In an effort to increase used-car sales, General Motors is moving all of its certified preowned business to its CarBravo website. Starting June 2, CarBravo will be the sole used-vehicle certification program for U.S. Chevrolet, Buick and GMC dealers.
The automaker has operated the site for more than three years. It said that the program is its answer to the current market desire for used vehicles and a growing consumer preference for online car shopping. That demand has been sped along by the likes of giant used-car retailer Carvana.
According to Cox Automotive, consumers are forecast to purchase about 38 million used vehicles this year compared to fewer than 16 million new vehicles.
With CarBravo, consumers can complete most of the car-buying steps online, then go to a participating dealership for test drives, trade-ins or delivery. Every certified vehicle goes through a comprehensive inspection and reconditioning process, GM said. Purchases include roadside assistance and access to GM’s service network of more than 4,000 dealers.
GM said that more than 750 dealers across the U.S. are already enrolled in CarBravo. And the program is reportedly attracting new customers to dealerships. It said that more than 70% of buyers claimed to have never purchased from their selling dealers before, and 48% had never bought from any GM dealer.
In January CarBravo dealers sold over two times the certified volume of Chevrolet, Buick and GMC dealers using traditional CPO, GM said.