---
title: "Amazon Preparing to Start Online Car Sales Across Europe, Report Says"
description: "The retail giant is reportedly on an auto industry hiring spree."
date: "2017-06-12"
modified: "2017-06-12"
authors:
  - name: "Kyle Cheromcha"
    job_title: "Editor-in-Chief"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/kyle-cheromcha"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/11436/amazon-preparing-to-start-online-car-sales-across-europe-report-says"
categories:
  - "News"
tags:
  - "Amazon"
  - "Car sales"
  - "dealership"
  - "europe"
---

# Amazon Preparing to Start Online Car Sales Across Europe, Report Says

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2017/06/amazon-vehicles.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

Amazon is [no stranger to moonshots,](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/8065/jeff-bezos-wants-to-bring-amazon-prime-like-delivery-to-the-moon>) but a new report [spotlighted by *Reuters*](<https://www.reuters.com/article/media-amazon-to-sell-cars-online-in-euro-idUSL8N1J70AX>) indicates the online mega-retailer is gearing up to target the white whale of online commerce: the automotive market.

The company already sells a limited range of Fiat models in Italy through a partnership with Fiat-Chrysler. However, *Automobilwoche's* sources tell the publication that Amazon has been on a hiring spree of late, adding former auto industry executives along with consultant Christoph Moeller to run their soon-to-be European car sales operation.

It's not clear yet if the continental business model will follow their setup in Italy, where buyers still have to visit a dealer to finalize the lease or purchase, or if the retailer would be able to negotiate with manufacturers to sell their cars directly. But either way, *Automobilwoche* claims the plans are far enough along that Amazon is already eyeing the United Kingdom as the first test market and Luxembourg as a home base. Amazon reportedly declined to comment.

The company has been pretty gung-ho about moving into the automotive space in the last year, launching a new ["Amazon Vehicles" information hub](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/4998/amazon-vehicles-is-the-dot-com-giants-new-hub-for-car-info>) where you can enter your car's make and model and find applicable parts and accessories. But despite all these efforts, it remains to be seen whether consumers will jump at the chance to drop five figures on a car they may have never seen in person.

[A poll cited by *Bloomberg*](<https://www.bloomberg.com/gadfly/articles/2017-06-12/would-you-buy-your-dream-car-from-amazon>) showed that less a quarter of respondents said they'd be comfortable buying a car from an online retailer like Amazon. In that vein, the fact that most people use a loan to buy a new car would require the company to provide financing, or essentially become a broker for lenders. And then there are logistical hurdles to overcome, including building a network of warehouses and dedicated shipping lines to storing and transporting the high volume of cars that would be needed to make the venture profitable.

Even if everything gets figured out for Europe, those aren't the only hurdles to bringing such a system to the United States: Our strong dealer franchise laws, [Tesla's old bugaboo,](<https://www.thedrive.com/article/6752/the-missouri-auto-dealers-association-hates-you-tesla-america>) would hamstring Amazon's efforts as well unless they took a more middle-man approach like Autotrader or TrueCar.

## Author
Overseeing an expert staff of writers and editors from his lair in Los Angeles, Kyle shapes The Drive’s singular approach to covering the automotive industry and car culture. He’s been with the site as a writer since 2017, taking over as editor in 2019. On a daily basis, Kyle is responsible for directing The Drive's editorial news and car review content strategies, setting special coverage priorities, managing complex reporting projects, and ensuring what you read on the page meets our high internal standards for quality and trustworthiness. He is also the executive producer of The Drive's YouTube channel, which was relaunched in February 2024 to great acclaim and has accumulated over 14M new views in its first year back on the scene. He hosts a biweekly series on the channel where he breaks down fascinating and complicated stories from the automotive world.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/kylecheromcha.bsky.social>)  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/kylecheromcha>)  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-cheromcha-1550248a/>)