But customers need to know what they are
If analyst predictions are correct, we’re in for another round of gasoline price hikes this spring and summer. And if past experience is a good indicator, as it usually is, buyers will once again be flocking to more fuel-efficient vehicles.
If they were to base their shopping opinions solely on media coverage of what’s happening in the auto industry – particularly non-automotive media coverage – it would be easy for them to conclude they should be considering an electric vehicle. Or at least a hybrid.
Perhaps some should. But the majority, not necessarily.
There is certainly interest in electrically driven vehicles — various surveys suggest that half or more potential buyers would consider a hybrid or EV — but they’re not, as yet, backing up that expressed interest with their buying dollars.
Hybrids typically account for less than two per cent of new-vehicle sales in Canada, and battery-electrics are barely a blip on the sales radar, so far.
The fact is, electrics aren’t the only route to energy efficiency. There are alternatives that may be a better fit for many drivers. Or not. Either way, consumers deserve to know what all their options are.
Today’s diesels are light years away from their noisy, smelly ancestors and are quickly growing in popularity. And there’s still plenty of life left in the gasoline engine as automakers rethink their designs from basic principles, achieving stunning reductions in fuel consumption as a result.
Fuel-saving technologies such as direct fuel-injection, turbocharging, variable valve-control and many more are now becoming mainstream. Beyond just the engine, multi-speed or continuously variable transmissions (CVTs), regenerative braking and automatic stop-start systems further aid the effort, as does simply making vehicles lighter.
What consumers need to help them make the right decision is not a sales pitch. It’s education.
This year, the Canadian International Auto Show (CIAS) in Toronto, administered by the Toronto Automobile Dealers Association, attempted to address this very issue.
A key feature of the show was called the Eco-Drive Showcase. Comprising more than 20 vehicles and numerous supporting displays, this educational exhibit spotlights and explains the whole range of fuel-efficient technologies that are currently, or soon will be, available to the buying public.
It includes everything from turbocharging and direct injection, through multi-speed transmissions and CVTs, lightweighting, regenerative braking and auto-stop-start systems, to diesels, hybrids, plug-in hybrids and battery-electric vehicles.
Not only does the exhibit showcase and explain these technologies, it answers frequently asked questions about them. Questions some customers might be too shy to ask a salesperson for fear of seeming ill-informed.
It’s a worthwhile endeavor. But, at most, the CIAS will host around 300,000 visitors, mostly from the Greater Toronto Area. How is it possible to get that information out to the rest of Canada’s prospective car buyers?
The Canadian Automobile Association (CAA), which is the primary sponsor of the Eco-Drive Showcase, can provide part of that answer. It has published an on-line primer on fuel-efficient auto technologies, called Gas, Hybrid and Electric: What You Need to Know (http://caa.ca/publicAffairs/public-affairs-newengine-e.cfm). [Full disclosure: I’m one of the authors.]
But there is no reason that dealers cannot, or should not, do it themselves. Every dealer has a website. Why not provide a worthwhile service to your customers by making a part of your website FAQs?
The questions and answers don’t have to be just about fuel efficiency, or even just product-related, although that’s a good place to start. They can be about any aspect of your business.
Not only would you be helping your prospects and customers, you might even gain a competitive advantage. At virtually zero cost.
It’s an idea worth considering.
