With car sales people ranked below members of Congress in trustworthiness in a Gallup poll last December and many buyers shopping online before heading to dealer lots for a test drive -- and the accompanying sales pitch -- the firm's founder thinks he's targeted a sweet spot.

So do his financial backers, which include a General Motors former chief executive and an auto dealer who previously owned the NFL's Minnesota Vikings. 

Tred, which officially launches in the Seattle area on Wednesday, will deliver almost any vehicle to a potential buyer for $19 a car. Dealers will pay the start-up an undisclosed amount for each test drive.