GM Extends eBay Motors Sales Program

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You didn’t necessarily have an auction close to worry about in GM’s eBay sales experiment, but if you feared the promotion would end before you have a chance to take the computer and order up a vehicle, you’re in (limited) luck: The program has been extended through September 30.

<P class=MsoNormal target=”_blank”>GM originally launched the “Click and Buy” program with eBay Motors on August 11. The promotion, billed as a “test” of a possible alternate method of buying vehicles, was open to consumers in California only. While actual sales transactions were initially slow, the eBay deal has drawn considerable interest to GM’s lineup in what is typically a slow market for the manufacturer.

<P class=MsoNormal target=”_blank”>“We are very pleased with the progress of the initial promotion,” said Mark LaNeve, GM’s vice president of U.S. sales, “and its ability to raise awareness and consideration for GM vehicles in California. We decided to extend the program and provide our customers with online access to dealer inventories through eBay Motors.”

<P class=MsoNormal target=”_blank”>Between August 11 and August 30, GM says its eBay pages logged nearly 1 million visitors, and prompted more than 1.4 million searches of existing inventory. Approximately 4000 shoppers actually entered negotiations to purchase vehicles via the comfort of their home computer.

<P class=MsoNormal target=”_blank”>Californian customers can continue to shop GM’s inventories in the state by visiting http://gm.ebay.com/.