Tech & Biz

GM to Sell Cars on eBay

by candice.tsuei | August 10, 2009 at 09:28 am

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General Motors Co. announced today that they will allow buyers to purchase cars from California Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Pontiac dealers through the eBay online marketplace.

Two months after GM filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, GM is lauching their pilot program with eBay starting Tuesday. The iconic tie-up will allow consumers to virtually browse the cars and their specifications, ask salesmen questions, negotiate prices, arrange payment, and place online bids for new 2008, 2009, and some 2010 vehicles from around 225 of California's 250 GM dealers.

They can also compare prices among dealerships and determine the value of a trade-in, including whether the car qualifies for the US government’s cash-for-clunkers incentives.

"As the dealer showroom expands from the parking lot to the laptop, this makes it easier for a customer to browse available new-car inventory, make an offer, buy it now, or send a message asking for more information from a dealer – all at the customer's convenience," said Mark LaNeve, GM vice-president of US sales, unveiling the trial.

According to a recent J.D. Power & Associates study, more than 75% of new-vehicle buyers in 2008 used the Internet during their shopping and research process, and that 2008 marked the largest year-over-year increase in online vehicle shopping since 2001.

“With 12 million individual car shoppers visiting our site every month, eBay Motors has unique insight into how people prefer to buy their cars,” said Rob Chesney, vice president, eBay Motors.

This trial, will run on the new site, eBay Motors, through Sep. 8.

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