Amazon shoppers can now buy cars the same way they buy books, household necessities, and fashion. Hyundai dealerships in 48 cities are now selling cars on Amazon. Not only can buyers add cars to cart and checkout, they can leave “seller” reviews (for dealers) as well.
Amazon will continue to add more dealerships to Amazon Autos, and next year, will roll out additional manufacturers and new functionality (including leasing and expanded financing options). In its announcement on Tuesday, Amazon said:
With Amazon Autos, customers have a simple, end-to-end online experience to purchase their next vehicle, allowing them to:
- Browse and search for available vehicles at their local dealer by make, model, trim, color, and features
- Get an instant valuation and trade in their existing vehicle toward the price of the new car
- See transparent, upfront pricing
- Secure financing or pay in full
- Complete the checkout process online
- Schedule a pick-up time at the dealership
Some advantages for turning to Amazon to buy a car, according to Tuesday’s announcement: Transparent, haggle-free pricing (“The price customers see at check-out is the price they pay, inclusive of all taxes and fees”); and Seamless trade-ins (“Customers can get a firm trade-in value for their current vehicle by answering questions about the vehicle’s condition.”).
When Amazon first announced a year ago it would begin selling Hyundai automobiles, one Reddit poster quipped, ““Free returns if I’m not happy.”
Amazon Autos is available in the following cities: 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
“We’re partnering with dealers and brands to redesign car shopping—making it more transparent, convenient, and customer-friendly,” said Fan Jin, global head of Amazon Autos. “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. 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.”
Only for Hyundai though? Uh…..no thanks, bro. I’m good.