Markham, Ontario — No one wants to buy a new car without test driving it first, but during this pandemic, human-to-human contact is not preferred. As a result, Hyundai Canada is now offering customers at-home or at-work test drives to keep contact during the pandemic to a minimum.
By using the Hyundai At-Home Test Drive tool where customers can book a date and time for the at-home test and drive through the Hyundai Canada website and their local dealer will arrange the pick-up and drop-off of the chosen vehicle. Customers can also book appointments for a drive at their preferred dealership using the Hyundai tool.
This new process builds on Hyundai Canada’s “Safe and Sound” program for dealerships, which provides strict, national guidelines dealerships adopted during the pandemic, Hyundai stated. The procedures include the installation of Plexiglas partitions, controlling the flow of customers and staff, sanitizing vehicles before and after every service and test drive, and strongly encouraging customers to visit dealerships by appointment—to help limit overcrowding.
“With the increase in customers shopping online, the test drive was the next step in the purchasing process that could be booked online and completed without leaving your home,” Hyundai Canada’s director of marketing, Lawrence Hamilton said in a statement. “We want to provide multiple, safe options for every customer who is looking to experience Hyundai products and purchase a new vehicle.”
Hyundai Canada said that 199 of its 221 dealerships have agreed to participate in the program.
The program launched just 50 days after the CarGurus COVID-19 Sentiment study and found that 50 percent of respondents said they were open to buying online, up from 26 per cent in a survey before the pandemic.
The survey also found that 37 percent of respondents would like at-home test drives and 30 percent are interested in virtual or video tours of the vehicle, something Nissan Canada begins offering this week with it’s Nissan Studio website.
