The Volkswagen Marketplace has gone live and with much anticipation, I was keen to know more about the mechanics of this program. At the time of this article, there is still no official press release from Volkswagen Passenger Cars Malaysia (VPCM) so what I share here is purely what we can see when we visit the Marketplace HERE and my personal views regarding this channel which may or may not represent the views of VPCM themselves.
What is it?
An online portal/channel in which you can find and reserve a Volkswagen (that’s officially sold in Malaysia) online
How is this valuable to me?
At this point (what we can see online and pending the press release) site where you can easily view some vehicles offered with special prices/accessories. I won’t be surprised if VPCM offers limited edition units that’s only available online here as well in the future since they’ve done so before with the twelve limited edition Beetles made available via Lazada Malaysia in December 2017.
Presently, all vehicles sold via this channel comes with
- 1 year free insurance
- 0.88% special loan interest rate for 5-years
- 5-years free maintenance
- 5-years warranty (which is standard for all VW models sold here)
- 5-years Roadside Assistance (also standard)
How does it work?
It’s very easy.
Just follow the instructions above and if your reservation is approved, a refundable RM1,500 fee will be charged to your credit card (no idea how the process of refund works and how long it’ll take though)
As I predicted, the site does not SELL a car. It is an online RESERVATION portal that allows you to shop and book (but not buy). The sales process is still done by the dealer of your preference. VPCM does NOT do direct sales so please take note, ya?
I think this is fair because to the buyers, you choose who you wish to process your documents (it would be dumb if an East Malaysia buyer is arbitrarily assigned a dealership in Penang to do the processing, right?) and no dealers are given favoritism. In essence, this portal HELPS the dealers to sell more cars.
What can I find there?
Well, if you lack the time to browse through, there are presently 19 VW Passat 1.8TSI Trendline on offer. (Note; the Trendline is the base-spec Passat with the Comfortline, Comfortline+ and Highline being the other, more expensive variants).
These offerings (differentiated by colors) share the same selling price which is RM135,888, a RM15,000 discount over the standard price of RM150,888.
Sounds like a good deal, doesn’t it?
You need to be aware that the savings is not just in the price tag; from the 1-year insurance waiver plus the 5-years maintenance free package (essentially 5 free services) amounts to a couple of thousand as well.
But that’s not all that you should consider;-
First of all, the offerings are 2017 models. When you click on ‘Equipment’, you’ll see the breakdown of the pricing and a brief summary of the vehicle offered that also states the model year.
Secondly, the Trendline has been removed from the range of Passats offered here. If you were to enter a VW showroom and ask to see the most affordable Passat, you’ll be shown the Comfortline which is RM170,417.20 OTR excluding insurance (price list HERE and that does not include discounts and offers presently running for the Comfortline) .
Therefore, if you want an inexpensive Trendline, this is probably your only chance in getting one.
Is this a dumping ground for VPCM to try to get rid of old stocks?
Not at all. We’ll need to look at a few things here.
First of all, digital information search and purchase is something we do nowadays. Often by the time a customer comes to a decision to buy, he/she may already know a lot about the vehicle that renders a showroom visit obsolete unless it’s to sample the driving experience (what? you think all SAs are good looking lengchais and lengluis meh?). From reading reviews, testimonials, research on spec-sheet comparisons which are commonly available information online, establishing an online sales channel is a very logical thing to do for any modern business, what more for a brand that pushes technological automotive boundaries and appeals to an affluent group of buyers that are online savvy (most of the time).
Secondly, an online channel is a means of reaching out to the public fast with information that may be lost in transition (ie misunderstood/misrepresented by sales advisors). Who knows? If there is a pre-owned certified VW that’s offered with short term warranty and a very attractive price, this is probably the best place to offer it (just as what BMW did HERE). If there’s going to be limited editions, again the channel can be used to drive Awareness and Consideration among potential buyers.
It just so happens that what’s offered now are 2017 stocks.
In conclusion, I won’t be so quick to write off this site. If you’re in the market to buy a VW, why not surf here first; who knows you might find a better fit here?
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