Everyone loves getting a new car, but only lifelong hagglers and gluttons for punishment like the actual act of purchasing one from a car dealership. Hyundai is taking a page out of Saturn’s dusty playbook with its new Shopper Assurance program, beginning today in select cities, that brings customers transparent pricing, flexible test drives, streamlined purchasing and a three-day money back guarantee.
The term Assurance is a play on Hyundai’s current Assurance plan that includes various warranties, roadside assistance, car care and Connected Care, which is like OnStar.
“For nearly a decade, the word ‘Assurance’ has been synonymous with Hyundai and represents our efforts in redefining the car ownership experience,” said Dean Evans, chief marketing officer, Hyundai Motor America. “Shopper Assurance is the next step in that tradition and is car buying made simple. We expect this to be a differentiator, as our research showed that 84 percent of people would visit a dealership that offered all four features over one that did not.”
Transparent pricing is basically what it sounds like. Participating dealers will post the fair market price, minus incentives, on their websites so customers know exactly what they’ll pay. Hyundai says this will “eliminate the frustration of widely advertised incentives not being available on dealer websites.”
With flexible test drives, customers can schedule a vehicle through Hyundai Drive, “a platform that allows the test drive to be scheduled by contacting the dealer on their website, by phone or by using a custom-built app (in available markets).” The drive can be conducted wherever the customer would like, within reason, we’re guessing.
Streamlined purchasing reduces the time customers spend in dealerships by doing most of the paperwork online, including financing, credit approvals and calculating payments.
Finally, the three-day money back guarantee says that any customer who isn’t satisfied within three days or 300 miles can get a full refund.
This program rolls out today in Miami, Orlando, Dallas and Houston, and it will launch nationwide by early 2018. Get more details or find a participating Hyundai dealer here.
