So. I happen to be Art Director for the eBusiness department of an auto manufacturer. We're starting the process of redesigning out corporate website.

What do you like, or dislike about the websites of auto manufacturers? Any input is welcome.

Thanks.

 

MINI does the best job I've seen of handling how to let people select options. If there is a conflict, they tell you, AND if you select a visual option (say the sport package) the wheels change.

I hate car manufacture sites that have options like spoilers or 17" wheels and then DON'T show you how these parts look on the car.

Also, at the end of the process, I'd like to see an image of what I have built at something like 800 by 600 resolution or higher.

BTW, can you give us an idea of the company involved so we could look at their current website to point out issue?

 

Sure Dave. I'm happy to say that the site manufacturer I work for and the site I'm redesigning is Subaru.

I'm happy to listen to feedback on the Subaru.com site (I'm sure much will be negative, so try to keep it constructive). That said, I'm looking for those things that people really like or want from a manufacturer's site in general. Most people look at several sites in deciding to buy a car, and while there are many factors in deciding what to buy, I hope that the website can influence your decision.

Thanks again for all your feedback.

 

For me the most important part is the Build Your Own option. Here's a quick take at a few sites.

Subaru.com
If I change wheels on the STi from Gold to Silver and there is no update in the picture (which is horribly small BTW).

Audiusa.com
Their BYO option is terrible (graphically). Let's say you're interested in the A8L. It's a $70,000 car and the website gives you a postage stamp view of the interior color combinations you have to choose from (subaru is even worse in that it has NO pictures of the interior in BYO).


NissanMotors.com
Exterior BYO, I like the Nissan site.

They have small images while you're sifting through the colors you want in the BYO


But if you want to see a larger view you can


Again though, they don't have any good views of the interior and how the color swatchs are actually applied to the interior surfaces.

MINIUSA
They do a nice job of showing you all the color changes and how they are applied to the car (interior and exterior). The only real problem with the way MINI does it though is that it's ALL flash animation. If you want to actually see a picture in .jpg of indi blue / black roof with lapis interior, you're out of luck. Flash is good to a point, but I would be happier with their site if there was a picture available to accurately represent how the interior looks. For instance, you can't tell from the flash animation that the various leather options (COOPER) have a lot of texture to them.

Just some thoughts.

Dave

_________________
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Private Message DiD

 

I like the new Scion site
Scion.com

I think that the scion marketing is doing a better job than mini now in California.
The promotions they run, the participation involved and all the external media they include. CD's, Party packs, Shows, etc.

clicking a website is fun, but being involved is a whole differant world.

HOOKER

 

What a cool job! I love the vehicle locator setup on mazda's website. Look at Ford's website for an example of how NOT to do it.

--
Cheese

 

Wow, what a fantastic job you have. I certainly appreciate being given the opportunity to talk candidly about something like this. I work in web usability design and speak to clients on re-designs closer matched to their focus. Just spending a few minutes on the site I came up with the following. Feel free to PM me if you want to discuss this more.

I think the subaru site overall is due for a change. It's informative, but I feel like there's a bit of tackyness to it because of the fake photograph in the background and the cars that move forward as you roll over them. It's just not real enough to me. It's a cute idea to most, but I feel like I'm asking for more when the homepage comes up.

Ask yourself, what is the essense of Subaru? It's the 4 wheels drive systems to me. You have several cars here with high ground clearance, excellent versatility, and a reputable name for power (via the WRX). However, in the US, it appears most do not know that the WRX is actually the Impreza...rather, they just think the model is the WRX and that's it.....therefore, I was surprised to see those lovely three letter mentioned no where on the homepage. I would put this in the roll-over description for the Impreza. But where I'm really going with this is why have a fake picture? Go to http://www.landrover.com. BAM! There they are offroading instantly off-roading and having a good time. Makes you want to buy one and do the same. Imagine going to the homepage of Subaru and finding a rotating image of the various cars with the following setups:

1. The Sti in full-on rally-mode around a dirt road hairpin
2. The Forrester on a snow-filled lane up to a log cabing
3. The Outback in Colorado on a biking/hiking trip with a couple of Cannondale's on the roof.
4. The Baja on the beach at sunset with a nearby BBQ going

Do you see where I'm going with this? You're trying to give the user a real-world representation of the vehicle that really isn't that common but certainly catches the eye and causes a sense of intrigue.

