GM Launches Online Used Car Marketplace

GM is rolling out an online marketplace for used cars, taking on digital-only competitors like Vroom and Carvana that saw their sites’ popularity soar during the pandemic.

CarBravo is expected to launch this summer and will sell GM and other car brands that are available from participating dealerships. Customers can shop online only and have vehicles delivered or combine the digital shopping experience with an in-person visit to a dealership.

“CarBravo will give customers more choice and access to shop significantly expanded inventories of both the dealer and a national central stock of GM used vehicles,” Steve Carlisle, GM executive vice president and president of GM North America, said in a press release on Wednesday (Jan. 12).

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“Importantly, the program features will also be offered on non-GM used vehicles. CarBravo is designed to provide customers the convenience to shop how they want, where they want – online, at the dealership or both,” Carlisle added.

CarBravo will feature GM’s new digital retail platform (DRP) that offers a seamless shopping interface with transparent dealer pricing, vehicle history reports and 360-degree views of the vehicle. All cars sold through the site will be inspected and reconditioned. GM will also buy people’s vehicles even if they don’t shop on the site. Car sellers can get a guaranteed online offer based on the industry-standard Black Book.

“Used vehicles are a significant part of our business,” said Todd Ingersoll, dealer principal of Ingersoll Automotive in Danbury, Connecticut, whose dealership participated in the CarBravo pilot.

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GM anticipates that the majority of its 3,800 Chevrolet, Buick and GMC dealers will sign on. GM’s Cadillac is launching its own tool for used cars, the Wall Street Journal reported.

“What they have set out to do is difficult,” CarMax marketing chief Jim Lyski told the WSJ regarding GM’s announcement. “As we’ve seen at CarMax, it will be rewarding if they accomplish it. CarMax will continue to lead the industry.”