附近上门

Buying a car online is not the norm. But one startup is hoping to make buying a used vehicle and having it delivered to your home as commonplace as ordering laundry detergent or apparel.

To that end, , which operates an online auto retail platform, has raised $146 million in a Series G funding round led by publicly traded .

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In addition to funds and accounts advised by , , , , and individual investors also participated in the round.

actually closed in early September and was announced at that time as part of its earnings announcement, according to Vroom CEO .

The round brings New York-based Vroom鈥檚 total raised to date to $440.25 million since its inception in 2013, according to Hennessy.

Vroom sells used, reconditioned cars directly to consumers via its website and app. Vroom will pick up cars from sellers, and deliver to buyers via what it describes a 鈥減rivate-seller acquisition model鈥� built on a mobile-enabled user interface. It also offers financing, warranty, and insurance products. (It charges a flat shipping fee of $499 in the lower 48 states.)

鈥淓verything that a traditional offline dealership can do we can do online,鈥� Hennessy told 附近上门 News. 鈥淲e live in an e-commerce world where people can get everything delivered to their homes. It makes sense that the next logical step is that larger, higher-ticket items like cars can also be delivered to their homes.鈥�

The company, through of Texas Auto Direct, operates a 500,000 square foot reconditioning facility and store in Stafford, Texas (just outside of Houston). The facility sits on 70 acres, so there鈥檚 still room to grow, Hennessy said.

The used car market is a $776 billion industry, according to calculations by Vroom based on the 2018 Cox Automotive Used Car Market Report & Outlook鈥檚 that 39.5 million used cars are projected to sell in 2018 with an average sale price of $19,657 (according to Edmunds鈥� Q1 2018 ).

Personally, I found the idea of someone purchasing a car they鈥檇 never test-driven to be a little daunting. But Hennessy assured me that the company offers a 90-day warranty and a seven-day 鈥渢est drive鈥� on all its cars.

Vroom is not alone in the space. Competitors include (which has raised $960.1 million in , and (which has$1.8 million).

鈥淲e recognize we鈥檙e disrupting an industry, and in many instances, people are used to the traditional model of buying a car just like they were with clothes, shoes, and electronics,鈥� Hennessy said.

While Vroom would not reveal its revenue figures or revenue growth, the company said it has sold more than 250,000 cars since inception in its 鈥渃ombined business鈥� and currently has more than 600 employees.

It plans to use the new funds toward product development, technical execution, and continued hiring, according to Hennessy. The company has been building out its executive team as of late, most recently hiring Dave Jones, formerly of Penske Automotive Group, to serve as CFO; Dennis Looney, who worked at Office Depot and Home Depot, to serve as Chief Supply Chain Officer; and Mitch Berg to serve as CTO.

Vroom also plans to ramp up its marketing efforts, with plans to advertise on TV, radio, Facebook, Youtube, and other distribution channels, according to Hennessy. And overall, investors find disrupting the used car market appealing.

鈥淰room continues to demonstrate progress towards truly disrupting this industry at scale,鈥� said , portfolio manager at T. Rowe Price Associates Inc., in a written statement. 鈥淭he fact that the largest auto retailer in the country is now backing Vroom speaks to the quality of the execution of the company鈥檚 management team and what we believe is the company鈥檚 ability to become much larger over time.鈥�

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