The days of visiting a dealer and negotiating a price could soon become a thing of the past at Porsche.
The German performance marque announced on Monday that it is testing the waters with online car sales in the United States and Germany. It's only a trial phase at present in the U.S., with 25 of the 191 independently owned and operated Porsche dealers in the country currently taking part, though this could be expanded if the trial proves successful.
Via the individual websites of participating dealers, potential customers can eye new and used vehicles available in the inventory. When ready to proceed with a purchase, the website covers all aspects of buying, financing or leasing a chosen vehicle, including payment and trade-in calculators. There's also options for financing and insurance, via Porsche Financial Services.
To complete a purchase, a customer needs to upload personal documents such as ID for verification. They'll also need to upload photos of their current car if they want a trade-in valuation. The dealer can then complete the sales contract so the customer only needs to sign on the dotted line when finally visiting the dealer to take delivery.
2019 Porsche Macan
According to Detlev von Platen, Porsche's head of sales at marketing, it's all about moving with the times and making things as convenient as possible for customers.
“Offering our customers an enhanced digital option for acquiring a Porsche makes this experience even more accessible and more convenient,” he said.
Tesla, which handles all of its sales online, has shown that a large portion of new car buyers are comfortable purchasing cars online. This has prompted established car brands to investigate new selling models, such as online sales and even car subscriptions.
Porsche is yet to reveal which of its 25 U.S. dealers are participating in the trial.
