

Where is Amazon Autos Available?

Starting on December 10, customers are able to browse, order, finance, and schedule pickup of their brand-new Hyundai via Amazon. Amazon Autos is a new service being offered by the online retailer. It provides online automotive shopping exclusively with Hyundai dealers at this time.

Right now, Hyundai dealers in major metropolitan areas are included in the Amazon Autos program. However, the online retailer has plans to add more Hyundai dealerships. Additionally, Amazon has plans to add other carmakers, brands, and cities to the Autos functionality.

Currently, the full list of cities includes:

Atlanta
Austin
Baltimore
Beaumont-Port Arthur
Birmingham
Boston
Champaign/Springfield
Charlotte
Chicago
Cincinnati
Cleveland
Columbia
Columbus
Dallas
Denver
El Paso
Fond Du Lac
Ft. Myers/Naples
Harrisburg-Lancaster-Lebanon-York
Harrisonburg
Hartford
Houston
Indianapolis
Jacksonville
Los Angeles
Miami
Milwaukee
Minneapolis-St. Paul
Nashville
New York
Orlando
Philadelphia
Phoenix
Pittsburgh
Portland
Providence
Raleigh-Durham
Salt Lake City
San Antonio
San Diego
San Francisco
Seattle
Sheboygan
Springfield
St. Louis, Tampa
W. Palm Beach
Washington D.C.

How It Works

Amazon says that the Autos program will offer customers a “simple, end-to-end online experience to purchase their next vehicle.” The service allows you to do the following:

Look for available vehicles by make, model, trim, color, and features
Get an instant estimate on any trade-ins
Get transparent, upfront pricing from the dealer
You can get financing or pay for the car in full
Complete the entire checkout process for your vehicle online
Schedule a time to pick your car up at the dealer

User Interface

Everything can be done via the Amazon app. You can browse available vehicles through a platform you already know and trust. Overall, it is a more streamlined and transparent car buying process from looking for the car to purchasing. Here’s a look at the app…

Image Source: Amazon
Image Source: Amazon
Image Source: Amazon

Fan Jin, global head of Amazon Autos, released a statement about the release of the new service. “We’re partnering with dealers and brands to redesign car shopping—making it more transparent, convenient, and customer-friendly. 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,” they said. “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.”

How Can it Benefit Dealers?

Dealerships in the United States are in a downward spiral. Companies like Nissan are looking at potentially shutting down altogether. Others are closing various dealer locations across the nation to combat inflation and other economic issues. Amazon Autos allows dealers to connect with millions of potential customers. The service will streamline the entire process and the dealers get to focus on distributing cars to customers.

Most importantly, Amazon Autos will change the way people browse new cars. You can filter your results based on what you are looking for in a car. Customers can search through the available vehicles and narrow them down by model, trim, color, features, and more. Once customers select a vehicle, they can secure financing, e-sign paperwork, and complete their order with a few clicks. After finalizing their payment information, customers will select a day and time to pick up their new car from that local dealership.

Steven Suh, general sales manager of South Bay Hyundai, weighed in on the Amazon partnership. “Listing our inventory on Amazon is a game-changer for how we connect with car buyers. It allows us to showcase our vehicles to millions of daily shoppers, while setting our pricing upfront,” he said. “We can now reach a large local audience with the convenient and transparent experience customers expect when shopping with Amazon. Customers come in excited to pick up their new car and we can build on those customer relationships from there. This experience really positions dealers for success in the modernizing economy.”

How it Benefits Customers

Customers will be able to receive a firm trade-in value for their current car. You answer a series of questions about the car’s condition and an independent third party values your vehicle. This can be applied to their purchase of a new vehicle. When you go to pick up your new Hyundai, you just drop off your old car.

The whole thing streamlines to carbuying process. Whether you like it or not, eventually most carmakers and brands will be available on the platform. It will make it easier to browse the inventory and search based on their preferences. Ultimately, it will lead to happier customers.

There are some potential downsides to the Amazon Autos program. First, you won’t get to test-drive the vehicle before you purchase it. That’s always a tough thing. If you don’t drive the car, how do you know you really want it? There’s no clear return policy outlined where that is concerned. Will you have to wind up heading into the dealer anyway?

Additionally, one of the things Amazon lists as a perk of this service could potentially be a downfall. You don’t have to negotiate because the dealer is allegedly offering transparent pricing. But there is no negotiation. You can’t get a lower price if you want it, and that’s certainly a downside.

The Future of Car Dealerships

With many car dealerships closing around the United States, and Nissan in trouble, Amazon Autos could provide a solution. As it rolls out this new service with Hyundai, we’ll see if ordering online is the new method for car buying or if it’ll be a flop.

What do you think? Will Amazon Autos take off? Let us know what you think in the comments.

Need Car Repairs? Choose the Right Team Using These Tips
Is ARCO Gas Bad For Your Car?

Source link