Amazon launches car research site

LOOKING for a new car? Now you can look that up on Amazon.com.

Although Amazon isn’t getting into the business of selling cars, a new section of its website is designed to help people looking for a new ride obtain more information on the vehicles out there.

The Amazon Vehicles section of the massive online retailer went online on Thursday.

Amazon already sells millions of car parts and accessories, but this is the first time it has taken a serious push to feature vehicles on the site. One selling point for Amazon Vehicles, according to the company, will be that customers can leave reviews for cars in much the same way as they can for any other item on the site.

“Amazon Vehicles is a great resource for customers who are interested in car information or looking for a broad selection of parts and accessories – all enhanced by the ability to tap into the knowledge, opinions and experiences of other car owners within the Amazon customer community,” said Adam Goetsch, director of automotive at Amazon.com.

Amazon also has collected basic information on a number of vehicles, giving users easy access to attributes such as fuel consumption and car dimensions. Users can compare different versions of the same model of car. Listings also contain safety information, including information on recalls.

The move positions Amazon against many well-known car research sites, including trusted names including Edmund’s and Kelley Blue Book. – Washington Post