Building confidence to help every customer make the right fuel choice
By Massimo Fedeli
First published in Auto Retail Profit, April 2019
Don’t find customers for your products, find products for your customers.’ Seth Godin’s words could be the main agenda item for every sales meeting this year because they sum up both the problem and the solution when selling cars in the current market.
The right product for your customer depends upon their requirements and for many that will be a clean diesel. But they’re uncertain about diesel and maybe you’re nervous about pushing the manufacturer’s environmental claims too far and risking the sale. The customer needs your clear and trusted advice to help them choose the most appropriate car, which will also be the right car to improve air quality for us all. You need to be confident that the product is clean – and you can be.
Trusted, independent information
In February 2019, the AIR Index was launched. It is an independent emissions rating for cars from A (the best) to E (the worst) with a traffic-light colour coding of the on-road urban NOx emissions results. The first AIR Index ratings have exposed the urban myth that ‘big diesel SUV is bad’. The Land Rover Discovery 3.0 litre diesel is rated ‘A’ with on-road NOx emissions less than half of the official limit, but a Renault Clio 1.5 diesel is rated ‘E’ with on-road NOx emissions more than eight (8) times the official limit.
Helping you find the right car for each customer
The clear, simple and trusted information from the AIR Index is now available to help consumers make the right choice for their needs and the right decision for air quality in our towns and cities. Whether that is petrol, diesel, hybrid or electric it can now be made with facts rather than confused urban myths.
Showroom solutions
- Look-up the AIR Index rating at www.airindex.com for each car and compare vehicles.
- Point of sale materials are available enabling you to show the AIR Index rating on silent salesmen next to the vehicle to explain the emissions performance for each vehicle.
- A brochure explaining the AIR Index is available to provide explanation and information on the testing process and how it helps to inform effective decision making.
- Individual certificates are available for each car rated in the AIR Index, confirming the result which can be kept with the book pack in the vehicle.
Confidence through transparency
Traffic light ratings provide clarity for customers buying a range of consumer goods and now the AIR Index offers the same at-a-glance information about vehicle emissions to enable clear and confident buying decisions. The AIR Index can help you find the right products for your customers once again.
Massimo Fedeli, former Deputy Chairman of Fiat UK is the Co-founder of Allow Independent Road-testing (AIR), the not for profit company created to find practical solutions to the problem of urban air quality. AIR’s scientific advisory committee of leading air quality and vehicle emissions experts includes Dan Carder who led the team which uncovered Dieselgate.