????一個(gè)世紀(jì)以來，在經(jīng)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(jī)什么的。

????但互聯(lián)網(wǎng)正在解構(gòu)新車銷售的本質(zhì)，它讓消費(fèi)者了解到更多有關(guān)汽車性能和價(jià)格的信息，同時(shí)還有專家的評(píng)測(cè)與看法。那么，不久的將來，消費(fèi)者是否會(huì)像買書、買鞋、買筆記本電腦一樣，開始在網(wǎng)上訂購汽車呢？

????關(guān)于汽車能否在互聯(lián)網(wǎng)上銷售的爭(zhēng)論已然十分激烈。汽車廠商們認(rèn)為，網(wǎng)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(jīng)銷商們則驚慌失措，他們已經(jīng)在美國(guó)的各個(gè)州通過法律鞏固了自己的經(jīng)營(yíng)權(quán)，許多經(jīng)銷商認(rèn)為網(wǎng)上售車會(huì)對(duì)他們的業(yè)務(wù)造成嚴(yán)重?fù)p害。他們堅(jiān)稱“汽車不是書也不是鞋”，最好還是通過與銷售員面對(duì)面溝通的方式來購車，因?yàn)橄M(fèi)者可以通過這個(gè)環(huán)節(jié)試駕車輛，同時(shí)辦妥貸款和打折等有關(guān)的事宜。

????由艾倫?馬斯科投資的電動(dòng)汽車制造商特斯拉汽車公司（Tesla Motors）已經(jīng)開始在官網(wǎng)上接受Model S的訂單了，這款車型的起價(jià)為7萬美元。這些車輛既可以運(yùn)到這家公司擁有的30家商店里，也可以直接運(yùn)到消費(fèi)者的家門口。顯然特斯拉并不怕挑戰(zhàn)法律和傳統(tǒng)。特斯拉公司的發(fā)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(yùn)到消費(fèi)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(yuǎn)都不需要經(jīng)銷商，但就眼下來說，那種模式對(duì)我們沒有意義?！?/p>

????汽車網(wǎng)站Edmunds.com的總裁兼首席運(yùn)營(yíng)官塞斯?伯克維茨指出：“在目前的特許經(jīng)營(yíng)體系下，很難想象一旦消費(fèi)者完全脫離了經(jīng)銷商的展廳，轉(zhuǎn)而在網(wǎng)上訂購汽車會(huì)是什么情形?！辈司S茨表示，Edmunds.com打算提供一項(xiàng)新功能，告訴消費(fèi)者一款車型在到達(dá)經(jīng)銷商展廳之前的成本是多少。

????由于二手車市場(chǎng)不受新車特許經(jīng)營(yíng)法保護(hù)，因此這個(gè)領(lǐng)域?qū)τ谠诰€賣車來說可能更有前景。比如eBay旗下的eBay Motors就在網(wǎng)絡(luò)上發(fā)布了成千上萬輛車型信息，方便私人進(jìn)行二手車交易。很多二手車經(jīng)銷商也利用這個(gè)數(shù)碼平臺(tái)進(jìn)行交易，而且還要支付一定的展示費(fèi)用。

????Carvana是美國(guó)最大的二手車交易商之一DriveTime投資的一家公司，已經(jīng)開始在自己的網(wǎng)上銷售最新款的二手豪車和高端車型了。目前Carvana的業(yè)務(wù)還僅限于亞特蘭大及周邊地區(qū)，但它希望盡快將業(yè)務(wù)擴(kuò)展到全美。公司CEO 小歐尼?加西尼說：“我們從早期的經(jīng)驗(yàn)中了解到，消費(fèi)者喜歡我們的在線工具和金融擔(dān)保。”目前這家公司的業(yè)務(wù)剛剛開展8個(gè)月，不過它沒有透露已經(jīng)售出了多少輛二手車，只是說銷售速度正在加速。

????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(yù)示了光明的前景。這100個(gè)客戶中，只有4個(gè)人對(duì)他們購買的車輛不滿意，而且行使了換車的權(quán)利，別外只有1名客戶要求退車返款。

????加西亞表示，在傳統(tǒng)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(dá)2,000美元左右。他認(rèn)為，隨著網(wǎng)絡(luò)售車的模式吸引更多的消費(fèi)者，這部分金額最終會(huì)縮水，轉(zhuǎn)化成利潤(rùn)。

????密歇根州大布蘭克市的Al Serra Auto Plaza汽車行的網(wǎng)絡(luò)總監(jiān)杰夫?瓊斯表示，他的公司正在與通用汽車公司（General Motors）合作進(jìn)行一項(xiàng)試點(diǎn)項(xiàng)目。用戶可以訪問通用官網(wǎng)來在線“制造”一輛車及其相關(guān)配置，但最后一步、也就是交易的過程仍然在經(jīng)銷商的門店里進(jìn)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?！?/p>

????新車的在線銷售雖然還沒有成為現(xiàn)實(shí)，而且說不定永遠(yuǎn)都將是紙上談兵，但是給我們的感覺卻是這一天已經(jīng)離我們?cè)絹碓浇?。特別是有些消費(fèi)者已經(jīng)習(xí)慣了用鼠標(biāo)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。（財(cái)富中文網(wǎng)）

????譯者：樸成奎??

????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.

????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?

????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.

????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.

????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.

????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.

????Carvana, a venture sponsored by DriveTime, one 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.

????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.

????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.

????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.

????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.