Maiden attempt

"Things have turned out a little better than we had expected now that it is our maiden attempt," said Ma Gang, deputy president of autohome.com.cn.

Ma said he expects another 5,000 to 10,000 orders to be finalized by Dec 12, the deadline for those who submitted orders online to enjoy discounts offered during its campaign.

He said the success is the result of a combination of factors, with the foremost being the change in people's shopping habit.

"Now people have accepted online shopping. Whenever they want to buy something, they would see whether it will be cheaper to buy it on the Internet."

Ma said other contributing factors are the company's experience in organizing online group buying and similar offline events as well as its popularity among auto owners.

One of the largest auto portals in China, it receives some 5 to 7 million visits a day, Ma said.

In addition, Ma noted that his company would not have made it without its partner car dealers.

According to a report at auto portal cheyun.com, autohome has partnerships with dealers representing 60 auto brands in Beijing, who offered more than 230 models.

However, Ma said the auto industry is actually divided into three groups in terms of their enthusiasm in online sales.

"All believe online sales are an inevitable trend, but some believe the time has not yet come.

"Others believe the conditions have long been ripe, while still others are not sure but want a try."

He said that those who are not sure constitute the majority in the industry.

"But the sales figures might help convince some and consolidate the confidence of others."

Among them is Pengyuan, a BAIC 4S shop.

Though unavailable for an interview at press time, the car dealer's excitement was made plain in a message sent on Sina Weibo on early Nov 12.

"A total of 95 orders were finished in one single day, a number far higher than our expected goal of 45."