As China has begun to return to normality following the coronavirus crisis, Tesla has been eager to ensure they can get their customers back through the door as soon as possible to make up for lost revenue. To achieve this, Tesla is thinking outside of the box, just as you would expect them to.
Contactless Test Drives
So, a contactless test drive is exactly as it sounds. It’s a process where prospective buyers can test drive a vehicle without having to physically engage with a salesman or paperwork and they’ll be able to test a sanitised model.
Firstly, the customer will book a test drive experience over the phone or via the Tesla website. The customer will specify which model, what time slot and which location to collect the car from. Necessary paperwork will then be sent over to the customer to be completed remotely and returned.
Next, this booking will allow the Tesla showroom to prepare the right model and have it fully sanitised in advance so it is cleaned and ready to go as soon as the customer arrives with the key fob locked inside the vehicle.
Finally, when the customer arrives, the showroom staff will unlock the vehicle remotely using the Tesla app and when the customer enters the vehicle, an instructional video will begin to play on the centrally mounted screen, explaining all the functionality of the car to the prospective buyer.
The customer can then take the car for a spin and enjoy everything that the Tesla models have to offer before returning it to the dealership where the staff will remotely lock the car before taking it to be cleaned again. If the customer wishes to proceed with the purchase of the vehicle, they can do so online - which is functionality already available in the UK.
Tesla are already working on launching contactless vehicle deliveries which will operate using similar app-based functionality so that when that new car day does come around, it’ll be a contactless process.
Of course, this contactless test driving process is not currently available in the UK as showrooms are currently closed due to the Coronavirus restrictions, but in China Tesla have already launched this platform and we expect a similar version to be made available in the UK when it is safe to do so.
What do you think? Do you like the idea? It’s interesting to see how agile manufacturers have become in the face of the Coronavirus crisis and its refreshing to see industry leaders being inventive with how they can adapt their business and the typical car buying process.