Why You Can Trust CNET Hyundai heads to Amazon with new 'digital showroom'
It's the first automaker to do this, but it probably won't be the last.
For some, going to the dealership is about as fun as going to the dentist after "forgetting" to schedule appointments for five years straight. Those folks might be happy to hear that Hyundai has now set up shop within Amazon .
Hyundai announced today that it has established a "digital showroom" within the greater Amazon Vehicles research hub. It's the first automaker to offer this service, which offers a load of information about all its latest vehicles, including pictures, pricing and reviews. Users can also book test drives and check local dealer inventories.
It's... a website. There's nothing groundbreaking in its layout or anything, it's just more convenient and less stressful than a trip to the dealer.
This new site also hopes to educate consumers about Hyundai's tangential benefits, including Shopper Assurance, which offers flexible test drives from a preferred location like your home, more straightforward pricing and a three-day exchange policy. It also puts more of the purchasing process online, reducing time at the dealer.
A quick perusal of the site proves it's plenty straightforward. The landing page features multiple popular models with its review rating on a five-star scale. Once you click through to a specific vehicle, you can check out the pricing structure for various trim levels and colors and peruse galleries.
"This collaboration with Amazon provides customers with the ability to learn about Hyundai vehicles in a way that matches their expectations for nearly every other type of purchase," said Tim Maxwell, Hyundai's senior group manager of digital marketing, in a statement. "Hyundai and its dealers are modernizing the car buying process, so it made sense for us to be the first car company with its own digital showroom."
This isn't Hyundai's first big partnership with Amazon. Back in 2016, it debuted "Prime Now, Drive Now," which let users set up personalized test-drive appointments through Amazon's site. Instead of starting at the dealer, the roughly hour-long test drive would start at a location of the user's choosing.
