Since its dealership count will shrink in numbers this year and consumer confidence is not exactly at an all time high, GM turned its sights on the Internet. And not by setting up another website…
According the manufacturer, GM is now trying to see how well will its vehicles sell over the Internet by attempting a trial run with eBay in California.
"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," GM Chief Executive Fritz Henderson said in a statement.
The West Coast has not been chosen by accident for this trial run, as this particular region of the US is under the reign of import brands. The arrival of the severe economic crisis has made US automakers lose ground even more in the region.
"Experiments are experiments ... You don't roll them out until you figure out if they work," Henderson was quoted as saying by Reuters. "We are excited about it, but I wouldn't commit to rolling it out more broadly until we find out if it's successful."
It is not the first time, however, when GM is seeking help from eBay. At the beginning of 2008, GM partnered with eBay to sell GM Certified used cars. The difference is that this time, it’s all about new vehicles.
GM says the system will allow buyers to bid for a new vehicle, or buy one at a predetermined price. We wonder, however, why would you bid for a new GM vehicle on eBay?
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