[THE INVESTOR] Korean e-commerce operator Ticket Monster, more commonly known as TMON, on April 21 said it started selling Mazda vehicles on its online shopping mall as the firm seeks to expand its car lineup. 

Two of Mazda’s 2017 models -- MX-5 RF and MX-5 Miata -- will be sold on TMON’s website through April 27. A total of four units, including an MX-5 RF and three MX-5 Miata, are available. The MX-5 RF costs 54.5 million won (US$47,657) while the MX-5 Miata is 43.8 million won, down 3.3 million won from the offline price. 

Customers have a choice of making a down payment of 100,000 won (US$88.22) or pay the full amount in advance on TMON’s website. They can check out the cars at the showrooms of the local importers Hello and Tough Country, before finalizing the deal. The pair will also provide after sales service, with the warranty reaching three years or 60,000 kilometers, according to TMON.

“We are working to expand the platform and sell more cars,” a TMON spokesperson told The Investor. “We believe our service provide customers with different channels to purchase cars at more affordable prices. In the future, we will also look into selling Korean brand cars.”

But the service is not without controversy. 

In August 2016, TMON sold 20 Jaguar XE models on its website. But only one customer was able to take the car home due to a conflict with the Korean unit of Jaguar Land Rover and its official dealer Aju Networks on the price offered. The two took issue with the fact that the cars were around 12 percent cheaper than those they sell. 

TMON said Mazda cars won’t face similar problems as it doesn’t have an official dealer here, nor is there a Korean unit of the brand. At the moment, Mazda cars are sold in Korea through direct importers in small quantity. 

By Ahn Sung-mi (sahn@heraldcorp.com)