Will they come in giant smiley face boxes? Amazon set to sell new cars starting next year
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First announced at the Los Angeles Auto Show on Thursday, e-commerce giant Amazon has plans in place to add new car purchases to its online store starting next year with initial offerings coming from Korean automaker Hyundai.
While consumers have previously been able to browse new car showrooms via Amazon’s website, the company says the new program will allow customers to search for available vehicles in their area based on their preferences, choose their preferred car and check out online with their chosen payment and financing options. And, yes, having your new vehicle delivered to your home will also be an option.
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In addition to the new online shopping option, in which Amazon will function as a vehicle selection and purchase portal between customers and Hyundai dealerships, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy announced the company has also struck deals that will bring its Alexa digital assistant into new Hyundai vehicles and Hyundai will begin using Amazon’s AWS server network for its cloud-based services.
“Hyundai is a very innovative company that shares Amazon’s passion for trying to make customers’ lives better and easier every day,” Jassy said in a blog post. “Our broad, strategic partnership should do just that, from changing the ease with which customers can buy vehicles online to making it simple to use Alexa in Hyundai vehicles for entertainment, shopping, smart home adjustments, and calendar checks to enabling Hyundai to transform their customer experiences and business operations by moving to AWS. We look forward to inventing together for many years.”
In its blog posting about the new partnership with Hyundai, Amazon hinted that other vehicle brands may become available in the future. And, while many auto dealers already offer online vehicle browsing and purchases, automakers featured on Amazon will be able to leverage the massive amount of consumer traffic Amazon draws, over 2 billion global visitors each month.
Hyundai Motor Company president and CEO Jaehoon (Jay) Chang said Amazon was the perfect partner to help advance his company’s goals, including expansion of its digital sales network.
“Partnering with one of the world’s most customer-centric organizations unlocks incredible opportunities as we continue to expand our portfolio, grow our sales network, transition to electrification and realize the future of smart mobility,” Chang said in a press release. “Amazon is the ideal partner to help realize our vision of progress for humanity, including improving how people and goods move more efficiently and sustainably. Hyundai is the first automotive company available for full end-to-end transactions in Amazon’s U.S. store and this is another example of how we continue to push for ways to elevate the customer journey together with our outstanding retail partners.”
