Google has entered the auto industry so to speak, as they are now showing new car pricing and and trim level options right in their search engine results pages. A friend spotted these results when searching for the 2022 Chevrolet Tahoe LT. Google oftentimes runs tests like this, showing certain data or a certain configuration in the results, before they eventually roll out the feature for all users. Sometimes these search result features end up going live for all users, and in other cases they end up not being made live, as the test for the feature is not successful.
As evidenced by the screen capture above, Google shows various trim levels and pricing directly in the search results pages. Since they are showing the trim levels for the vehicle alongside the price (the MSRP), then there is no need for users to click through to websites like KBB.com or NADA.com to get the price of the new vehicle. In other words, Google’s taking the data from those websites (or getting the directly from the manufacturer or via another way) and displaying it right in the search engine results. If don’t need to click through to auto industry website for pricing, then those auto industry websites will lose traffic.
I have a feeling that this is going to be a big blow to the auto industry, just like it was to the airline industry when Google did a similar thing. When Google added flight data from the airline industry, many industry sites lost a large amount of traffic.
It appears that, with this move by Google of putting the vehicle prices in the search engine results pages, Google has begun to enter the auto industry so to speak. Personally, I wouldn’t be surprised that the next step for them is to make it possible to purchase a vehicle by clicking on something in the search engine results where Google would then make a commission or ‘affiliate fee’ from the sale of the vehicle.