New Mazda Dealership Enhances Car Buying Experience
Mazda North America, has opened Bountiful Mazda, in Bountiful, Utah, one of the largest Mazda dealers in the country, with a philosophy focused on delivering unique buying experiences for car shoppers through technology, environment and the Mazda Test Drive.
The new dealership features a bright, colorful high-tech look.
“The blueprint for our new retail experience blends modern day advances such as wireless technology and computer kiosks with a sleek architecture and customer-centric design elements to create a car-buying experience like no other,” said Charlie Hughes, President and CEO. “This concept injects our Zoom-Zoom philosophy into our dealer network, and customers will find that purchasing Mazda products mirrors the excitement of driving Mazda products.”
Another key to Mazda’s retail philosophy is found in the use of technology and Internet kiosks. Today, the vast majority of auto shoppers rely on the Internet to gather objective and reliable vehicle information.
Consequently, this process brings an interactive component into the dealership, closing the gap between online information and the Mazda dealership and creating a “site-to-store” experience.
Scion Unveils Showroom Environment
Scion, a new line of cars from Toyota, will benchmark a new culture and approach for vehicle purchases. Two key components to Scion’s approach are to offer buyers every opportunity for personalization and to create an inviting and interactive dealership setting.
A new dealership environment will give customers the freedom to browse, investigate and research Scion at their own pace. In most cases, the Scion showroom will reside inside existing Toyota dealerships. Each showroom will be divided into three main components to create a distinctive dealership environment: a product area, a discovery zone and consultation space. The product area will feature an information wall with a display case of various optional accessories and a color and trim stand. A discovery zone is supported by self-service Internet kiosks.
“At Scion, we’re all about listening and responding to the changing needs of up-and-coming drivers whose interest, tastes and experiences are unlike any generation before,” said Jim Lentz, V.P., Scion.
General Motors And Genmar To Develop Co-Marketing Programs
General Motors and Genmar Holdings, a leading recreational boat builder consisting of 18 pleasure boat brands, will join forces to promote their respective products through co-marketing activities. As part of the agreement, GM dealerships and Genmar dealers will work together in local markets this year to cross-promote their respective products.
GM will profile Genmar boats in several of its marketing and advertising programs.
Irwin Jacobs, Genmar Chairman, said, “I’ve always believed there was an enormous opportunity to advertise, promote and market boats, trucks and cars together, particularly to those consumers who enjoy boating. Having Genmar dealers working with GM dealerships to promote each other’s products will have an upside for everyone in this relationship.”
Avis And Sears Combine To Offer New Convenient Rental Location
Avis Rent A Car System has opened a new car rental facility in the Sears location in the Northlake Mall, Atlanta, GA. The new facility provides customers with the ability to rent locally in a convenient shopping center setting. Customers will be able to choose from a wide range of rental vehicles including mini-vans, SUVs and luxury vehicles.
All vehicles are backed by the Avis commitment to customer service. As an added convenience, Avis will now honor the Sears charge card to purchase rentals.
Hispanic Auto Market Report Issued
The Hispanic new-vehicle market is larger than previous industry estimates, according to a new study by CNW Marketing Research. Until now, Hispanic share of new-vehicle sales have been estimated at about 8%. The firm’s most recent study showed actual Hispanic purchase share of 13.3% or roughly 2.3 million units in 2001. That share is forecast to increase to 13.6% in 2002.
Other results include: Hispanic new-vehicle shoppers rely more on family and friends for vehicle recommendations than non-Hispanics. Hispanic new-vehicle owners are three times more loyal to a brand than their non-Hispanic counterparts.
First-generation Hispanic émigrés find Spanish-language ads, brochures and other marketing materials to be extremely or very important. That falls to about 41% among second or later generation Hispanic households.
STERLING PROMOTIONAL CORP.
Survey Identifies Automotive Trends
One third (32%) of those who plan to purchase a car intend to buy a sedan, a 10% increase since 2000, according to the Vertis Customer Focus Automotive Survey. These cars prove to be particularly popular among Generation X consumers as 32% of sedan enthusiasts are in this group. Full size luxury cars, sports cars and compact cars are also more popular choices than in the past, while the desire for a station wagon declined from 7% in 2000 to just 3% in 2002.
The public’s interest in some American cars continues to wane. In contrast, Honda’s popularity continues to grow, with a 4% increase from 9% to 13% in the past two years. Consumers with lower incomes prefer domestic automobiles while higher incomes prefer foreign. Nationwide, the study reveals that 77% of total adults surveyed would look at a domestic make when shopping for their next vehicle, while 38% would opt for a foreign brand. Foreign cars are particularly sought after on the West Coast and Northeastern states, but don’t have the same appeal among Midwesterners.
Exhibit Enterprises Inc. has produced a 28,000-sq. ft. exhibit for DaimlerChrysler to present the new Dodge cars at the 2003 North American International Auto Show. The exhibit features massive circular berms that spiral in height from 3' to more than 8'. The berms create an inclining walkway and allow Dodge to showcase its cars, trucks, minivans and performance vehicles. At the center of the display is the well-known symbol of the Dodge brand, a massive 25' H by 26' W Dodge Ram's head challenging show-goers to “Grab Life By The Horns.” The Arnell Group, a New York design firm established the design concept; Design Forum of Columbus, OH, further developed the design theme; and EEI, a Dearborn, MI-based exhibit design and construction firm, completed the final design and engineering.
Chevrolet Launches Rock ‘N’ Roll Tour
Chevrolet has announced a Rock “n” Roll national mobile marketing tour. “The tour demonstrates the tight bond between popular music and Chevrolet,” said John Schroeder, Sr. V.P., Campbell-Ewald, Chevy’s ad agency.
Wishoo, Inc., Indianapolis, IN, has been selected to help engage consumers at events with an online photo promotion.
“We will photograph attendees, placing them ‘on the cover’ of Rolling Stone,” said John Wechsler, Wishoo CEO. “After the event, attendees can retrieve their customized magazine cover via the Chevy web site.”
KUMHO TIRE DISPLAY. This floorstand display, created for retail tire stores, allows different tires within the line to be merchandised on the same display. Multiple headers were created to fit a variety of tires, making it very flexible. Optional printed tire inserts, soft curves and lines of the display, give it a unique look. Created by Meridian Display & Merchandising, 162 York Avenue East, St. Paul, MN 55117.
Hyundai Literature Display
This floor display presents an updated look. It is two sided to provide duplicate access to brochures. Powder coated steel with laminate clad MDF and laser cut logos is used with the Hyundai logo at the top of the display. The "Flying H" was made to be changeable in case of a future logo change. The display was the first step in changing the retail presence for the client. The display is easy to assemble and is a 360 degree display with brochures displayed on both sides. The Hyundai Literature Display was created by R/P Creative Sales, Inc., 84 E. Santa Anita Avenue, Burbank, CA 91502.
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