General Motors is now enabling consumers to ‘click and buy’ new cars, crossovers and trucks online from participating California Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Pontiac dealers, all on eBay Motors. The new car shopping website, at gm.ebay.com, will be available to consumers from August 11 through September 8 of this year.

Buyers will be able to browse hundreds of California dealer online showrooms, ask questions, negotiate prices, and arrange financing and payment to purchase a new 2008, 2009 or select 2010 car, crossover or truck online. With more than 225 GM dealers in California participating, shoppers can at any given time expect to see a wide selection of up to 20,000 new GM vehicles at very competitive prices. Vehicles will be offered through eBay Motors’ traditional formats such as “Buy It Now,” where shoppers agree to pay the advertised price; and “Best Offer,” where buyers indicate the price they are willing to pay and can negotiate online with the dealer for the vehicle.

The site also incorporates features that will allow buyers to compare pricing across models or participating dealerships, get tips and advice with a Buyer Checklist, and determine the value of their trade-in or whether their current vehicle may also qualify for government funded ‘Cash For Clunkers’ incentives.

The gm.ebay.com website represents a benchmark in the evolution of both online commerce and automotive sales, where the Internet is becoming the new dealer showroom and playing an increasingly important role in auto selection and purchase. A recent J.D. Power & Associates study cites more than 75 percent of new-vehicle buyers in 2008 used the web during their shopping and research process, compared with 70 percent in 2007. The study also found that 2008 marked the largest year-over-year increase in online automotive shopping since 2001.

“We are very excited about being a part of this special eBay initiative in California. We’ve found that serious shoppers want it to be easy and have shifted from the traditional forms of researching and purchasing vehicles to getting it all done on the internet,” said Ted Nicholas, president and CEO of Three Way Chevrolet in Bakersfield.

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