As the digital marketplace continues to grow Volkswagen has decided to get in on the game in its home country of Germany. Buyers can now lease a personally configured VW from the comfort of their home in the country. It adds that other European countries will see the same service roll out in the future.
Many automotive retailers offer online sales, and it’s becoming even more popular, but most are of the used-car variety. Here in the United States, only a select few brands like Tesla, Rivian, and Lucid sell their vehicles directly to customers. Volkswagen says that this shift is a direct response to customer demand.
Klaus Zellmer added: “Surveys show that around two-thirds of our customers also want to be able to purchase our vehicles online. We’re now addressing that wish. Our mission is to give our customers an excellent offering and buying experience both at dealerships and online. As a result, we’ll also strengthen our competitiveness lastingly.”
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Of course, here in America, many states have laws against direct-to-consumer auto sales which has led to many dust-ups between dealers and automakers. Volkswagen says that in its case, dealers will continue to be a large part of the story.
Zellmer also said that “online sales will not replace the brick-and-mortar dealership. We need a good online presence coupled with a strong and powerful local presence provided by our dealers. Dealers are and will remain the face to our customers. They are indispensable when it comes to providing personal, competent advice.”
That makes sense as even the most confident car buyers will likely have some trepidation with regard to dropping tens of thousands of dollars on a vehicle they’ve never sat in or driven. While VW did say that the program would roll out to other European countries, they were mum on other factors.
We don’t know when that will take place or exactly which countries will be a part of the rollout. It’s also important to notice that VW doesn’t mention customers outright buying a vehicle with this service. So it seems that leasing is the only option for now. Either way, it’s nice to see another major manufacturer helping to cut out the wild middleman markups we’ve heard so much about recently.
