BMW will revolutionize how cars are sold

BMW plans to revolutionize the process of selling their vehicles when the BMW i sub brand launches. The first i model will be launching in 2013 is the i3, followed a year later by the i8 performance hybrid. BMW UK Managing Director Tim Abbott said that BMW want to finally leave the traditional way of selling cars. Abbot said: “I don’t think the car industry has changed very much at all in the last 30 years,’ and ‘electric vehicles give us an opportunity to look at the way we sell cars and do it completely differently.’

Abbott also gives some hints that there will be changes in the process of giving test drives — making it more flexible for the consumer in terms of time and location. Consumers will also not need to wait for  three years before changing their car because BMW will be offering a new scheme that will allow customers  to change their cars whenever they want to. If they need to switch to a regular car on a weekend getaway and leave their electric car behind, BMW will make it possible.

‘I can see a concept where people pay a monthly subscription which covers road tax and insurance on all the models. They could then use an electric bike, one of our new scooters, a motorbike, an electric car or a normal car. It’s a concept we are looking at for the UK. If you order with Next before 9pm you can have your products the next day. There’s no reason why you couldn’t order a car swap and have it on your drive the next morning. We just need to work out how that would work and if it would suit customers. I think the future is going to be more about mobility than outright purchase,’ says Abbott.

How would  this affect our local dealerships? Well, we will find out in the future.

Source: Car Dealer