Following the end of a pilot phase with around 70 contract partners, another 200 Audi dealers offering their range of used cars via this new sales channel are expected in early 2018.“It is important for us to have a digital solution that covers all the steps from start to finish and from which dealers and customers stand to gain equally,” says Martin Wallenborn, Head of Digitalization Sales Germany, “For Audi partners online sales are a useful addition to dealership outlets. For the first time, customers can complete all the steps involved in the car purchase, including finance, conveniently, simply and securely online.”
The new online sales can be accessed via participating dealers’ websites and the central Audi used-car exchange www.audi-gwplus.de. Here the customer can choose their desired Audi from the qualified range of Approved :plus partners – and do so irrespective of the car’s particular location. What is new is that the buyer can have the car delivered through the Audi partner to wherever and whenever they like in Germany. With a click, the customer can also arrange beforehand to have the Audi partner register the vehicle with their desired license plate.
If the customer is looking for finance, a creditworthiness check, loan decision and drafting of the finance agreement are completed in real time. The customer also has full flexibility to decide at the end of the term whether to give back the automobile for a fixed residual value or whether they would like to continue financing the vehicle afterwards. The customer also has the added benefit of a five-year warranty with the Approved :plus models.
Regarding the payment Audi uses e-commerce methods to build up a completely digital solution as part of Audi Bank finance. As such, the customer completes the entire sales process digitally in a few minutes. The dealer or Audi customer service are on hand to answer any queries. The customer can also of course still arrange a personal consultation in the dealership.
The online platform has been developed as part of the extensive campaign to create the digital dealership – as a joint, agile project between Audi, dealerships and Audi Financial Services. “By involving all project partners from the outset, we managed to integrate the requirements directly and practically into the project,” confirms Martin Wallenborn. “The result is a practical, intuitive platform for customers and dealers.” An upgrade to the sales portal with other additional services, service products and functions as well as integration of more partners is performed successively.