Ford will cooperate with Ali to sell cars through vending machines

According to media reports, Ford Motor Co is expected to sign an agreement with Alibaba this week to allow the American automaker to use Alibaba’s online retail platform Tmall and a new “auto vending machine” (Auto vending machine) store concept, testing the sale of cars to Chinese consumers. The news was revealed by Ford Motor Company insiders who are familiar with this matter. Representatives of Ford Motor and Alibaba are expected to sign a letter of intent in Hangzhou on Thursday, describing the scope of the new partnership between the two parties. Ford representatives include the company's executive chairman Bill Ford (Bill Ford Jr.) and CEO Jim Hackett (Jim Hackett). According to the source, the purpose of the transaction is to allow the American automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, to strengthen its position in the emerging market of China and allow more cars to be sold online. The person who disclosed the news was unwilling to disclose his identity because he was not authorized to publish the news. In recent months, Ford's growth has been weak. This cooperative relationship between the two parties will be an integral part of Ford Motor Company's efforts to adjust its strategy in China to restore growth momentum. Ford Motor Company's global chief spokesperson Mark Truby (Mark Truby) said that it is expected that the company will be released on Thursday in Hangzhou, where Alibaba is located. However, the spokesperson declined to give details. In response to the above news, Alibaba spokeswoman Crystal Liu declined to comment. The source said that this proposal may mean that the car purchased online will be delivered to the buyer by a licensed Ford retail store, and they will be responsible for after-sales maintenance and repair. However, Ford may also use Tmall’s new retail concept called “Automotive Vending Machine”—a multi-storey parking garage that seems to be a giant vending machine—to sell directly to consumers. . These cars come directly from Ford Motor Company, or from dealers. However, the source said, the details of which have to wait for the official release of the news. According to Alibaba, consumers can use their mobile phones to browse the cars in the store's garage, choose to either buy them immediately or test drive them, and the cars will be delivered from the ground floor after confirmation. This model allows buyers with a good reputation to purchase the new car they want with a 10% down payment, and then pay the arrears in monthly installments for the car they bought through Alipay, a subsidiary of Alibaba. The source said that Ford Motor Company believes that dealers may agree to this direct retail model because they still have to provide services to the cars sold through Tmall. Ford Motor Company uses big data to monitor sales trends and effectively market its cars, online sales and use Tmall vending machine retail new concepts and a huge consumer information database will help the company catch up. The above information is provided by the vending machine. Please mark the reprint