Ford Planning to Use Software to Transform Car Buying Experience

Ford Motor is coming up with software that can transform the entire car purchase process. No one really enjoys wasting their time on going to a car showroom and listening to the jargon spouted by the salespeople, some which they themselves don’t understand. Financing a vehicle appears to be even more complicated.

Ford has collaborated with San Francisco tech company named AutoFi that has developed a new platform to simplify the entire process. The platform can be used by customers to buy and finance a Ford vehicle online through the dealer website using a smart device like a tablet, mobile phone or a computer. Once the online purchase has been completed, all the customer has to do is go to the dealer to finalize the paperwork and collect the vehicle.

According to Ford, customers end up getting the best of both worlds, they get a chance to see the vehicle before they sign the paperwork and still get to spend less time at the dealership as the entire research, price negotiation and financing is completed online.

With digital technology advancing at a rapid pace, more and more automakers are likely to adopt this model on a global basis. There have been many mobility related startups like Uber, Careem and Tesla. It was only a matter of time before conventional automakers entered the scene.

The first Ford online platform will be available at Ohio dealerships, after which it will be rolled at Ford and Lincoln dealerships around the U.S. Ford has not revealed yet a timeline for introduction of the model in other parts of the world. Ford Credit also made an investment in AutoFi.