A couple of years ago, Amazon started up a new program called “Prime Now” that allowed customers in certain areas – primarily large metropolitan areas that are close to Amazon warehouse facilities – to get same-day delivery on items purchased through Amazon. Now, Hyundai and Amazon have teamed up, in collaboration with INNOCEAN Worldwide and Canvas Worldwide, to create a program called Prime Now. Drive Now. The basis of this program is to allow customers in the Los Angeles / Orange County area to order a 2017 Hyundai Elantra for a test drive directly from Amazon.

The program will initially run for the next two weekends (August 21-22 and August 27-28.) Once ordered, a trained expert will show up at your location and let you take the new Elantra out for a 45- to 60-minute test drive. Once the test drive is done, participants will take the car back to a local Hyundai dealership where they can proceed to purchase the car if they choose to.

Dan Evans – Chief Marketing Officer of Hyundai North America – said, “With our all-new Elantra and Elantra Eco in dealerships now, we are excited to be the first to team up with Amazon to give customers a tailored test-drive experience. We know people are looking for a new way to experience our vehicles, and with the convenience of Amazon’s Prime Now service, ‘Prime Now. Drive Now.’ is an innovative solution we are testing to modernize today’s automotive shopping experience.”

He can certainly say that again. It is pretty innovative, but it really leaves one to wonder just how successful this short-term program will be for Hyundai. The program is being supported by a full advertising campaign that includes digital video, advertising, and social media announcements, among other things.

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Why it Matters

I’ve got to hand it to Hyundai. Over the years, it has made huge strides in improving the quality of its vehicles and establishing itself as a prime contender in an overly competitive market. In short, the South Korean automaker has come a long way since it planted its feet here in the U.S. and so far it looks like Hyundai isn’t stopping anytime soon. Even though this program only runs for a couple of weekends, if it is successful – and there is a good possibility that it will be – it could be extended to run a longer period of time. Is this the future of test driving and purchasing cars? I can’t say for sure, but I have a feeling it might be. Once autonomous cars become a true reality, it could be possible to purchase a car online altogether without even talking to a salesman or stepping foot in the dealership. Now that will make things a little more interesting, don’t you think?