HOUSTON – Walmart will start selling cars April 1 via partnerships with dealers, including AutoNation, Automotive News reports. CarSaver, an online retail platform for vehicle sales, will introduce the program in around 25 Walmart Supercenters in Dallas, Houston, Oklahoma City and Phoenix.

CarSaver Centers will have employees in stores to explain the program to shoppers. The digital platform will walk car buyers through the selection process, including financing and insurance, via a touchscreen kiosk. For sale will be new, used or certified pre-owned cars available at local dealers. CarSaver connects shoppers with the dealer and schedules appointments to view the dealership to finalize the purchase. CarSaver only receives a “success fee” from the dealership if the sale is complete.

The AutoNation dealerships participating in the launch are all within 15 miles of the Walmart Supercenter. “The right location is very valuable. You want to make sure it's convenient for your customers,” said Marc Cannon, chief marketing officer for AutoNation. “It's not just the sale. We want to keep them as a customer and continue to develop the service part of our business.”

Walmart, CarSaver and approximately 20 dealers participated in a pilot program last April in Stuart, Fla. Close to 80% of customers using CarSaver at a Walmart to make an appointment at a dealer ended their session with a sale, with customers saving, on average, more than $3,000 off the sticker price.