Hyundai, Daewoo To Sell Cars On Net

Hyundai Motors has announced that it has launched online sales of its passenger cars, focusing on subcompact models, to take advantage of the soaring number of Internet users.

Late last month, Korea’s largest automaker has begun marketing cars through the Internet and will now become the first Korean car manufacturer to open a cyber car dealership.

A company spokesman said that the site will offer information about
Hyundai-built cars and that customers could place their orders directly
over the Internet. In addition, customers can make payments and check the delivery
schedule online, according to the official.

“Taking the number of Internet users, which is estimated at more than 4
million, into consideration, we have launched the Web site that took
nearly 6
months to build it. It is mainly focused on offering diversified
product
information and establishing an advanced sales channel,” the official
said.

Initially, Hyundai plans to offer an one-stop online order service to
its employees, while ordinary customers can place their order through the
site and get delivery and other services via local sales offices.

Next year, the company plans to develop new models that can be
purchased only through the Internet, he said.

Daewoo Motors, the second largest Korean car manufacturer, also plans
to market cars in the U.S. through the Internet from the second half of
this year by creating an Internet sales office. Daewoo is expected
to
begin domestic online sales service from the beginning of next year.

Visitors to the Daewoo Web site will be able to select a model and make
payments for it either in cash or credit for home delivery, according to
Daewoo officials.

To make such an one-stop service possible, Daewoo is now building an
online
network between Daewoo Motor’s head office and financial institutions
for
electric payment, and for integration of the online car sales process
from
receiving orders to delivery of cars.

Industry analysts say that the both customers and car manufacturers
would
benefit from the online car sales through the Internet as customers
could
save time for purchasing cars whereas manufacturers also could reduce
overall
management costs required for sales and logistics as a result of
improved
efficiency.

They also pointed out that independent car dealers, who are selling all
cars
manufactured by the nation’s three companies as well as overseas firms,
would
emerge in Korea in the near future as it did in the United States.