Will a Chinese or Indian automaker scrap the traditional dealer model?
 

<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/carbuying/" rel="tag">Car Buying</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/china/" rel="tag">China</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/india/" rel="tag">India</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/tata/" rel="tag">Tata</a></p><a href="http://green.autoblog.com/gallery/detroit-2010-byd-e6/#3"><img hspace="0" vspace="4" border="1" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/01/630byd.jpg" alt="" /></a>
<div style="text-align: center;"><strong><em><sma ll>BYD E6 - Click above for high-res image gallery</small></em></strong></div>
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With the possible exception of a trip to the dentist, visiting a car dealership is the least pleasant activity in which we participate. Unless you walk in with mound of cash, you can be sure that using their cruel <a href="http://consumerist.com/2007/03/dealerships-rip-you-off-with-the-four-square-heres-how-to-beat-it.html">four square method</a>, U.S. dealers have a quadrangled plan of attack to bend you over. But what if it wasn't like that?<br />
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China's <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/tag/byd">BYD</a> (known colloquially as Build Your Dreams) will <a href="http://green.autoblog.com/2010/01/12/detroit-2010-byds-plans-to-bring-the-all-electric-e6-to-the-u/">begin selling cars in the U.S. within the year</a>. That much we know. But where are they going to sell them? Put a better way, how are they going to sell them? According to <a href="http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2010/01/automakers-worry-what-if-the-chinese-reinvent-the-dealer-network/1"><em>USA Today</em></a>, the big fear among other automakers and U.S. dealers is the latter question. <br />
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The possibility exists that incoming players like BYD or India's <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/tag/tata">Tata</a> or <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/tag/mahindra">Mahindra</a> could sidestep the middle man and sell vehicles directly to customers. Obviously, this would be a rather large selling point to those of us who don't enjoy the feeling of being cheated and fleeced during a round of three-card monte (i.e. the typical dealer experience). Another option might be selling the cars through big-box stores like Walmart or Costco. The shape of things to come is getting interesting, if nothing else.<br />
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<div class="postgallery"><p><s trong>Gallery: <a href="http://green.autoblog.com/photos/detroit-2010-byd-e6/low/">Detroit 2010: BYD E6</a></strong></p><a href="http://green.autoblog.com/photos/detroit-2010-byd-e6/low/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/green.autoblog.com/media/2010/01/byd-e6-01_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://green.autoblog.com/photos/detroit-2010-byd-e6/low/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/green.autoblog.com/media/2010/01/byd-e6-02_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://green.autoblog.com/photos/detroit-2010-byd-e6/low/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/green.autoblog.com/media/2010/01/byd-e6-03_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://green.autoblog.com/photos/detroit-2010-byd-e6/low/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/green.autoblog.com/media/2010/01/byd-e6-04_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://green.autoblog.com/photos/detroit-2010-byd-e6/low/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/green.autoblog.com/media/2010/01/byd-e6-05_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a></div><br />
[Source: <a href="http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2010/01/automakers-worry-what-if-the-chinese-reinvent-the-dealer-network/1">USA Today</a>]<p style="padding:5px;backgr ound:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/01/16/will-a-chinese-or-indian-automaker-elect-to-scrap-the-traditiona/">Will a Chinese or Indian automaker scrap the traditional dealer model?</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.autoblog.com">Autoblo g</a> on Sat, 16 Jan 2010 12:40:00 EST. Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/01/16/will-a-chinese-or-indian-automaker-elect-to-scrap-the-traditiona/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/forward/19318900/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/01/16/will-a-chinese-or-indian-automaker-elect-to-scrap-the-traditiona/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>

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