Published 5:00 am CDT, Thursday, June 6, 2019
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Customers are driven through rows of vehicles at Sterling McCall Toyota on the Southwest Freeway. It’s a Group 1 Automotive dealership. Customers are driven through rows of vehicles at Sterling McCall Toyota on the Southwest Freeway. It’s a Group 1 Automotive dealership.
Photo: Mark Mulligan, Staff
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Photo: Mark Mulligan, Staff
Group 1 Automotive, the nation’s third-largest automotive dealer group, has rolled out its online car-buying platform to two-thirds of its 116 dealerships nationwide.
The Houston company in November began piloting online sales of new and used vehicles at 28 dealerships and has since expanded the platform to 79 dealerships nationwide. The dealership group plans to bring its AcceleRide platform to all of its U.S. dealership by the end of the summer, the company said this week.
“We’re focused on making the complete online car buying experience convenient, interactive and even more accessible for customers,” Daryl Kenningham, Group 1’s president of U.S. operations, said in a statement.
RELATED: Group 1 Auto makes inroads in online sales
More automotive dealers are offering the option of buying a new vehicle online in response to changing consumer preferences. Group 1 recently became the latest to launch an e-commerce platform, allowing drivers to buy a new truck, SUV or sedan without stepping foot into a dealership.
Shoppers can browse AcceleRide’s inventory of more than 38,000 new and used vehicles, customize options such as accessories and warranties and select from various payment, and financing options. The platform pulls in factory rebates and manufacturer offers, and allows customers to upload their trade-in vehicle information.
Buyers can pick up their vehicle at a dealership, or have it delivered to their home or work.
Group 1 owns and operates 181 dealerships, 233 franchises and 47 collision centers in the U.S., United Kingdom and Brazil.
The company posted 2018 net income of $157.8 million on revenue of $11.6 billion. Net income was down 26 percent from the prior year while revenue rose 4.3 percent.
