Ford is planning to introduce online sales in the UK, joining the likes of Hyundai and Peugeot/Citroen by offering British customers a web-based click-to-buy-type service.
Speaking to Auto Express at the Geneva Motor Show, Ford UK boss Andy Barratt said: “We are working on that [online sales], we’re very advanced on that, and you’re going to see a number of announcements in that retail space very soon.”
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Barratt declined to explain how broad Ford’s initial online offering will be, although claimed that the company was readying “interesting innovations” in the online retail space.
Hyundai recently announced plans to expand its online ‘Click to Buy’ to include every model in the Korean firm’s lineup by April at the latest.
Explaining Ford’s pitch for internet sales, Barratt said: “Online gives you an appeal to a different customer.
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“What it does is give you better reach into customers that are savvy buyers… I think it extends that reach, and doesn’t eliminate the dealership model”.
“The dealership model will change, for sure, over a long period of time because changing powertrains and electrification bring different demands and different ownership cycles, but the dealers are geared up for that. The dealership is not going to disappear from our streets any time soon”.
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