Online luxury car search tool a first for Audi

AUDI Australia says it has become the first luxury-car company in Australia to offer its entire buying process from the customer’s house without any need to visit a dealership.

Its new online reservation tool lets people search for a new vehicle in dealer stock, can reserve a vehicle for a $500 refundable fee, complete the purchase and even the road test from the home or office of the buyer.

Audi Australia chief customer and marketing officer Nikki Warburton said the program was introduced to help customers during the COVID-19 pandemic and to make the car purchase more convenient.

“Many Australians would rather make their purchases from the security of their own home,” Ms Warburton said.

“We wanted to create a tailored online solution that allows Audi customers to do just that.”

The online search, finance, purchase and road-test program is similar to that used by Audi dealers in the UK and US.

In Australia, Mercedes-Benz has online sales but only for its EQ electric range, while Genesis offers online sales but not finance.

Ms Warburton said it was important for the program to be very premium to suit the Audi promise and that customers also have the flexibility to customise the vehicles for their needs within the platform.

“We're delighted to have achieved this, allowing customers to choose their Audi based on what's important to them, and then secure it before finalising the purchase with a dealer,” she said.

Customers select a car from the site and place a refundable $500 reservation fee via credit card which generates a receipt for their exact vehicle.

They are then provided with options for trade-in and finance.

The dealer that holds the vehicle in stock will contact the customer within two working hours to answer any questions, arrange a “virtual walkaround” or test drive if required, or to finalise the sale, including finance.

Ms Warburton said that the vehicle can be delivered to the customer at home, allowing the full transaction to take place without a single visit to an Audi showroom.

“Customers can choose to take the process 'offline' at any point during their enquiry or purchase,” she said.

“The choice is driven by the customer's wishes at every step.

“If a customer chooses not to go ahead with their purchase, they are entitled to a full refund from the dealer.”