There's too much color on it the site right now. Color is great, but if your site if a fixed width and drops off to white, 40% of internet users (and this "minority" are the ones with higher than a 800x600 resolution and more internet savvy) will see just way too much white space. Cut down on the blue...use more white.

Putting a find a dealer on the first page is a great idea, just make the box clearer to read.

Your outdoor programs are a great idea, keep the content, just make it fill a new template design.

The biggest part - the BYO section. DID makes some fantastic points. What I first notice is it takes three clicks before I start buildng my own. That's too many I think. An expandable NAV menu with a link to BYO for each vehicle is a more fluid idea in my mind.

Don't be afraid to load the BYO in a new window. Give yourself some breathing room. Really give a chance to show off the car in the colors and visual options because just changing the color isn't going to cut it. And as DID voiced, not changing the picture after you change options is absolutely horrid.

Pictures really do speak a thousand words.

Why can't I download my 1280x1024 WRX Sti flying around that hairpin? Why am I stuck with a annoying flash app to see a small picture of the interior I can't save? I like the one of the dials of the Sti...nice pic, wish I could save it :smile:

 

What about a photo retrospective of the rally team. It showcases Subaru and AWD in a way that many Americans may not be familiar with.

 

Check out the gallery of your own Subaru World Rally Team

 

Dave, as soon as I saw you jump into this thread, I had a feeling we'd be seeing some flying WRXs!

_________________

 

Hey, there's only two. I restrained myself.

 

 

I also like the design of the Scion site.
The car was so well presented to me via the site that ... I physically went down to visit a local dealership to see the Scion.....in person.
I ended up buying one for my wife.

Now...bottom line..isn't that what the Scion site was built to do :smile:
In my case it succeeded.

There is no need to reinvent the wheel.
Take a good idea and expand upon it :smile:

Peace,
D

 

and here are some more pics

 

If it were me, I'd pick maybe 15-20 different picture and have one image out of that group randomly selected each time someone came into subaru.com Maybe like MINIUSA does on the first screen before you launch MINIUSA's flash site.

I know there is probably a temptation to do Flash, but honestly I think flash looks pretty bad. I don't like the load time, and I don't like that everything looks cartoonish. I don't want to see a rendering of my new Subaru, I want to see a higher res picture that matches my configuration selections. :smile: Flash prevents the user from saving a copy of their car as a .jpg file too.

Just some thoughts rolling around in my head.

Dave

 

Thanks to everyone who's replied. Much of what you're all saying falls in line with where we're headed with the site. I knew MCO (cough) NAM would be a place to get some great feedback.

I'll keep checking back. Subaru is a tough nut to crack. There's a sense that we need to find ways to expand into new markets but we also don't want to alienate the owners that have been buying our cars for a long time.

Again, thanks for the comments. Keep them coming. I have a bunch of work to do, but I'll try to write more later.

~Chris

P.S. In case you're wondering, my IB/IB MCS looks great in a parking lot full of Subarus. :smile:

 

As was mentioned before, I think the real trick here with the WRX is to make the point that it's still an Impreza. This would be like how Audi has the S4, but that image rubs off on the A4. Or how there is an M3, but that performance image boosts the image of the 3-series. Right now the WRX is really viewed as it's own animal and the STi even more so. They are all still Imprezas at the core.

The Forester is better off image wise in terms of having that strong tie between the models. The turbo is just seen as extension of the base model, not as a totally different car.

 

Yeah. There were plenty of Impreza fans for years, but bringing the WRX to the US introduced Subaru to a whole new bunch of people. And you right that many think of it as it's own model (the way we market the car doesn't really help matters. You don't see the work Impreza in WRX comercials).

Of course I don't have that much influence on that sort of branding. Those decisions are made at a completely different level. The best I can hope for is that the website is useful and makes it easy for visitors to find what they're looking for.