The Internet has greatly helped those in the market for a new car better weigh their choices. There is currently no carmaker that does not have some type of configurator up an running.
But how about actually buying a car online, like say when purchasing a Kindle, paying it with your credit card and then have it delivered to an address somewhere?
Volkswagen plans to do just that and announced this week that as part of a broader digitalization of its sales processes, purchasing a VW car will be at everyone’s fingertips.
The system has not been fully detailed, but in essence, the process of buying a car starts with configuring the desired model, an activity which can easily be done today.
Today, however, configuring a car is all that can be done as far as the actual buying goes. A purchase still needs more than one trips to the dealer’s, signing physical contracts, paying for the car and then taking another trip as soon as it is delivered.
Volkswagen’s approach, which is expected to become operational in 2020, calls for all these steps to be made online: contract conclusion, including financing, payment and even used car trade-ins.
Essentially, customers will be able to choose a car and complete the purchase with the selected dealer online, with the only thing left to do is pick up the car once it arrives.
“This is the right step at the right time,” said in a statement Jürgen Stackmann, VW’s man in charge with sales.
“We have adopted this approach because our business environment is changing at a breathtaking pace in view of new technologies, changed customer expectations and new market players.”
Other steps announced by the carmaker include fully-networked mobility solutions, over-the-air software updates, automatic service due notification sent by the car itself to the dealer and a revolution in car sharing.
For the car sharing business, one in which Volkswagen is not a truly major player yet, the carmaker said it plans to have 5 million customers over the following years.
Volkswagen plans to do just that and announced this week that as part of a broader digitalization of its sales processes, purchasing a VW car will be at everyone’s fingertips.
The system has not been fully detailed, but in essence, the process of buying a car starts with configuring the desired model, an activity which can easily be done today.
Today, however, configuring a car is all that can be done as far as the actual buying goes. A purchase still needs more than one trips to the dealer’s, signing physical contracts, paying for the car and then taking another trip as soon as it is delivered.
Volkswagen’s approach, which is expected to become operational in 2020, calls for all these steps to be made online: contract conclusion, including financing, payment and even used car trade-ins.
Essentially, customers will be able to choose a car and complete the purchase with the selected dealer online, with the only thing left to do is pick up the car once it arrives.
“This is the right step at the right time,” said in a statement Jürgen Stackmann, VW’s man in charge with sales.
“We have adopted this approach because our business environment is changing at a breathtaking pace in view of new technologies, changed customer expectations and new market players.”
Other steps announced by the carmaker include fully-networked mobility solutions, over-the-air software updates, automatic service due notification sent by the car itself to the dealer and a revolution in car sharing.
For the car sharing business, one in which Volkswagen is not a truly major player yet, the carmaker said it plans to have 5 million customers over the following years.