To true gearheads, the idea of buying a car online sight unseen is a difficult concept to grasp.

In our experience, you first need to budget, look at the options, and make a list of cars that deserve a closer look. Then it's time to head to the dealership to check the quality of the interior and, naturally, feel what it's like to drive.

Times are changing, however. At the end of 2020, Ford revealed that most Mustang Mach-E sales happened online. In our opinion, the change to online car sales is a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. We don't know about you, but we purchase around 90% of what we need every month online here in this office. The pandemic perfectly illustrated just how much easier online shopping is.

Hyundai is now taking online car sales a step further by partnering with Amazon. Hyundai's products aren't listed in the usual Amazon format, however. Instead, Amazon created a dedicated Hyundai portal that shows you various models available at participating dealerships.

To be clear, these aren't used cars. You can click on whatever model you fancy and configure it to your exact specification. If there's a car that matches, you can buy it from there. If not, the portal will put you in connection with a dealer to complete the sale. Then you can use our tips on how to negotiate.

We tried it out and built an Elantra. We had a downpayment estimate within two minutes, and the portal tracked down a model matching our creation at a dealer in New York. That's much faster than Mini, which will sell you a car online in 30 minutes.

"Our mission is to be the leader in a seamless, digital and transparent retail experience in partnership with our dealer body," said José Muñoz, president and CEO, Hyundai Motor North America. "The events of the last 18 months have made it clear that many consumers want a car buying process that aligns with how they purchase nearly everything else in their life. Amazon is a leading retailer, and we're excited to continue collaborating with them on digital retail experiences."

"We are thrilled Hyundai is continuing to innovate with us to evolve their showroom experience. We look forward to deeper collaboration on new features that enhance the showroom and make it even more helpful for customers as they discover and research Hyundai vehicles," said Alan Moss, VP of global ad sales for Amazon Ads.

It's going to be interesting to see how people respond to this new development. We hope Hyundai provides regular updates of sales made via this unique online portal.