FCA Dealers Embrace Online Retailing Experience

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May 01, 2020, 09:45 ET

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., May 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --

More than one-third of FCA U.S. dealers now using Online Retailing Experience (ORE) to sell vehicles
More than 90 percent of U.S. dealer network has implemented web-based tools to sell cars and trucks
Online tools generating about 20 percent of new sales leads

More than one-third of FCA U.S. dealers and all of the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep®, FIAT and Alfa Romeo brand websites are now giving consumers the option to shop and purchase new vehicles in the comfort of their own homes through the Online Retailing Experience (ORE).

ORE – launched a month ago – has been implemented by 1,000 dealers stretching from Maine to California. Based on the quick adoption of ORE, more than 90% of the FCA U.S. dealer network now uses web-based tools to sell cars and trucks via the Internet.

"We accelerated the introduction of ORE to help our dealers who were hampered by state mandates to shut down their new vehicle sales operations and showrooms amid the COVID-19 outbreak," U.S. Head of Sales Jeff Kommor said. "The response has been phenomenal. Dealers are reaching new consumers while developing a different set of customer-relations skills since many of the transactions are now being completed in a customer's driveway rather than showroom."

Kommor estimates about 20 percent of new sales leads now come from online retailing compared with about 1 percent a year earlier.

"ORE and other third-party applications have proven to be robust, reliable and trustworthy," Kommor said. "It has been a journey, but we have finally reached that point where customers and dealers alike have embraced buying and selling vehicles through cyberspace."

FCA developed ORE as a one-stop platform to help dealers handle the entire purchase process from trade-in to final signatures. ORE is accessible through the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, FIAT and Alfa Romeo websites, participating dealer sites and a variety of social media applications. Customers simply click on the link to begin the process.

How it works:

Customers select a make and model from a brand website.
Once a choice is made, the transaction seamlessly moves to the corresponding dealership offering the selection.
Different features allow customers to determine trade-in value for their older vehicle, financing and incentive availability.
Customers are provided a total cost which is also broken into monthly payment estimates.
The credit application, title, loan and all other paperwork is completed online using e-signature technology.
The new vehicle is delivered and the trade-in is taken away.

"We recently sold a new Jeep to a woman who lives 65 miles away from the dealership," said Garrett Guest, vice president of South Oak Jeep Dodge Chrysler Ram based in Matteson, Illinois. "We are connecting with our customer base that is engaged and excited about buying online."

Kommor added that he expects the number of participating dealers to continue to grow over the next few months.

"We are only at the beginning of what can be accomplished with ORE," Kommor said.

About FCA US LLC
FCA US LLC is a North American automaker based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It designs, manufactures, and sells or distributes vehicles under the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep®, Ram, FIAT and Alfa Romeo brands, as well as the SRT performance designation. The Company also distributes Mopar and Alfa Romeo parts and accessories. FCA US is building upon the historic foundations of Chrysler Corp., established in 1925 by industry visionary Walter P. Chrysler and Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino (F.I.A.T.), founded in Italy in 1899 by pioneering entrepreneurs, including Giovanni Agnelli. FCA US is a member of the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (FCA) family of companies. (NYSE: FCAU/ MTA: FCA).

FCA is an international automotive group listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "FCAU" and on the Mercato Telematico Azionario under the symbol "FCA."

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