Amazon Gets Into The Auto Game

While there are almost no limits to what people can – and do – buy on Amazon, generally speaking automobiles aren’t on the menu.

But some recent moves by Seattle’s favorite little eCommerce company suggests that it thinks it can change that – and get customers thinking that the internet is a perfectly normal place to buy a car.

Or at least research one – Amazon is also known for starting small – as Amazon’s toe-in to car sales is something of a research hub.

Amazon Vehicles has a variety of tools on hand for customers looking to really dig down into the details of an auto-purchase including product specs and curated reviews from drivers. The goal is to create an “automotive community” where users can share and compare their car buying experience.

The site provides prices – but not a place to buy as of yet. According to automotive head Adam Goestsch Amazon is trying to “support customers during one of the most important, research-intensive purchases in their lives.”

He went on to note that the site itself will be “enhanced by the ability to tap into the knowledge, opinions, and experiences of other car owners within the Amazon customer community.”

This is Amazon’s second auto-motive related announcement of late; earlier this week Amazon announced a partnership with Hyundai that will pilot using Prime Now to give customers the options of test driving an Elantra.

Amazon Vehicles will also offer customers a straight path to the Amazon Automotive store. The store doesn’t sell cars but does carry various accessories. Plus given the information hub, the test driving and perhaps even the purchase of the lads from Top Gear – it seems possible that Amazon is slowly circling around directly selling cars themselves.

A report from CNET indicates that when pressed and Amazon spokesman when with the firm’s tradditional non-answer for these situations : “We have nothing more to share at this time.”