Renault and Dacia Plan to Boost Online Vehicle Sales

Renault and Dacia plan to boost their online sales, as the trend in vehicle retailing is expected to expand really fast this decade.

The two automakers will make available their online shopping portals, Dacia Store and Renault Retail Group, to customers in all European countries by the end of 2014. Analysts predict that all automakers will focus more on using the Web to sell and market their vehicles. Frost & Sullivan forecasts that by 2020, around 4% of global vehicles or 4.5 million vehicles will be sold completely online, an increase from 5,000 vehicles sold on the internet in 2011.

Customers in Holland have the possibility to price and purchase Dacia low-cost models using the Dacia Store, and in the UK and Italy customers can also price and make down payments on the brand’s vehicles. The Renault Retail Group service allows buyers to configure, price and make a down payment online for both Dacia and Renault vehicles.

“Offering cars online remains in line with our traditional distribution strategy,” said Patrick Hoffstetter, head of Renault’s digital factory division. “The dealerships remain in the equation. It is a type of marketing strategy used to reach a growing percentage of our customers who want most of their car-buying experience to be online.”