GM to Sell Cars and Trucks on Online Auction Site

General Motors and eBay announced Monday that the US automaker, which emerged from bankruptcy protection a month ago, will begin selling new cars and trucks on the online auction site.

Photo: GM to Sell Cars and Trucks on Online Auction Site

The program will initially involve 225 Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Pontiac dealerships in California, GM and eBay said in a statement , AFP reports.

However, according to Mark LaNeve, GM vice president of US sales, the company’s new partnership with eBay, the online auction house, is designed to appeal to a new generation of consumers. “Together with eBay Motors, GM and our dealers are reinventing the car-buying experience for our California customers,” LaNeve said in a statement. “As the dealer showroom expands from the parking lot to the laptop, this makes it easier for a customer to browse available new-car inventory, make an offer, buy it now, or send a message asking for more information from a dealer – all at the customer’s convenience.” , Christian Science Monitor reports.

“I think we’ll sell quite a few cars in this promotion where the customer never sees the dealership,” Mark LaNeve, G.M.’s vice president for United States sales, said.

“We’re making it easier for customers to shop and figure out what the price is,” Mr. LaNeve said. “If the sticker price is $21,000 and their budget is 18, a lot of times they’re embarrassed to say, ‘Well, I’ll offer you 18.’ But now they can do that anonymously online. So we think it’s going to give us some opportunities we didn’t have before.” , New York Times reports.