LOS ANGELES - With its sales in free fall, Mitsubishi Motors is turning for the first time to customer ride-and-drive promotions - an increasingly popular but expensive way to reach consumers.
A 10-city tour will run from late July through September and will focus mainly on the Galant sedan and the Endeavor SUV, says Ian Beavis, senior vice president of marketing for Mitsubishi Motors North America.
The Galant and Endeavor are crucial to Mitsubishi's sales turnaround, Beavis says.
Mitsubishi has increased ad spending for the two nameplates and is offering a free 36-month/45,000-mile maintenance program to purchasers of the two vehicles.
Mitsubishi's U.S. sales are running 23 percent behind last year's pace, totaling 89,501 units during the first five months of the year.
The company initially balked at a ride-and-drive program because of the cost. But Beavis says now is the time to act.
"We believe we can close deals once people get behind the wheel," he says. "We finally got the cost to the point where we could afford it."
Mitsubishi has been running TV commercials since February that pit the Galant and the Endeavor against rivals in acceleration, accident avoidance and braking tests.
Now Mitsubishi wants to show consumers firsthand how the two vehicles stand up against the competition.
Beavis would not reveal the program's cost. But marketers who have conducted similar ride-and-drives say they cost a minimum of $100,000 a weekend.
Beavis says his ride-and-drives will run about five weekdays in each city, or over two weekends.
Beavis hopes to attract about 12,000 consumers
Full Story HERE
A 10-city tour will run from late July through September and will focus mainly on the Galant sedan and the Endeavor SUV, says Ian Beavis, senior vice president of marketing for Mitsubishi Motors North America.
The Galant and Endeavor are crucial to Mitsubishi's sales turnaround, Beavis says.
Mitsubishi has increased ad spending for the two nameplates and is offering a free 36-month/45,000-mile maintenance program to purchasers of the two vehicles.
Mitsubishi's U.S. sales are running 23 percent behind last year's pace, totaling 89,501 units during the first five months of the year.
The company initially balked at a ride-and-drive program because of the cost. But Beavis says now is the time to act.
"We believe we can close deals once people get behind the wheel," he says. "We finally got the cost to the point where we could afford it."
Mitsubishi has been running TV commercials since February that pit the Galant and the Endeavor against rivals in acceleration, accident avoidance and braking tests.
Now Mitsubishi wants to show consumers firsthand how the two vehicles stand up against the competition.
Beavis would not reveal the program's cost. But marketers who have conducted similar ride-and-drives say they cost a minimum of $100,000 a weekend.
Beavis says his ride-and-drives will run about five weekdays in each city, or over two weekends.
Beavis hopes to attract about 12,000 consumers
Full Story HERE
