Why this Toyota executive has zero interest in selling cars on Amazon

NEW YORK — Toyota won't be following Hyundai onto Amazon's shopping platform anytime soon.

Hyundai began selling vehicles on Amazon in the U.S. in January as part of a pilot partnership, but Toyota prefers its SmartPath digital retailing tool and its Monogram counterpart at Lexus, according to Jack Hollis, executive vice president of sales for Toyota Motor North America.

"It's a completely divergent approach," Hollis said during a Q & A at the Automotive Forum New York on March 26.

Jason Stein, a managing director at The Presidio Group and moderator, asked Hollis if Toyota would start selling its cars on Amazon's platform. He answered with an emphatic "no."

The crowd applauded, and Hollis explained why: It is dangerous, he said, to go outside the dealership system.

Instead, Toyota is devoted to nurturing its SmartPath and Monogram tools, both of which debuted in 2019 and have been updated regularly.

"Through our SmartPath investment and Monogram at Lexus, we have worked with our dealer body to actually ask them to help create the system they want to use," Hollis said.

He added that this approach remains a preferred strategy.

"For us to take the dealer's input and provide it so they have a tool to make it seamless for you, the customer — that, to me, we're all in on," Hollis said. "It's in alignment directly with all of the DMS systems, all of the cybersecurity needs and all of the protection of privacy for the customer and the dealer."

Toyota will continue to focus on improving the digital experience with both systems, Hollis said.

"We're only great now," he said. "We need to be greater. We started with something with our dealers and we need to take what we've done already and make it better. That's where we are committed."