For a century or so, the shopping ritual at dealer showrooms for new and used vehicles hasn't changed much, apart from more comfortable chairs and the addition of latte machines.

一個(gè)世紀(jì)以來(lái)，在經(jīng)銷(xiāo)商的展廳里購(gòu)買(mǎi)新車(chē)或二手車(chē)的程序基本上沒(méi)有什么變化，只是多了一些舒服的椅子和咖啡機(jī)什么的。

But the Internet is unraveling the essence of new-car retailing, arming shoppers with more information than ever about features and prices, as well as expert reviews. Will shoppers soon be able to take the next step and order new cars online, like books, laptops and shoes?

但互聯(lián)網(wǎng)正在解構(gòu)新車(chē)銷(xiāo)售的本質(zhì)，它讓消費(fèi)者了解到更多有關(guān)汽車(chē)性能和價(jià)格的信息，同時(shí)還有專(zhuān)家的評(píng)測(cè)與看法。那么，不久的將來(lái)，消費(fèi)者是否會(huì)像買(mǎi)書(shū)、買(mǎi)鞋、買(mǎi)筆記本電腦一樣，開(kāi)始在網(wǎng)上訂購(gòu)汽車(chē)呢？

The debate over Internet vehicle sales rages, since automakers see it as a way to slash distribution costs by hundreds, and perhaps a few thousand dollars per vehicle. Dealers are aghast: They have shielded their franchises in every state with legislation. Many view Internet sales as a means of undermining them. Dealers assert that "cars aren't books or shoes" and are best sold in person by their sales staff, a process that allows the shopper to test the vehicle, as well as explore financing and trade-ins.

關(guān)于汽車(chē)能否在互聯(lián)網(wǎng)上銷(xiāo)售的爭(zhēng)論已然十分激烈。汽車(chē)廠商們認(rèn)為，網(wǎng)上賣(mài)車(chē)可以大幅降低渠道成本，光是賣(mài)一輛車(chē)的渠道成本就可減少幾百、甚至幾千美元。而經(jīng)銷(xiāo)商們則驚慌失措，他們已經(jīng)在美國(guó)的各個(gè)州通過(guò)法律鞏固了自己的經(jīng)營(yíng)權(quán)，許多經(jīng)銷(xiāo)商認(rèn)為網(wǎng)上售車(chē)會(huì)對(duì)他們的業(yè)務(wù)造成嚴(yán)重?fù)p害。他們堅(jiān)稱“汽車(chē)不是書(shū)也不是鞋”，最好還是通過(guò)與銷(xiāo)售員面對(duì)面溝通的方式來(lái)購(gòu)車(chē)，因?yàn)橄�費(fèi)者可以通過(guò)這個(gè)環(huán)節(jié)試駕車(chē)輛，同時(shí)辦妥貸款和打折等有關(guān)的事宜。

Tesla Motors (TSLA), the groundbreaking electric-vehicle manufacturer founded by Elon Musk, takes orders for its Model S sedan, which starts at $70, 000, on its website. The cars are delivered either at one of its 30 company-owned stores or can be drop-shipped to a buyer's home. Tesla, clearly, is bucking law and tradition. "In Texas, where the law precludes delivering directly to customers, we do so through third-parties, " said Shanna Hendriks, a Tesla spokesperson. "We're not saying we'll never have dealers; but that model doesn't make sense for us now.

由艾倫•馬斯科投資的電動(dòng)汽車(chē)制造商特斯拉汽車(chē)公司（Tesla Motors）已經(jīng)開(kāi)始在官網(wǎng)上接受Model S的訂單了，這款車(chē)型的起價(jià)為7萬(wàn)美元。這些車(chē)輛既可以運(yùn)到這家公司擁有的30家商店里，也可以直接運(yùn)到消費(fèi)者的家門(mén)口。顯然特斯拉并不怕挑戰(zhàn)法律和傳統(tǒng)。特斯拉公司的發(fā)言人莎娜•亨德里克斯說(shuō)：“德克薩斯州的法律禁止廠商把汽車(chē)直接運(yùn)到消費(fèi)者家里，所以我們是通過(guò)第三方這樣做的。我們并不是說(shuō)我們永遠(yuǎn)都不需要經(jīng)銷(xiāo)商，但就眼下來(lái)說(shuō)，那種模式對(duì)我們沒(méi)有意義�！�

Seth Berkowitz, president and chief operating officer of Edmunds.com, said "the current franchise system makes it difficult to imagine a time when consumers can order new cars online completely separate from a specific showroom experience." Berkowitz said Edmunds is offering a feature that would allow shoppers to know exactly what a specific car will cost before they come to the dealership.

汽車(chē)網(wǎng)站Edmunds.com的總裁兼首席運(yùn)營(yíng)官塞斯•伯克維茨指出：“在目前的特許經(jīng)營(yíng)體系下，很難想象一旦消費(fèi)者完全脫離了經(jīng)銷(xiāo)商的展廳，轉(zhuǎn)而在網(wǎng)上訂購(gòu)汽車(chē)會(huì)是什么情形�！辈�克維茨表示，Edmunds.com打算提供一項(xiàng)新功能，告訴消費(fèi)者一款車(chē)型在到達(dá)經(jīng)銷(xiāo)商展廳之前的成本是多少。

Because the market for used cars isn't protected by new-car franchise laws, it may provide a more promising opportunity for online vehicle sales. eBay Motors, a division of eBay (EBAY), offers thousands of vehicles online for sales between private parties. Many used-car dealers also use the digital platform and pay a listing fee.

