2011 Hyundai Equus: A Way To Avoid Dealer Showrooms

John DeCostanza

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After 35 years plus John DeCostanza knows his way around an auto repair operation and offers varied insights into that industry and other automotive... More

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889 views Aug 5, 2010

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If the only thing that has prevented you from buying a luxury car is the inner turmoil that visiting the new car showroom causes, Hyundai has a car for you. In its inaugural year in the U.S. the 2011 Hyundai Equus can be purchased from your living room.

Hyundai’s U.S. CEO John Krafcik has previously revealed that consumers interested in this level of luxury put a premium on their time and Hyundai’s plan is to honor that with a higher level of customer service. If you have an aversion to car showrooms a salesperson will bring the Equus to your home for a road test. "For the most part, no one wants to visit a car dealership," he said.

Don’t envision an army of Hyundai salespeople leaving their doughnuts and coffee on a regular basis to play squire to prospects. The carmaker only plans to sell about 2,000 to 3,000 of the luxury cars that reach $60,000 when amply endowed. It’s these low estimated sales numbers which makes the concierge type service a viable marketing approach.

Hyundai has also simplified the available trim offerings--there’s best and beyond best--called Signature and Ultimate in the literature. At the Ultimate level you can expect a refrigeration unit and cooled seats to pamper your rear passengers.

The commitment to unique customer service is not limited to the buying experience. Owners will not have to return to the dealership for service appointments either, since personnel will be bringing Equus or Genesis loaners to them for use while their cars are being serviced. There won’t be any dog eared pages on the owner’s manual either since the manual is on an Apple iPad included in the purchase. It contains an application for scheduling maintenance appointments as well.

So it appears that at least one car manufacturer is aware of the distaste car shoppers have for dealer showrooms. This was considered here in the post Can Buying A Car Be As Bad As A Dental Visit? In the case of the Equus ultimate customer service is a convenient way to minimize the consumer’s pain.

[The Car Connection]