Car dealer services that include transport of vehicles directly to a buyer’s home have become increasingly popular in recent years. It’s an important part of the global supply chain, providing the last mile delivery that is so key to supply chain success and customer satisfaction.


The pandemic that started in the United States in 2020 has taken its toll on the supply chain, including a shortage of semiconductor chips for new cars. It’s also impacted delivery services, as well as dealer-to-dealer transport, as businesses seek safe ways to conduct business.


John Costelac, founder and CEO of Direct Connect Auto Transport, said the New Year will likely see a return of transport involving dealer-to-dealer trades. It may also see continued ordering of cars from delivery, but that will depend on how car-buying trends form in the coming year.


“While most dealer-to-dealer shipping has decreased recently, we expect that in 2022 we will see a return to dealer trades,” he said. “The trend towards pre-ordering a new car could also continue, but that will be a question of how consumers choose to buy new and used cars in the future.”

Dealer Services for Customers

For consumers, the biggest impact of the pandemic has been changes in how they interact with car dealerships. An example comes from Rick Case Maserati Alfa Romeo in South Florida. The dealership, a Direct Connect Auto Transport client, made changes to how it deals with customers that involves “less hands on the vehicle” and an almost contactless experience for those bringing their cars in for service.


In addition to contactless service for vehicles, another growing trend is pre-ordering a vehicle for direct delivery to the customer’s home. This is a rapidly growing area of dealer services.

Getting a Car Delivered

While the details may vary by dealership, pre-ordering a car for delivery typically involves finding a car and doing all the necessary paperwork online. Dealerships provide support online, walking customers through the process. They then schedule the delivery of the car to your home or
office at a specific time and date.


It became popular during the height of the pandemic as dealerships sought ways to offer dealers services in a contactless way. But its popularity is expected to continue because car buyers enjoy the convenience. 
While buyers of all ages have started buying online and getting cars delivered, it’s something that has caught on especially with younger generations. Millennials bought more cars than Baby Boomers for the first time in 2020, accounting for 32 percent of sales.

Many of them prefer delivery over visiting car dealership showrooms, according to the New York Times. “It’s very clean and very safe,” one buyer told the Times. Home delivery of cars has become a critical part of the automobile supply chain.

Dealer Trades Benefit Customers

Another area where car transport helps customers is in deader trades. Companies such as Direct Connect ship cars between dealerships. It provides customers a chance to get the car they want shipped to the dealership where they do business, rather than having to travel to another dealership and start all over again.


Because fewer people visited car dealerships during the pandemic, dealer trades dropped off. But Costelac and other experts see this changing in the coming year. Sales figures support this. Car sales rebounded in 2021 as compared to 2020, although there’s still room for plenty of growth before they reach pre-pandemic numbers.


For customers, it’s good to know that dealer services such as home delivery and dealer trades will continue in 2022, giving them more options in how they buy a car. The key to it all is reliable, experienced auto transport services that provide the important, last-mile delivery component to the auto supply chain.