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Dealers need to develop a new marketing approach to entice environmentally concerned customers into showrooms.
Manufacturers such as Ford, with its Econetic models and Volkswagen, with its Bluemotion range, are increasingly focusing on the production of lower emission cars but dealers have little experience of promoting models which feature low CO2 output as their chief selling point.
Colin Bruder, managing director of industry consultancy Network Automotive, said: “Most dealers have not had cars in their showrooms before which wore their environmental credentials so proudly.”
He said potential customers for eco-cars would not be likely to respond to the type of marketing that works for traditional family cars. He said they would be less swayed by “showroom appeal” but more by “hard facts about green performance”.
Network Automotive is talking to dealers about setting up environmental sessions to educate motorists about greener driving techniques.
“A customer who wants a very low CO2 car often also wants to know how to drive it as economically as possible,” said Bruder.
He also suggested dealers could look at establishing tie-ins with other organisations that wish to promote greener motoring, such as local authorities.
He claimed demand from fleets for greener cars would grow rapidly.
“This will happen because of taxation factors such as the CO2-based benefit in kind scheme but also because many drivers and their employers are keen to be seen to be green.”