buyatoyota.com Launches in the Northwest
19 April 2000
buyatoyota.com Launches in the Northwest Retail Site Partners Local Toyota Dealer Advertising
Association with Manufacturer
SEATTLE, April 19 Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. (TMS)
today announced the roll out of an internet retailing test program in the
western Washington (Seattle, Tacoma) area. The on-line test retail model
(http://www.buyatoyota.com) partners the Western Washington Toyota Dealer Advertising
Association (WW TDA) with the manufacturer.
The joint test program is a retail-oriented site designed to provide a
convenient sales process for "ready to buy" shoppers. It will give car buyers
online purchase tools to plan and initiate a purchase or lease transaction
with any one of the nineteen western Washington Toyota dealers.
This site complements the existing http://www.toyota.com site which functions as
a comprehensive "brand" site where online shoppers use the Shop@Toyota section
to conduct comprehensive product and services research.
"As independent e-retailing dot-com concepts come and go -- we're
convinced the best automotive dot-com is the dealer", said J. Davis
Illingworth, senior vice president planning and development, TMS. "With this
new model, we are able to leverage the strength of our dealer network in the
physical world with the best the online world can offer."
"We believe that this comprehensive approach will result in an exceptional
and convenient sales experience for every Toyota customer no matter how they
prefer to buy a car," he added.
Following extensive research and planning, buyatoyota.com combines the
benefits of Internet technology with value-added dealer services that cannot
be readily duplicated by third-party referral services or brokers. A number
of design elements include:
-- Availability status on new and used vehicles throughout the nineteen
Toyota dealers in western Washington
-- Current regional incentive programs
-- Complete new vehicle pricing including factory MSRP, dealer price
quotes, and dealer invoice
-- An online dealer finance application
-- Online trade-in vehicle estimates from Kelley Blue Book
-- A dedicated call center to respond to all initial purchase inquiries
with a one-hour e-mail response time between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m., seven
days a week.
-- Online help chat that provides real-time assistance to site users
24-hours a day seven days a week.
-- A "saved search" function that allows customers to save new vehicle
searches and track availability updates.
The Western Washington Dealer Advertising Association is one of
seventy-six Toyota dealer groups across the country created to handle local
marketing activities. Toyota is one of the few automotive manufacturers that
is committed to a regional network of dealers to assess and direct regional
advertising efforts. They are best suited to address specific market
conditions.
If the test shows positive results, Toyota will look to share the site
name in other markets across the United States. To accommodate the unique
nature of each market area, the site was developed with a flexible design to
tailor the program to meet regional market needs. By entering a local zip
code, users across the county will be able to access their local version of
the site.
"Toyota has worked hand-in-hand with the Dealer Association in Western
Washington to create an online retail model which will serve as a benchmark
for the industry," said Bob Bridge, president of the Western Washington TDA.
"Our customers will ultimately be the big winners. With the click of a
mouse, customers will have access to detailed research tools, product pricing
information and an expedient, hassle-free car-buying experience," added
Bridge.
With the successful implementation of this internet test model in Western
Washington, Toyota hopes to begin rolling out tailored versions of
http://www.buyatoyota.com to fit the needs of every market throughout the country
starting in the summer of 2000.
