The tough economic environment has turned the German auto industry into a true “buyer’s market,” in which special offers and big discounts are the order of the day and automobile manufacturers fall over their feet to make the most attractive offers to potential buyers which are few and far between.  

No wonder, then, that an online platform would make its appearance in Germany, specially tailored to cater for this “buyer’s market”. Autotopdeal.de, an original auto platform for new autos only, was launched at the end of February to take advantage of the weak situation the auto manufacturers find themselves in. The new portal is free for interested buyers. 

Here is how it works: Consumers looking to buy new cars complete a form on the portal, describing what they are looking for. Dealers then complete an offer form detailing exactly what they have on offer and for how much. A trader’s offer is immediately visible on the portal, but the name and contact information of the offeror is withheld. Once the deadline for offers have been reached, the consumer selects the offers he is most interested in (not more than three). The portal administration then supplies the contact info of the chosen offerors to the consumer. 

Now it’s over to the consumer to contact the three dealers and negotiate with them – the portal is not part of the sales transaction. A fee of €45 becomes payable by the three chosen traders the moment the portal reveals their contact information to the potential buyer. 

The portal empowers consumers by forcing traders to compete with each other to make the best offer – an especially valuable service in a country where a legion of discounts, special offers, extras and clever trade-in arrangements have always made it very difficult (if not impossible) for interested buyers to maintain a bird’s eye view and find the best deal available in the market.