FRANKFURT, Germany — Struggling automaker Adam Opel AG, the German subsidiary of General Motors Corp., will begin selling cars at a discount over the Internet in an effort to pump up sales and freshen its image.
The pilot program will run through July 31 and offer a select range of autos at prices up to 11 percent cheaper than on the showroom floor.
The move is part of a push by some automakers, including Ford Motor Co. and GM's British subsidiary Vauxhall, to slash costs by taking car orders online.
Similar test programs elsewhere have been hindered by delivery delays and the simple fact that people like to test drive a vehicle before they buy. Studies have shown most customers use the Internet to inform themselves about a vehicle before they buy, rather than place orders online.
Even Opel management board member Andrej Barcak tried to quell big expectations for his company's project, saying it expects to sell only between 250 and 300 autos during the pilot stage.
Opel will sell six different models over the Internet in a price range between 16,900 marks and 45,900 marks ($8,100 and $22,000).
Under the online sales plan, customers ordering cars will have to pay a 100 mark ($48) reservation fee that is reimbursed when the sale goes through. After placing the online order, a salesperson then calls up the customer to arrange a test drive and meeting with a dealer.
Opel posted a loss of 835 million marks ($401 million) last year, as the company was dogged by an aging line of models that lost popularity with customers. Chairman Robert Hendry later announced he would resign.