GM to Offer Online Car-Ordering Nationwide

General Motors Co. plans to roll out a nationwide system by year-end that will enable customers in the U.S. to use the Web to choose a car, select accessories, get a price on a trade-in, line up credit and arrange delivery, Automotive News reports.

GM has been testing the concept, dubbed Shop-Click-Drive, for nearly a year with about 100 dealers most of them outside large metropolitan markets in eight states. All four GM brands are participating. The company says it has sold about 900 vehicles through the program to date.

Shoppers begin the online process by visiting a dealer's Web site. From there they may select vehicles from existing inventory and view multiple photos of them. Visitors don't have the option of special-ordering a car, dickering over price or paying cash.

The system allows buyers to have vehicles delivered to their homes or other locations. But GM tells AN that only five buyers opted not to visit the dealership to pick up their vehicle. "People still want a relationship," a company spokeswoman says.

GM plans to offer Shop-Click-Drive as an option to all 4,300 of its U.S. dealers. The company emphasizes that it views the system as a complement to normal dealer operations, not a replacement for them.