Citroën is gearing up to introduce fixed prices and online sales in the UK from 2017, according to press reports.
Citroën chief executive Linda Jackson told Autoexpress that the company is looking to introduce what is described as a ‘less pressurised purchase process,’ where customers will be able to choose and configure their cars – either to order, from a dealer, or central stock, and then finance the vehicle and put down a deposit online, without a visit to a showroom.
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Jackson is quoted as saying: “E-commerce is being rolled out in selected markets, and it will eventually get to the UK – hopefully next year.
“Not everybody wants to buy a car online but some do. You can look at the car, configure the car, get your finance, sort your deposit and then you go into the dealer to get your test drive. In that way, there is still a link to the dealer.”
Jackson also revealed that the introduction of fixed prices would be a key part of the company’s strategy in the future: “The online sales have been designed to be very transparent for the customer – because when you’re selling online, your prices tend to be very obvious,” she said. “It removes this concern that we get back from customers that they don’t want to negotiate on price.
“You’ll pay the same price you could have got at the dealer, so it’s totally transparent, and also you have the possibility to get a quote on your existing car, which is less fixed. But the price for the new car is totally visible. We call it ‘Fair pricing’, where you get a clear price and you don’t have to negotiate and that’s it. It’s quite open. We’re testing this idea, because it’s completely different and we have to work it through the dealer networks to make sure they’re onboard with it.”
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