Car dealerships are going increasingly electric, but it's hybrids that are driving sales. Two in three dealerships offer cars with green engines
Italian car dealerships are becoming increasingly "electric". Two in three offer customers the opportunity to purchase this type of car, nine in ten have installed a charging point, and the majority are betting on sales growth over the coming year, particularly with regard to hybrids. The data emerge from the research "Concessionari e nuova mobilità", promoted by the magazine Fleet magazine and based on a sample of over 40 large (more than 10,000 vehicles sold), medium (between 5,000 and 10,000) and small (under 5,000) dealers, with a total fleet of 450,000 vehicles and 312 branches represented.
The pandemic is in fact not slowing down the sales and aftersales figures for these vehicles, which are instead benefiting from incentives; however, a notable difference is emerging between hybrid and pure electric vehicles. For nearly half of those surveyed, hybrids account for 5 per cent of total sales, and growth of up to 30 per cent is expected over the coming year; nor are there any shortage of dealers who, above all thanks to plug-in technology, are forecasting an increase of as much as 50 per cent. The numbers become considerably less significant when it comes to electric cars: 32 per cent do not yet have an offering in their showrooms, for over a third electric vehicles account for less than 5 per cent of overall business volume, and the rate of sales growth in 2021 is considered marginal.
All the dealers surveyed use test drives to demonstrate the features of electrified cars to customers; in addition to these, nearly half of the sample offers innovative solutions, such as training courses for drivers, printed guides or video tutorials. Since a certain level of preparation is needed to offer electric and hybrid cars, training is aimed not only at customers but also at sales staff: training courses — which only 6 per cent do not offer — are sometimes promoted by the dealers themselves, and more frequently organised by the manufacturers. The same applies to aftersales training, that is, the upskilling of workshop technicians, which in most cases takes place twice a year. Furthermore, more than two in three dealers have set up a dedicated team of experts for these vehicles.
The installation of charging infrastructure is today one of the most important strategic challenges: it is no coincidence that as many as 91 per cent report having installed charging points at their premises, particularly in northern Italy; this is due in particular to agreements between manufacturers and energy utilities. Conversely, the vast majority of dealers do not handle the installation of wall boxes at the customer's home, and a good 40 per cent leave the task to the energy provider. In future, this aspect could become central to improving customer loyalty, on which subject the data relating to routine maintenance times for hybrid cars stand out: all jobs are handled within a week and 60 per cent are completed within three days — timescales comparable to those for conventional vehicle maintenance. This demonstrates that dealerships are well aware that a significant part of the trust relationship with customers hinges on the speed of their service.