Sonic Automotive Inc., the nation's third-largest dealership group, has relaunched its corporate Web site to focus on retail customers.

The revised site is the first step Sonic is taking to establish a national brand for the publicly held retailer, says Rachel Richards, Sonic's vice president of retail strategy.

“We have to offer a consistent customer experience to be able to create a national brand,” Richards told Automotive News.

The old Web site had some of the same features as the new one, allowing visitors to find a dealership and browse new and used vehicle inventory. But general company information and history was front and center.

“It looked more like an investor relations site,” says Richards, who would not disclose the cost of the site changes.

Now the site has the look and feel of an automotive shopping portal. The home page offers five ways to search for a new or used vehicle - by year, make, model, body style or price. It also allows customers to narrow the search by proximity.

Sonic, based in Charlotte, N.C., also invites visitors to sell their vehicle for cash or trade to the company on the site. The customer completes an online form to obtain an estimate of the vehicle's value then visits a store for an inspection and final price.

Sonic is testing other merchandising changes to create a new shopping environment for customers.

For example, the company is testing a no-haggle menu in its finance and insurance departments at dealerships in Maryland, Virginia and Ohio.

Richards estimates Sonic will be ready to roll out a new sales process and brand marketing campaign in 2012.