8:07 am, March 23, 2023
Tesla has announced an innovative new way of selling cars with the launch of its ‘remote test-drive’ scheme.
The initiative allows potential buyers to get behind the wheel of a Tesla without the need for a salesperson or showroom.
Users simply book a test drive online before heading off to a designated centre where the car will unlock for them remotely.
When the would-be buyer arrives for their appointment, Tesla says they will stand beside their chosen vehicle and notify it by calling a number provided in advance.
They’ll then have their identity verified via vehicle cameras and the car will be unlocked for them.
The scheme is being introduced across Europe, with the first UK location in Perth.
The Elon Musk backed-outfit says it is applying ’21st-century thinking to car purchase’ with the initiative.
It allows for a completely solo test-drive experience, without the need for any sales advisers to be present. Each slot will last 30 minutes.
At the end of the allotted time, drivers are asked to return their car to an allocated parking space and plug it in ready for the next user.
The ‘Taste Perthshire’ site where the scheme is being tried out
A spokesman for the company said local Tesla advisers will guide people through the driving process and offer a virtual consultation covering the driving controls, product features and purchase options ahead of the test drive.
The scheme comes amid concerns that the UK’s charging network isn’t prepared for increased sales of EVs.
Ford’s managing director in the UK, Lisa Brankin, says huge queues at charging points could turn buyers away from electric cars.
She told the Financial Times: ‘If we are going to switch to 100 per cent electric vehicles, we really need to have a wealth of public charging infrastructure and I’m not sure that there is a plan in place to allow that to happen.
‘We have spent billions of dollars on electric vehicles, it is now coming fast, and we need this.’
Car Dealer discussed the government’s target of banning new ICE sales by 2030 at our recent Car Dealer Live conference in Gaydon.
You can read what our experts said here.
