FCA and Amazon are partnering up to sell vehicles online in Italy. The brand will offer three models including the Panda.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. is teaming up with Amazon to sell vehicles online on a limited scale.

FCA plans to sell vehicles through Amazon’s Italian website and will involve only three Fiat brand models, the Fiat Panda, the Fiat 500 and the Fiat 500L However, customers ordering online will be eligible for special promotions.

FCA said the choice was deliberate because the Panda is Italy’s biggest selling car, while buyers of the 500 and its larger 500L version embody the young and adventurous nature this initiative is trying to appeal to.

“The time has arrived to give consumers a new, more efficient and transparent way to choose a new vehicle,” said Gianluca Italia, who oversees Fiat Chrysler sales in Italy, during an online press conference.

(Alfa Romeo set to expand dealer network. Click Here for the story.)

The initiative will appeal to buyers looking for deals from the comfort of their own home, adding that existing promotions will be improved by up to 33% for online customers.

The Fiat 500, above, and the 500L are also available through Amazon in Italy.

He said research had revealed that half of Italians were willing to buy a vehicle online, but 97% still preferred to pick it up at a traditional dealer.

After making a selection online, buyers will be contacted by Amazon to decide on a dealer where they can finalize their purchase and pick up the car. The vehicle should be ready within two weeks of the initial click.

The new initiative is certain to send a shiver through the ranks of FCA dealers in the U.S. where online sales are regulated by state franchise laws that effectively prohibit car manufacturers from selling vehicles without a dealer.

(Click Here for details about FCA’s 3Q earnings returning to the black.)

The electric car maker Tesla has fought a long and costly battle to win the right to sell vehicles via the internet and Tesla’s online model has been blocked in states such as Michigan.

FCA isn’t the only carmaker teaming up with Amazon.

Ford Motor Co. CEO Mark Fields announced last January that the Detroit automaker is also planning to team up with Amazon to let motorists access the Alexa voice assistant from their vehicles.

However, there has been no follow-up yet from Ford as to which vehicles will add the Alexa feature, nor when it will come to market.

(To see more about Fiat finishing last on Consumer Reports brand list, Click Here.)

Hyundai has announced that Genesis, the South Korean automaker’s new luxury brand, can turn on the engines from inside their homes using Amazon’s home digital assistant Alexa.