When Amazon steps into a market, change is inevitable — and the auto retail industry is now bracing for this exact seismic shift. Amazon has already disrupted the aftermarket auto parts industry and has also offered vehicle research tools, including vehicle detail pages and digital showrooms, for a number of years to support today's car buyers. Following consistent consumer requests for a “buy box,” Amazon recently decided to support the purchase of new vehicles on its Amazon Autos platform, according to Matt Nuffort, Director of Amazon Autos. However, Amazon Autos is still in beta with Hyundai as its sole OEM partner.
What exactly does this mean for the traditional dealership car-buying model? Purchases are still being made through the dealer, only much of the process is being completed on Amazon. While some vehicles can be purchased directly from Amazon’s website, other vehicle listings require a visit to the dealer's website. As for test drives and vehicle pickup, this can only be done at the physical dealership. Despite this basic primer on Amazon car buying, many unanswered questions remain. Here are a few of the big ones:
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