General Motors Co. announced Wednesday a new online sales program for its factory-owned used cars that will allow consumers to shop and buy a used Chevrolet, Buick, GMC or Cadillac online. The GM Factory Pre-Owned Collection of more than 30,000 vehicles will launch next month and be available for shoppers online. It builds off GM’s Shop-Click-Drive online new car purchase program, which helped participating GM dealers sell more than 38,000 vehicles last year. That voluntary program went national around the end of 2013 and today 2,600 dealers participate.
The automaker is offering the pre-owned online service to cater to the increasing number of car buyers who prefer shopping online for their next vehicle.
“It creates opportunity for our dealers, it creates opportunity for us,” GM President Dan Ammann said Wednesday during the 2016 Deutsche Bank Global Auto Industry Conference in Detroit.
The used vehicles, which will be available to view in early February at www.factorypreownedcollection.com, have fewer than 37,000 miles and come with extended warranties. The vehicles are company owned, are coming off lease or are coming from rental company use. Shoppers choose a vehicle and a participating GM dealer and use Shop-Click-Drive to buy the vehicle. They also can compare prices of the vehicles to what other shoppers have paid through Kelley Blue Book.
“GM is the first automaker to offer this service,” GM Chairman and CEO Mary Barra told reporters Wednesday in a media briefing. “It’s another example of how we’re working to build our brands, improve residual values and earn customers for life, all to build shareholder value.”
The automaker said the program also includes a three-day or 150-mile exchange, three-month trial of OnStar’s Guidance Plan and come with roadside assistance and free transportation during the warranty.
