Home Car Shopping
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Written by Steve R. Lowry
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Tuesday, 17 February 2009 |
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WOULD YOU BUY a used car via TV? We couldn't imagine Americans doing so when we first wrote about Aucnet, Japan's highly successful used car auctioneer that operates via an interactive TV system (Dec. 7, 1992). The Japanese car dealers who buy from Aucnet terminals can count on a rigorous national inspection system to get an idea of what they're buying. Since the U.S. lacks such a system of uniform inspections, we figured interactive auctions wouldn't fly here.
Guess what? Since September, Aucnet's Atlanta-based subsidiary has sold over 2,300 used cars in twice-weekly U.S. auctions. It has tackled the confidence problem by inspecting and grading cars itself. Most Aucnet customers are Mitsubishi dealers, who spend about 35 seconds haggling over each car, versus the days it can take to attend a regional auction. "Dealers can control inventories better -- with our weekly auctions than with infrequent on-site auctions," says Yuko Oana, Aucnet USA president.
Aucnet aims to expand by running auctions for fleet owners and individual dealerships. Toyota's Lexus division began holding its own satellite auctions for U.S. dealers last July.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 17 February 2009 )
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