A pair of test-drive car-jacking incidents just a few miles apart left one trader with “life-changing injuries” and another reviewing CCTV footage in an effort to catch the culprit.
The internet gives dealers far fewer chances to woo a customer, but in-depth knowledge and flexible service can help the test drive to redress the balance.
Mazda is currently looking at whether it can introduce its MyWay test drive concept across other major cities in the UK to help crack cold territories where it has low or no dealer representation.
Driving licence checks carried out through Cooper Solutions' systems have helped to uncover 62,000 customer credentials needing further investigation, the DMS specialist claims.
Jaguar UK has invited car buyers to test the XE saloon against its rivals through a series of group tests arranged at UK showrooms.
Kia has highlighted the importance of a test drive with research which found 47% of Brits “hate” their car - but just one-in-five drives before they buy.
The launch of a Renault Range Roadshow this summer is hoped to bring the brand’s cars and technology to the attention of hundreds of consumers.
Seat is offering customers an additional £500 deposit contribution towards the purchase of all of its new car range as part of its ‘Beautifully Made May event’.
Renault is offering Londoners the chance to test drive one of a fleet of 70 Twingo city cars in a bid to win tickets to a secret concert.
Telematics could transform the test drive experience for dealers, providing sales staff valuable information on the customer experience to help win sales.
An online test drive operator taking dealer demo vehicles to customers' doors has welcomed former Sytner Group Operations Director Geoffrey Page-Morris onto its advisory board.
Mention virtual reality (VR) to most people today and they will probably assume you're talking about video games. Increasingly though, we will start to see VR have an impact on the automotive industry.
Dealers are calling for more training and support in providing test drives to help them improve conversion rates and manage risks.
Dealers have to make risk management a core part of the test drive process to keep employees and customers safe on the road, AM research has shown.
Almost a quarter of a million used car buyers may have made their purchase without taking a test drive in their chosen vehicle, research by webuyanycar.com has revealed.
Car dealers’ sales processes are suffering from a “lethargy” which sees many customers leave the showroom without having taken a test drive, had their part-ex valued or finance offer calculated.
Using live video in online live appointment-setting can increase test drives by more than a third.
Dealers can obtain exclusive new insight into the importance of test drives and the opportunities and risks they pose in a new AM initiative.
Mazda has launched its new MyWay direct sales and test drive service in selected central London boroughs to increase sales in the capital.
Dealers are poised to achieve a year-on-year rise in registrations for the September plate-change month, despite limited uplift in enquiries, research shows.
