Walmart, CarSaver Partner To Sell Cars From April 1: Report

Walmart is reportedly partnering with online car retailer CarSaver to sell cars in 25 of Walmart's stores across the U.S. starting April 1. For this venture, CarSaver is partnering with dealership groups such as AutoNation and financing companies such as Ally Financial.

CarSaver kiosks will be set up at Walmart, and customers buying the cars will receive help in making their purchases through Walmart employees, Automotive News reported. The Touchscreen kiosk will help customers make the purchase.

Shoppers will be able to apply for financing through Ally and also shop for insurance. The system placed at the kiosk will then connect them to a dealership within 15 miles of Walmart.

The scope of the program can be determined by the fact that 90 percent of U.S. consumers live within 15 miles of a Walmart store, and 140 million of them visit a store each week.

"The right location is very valuable. You want to make sure it's convenient for your customers," AutoNation Chief Marketing Officer Marc Cannon told Auto News on Monday. “It's not just the sale. We want to keep them as a customer and continue to develop the service part of our business.”

So, while you might not be picking up a car the way you make your regular purchases at Walmart, you will be able to select, finance and insure a vehicle inside a Walmart store and schedule an appointment at the nearest dealership for the rest.

CarSaver and Walmart ran a pilot program with 20 participating dealerships in Stuart, Florida, in April 2016.

"It is not uncommon for us to test different customer offerings in our stores using our leased spaces," Walmart spokeswoman Molly Blakeman said.

CarSaver CEO Sean Wolfington reportedly said that over half of the appointments made via the program generated a sale, and customers, on an average, saved $3,000 as the program offers upfront pricing with no scope for haggling.