Desperate Times Call For Desperate Tactics: Auto Marketing

Buy 1 car, get 1 for 99 cents!

In the auto industry, right now, the sky is falling. US Auto sales fell 18%, GM had its worst year in nearly a half-century and Toyota had its first operating loss in 70 years.

It’s a buyer’s market and now is the perfect time to buy a new car. It’s very interesting to see what marketers come up with in these desperate times…

• Hyundai Motor America, is trying to woo skittish buyers by promising to let them return cars for up to a year if they lose their jobs and can’t make the payments.

• In Arizona, a Chrysler dealership is offering an incentive to buy a Ram Truck: Get either a PT Cruiser or Dodge Calliber for just 99 cents.

• The over-priced and under-marketed (or shall I say un-marketed) Honda Accord Hybrid has just been discontinued for obvious reasons

• Nissan, Mazda, Ford, Infiniti, and Kia are offering 0% financing for many of their new cars

• VolksWagen is offering up to $12,000 off MSRP

• Online auto listings are poised to change from simple listing to a complete sales vehicle. Take for example, AutoBrag.com, which enables new car shoppers to negotiate by making anonymous offers to local dealerships.

• Ride & Drives: Potential buyers drive the featured vehicle as well as its competition. They get goodie bags of products emblazoned with company logos. It’s like a touring rock concert, and considering the financial investment, becoming rarer in this economy.