What do eBay
You probably already know about the disappearing showrooms and car lines. However, GM's also nixing a head-turning deal it launched this summer, when it began to sell new cars through eBay.
"I don't see the brand-polishing appeal of being associated with moving shiny new cars through the same platform that sells Alf ashtrays and Pokemon trading cards," I wrote in early August, when I tapped the pairing as one of the week's five dumbest moves.
eBay Motors is a popular component of the country's leading auction site, but mostly as a place to buy and sell used cars. GM simply leaned on eBay to drum up leads for a handful of dealers in California, only to complain when virtual tire-kickers presented insulting bids.
The priceline.com
This deal may not have been doomed form the start, but GM's decision to kill the deal during the second month of the partnership speaks volumes.
"We thought the program was successful, but this was not the right time," GM sales chief Mark LaNeve told The Wall Street Journal. I guess the bar of "successful" is pretty low at GM these days.
If timing is the culprit, is GM too early or too late? "If [the eBay deal] works, expect Ford
The deal's failure doesn't mean that the Internet isn't an effective outlet to promote cars. Autobytel
GM may have been too quick to kill this program. Still, it's clear that both eBay and GM need to rethink what they originally wanted to accomplish with this bizarre bazaar.