The largest e-commerce retailer has just launched a new project that brings the range of products available on Amazon to the next level. Amazon Vehicles is introduced as an "automotive community" where people can research cars and leave reviews on their favorite models but, unfortunately, not buy (yet).
Yes, now you can browse a car just the same way you would check out a new pair of shoes on Amazon (NASDAQ: Amazon.com [AMZN]). The cars are displayed on the "same-old" Amazon product page that is only missing the "1-click order" button. Amazon Vehicles allows the users to browse through auto specifications, high quality images, short video clips and, most importantly, customer reviews from the actual car owners. Next to using the normal reviews, customers will be able to chat with the other reviewers via the Q&A section. In the press release, the company described the range of cars available at the portal as "everything from the 2016 Jeep Wrangler and 2014 Tesla Model S to the 2000 Chevrolet Corvette and 1965 Ford Mustang."
Looking for a car on Amazon may still sound weird, but as the company has already established itself as the biggest e-commerce website for product reviews, the Vehicles portal has all the chances to grow into a successful community around such an unusual product, as a car. Amazon has 2 other platforms dedicated to cars within its website such as Amazon Automotive where customers can purchase real car parts such as seats, tires, filters and others, as well as Amazon Garage that invites customers to add information about the car they own at the moment.
So far, over 35 million customers have used the services of Amazon Garage and saved data about their cars, what could be a very good sign of potential interest expectations for the new Vehicles service.
“Our goal is to support customers during one of the most important, research-intensive purchases in their lives by helping them make informed decisions every step of the way,” said Adam Goetsch, director of Amazon Automotive.
Yet some criticized the company for creating 3 different platforms dedicated to cars as it can be confusing for the customers. In addition to that, USA Today says that it can take a long time until Amazon could actually offer car purchases via the website due to the strict franchise laws on auto dealership online in several states.
Apart from the new Amazon Vehicles portal, the company has made another car-related announcement this week. In a partnership with Hyundai (OTC: HYMTF), Amazon will be offering a weekend test-drive program of the newest Hyundai Elantra model that customers can book directly via Amazon.com.
At the moment, AMZN stock is trading at $766.62, showing upward trends. In the light of the announcement, The Street's analysts have rated AMZN stock as a "buy".