7:56 am, May 1, 2013
NISSAN’S brand experience centre at London’s O2 Arena gave customers more test drives of its Leaf EV than its dealer network managed last month.
Called the Nissan Innovation Centre, visitors get the opportunity to learn more about the Japanese company’s exploits in zero emission motoring and can also take a test drive of the Leaf electric hatchback.
The centre gave 312 test drives last month – DOUBLE the number Nissan dealers managed. In comparison, the Japanese company’s dealer network gave only 150 test drives in March.
Speaking to Car Dealer, Nissan Motor Company’s executive vice president Andy Palmer said it’s a reflection of how customer behaviour is changing and how Nissan is speaking to potential customers.
‘On average, customers only visit 1.2 dealers when they are choosing their next car,’ he told us. ‘So, if customers are only ever going to come to your showroom once – you’ve got to embrace them.’
Nissan has just signed another four-year deal with the O2 Arena, and Palmer strongly believes the venture is an interesting one.
‘The Innovation Centre is a different touch point for customers compared to a traditional dealer. The O2 Arena welcomed 8.6m visitors last year – and around four million of those visitors visited the Arena’s attractions. That’s a lot of footfall.’
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