For a century or so, the shopping ritual at dealer showrooms for new and used vehicles hasn't changed much, apart from more comfortable chairs and the addition of latte machines.
一個世紀以來，在經銷商的展廳里購買新車或二手車的程序基本上沒有什么變化，只是多了一些舒服的椅子和咖啡機什么的。
But the Internet is unraveling the essence of new-car retailing, arming shoppers with more information than ever about features and prices, as well as expert reviews. Will shoppers soon be able to take the next step and order new cars online, like books, laptops and shoes?
但互聯網正在解構新車銷售的本質，它讓消費者了解到更多有關汽車性能和價格的信息，同時還有專家的評測與看法。那么，不久的將來，消費者是否會像買書、買鞋、買筆記本電腦一樣，開始在網上訂購汽車呢？
The debate over Internet vehicle sales rages, since automakers see it as a way to slash distribution costs by hundreds, and perhaps a few thousand dollars per vehicle. Dealers are aghast: They have shielded their franchises in every state with legislation. Many view Internet sales as a means of undermining them. Dealers assert that "cars aren't books or shoes" and are best sold in person by their sales staff, a process that allows the shopper to test the vehicle, as well as explore financing and trade-ins.
關于汽車能否在互聯網上銷售的爭論已然十分激烈。汽車廠商們認為，網上賣車可以大幅降低渠道成本，光是賣一輛車的渠道成本就可減少幾百、甚至幾千美元。而經銷商們則驚慌失措，他們已經在美國的各個州通過法律鞏固了自己的經營權，許多經銷商認為網上售車會對他們的業務造成嚴重損害。他們堅稱“汽車不是書也不是鞋”，最好還是通過與銷售員面對面溝通的方式來購車，因為消費者可以通過這個環節試駕車輛，同時辦妥貸款和打折等有關的事宜。
Tesla Motors (TSLA), the groundbreaking electric-vehicle manufacturer founded by Elon Musk, takes orders for its Model S sedan, which starts at $70, 000, on its website. The cars are delivered either at one of its 30 company-owned stores or can be drop-shipped to a buyer's home. Tesla, clearly, is bucking law and tradition. "In Texas, where the law precludes delivering directly to customers, we do so through third-parties, " said Shanna Hendriks, a Tesla spokesperson. "We're not saying we'll never have dealers; but that model doesn't make sense for us now.
由艾倫•馬斯科投資的電動汽車制造商特斯拉汽車公司（Tesla Motors）已經開始在官網上接受Model S的訂單了，這款車型的起價為7萬美元。這些車輛既可以運到這家公司擁有的30家商店里，也可以直接運到消費者的家門口。顯然特斯拉并不怕挑戰法律和傳統。特斯拉公司的發言人莎娜•亨德里克斯說：“德克薩斯州的法律禁止廠商把汽車直接運到消費者家里，所以我們是通過第三方這樣做的。我們并不是說我們永遠都不需要經銷商，但就眼下來說，那種模式對我們沒有意義。”
Seth Berkowitz, president and chief operating officer of Edmunds.com, said "the current franchise system makes it difficult to imagine a time when consumers can order new cars online completely separate from a specific showroom experience." Berkowitz said Edmunds is offering a feature that would allow shoppers to know exactly what a specific car will cost before they come to the dealership.
汽車網站Edmunds.com的總裁兼首席運營官塞斯•伯克維茨指出：“在目前的特許經營體系下，很難想象一旦消費者完全脫離了經銷商的展廳，轉而在網上訂購汽車會是什么情形。”伯克維茨表示，Edmunds.com打算提供一項新功能，告訴消費者一款車型在到達經銷商展廳之前的成本是多少。
Because the market for used cars isn't protected by new-car franchise laws, it may provide a more promising opportunity for online vehicle sales. eBay Motors, a division of eBay (EBAY), offers thousands of vehicles online for sales between private parties. Many used-car dealers also use the digital platform and pay a listing fee.
由于二手車市場不受新車特許經營法保護，因此這個領域對于在線賣車來說可能更有前景。比如eBay旗下的eBay Motors就在網絡上發布了成千上萬輛車型信息，方便私人進行二手車交易。很多二手車經銷商也利用這個數碼平臺進行交易，而且還要支付一定的展示費用。
Carvana, a venture sponsored by DriveTime, one of the nation's largest used-car operations, has begun selling late-model used premium and luxury models on its own website. Carvana operates for the time being only in Atlanta and its environs but hopes to expand nationwide. "What we've learned from our early experience is that shoppers like our on-line tools and money-back guarantee, " said Ernie Garcia Jr., Carvana's chief executive officer. Barely in business for eight months, Carvana declines to specify how many vehicles it has sold, except to say that the rate is accelerating.
Carvana是美國最大的二手車交易商之一DriveTime投資的一家公司，已經開始在自己的網上銷售最新款的二手豪車和高端車型了。目前Carvana的業務還僅限于亞特蘭大及周邊地區，但它希望盡快將業務擴展到全美。公司CEO 小歐尼•加西尼說：“我們從早期的經驗中了解到，消費者喜歡我們的在線工具和金融擔保。”目前這家公司的業務剛剛開展8個月，不過它沒有透露已經售出了多少輛二手車，只是說銷售速度正在加速。
Garcia did say that the first hundred vehicles sold by Carvana reflect what he called a "promising" trend of high satisfaction among buyers. Four buyers of the first hundred weren't satisfied with their purchase and exercised their right to trade the vehicles they bought for another. Only one of the hundred demanded a refund.
加西亞介紹，Carvana公司首批賣出的100輛二手車在客戶中的滿意度很高，預示了光明的前景。這100個客戶中，只有4個人對他們購買的車輛不滿意，而且行使了換車的權利，另外只有1名客戶要求退車返款。
Garcia said that sales of new and used vehicles at dealerships, in the conventional manner, reflect about "$2, 000 a car" in sales, general and administrative cost. He regards that amount as margin that can and will eventually shrink as online attracts more vehicle shoppers.
加西亞表示，在傳統的銷售方式下，無論是賣新車還是舊車，每輛的銷售成本、一般成本與管理成本加起來，都高達2,000美元左右。他認為，隨著網絡售車的模式吸引更多的消費者，這部分金額最終會縮水，轉化成利潤。
Jeff Jones, Internet director for Al Serra Auto Plaza, a new-car dealer in Grand Blanc, Michigan, said his company is cooperating in an on-line pilot program with General Motors (GM). Visitors to GM websites can "build" a vehicle and equipment online -- the last step, the transaction, takes place at the dealership. "It still takes a human element to make sure the customer is eligible for financing and to see if the customer is choosing the right vehicle for him or her, " said Jones.
密歇根州大布蘭克市的Al Serra Auto Plaza汽車行的網絡總監杰夫•瓊斯表示，他的公司正在與通用汽車公司（General Motors）合作進行一項試點項目。用戶可以訪問通用官網來在線“制造”一輛車及其相關配置，但最后一步、也就是交易的過程仍然在經銷商的門店里進行。他說：“要確保購車者的確具有貸款的資格，以及他是否選擇了適合他的車型，人的因素仍然是必要的。”
New-vehicle sales online haven't arrived, and perhaps may never. Yet that day feels as though it's drawing closer, especially for consumers who will choose anything and everything -- including a spouse -- using keypad or mouse.
新車的在線銷售雖然還沒有成為現實，而且說不定永遠都將是紙上談兵，但是給我們的感覺卻是這一天已經離我們越來越近了。特別是有些消費者已經習慣了用鼠標和鍵盤挑選和購買一切東西，甚至包括挑選自己的人生伴侶。 |
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