Detroit: Kia, eBay Motors set up online shopping service
DETROIT (AP) — Kia Motors America and eBay Motors have joined to set up an online shopping service.
More than 345 Kia dealers will list their vehicle inventory on the site so people can shop from their home and make offers on the vehicles, Kia said Monday in a statement.
Nearly half of Kia’s dealerships in the U.S. already have signed up for the program in just two weeks, and more are signing on every day, Tom Loveless, vice president of sales for Kia in the U.S., said in the statement.
Kia, quoting research firm J.D. Power and Associates, said Internet auto shopping is up 17 percent so far this year, and 79 percent of all auto shoppers use a third-party website before making a purchase.
Kia, a South Korean brand which makes the Sorento crossover vehicle, Forte small car and the funky Soul small box truck, has seen U.S. sales rise 14.6 percent so far this year, and is hoping the eBay deal will build on the growth. Kia’s growth has surpassed the overall U.S. market, which is up 10.6 percent over the first 10 months of last year, according to Autodata Corp.
General Motors tried a partnership with eBay last year to sell cars through California dealers, but said it was canceled to focus on broader national marketing programs.
Alpena: Governor OKs Michigan’s official tartan, ‘Up North’
ALPENA, Mich. (AP) — Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm has named a design by Alpena-based weaver Kati Meek as the Great Lakes State’s official tartan.
Meek’s creation is titled “Up North” and uses a combination of greens, browns, red and blue.
The Scottish American Society of Michigan says it represents “the beautiful colors seen in Michigan’s waterscapes.”
Several years ago, Scottish groups in Michigan began asking that Meek’s tartan become the state’s official tartan.
The Scottish American Society has circulated petitions and conducted phone campaigns. The St. Andrew’s Society of Detroit also pushed for the designation.
