In 2001, Wards presented the industry's first list of top dealers who used the internet to sell vehicles. The ranking's definition of an internet sale centered on a customer initiating contact with a dealership by email, and a designated internet department staffer handling the subsequent sale.
But today, virtually all dealership sales are digitally related. Dealers maintain robust websites. Third-party lead providers are alive and well. The vast majority of car consumers do hours of research online. Accordingly, a list with a narrow criteria for an internet sale seems outdated today.
So this will be the last WardsAuto e-Dealer 100. For sure, the dealers on it are amazing, progressive auto retailers. That fact lives on, even though the list doesn't.
