Four days ago, on December 10, 2024, Amazon announced a significant expansion into automotive retail, enabling customers in 48 U.S. cities to purchase new Hyundai vehicles directly through its platform. According to the announcement, the new Amazon Autos service introduces a digital-first approach to car buying, integrating financing, trade-ins, and dealership pickup into the familiar Amazon shopping interface.
Fan Jin, global head of Amazon Autos, stated that the initiative aims to redesign car shopping by making it more transparent and convenient. The service marks Amazon's first direct entry into new vehicle sales, with Hyundai serving as the exclusive launch partner.
The program's geographical footprint spans major metropolitan areas across the United States, including Seattle, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, and Miami. According to the announcement, customers in these markets can access the service through amazon.com/autos, the Amazon mobile app, or by searching "Amazon Autos" on the main site.
The digital purchasing process incorporates several key features. According to the announcement, customers can browse available inventory from local participating Hyundai dealers, with search functionality allowing filtering by model, trim, color, and specific features. The platform provides upfront pricing that includes all taxes and fees, eliminating traditional price negotiation processes.
Steven Suh, general sales manager of South Bay Hyundai, described the program's impact on dealership operations. According to Suh, the platform allows dealerships to showcase their inventory to Amazon's substantial user base while maintaining pricing transparency.
The service integrates trade-in valuations through an independent third-party system. Customers can receive firm trade-in values by providing information about their current vehicle's condition, with the amount directly applicable to their new car purchase. The physical exchange occurs during the new vehicle pickup at the dealership.
Amazon Autos maintains the company's established e-commerce framework, incorporating familiar elements such as customer reviews, dealership ratings, shopping cart functionality, and standardized checkout procedures. The implementation preserves the traditional dealer-customer relationship for vehicle delivery and subsequent service needs.
The program currently operates in diverse markets including Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Birmingham, Boston, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Nashville, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland, Providence, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, Tampa, and Washington D.C., among others.
Looking ahead, Amazon has announced plans to expand the program in 2025. These expansions include adding more automotive brands beyond Hyundai, introducing leasing options, expanding financing alternatives, and increasing the number of participating U.S. cities.
For participating dealers, the platform represents a new sales channel that connects them with Amazon's customer base. The service streamlines the initial purchase steps online, allowing dealerships to focus on delivery and relationship-building during the pickup process.
The platform's financing options integrate directly into the checkout process, with credit applications receiving responses within 90 seconds of submission to the dealership. Customers can also opt to pay in full for their vehicle purchase.
Additional services available through the platform include optional protection products such as extended warranties, gap insurance, and maintenance plans. These supplementary offerings can be added during the online purchase process.
This move into automotive retail represents Amazon's latest expansion into high-value consumer purchases. The company emphasized that the program remains in its early stages, with ongoing collection of customer and dealer feedback to guide future development and refinement of the service.
For comprehensive information about availability and detailed process steps, interested customers can access the Amazon Autos Help section on the company's website. The current implementation focuses exclusively on new Hyundai vehicles, with used vehicles and other manufacturers planned for future integration into the platform.