VW Wants to Sell Cars in Five Clicks

Volkswagen was looking towards the future in LA this week, shining a light on what’s coming in terms of sales. Taking a page out of Amazon’s book, the company wants to simplify the shopping experience to remove all barriers to sales.

That means new buying experiences online and at the mall, as well as a simpler way to buy vehicles. Said in the context of the I.D. family of vehicles, the buying process would be simplified down to five clicks.

First, you would choose the model. Perhaps alarmingly, VW wants to take away door count options and trim levels in the name of simplicity.

Second, you choose the power. Although this could apply to power output, VW’s head of sales and marketing, Jürgen Stackmann, said Tuesday that he expects range to be the more important selling feature.

Third, you choose the color. That one pretty much speaks for itself, but along with the rest of the industry, VW is interested in offering two-tone paint jobs, so I guess that could become two clicks if you’re not careful.

Fourth, you choose accessories. Whether you want a glass roof or not, inductive charging capability, a heads up display and all the other features that require a physical change to the car.

And finally, you choose your software. This will be the apps you use, and that might include driving aids, like Lane Keep Assist. If you opt out during the purchase of the vehicle, though, don’t worry, because VW wants to offer over-the-air software updates to users.

Through a digital VW app store called We by VW, the apps will always be available to you, and with the option to buy test them out for free, so you can decide if you like Lane Keep Assist before buying it.

The idea boils down to: “Be Simple,” said Stackmann. “Which is tough, because we like complexity […] But we have to keep complexity behind the curtain.”

Volkswagen is quick to add that it hasn’t given up on the traditional dealer network but is looking to keep up with the times.

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