Italian car giant Fiat has unveiled the ultimate online car dealership, where car buyers and enthusiasts can experience an entirely virtual showroom on the company’s website fiat.co.uk
Fiat UK, with the aid of leading internet agency AKQA, developed the new virtual showroom, which is being described as marking a revolution in the way the company makes its sales and is expected to sell around 10,000 new cars each year.
The showroom features 360-degree renderings of each model in the Fiat range, plus full specifications and an advanced car configurator, and is intended to smooth out the process of buying a new vehicle .
The process works by customers choosing the exact type, colour and specification of their car, and then passing on these details to a local showroom to finalise the deal . Test drives can also be booked through the site, and there’s even a chat function that allows potential customers to receive answers to any questions they may have.
In addition, technical help is on hand for existing owners, while a forum lets Fiat fans discuss the arrival of new models such as the hotly anticipated Fiat 500.
Giulio Salamone, Fiat UK’s managing director said that although the new online service is currently only focused on British sales, the company "would like to see the website adopted right across Europe" in the future.
Online car buyers will still need to visit a Fiat dealer in order to: make their payments, collect their order and to have their car serviced.
