Online Experience Holds the Key to How Consumers Buy Cars

ONLINE connectivity is changing forever the way consumers are buying vehicles, says Glen Mollink, CEO at Innovation Group SA.

Gone are the days when buyers travelled between dealerships to see what was available, and for how much. Now, "at the click of a button, consumers can find multiple dealerships offering the models they want, in the right colour, at the right mileage and within their area". They could even compare prices. "Connectivity gives consumers massive choice," he said.

 

The change is happening faster in some countries than others. In developed markets, the first time customers visit a showroom may be to close the deal; to see the vehicle and perhaps take a test-drive. That is often not the case in SA, where much of the population still has limited online access. Some domestic motor companies, having started to invest in "virtual" showrooms more than a decade ago, say uptake by South African consumers has been slower than expected.

Volkswagen got ordered to recall 2.4 million cars in Germany

German media reports suggest the KBA earlier rejected VW's proposals that car owners could voluntarily bring their cars in for repair.

VW

Meanwhile, Italian police have raided VW offices in Verona and Lamborghini offices in Bologna.

Reports suggest Italian prosecutors are investigating alleged commercial fraud.

Honda recalls more Ccars with Takata Airbags

Japanese- At least eight deaths - all in Honda cars - have been linked to the airbag inflator, which can deploy with too much force spraying metal shrapnel.

Globally, tens of millions of cars with Takata airbags have been recalled since 2008, most of them in the US.

 

Other brands that have issued recalls include Nissan, General Motors and BMW.

But Honda, the number three carmaker in Japan, has been hardest hit with 24.5 million cars recalled - more than half of the global total.

A Honda spokesman in Tokyo told AFP news agency on Thursday that the carmaker had found some airbag inflators had "uneven gas density, which we worry could do some harm".

"It is a preventive measure and unlike other normal recalls we are not waiting for the full results of the research," he said.

Honda is recalling about 1.63 million cars in Japan alone. The carmaker told the Reuters news agency that North America was not included in the latest recall.

Nissan incident