In this day and age, it’s quite surprising how much of the car buying process actually takes place at the dealer. But the days of trudging to the dealership for every stage of the car buying process could be numbered, thanks to a new pilot program Saturn is testing.
Saturn will soon launch a new website that allows consumer to go through most of the car buying process without ever physically having to go to the dealership. While some of the function of the pilot program already exist, the new program will revamp such features and make them even more user friendly.
The pilot program will allow customers to schedule test drives, check dealer inventory, apply for credit, negotiate pricing and will even allow buyers evaluate the value of their trade-in.
“Really what we’re doing is packaging some (functions online) that we already have out there and adding some that we don’t,†Chuck Thomson, Saturn’s director of sales, told Edmunds. “Our ultimate goal is to make it easy for people to do business with us whenever and wherever they want.â€
The pilot program will launch with about 10 Saturn dealerships nationwide, but if the program is a success, it could soon spread to many other brands.