由于二手車(chē)市場(chǎng)不受新車(chē)特許經(jīng)營(yíng)法保護(hù)，因此這個(gè)領(lǐng)域?qū)τ谠诰�賣(mài)車(chē)來(lái)說(shuō)可能更有前景。比如eBay旗下的eBay Motors就在網(wǎng)絡(luò)上發(fā)布了成千上萬(wàn)輛車(chē)型信息，方便私人進(jìn)行二手車(chē)交易。很多二手車(chē)經(jīng)銷(xiāo)商也利用這個(gè)數(shù)碼平臺(tái)進(jìn)行交易，而且還要支付一定的展示費(fèi)用。

Carvana, a venture sponsored by DriveTime, one of the nation's largest used-car operations, has begun selling late-model used premium and luxury models on its own website. Carvana operates for the time being only in Atlanta and its environs but hopes to expand nationwide. "What we've learned from our early experience is that shoppers like our on-line tools and money-back guarantee, " said Ernie Garcia Jr., Carvana's chief executive officer. Barely in business for eight months, Carvana declines to specify how many vehicles it has sold, except to say that the rate is accelerating.

Carvana是美國(guó)最大的二手車(chē)交易商之一DriveTime投資的一家公司，已經(jīng)開(kāi)始在自己的網(wǎng)上銷(xiāo)售最新款的二手豪車(chē)和高端車(chē)型了。目前Carvana的業(yè)務(wù)還僅限于亞特蘭大及周邊地區(qū)，但它希望盡快將業(yè)務(wù)擴(kuò)展到全美。公司CEO 小歐尼•加西尼說(shuō)：“我們從早期的經(jīng)驗(yàn)中了解到，消費(fèi)者喜歡我們的在線工具和金融擔(dān)保。”目前這家公司的業(yè)務(wù)剛剛開(kāi)展8個(gè)月，不過(guò)它沒(méi)有透露已經(jīng)售出了多少輛二手車(chē)，只是說(shuō)銷(xiāo)售速度正在加速。

Garcia did say that the first hundred vehicles sold by Carvana reflect what he called a "promising" trend of high satisfaction among buyers. Four buyers of the first hundred weren't satisfied with their purchase and exercised their right to trade the vehicles they bought for another. Only one of the hundred demanded a refund.

加西亞介紹，Carvana公司首批賣(mài)出的100輛二手車(chē)在客戶中的滿意度很高，預(yù)示了光明的前景。這100個(gè)客戶中，只有4個(gè)人對(duì)他們購(gòu)買(mǎi)的車(chē)輛不滿意，而且行使了換車(chē)的權(quán)利，另外只有1名客戶要求退車(chē)返款。

Garcia said that sales of new and used vehicles at dealerships, in the conventional manner, reflect about "$2, 000 a car" in sales, general and administrative cost. He regards that amount as margin that can and will eventually shrink as online attracts more vehicle shoppers.

加西亞表示，在傳統(tǒng)的銷(xiāo)售方式下，無(wú)論是賣(mài)新車(chē)還是舊車(chē)，每輛的銷(xiāo)售成本、一般成本與管理成本加起來(lái)，都高達(dá)2,000美元左右。他認(rèn)為，隨著網(wǎng)絡(luò)售車(chē)的模式吸引更多的消費(fèi)者，這部分金額最終會(huì)縮水，轉(zhuǎn)化成利潤(rùn)。

Jeff Jones, Internet director for Al Serra Auto Plaza, a new-car dealer in Grand Blanc, Michigan, said his company is cooperating in an on-line pilot program with General Motors (GM). Visitors to GM websites can "build" a vehicle and equipment online -- the last step, the transaction, takes place at the dealership. "It still takes a human element to make sure the customer is eligible for financing and to see if the customer is choosing the right vehicle for him or her, " said Jones.

密歇根州大布蘭克市的Al Serra Auto Plaza汽車(chē)行的網(wǎng)絡(luò)總監(jiān)杰夫•瓊斯表示，他的公司正在與通用汽車(chē)公司（General Motors）合作進(jìn)行一項(xiàng)試點(diǎn)項(xiàng)目。用戶可以訪問(wèn)通用官網(wǎng)來(lái)在線“制造”一輛車(chē)及其相關(guān)配置，但最后一步、也就是交易的過(guò)程仍然在經(jīng)銷(xiāo)商的門(mén)店里進(jìn)行。他說(shuō)：“要確保購(gòu)車(chē)者的確具有貸款的資格，以及他是否選擇了適合他的車(chē)型，人的因素仍然是必要的。”

New-vehicle sales online haven't arrived, and perhaps may never. Yet that day feels as though it's drawing closer, especially for consumers who will choose anything and everything -- including a spouse -- using keypad or mouse.

新車(chē)的在線銷(xiāo)售雖然還沒(méi)有成為現(xiàn)實(shí)，而且說(shuō)不定永遠(yuǎn)都將是紙上談兵，但是給我們的感覺(jué)卻是這一天已經(jīng)離我們?cè)絹?lái)越近了。特別是有些消費(fèi)者已經(jīng)習(xí)慣了用鼠標(biāo)和鍵盤(pán)挑選和購(gòu)買(mǎi)一切東西，甚至包括挑選自己的人生伴侶。