8:24 am, July 15, 2008
STUDIES across Europe show car dealers are poorly promoting the safety aid stability control.
A mystery shopper discovered few dealers recommend ESC as a safety aid and fail to promote the technology.
The study looked at those cars where ESC (commonly known as ESP) was optional, and whether dealers made an effort to sell it. While many countries are rated as ‘poor’, the UK only gained an ‘acceptable’ rate.
The worst dealers are Mazda, Ford and Citroen; less than four in 10 of the French brand’s dealers, for example, made any mention of ESC. They fell behind Toyota, VW and Renault dealers in recommending buyers choose ESC.
Only one in five salespeople focused on safety as an important feature – the look and price of cars was mentioned more often.
But surely there are profit-making opportunities there. Where it’s optional, customers’ interest in vehicle safety means it’s a prime option to encourage them to add. Generally, costs are not too excessive, making it easier to promote the safety angle and increase margins.
Could it be time for an ESC drive, to tie in with expected increased propmotion of the safety feature by Governments and safety organisations?
