DETROIT — General Motors on Friday announced an intriguing new partnership with eBay in California to sell vehicles online. However, a nationwide rollout does not appear to be in the works anytime soon, according to GM President and CEO Fritz Henderson.
"Experiments are experiments," said Henderson in response to a question about the partnership during a Friday morning press conference. "You don't roll them out [nationwide] until you figure out if they work."
Precise details about the partnership were sketchy, although Henderson explained: "We'll be testing this and other ideas with our dealers in the next few weeks. In all cases, our goal is to make the shopping and buying process as easy as possible." He said the pilot program will allow consumers to "bid on vehicles, including a predetermined buy-it-now price."
In a statement on Friday, GM said customers would be able to bid on actual vehicles just as they do in a standard eBay auction. The predetermined buy-it-now prices are reminiscent of the Saturn philosophy of selling cars, which was notable for non-negotiable pricing. GM is in the process of selling the Saturn brand.
Inside Line says: One tangible sign of how GM appears to be changing with the times, although whether all U.S. consumers will ever get a crack at this program is still up in the air. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent
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