Car dealership websites are some of the worst on the planet. There is so much inbound sales automation glued together it is remarkable they even work at all. Integrating ChatGPT is the icing on the cake.
My favorite is what I call the “design to disappointment” flow. “Design your new BMW here!” You put in all features you want, it generates a configuration, and then you put in your zip code so it can tell you “Oops! That configuration isn’t available, give us your contact information so we can have a dealership tell you what they have in stock.”
To be fair, it probably isn't available in that exact build configuration. You can however, walk into a dealership and say I'd like a BMW with XYZ and the will submit your order and you'll receive it 4-6 months later. The cars on the lot have popular build configs that customers often request.
Tesla customization is limited to paint color, wheels, battery capacity, and your choice of 2 interior colors.
For comparison, BMW's models (electric and ICE) offer more paint options, more wheel options, 4x as many interior color/upholstery options, 6 interior trim options, and multiple add-on packages.
Yes, it takes longer, because when you customize your BMW (or any other non-Tesla automaker's cars) you can actually customize it to your preferences, and the customized interior is what can take a few months because BMW (or whichever automaker you went with) is actually building your car based on your customizations, and if you select an uncommon interior/trim/package combination, it can take some time to get to the front of the queue.
You get your Tesla in a week because you're not actually customizing anything. You're just getting whatever Tesla already built.
And if you want a non-customized car and getting it quickly is a priority, you can just go to your nearest car dealership and get a new car in an hour, and whatever that new car is will have better build quality and range then your Tesla. And with Tesla's recent price cuts killing the used Tesla market, your non-Tesla will also have better resale value when it comes time for your next car.
It’s not about the time it takes to build the car. It’s about the fact that I can’t start and end the purchase in a single session, even though the purchase flow mimics the purchase flow of other online goods.
If BMW let me configure a BMW, put down a deposit, and provided me with a delivery estimate, I’d do it. In a heartbeat. But I can’t.
Imagine if Amazon worked this way. You do a search for a new backpack. You get to the page with the backpack you want. You select the size, color, number of pockets, everything. You add it to your cart. Then when you go to pay, Amazon puts up a screen that says “Thanks! Give us your phone number and someone will get back to you. Or, just visit your local BackpackMart and show them the configuration you want.” Hell no! Amazon has perfected the frictionless checkout. Car markers haven’t, because they’re stuck with these worthless middlemen who provide no value to the process whatsoever.
The fact is, I don’t really even want to customize my car down to the stitching. I just do it because the interface on the website makes me do it.
It obviously has to do with the long history of auto manufacturers, franchise stores and the laws around who can sell a vehicle. Not many people agree with that set up (other than the manufacturer and the dealer) but that's the way it is.
The trade off though is that there are many more traditional auto dealerships then there are Tesla dealerships. In my province (Alberta), there are 2 Tesla dealerships. Within a 40 km drive of my house, there are 12 GM dealerships! So a lot more competition for my business both for purchasing and repairs. As I understand, if you need repair for your Tesla and can't drive it to a dealership, they will come pick it up. What if you live in Grand Prairie Alberta, a 4.5 hour drive to the nearest Tesla shop. Do you just have to live without a vehicle for 3 days while they complete a minor repair? Not all repairs can be done remotely or on site.
Tesla's ordering process is simpler (granted, so is their options list), but my test drive process was obnoxious. There was a very strong feeling of them only caring about people physically present with their wallet out.
As a car buying customer, I care about four things:
(1) Getting the car I want
(2) at a price I think is fair
(3) as quickly as possible
(4) with little effort on my part.
The manufacturer or dealer’s inventory does not concern me. The number of configurations does not concern me. If the manufacturer has exactly one car and it is what I want and they will sell it to me for a price I think
is fair and will deliver it in a timely manner and won’t waste my time, then I will buy that car.
Traditional dealerships fail on all these aspects. They don’t have the car I want, they tack on fees that are bullshit, they take forever (last time I bought a Toyota it took five hours. Five. I walked in at 2pm on a Saturday and barely made a 7:30pm dinner reservation), and they make me do a bunch of work that I don’t want to do.
I opened my web browser to spend $70,000 and only one company was able to take my money.
The dark pattern is that car dealership websites, and even car manufacturer sites (looking at you Ford) will drag you through an intricate design process only to land you on a form that will say "Thank you for customizing your dream car! We've sent your request to <salesperson> at <your nearest dealership>, they will call you" and it's completely disingenuous.
They gate these processes with lots of contact/lead gen questions so that you will get absolutely rekt with text messages, emails and phonecalls which adds insult to injury.
They have to put you to a dealership because Ford et al don't actually sell cars, a franchisee does. It's the same reason you can't go order a Big Mac on McDonalds.com. Also, if you are customizing a car, a dealer has to put in that order. Agree with it or not, that's just the way it works.
