Now Test Drive Ford Cars from Alibaba’s Tmall Auto Vending Machine [Video]

Tmall has unveiled its “Super Test-Drive Center" in Guangzhou with over 100 Ford cars available for Chinese consumers to select from. From March 26 till April 23, consumers can sign up on the Tmall or Taobao mobile APP, pick up the selected car through an unmanned car vending machine in the Center, and get a 3-day test drive for full experience of the vehicle before they decide to make the purchase.

The car vending machine is exclusively offering Ford models including the brand’s Explorer SUV, Mustang and Escort. The whole vending machine visit lasts no more than 10 minutes. Once a Ford vehicle is chosen, consumers snap a selfie to ensure they are only person who can take the car from the center, put down a deposit electronically and schedule a pick-up time, all from within the app.

Consumers can simply take out another car if they are not totally satisfied. Each consumer can test-drive two vehicles provided they are different models. If they decide to make the purchase after the test drive, they can visit Ford’s offline 4S stores to pay the remaining balance after paying the deposit on Tmall.

Gu Wanguo, General Manager of Vehicles at Tmall Auto, said the auto vending machine is an important step in Alibaba's New Retail push. "By leveraging Alibaba's data intelligence and technologies, the auto vending machine and super drive test services can enable auto brand owners and distributors better serve their customers."

In December last year, Alibaba inked an agreement with Ford Motor to explore ways to leverage mobility and redefine the automotive ownership experience in China. The partnership on the new Tmall “Super Test-Drive Center" in Guangzhou marks an important step towards a buying experience that fully integrates the best of the online and physical worlds for Chinese consumers.

Alibaba also revealed plans to build similar auto vending machines in Beijing and Hangzhou, while continue exploring collaboration opportunities with Ford in cloud computing, digital marketing, as well as in-car operating systems with AliOS, Alibaba’s IoT operating-system developer.

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