Ford Accelerates Digital Retail Revolution: Certified Used Cars Now on Amazon
Ford just dropped a disruptor bomb—bypassing dealerships to sell certified pre-owned vehicles directly through Amazon. The move signals Detroit's desperate scramble to stay relevant in an era where 'legacy auto' sounds like a dirty word.
Why this matters: The used car market is a $1.6 trillion beast, and Ford wants a bigger slice. But let's be real—this is also about propping up their stock price with some Web3 buzzword compliance.
Wall Street analysts are already salivating. 'Finally, an actual blockchain-adjacent use case from Ford,' joked one hedge fund manager while shorting traditional dealership stocks. Meanwhile, crypto traders are memeing this as 'the most bullish thing to happen to $AMZN since AWS.'
The bottom line? Another brick in the coffin for old-school retail—and another win for Bezos' empire. Just don't ask what happens to all those salespeople now competing with one-click purchases.
Ford targets used-car buyers in Los Angeles, Seattle, Dallas first
At launch, Ford-certified pre-owned cars are only available in Los Angeles, Seattle, and Dallas, but the company said it plans to roll this out to more cities across the U.S. in the coming months.
These CPO cars are not just any used vehicles. They’ve been checked, cleaned up, and certified by either the automaker or the dealer. They also come with warranties, which make them feel a little more like buying new.
Ford is offering three levels of certification, each with its own warranty coverage. It also announced a 14-day or 1,000-mile money-back guarantee, whichever comes first. That gives customers a window to return the car if they change their minds.
No one’s reinventing the wheel here, but it’s a big shift for a company that still relies on its franchise dealers to close the sale.
This comes two years after Amazon said it was opening its site to car sales, starting with Hyundai. That deal was for new vehicles, not used. So while the Hyundai partnership focused on factory-fresh cars, Ford is aiming for shoppers looking for better-quality used ones.
Earlier this year, Amazon also started selling rental cars through a deal with Hertz, showing that the company is serious about turning its car section into a bigger business. But what’s different about Ford’s approach is how it leans into certified pre-owned rather than brand-new inventory.
The big catch? The sale still has to go through a Ford franchised dealer. That’s not just tradition, in many U.S. states, it’s law. Car companies like Ford legally can’t bypass dealers and sell new vehicles directly to customers.
But when it comes to used cars, the rules are looser. That’s why companies like Carvana, Hertz, and others can sell pre-owned cars directly online without as much red tape.
With the Ford-Amazon partnership, the online buying process is faster and more modern, but it still fits within the legal structure that protects dealers.
As Fan Jin, head of Amazon Autos, said, the collaboration opens up “thousands of quality vehicles backed by Ford’s inspection and warranty programs.”
If you're reading this, you’re already ahead. Stay there with our newsletter.
