Chrysler's Eaton to dealers don't resist Internet

CobraBoy (tbyars@earthlink.net)
Mon, 2 Feb 1998 12:27:45 -0800


Chrysler Corp. chairman Robert Eaton urged the nation's auto dealers
Saturday to make life easier for people to buy cars by not resisting
new technologies such as the Internet. While automotive Internet
companies competed for media attention on the first day of the
National Automobile Dealers Association annual meeting, Eaton said
customers were armed with more information than ever before --
putting them in control of the retail system for the first time in
history. Industry officials estimate about 20% of new car buyers use
the Internet for some part of their purchase or research. That could
hit 50% in 2 years, according to Eaton. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2552675071-e4c

This is really funny. I was out Friday night and I ran into these guys form
Roll's Royce. I offered myself as a beta site for new cars but they
declined. (Note to the Microsoft employee's on the list, RR is bringing out
a new car this March at the Geneva Auto Show) Anyway, they were over here
taking a look at the market and hanging out with this guy who works here in
OC for the company that builds all of Chrysler's project cars, (
http://www.digital-decadence.com ) Anyway we had a good old time drinking
and stuff and I said, "hey do you have a card with an e-mail address on
it?" The RR guys didn't. So they ask the Chrysler trick car builder guy. He
pulls out this card that looks like a credit card, plastic multicolored,
picture of some car on it. I say, "umm... no e-mail address." His relply?
"E-Mail? We have a fax machine."

Tim