BMW’s direct sales plans are meeting resistance from dealers with weekly magazine Wirtschaftswoche quoting one unnamed dealer as saying the company had pledged at least temporarily not to use the sales force in Germany.
BMW sales chief Roland Krueger told the magazine the automaker is looking to the Internet and even house calls by BMW sales personnel to boost future turnover.
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Door to door sales techniques were used for years by dealers in Japan with many customers buying cars from a catalogue without taking a test drive.
“We can well imagine that internet sales could be expanded to all models,” Krueger told the weekly, according to Reuters.
The carmaker has announced pricing of its i3 electric car, to be unveiled to the public on 29 July, via the web.
BMW’s “Mobile Sales Force” will also be able to visit clients at home, Krueger said.
“The expectations and needs of our clients are changing and we want to meet those requirements,” he added.
The magazine quoted Krueger as saying in response to retailer concerns that dealers would remain the backbone of sales.
