IT HAD TO HAPPEN SOMETIME, but the future is officially here. Subaru tested the water when it offered the BRZ coupe exclusively online when it launched in 2012.
Subaru Australia managing director Colin Christie explained that the BRZ marketing campaign was intended to test the online sales process. However, it was also a matter of necessity since Subaru Australia didn’t have sufficient supplies of the car to share them across the entire sales network (there were 201 models imported initially, with around 50 of those allocated to dealers as demonstrators).
Customers would go in at their own pace, to build and “engage with cars” and change specification, get some quotes for finance should they wish and then follow through on the purchase however they chose to (although there was little time for buyers to “travel at their own pace” since all of the cars offered to the public sold out in precisely three hours and two minutes, despite a system crash caused by the rush).
Of course, since pent-up demand for the BRZ was so strong, it was a low-risk strategy. And another consideration is that the svelte little sports car appealed to young-ish buyers who could be considered early adopters and comfortable with the online buying process, for other products if not cars.
Now, Subaru has become the first mainstream marque to offer its entire model line-up for purchase using its online “Build and Buy” tool.
According to Mr Christie, the program is designed to offer customers greater freedom, but he was quick to clarify that the plan was not to exclude dealers from the process.
Dealers will still have a role to play in preparing vehicles and managing trade-ins. Subaru now has mobile test driving, traditional in-store dealerships, pop-ups at events and in shopping centres; in other words, a whole suite of purchase options.
However, Mr Christie had to concede that the online buying portal could only operate using set driveaway prices, leaving customers no room to haggle.
So, how does it work? Put simply, you transact with Subaru Australia, dealing with a set price, effectively a driveaway price for the car. Then the dealer delivers it. As for the trade-in, the customer still has to deal directly with the dealer.
To be honest, it’s difficult to see how ordering a car online, and then having to deal with a dealer over the trade-in makes the process any simpler. And then, most intending buyers will still want to conduct a real-world test drive before making a decision.
But Subaru obviously has had success with the concept, expanding the online sales concept to the WRX STI in 2013 and again to the Impreza and XV last year.
As of now, each and every Subaru model can be purchased online, including the just-launched Forester, Outback SUV, Liberty sedan, Levorg wagon and WRX.
seniordriveraus will follow developments with interest. According to Subaru, there have been nearly 15,500 builds a month so far in 2018, indicating a rapid uptake amongst tech-savvy buyers.
What do you think? Would you be happy to buy a new car online? Can you see the benefits, or is it just a gimmick? And what concerns would you have?