Starting next year, you’ll have the option to purchase a car on Amazon. Hyundai has partnered with the company to enable dealerships to sell cars through the site. Instead of just browsing and comparing prices, customers will have the option to purchase the car they want on the site.
Customers can browse cars on the site and make a purchase using their preferred payment methods. They can choose to pick the car up at a nearby dealership or have it delivered to their home. Importantly, the dealership remains the ultimate seller of the vehicle. Amazon’s platform will act as an intermediary between the customer and the dealership. It is not clear if the company is in talks with other car manufacturers to list their vehicles on the platform.
Amazon has started entering the car industry by providing virtual showrooms for some brands and tools to compare prices. They also offer the option to purchase car parts and accessories on their website. As part of an agreement, Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant will be accessible in Hyundai cars beginning in 2025. Moreover, Hyundai will utilize AWS for its cloud services.
People generally dislike car shopping. Surveys have shown that the dealership experience is often the most frustrating aspect. Tesla has led the way in a direct-to-consumer (DTC) approach, allowing people to buy their vehicles directly from the company’s website.
In 48 states, there are laws that restrict or forbid car manufacturers from selling directly to customers. This situation has started to change recently because of Tesla’s popularity. Tesla does not have its own dealerships, but dealership associations in several states have taken legal action to stop Tesla from selling cars.