Photo: Porsche
More established automakers try to follow the sale model that made car startups like Tesla successful. Porsche seems to go further than anyone else after overhauling its online configurator and allowing customers to build and order their vehicles online.
A huge dealer network can sometimes hinder a carmaker’s ability to adapt quickly to new realities. Ford is one of the first legacy automakers that realized something needed to change if it wanted to compete with Tesla in the EV market successfully. Mercedes-Benz also considered moving to a so-called “agency model” for its sales network, although none of them is quite there. On the other hand, Porsche is very close to offering an online ordering experience similar to Tesla.
The recently IPO-ed sportscar maker is gearing up for the digital era with a revamped Porsche Car Configurator, the online tool used to build your dream sportscar. Porsche customers can now view their vehicles in high definition and with more backgrounds. Different variants of the design packages and other cosmetic details are represented on the screen almost in real time.
Although this dramatically improves the customer experience, the new configurator’s most important feature has nothing to do with aesthetics. Instead, it’s allowing a potential buyer to configure a custom build of its car and order it online, just like Tesla customers do. The feature is available now to Porsche customers in Germany, but Porsche wants to expand it to other markets. First in line are Spain and Portugal, in the coming weeks, and other countries in Europe from 2023.
To be sure, Porsche doesn’t cut the middleman with the new approach. Dealers are still an essential part of the sale process. After configuring their dream Porsche, customers can place an order by paying the 1,000-euro ($988 at current exchange rates) deposit online. The sale is then finalized at the Porsche Centre.
Porsche launched online sales in Germany in 2019, but only for new and used cars already in its inventory. Online vehicle searches are now available in 100 markets around the world, and cars can be ordered online in 32 of them. The improved Porsche Car Configurator will expand this trend to custom-built vehicles, saving customers a great deal of precious time.
The recently IPO-ed sportscar maker is gearing up for the digital era with a revamped Porsche Car Configurator, the online tool used to build your dream sportscar. Porsche customers can now view their vehicles in high definition and with more backgrounds. Different variants of the design packages and other cosmetic details are represented on the screen almost in real time.
Although this dramatically improves the customer experience, the new configurator’s most important feature has nothing to do with aesthetics. Instead, it’s allowing a potential buyer to configure a custom build of its car and order it online, just like Tesla customers do. The feature is available now to Porsche customers in Germany, but Porsche wants to expand it to other markets. First in line are Spain and Portugal, in the coming weeks, and other countries in Europe from 2023.
To be sure, Porsche doesn’t cut the middleman with the new approach. Dealers are still an essential part of the sale process. After configuring their dream Porsche, customers can place an order by paying the 1,000-euro ($988 at current exchange rates) deposit online. The sale is then finalized at the Porsche Centre.
Porsche launched online sales in Germany in 2019, but only for new and used cars already in its inventory. Online vehicle searches are now available in 100 markets around the world, and cars can be ordered online in 32 of them. The improved Porsche Car Configurator will expand this trend to custom-built vehicles, saving customers a great deal of precious time.
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