Shift, a San Francisco-based startup, has launched a test drive app on Apple’s iOS platform, Shift’s Chief of Staff Peck Yang said. The app is capable of offering potential borrowers a test drive of whatever vehicle they are considering or have already decided to finance, he explained.
“Shift is an augmented marketplace for used cars — people can buy and sell cars on our platform — but buyers can request a test drive on our app now,” he said. “Our site has around 380 cars in San Francisco, 260 in Los Angeles, and about 86 in Washington, D.C. available for test drive.”
Although a customer has to be in one of Shift’s specified geographic areas of operation, Shift’s “car enthusiasts” will drive the car in question out to the customer, at home or office, Yang said.
Shift plans to expand to other markets including the Midwest, the Southwest, and the Southeast U.S. in the near future, to increase its visibility and to grow its marketshare, Yang said.
Currently, Shift works with a number of lenders, including AutoPay and AutoFi, and and may even consider working with other P2P platforms like AutoGravity.
“Our vision — for those who understand how complex the financing process can be — is to have a simple and more integrated purchasing process,” he said. While an Android version of the app is in the planning stages, Shift’s “traffic is heavily tilted toward iOS,” Yang said.
Shift raised $50 million last September in a venture capital round of funding led by Goldman Sachs, Highland Capital Partners and DFJ.
