Rural China the perfect market for online auto sales. Photo credit: Shutterstock Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba is looking to expand online automotive sales in response to slowing sales in major cities. Their rural strategy in 2014 was first hatched in 2014 by bringing their online shopping service Taobao.com to remote areas. This resulted in rising internet penetration and use of mobile devices. Rural residents became more accustomed to shopping online, making them the perfect market for online auto sale expansion. The potential is also reflected in the buying

  The new automotive portal is 100% digital. Photo credit: Shutterstock Car manufacturing giant Hyundai has launched its first end-to-end digital car buying portal in the UK. Launching on January 7 2016, the automotive portal boasts fully-digital car buying, financing, and home delivery. Customers won’t have to set foot in a dealership once. However, there is no e-contracting option available upon launch, so if a finance plan is arranged online, consumers will have to go to the dealership to pen the contract.  “We’ve spent many years listening to customers and Click To Buy is the result: it’s a site that

                                         Carvana expands its US marketplace. Photo credit: PR Newswire Fast growing automotive portal Carvana.com has launched its services in Indianapolis. Local users will now be able to buy and sell used cars online. Since launching in Atlanta in late 2013, the company has been rapidly adding metro markets across the United States. Indianapolis marks Carvana’s 20th market and the 11th to open this year. “We’re growing very, very quickly,” Ernie Garcia, Carvana’s CEO and one of the company’s three cofounders

Turnbull government is proposing a tax on online imported tax. Photo credit: Shutterstock   This week global CEO of eBay.com Devin Wenig met with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to argue against a proposed 10% GST levy on goods imported from online retailers like Amazon. Current legislation dictates that imports of goods with a value of less than $1000 are GST free. But according to the May 2016 budget, the Turnbull government plans to extend GST to low-value imports from July 2017. According to Australian Financial Review, Wenig met with Prime Minister Turnbull to argue against trade restrictions and plead

GM launches Factory Pre-Owned Collection portal. Photo credit: General Motors   This week General Motors announced that it will be launching a new online automotive portal specifically for low mileage used cars in the US. The move is an attempt to capture the growing number of car shoppers who prefer to browse digitally. Called The Factory Pre-Owned Collection, the site will offer an online inventory of GM vehicles returned off lease, from daily-rental operators and from GM’s company car program. The vehicles will have a maximum of 37,000 miles and include an extended bumper-to-bumper warranty. The system will include cars

     India-based auto portal launches Truebil Direct. Photo credit: Techcircle.com India's only authentic and verified automotive portal for used vehicles, Truebil.com has launched its offline experience stores called Truebil Direct. This unique service allows consumers to get upfront quotes instantly; Truebill then buys the vehicle and sells it for them. They also have a park-and-sell service where customers can park their cars at the Truebil Direct offline stores where company offers complete selling assistance. The offline stores are perfect for those who don’t have the time or desire to entertain potential buyers at their homes. Each car at Truebil Direct undergoes an

Car dealers praise internet's influence. Photo credit: Shutterstock A survey conducted by UK-based automotive portal CarGurus.com has revealed that 47 per cent of the UK’s car dealers believe the internet has had a wholly positive impact on the used car market. In addition to this, 59% said the internet was helping to eliminate rogue dealers and 90% stated that consumers could now compare prices more easily. One car dealer said: “I have been (selling cars) for 30 years so I have encountered everything. “Now the customers know what model, the mileage and spec they want, they are more informed. “Rogue

According to the CEO and Founder of automotive portal CarGurus.com Langley Steinert, his new venture will soon be number one in the online car retail industry. Launched in the US in 2007, CarGurus has 22 million unique monthly users across the Atlantic and now they're targeting their auto portal competitors like Auto Trader and Motors.com.uk. In the last 12 months the company experienced an 11-fold increase in visitors - from 100,000 to 1.1M. In an interview with AM Online Steinert said that "profitability isn't an issue" and CarGurus will continue to go from strength to strength. "Thanks to the

According to automotive portal Edmunds.com, products that leverage messaging platforms, chat and even artificial intelligence to make car shopping easier are the next big thing in online vehicle sales. Leaders in the hospitality and foods as services industry like Hyatt and Dominos are already utilizing this technology, and according to Edmunds, the automotive industry isn’t far behind. Leading by example, Edmunds showcased their latest technologies during a panel at AutoMobility LA; the auto industry's first trade show dedicated exclusively to automotive technology and the mobility movement. This isn't the first time the automotive portal has been ahead of the

        Naspers has posts positive revenue growth this Q3. Photo credit: Shutterstock South African media conglomerate Naspers has posted its Q3 financial results for the six months to 30 September 2016, which indicates 16% year on year growth to US $6.8 bn. The company owns a slew of businesses across sectors spanning the internet, video and media, including the listing portals Avito, OLX and Property24.com. Its revenues, which were measured on an economic interest basis, (including the proportionate contribution from associates and joint ventures), increased 16% year on year to US$6,8bn. Excluding acquisitions, disposals and currency movements,