Honda Motor Co. will start selling new cars online this month, becoming the first major Japanese automaker to launch full-scale online sales of multiple top-selling models.
Honda's new sales approach is drawing attention amid the COVID-19 disaster -- which makes customers reluctant to have face-to-face meetings with dealers -- to see if it will change the way people buy cars at dealerships.
The company will soon open a dedicated website where users can select their desired model and grade, receive an estimated price and sign a purchase contract.
Customers will be able to inquire about products via online chat. After a purchase, the car will be delivered to a nearby dealership, where the customer can pick it up. Online sales will be available mainly in urban areas first, and then will be expanded to cover all areas of the nation.
Last year, some Honda-affiliated dealers started "online business negotiations" through video conference. They started the service because an increasing number of customers avoided coming to their stores due to the spread of the virus. Online at that time, they only offered consultations to customers, and did not sell cars.
Aware that an increasing number of young people who had never visited a dealership before had started using the online consultation service, the carmaker decided to launch a company-wide online sales campaign.
Online car sales are already widespread in Europe and the United States, with Sweden's Volvo Car AB planning to sell all of its electric vehicles online.
In Japan, the EV giant Tesla Inc. of the United States and Germany's BMW are also implementing online sales, and Nissan Motor Co. is planning to introduce online sales for some of its models.
Online sales have been considered unsuitable for automobiles in the nation because they are big-ticket items and they require inspections after purchase.
"Careful and considerate service at stores is a distinctly Japanese characteristic. It will be a challenge for carmakers to maintain their meticulous service with online sales," Yoichiro Watanabe, an automobile critic said.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
