Citing robust online traffic, General Motors and eBay Motors have extended a trial program that enables consumers to bid for new GM cars from California dealerships.
Originally scheduled to wrap up next Tuesday, the trial has been extended through Sept. 30. It was launched Aug. 11 on gm.ebay.com.
“We are very pleased with the progress of the initial promotion and its ability to raise awareness and consideration for our … new vehicle inventory,” said Mark LaNeve, GM vice president of U.S. sales. “We’re getting positive dealer feedback and increased shopper consideration for GM vehicles in California.”
Under the program, consumers can access new-vehicle inventories for most Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Pontiac dealers in California. They can buy at the published price or make an offer to a specific dealer.
Through Sunday, the companies said shoppers visited dealers’ virtual showroom sites more than 1 million times and logged more than 1.4 million searches of GM inventory. In that period, nearly 4,000 consumers commenced car-buying negotiations online, over the phone and in person through the eBay program.
Neither company has yet released sales figures.
Officials with GM and eBay Motors – an arm of the San Jose-based online auction giant eBay – said the ongoing trial program will be the benchmark for possibly expanding the program nationally. Officials said they will evaluate consumer demand and feedback from dealers throughout California.
You do not have to live in California to buy a car through the eBay Motors site.
“The response we’ve received from both consumers and dealers is reinforcing the idea that the Internet is truly changing the way people shop for cars … , ” said Rob Chesney, vice president of eBay Motors.
According to eBay, prospective car buyers can choose from about 20,000 new vehicles from 225 California dealers participating in the program.
The eBay site also allows shoppers to do comparative pricing among dealerships and obtain the estimated value of their trade-in vehicles.