[Equilibrandt]

An alternate approach:

Buying a car online prevents you from getting up-charged for things you don't want/need.
Buying online also guarantees everyone pays a fixed rate for the same car, meaning there aren't any discounts either, which is great for the manufacturer.

Haggling is an astronomically-large turn-off for a lot of people. If you could guarantee a sale price that matches exactly what a person wants...

A fixed price with an easy, haggle-free check out practically guarantees new buyers.

I'm all for spec'ing online, choosing my favorite stealership, paying through BMW FS online, picking up at aforementioned dealership, and having my services and work done at said dealership. Screw the middleman trying to sell me tint and 'interior ceramic leather coating'.

If it wasn't obvious, the parts, service, and warranty departments outperform the new car sales departments every. single. year. Moving to this hybrid system (where 75% of sales are still on the lot and 25% are online) simply means that more people buy BMWs and more dealerships make more money on $600 fuel injector cleanings.