What's the worst selling point you've heard of by a car maker?

[michael1703]

I've been listening to commercial radio lately so my little bubble has been infiltrated by advertisements.

 

Being more motorcycle inclined, bike selling points made by manufacturers are faster/lighter/more power etc

 

Car manufacturers are claiming ergonomically derived selling points and more cup holders

 

So anyway, the advert I heard today advertising a car

 

The buzzword, the gimmick ..... Was "connectivity"

 

That's right, it's linked to spotify

 

What's the worst you've heard?

 

(Quartic wheels not included)

[D Spares & Tyres]

Has MacPherson strut suspension

 

You know there is nothing left to say

[Split_Pin]

There is currently a 1994 Corsa on eBay that "benefits from the 4 speed gearbox"

[fordperv]

BMW's self drying brakes,

also apparently they come with indicators

[Alexg]

not really a selling point, but the greatest slogan ever. They dare not oversell it.

 

[2MB]

Any kind of ESP type device that isn't the driver's feet and hands

[Bren]

Ford Ka anti perforation warranty.

[Bear]

Pedestrian-protecting pyrotechnic bonnet.

How about just making the car small enough and easy enough to see out of that I'm not mowing down pedestrians in the first place.

[SOUL]

[dugong]

VAG 'quality' (pronounced "qwala-eh" where I'm from).

[Bear]

The Vauxhall Adam.

[hairnet]

our newest car the daewoo..............

[Junkman]

 

 

 

[Junkman]

[fred]

Wave a stick at Johnny Foreigner - great selling point !! Well it is from Country life! 

 

 

 

 

[pshome]

the ad says it all...

 

[UmBongo]

The People's Car Up.

 

You can fit tall people in it and that.

 

That's what the idiot box told me.

[ray]

[Shep Shepherd]

The 1897 Pennington Autocar was advertised as being the only car on the market that wouldn't blow up or set fire to its occupants. Sounds perfect.

[tooSavvy]

Ford Escort Popular......

 

Evoking the sidevalve/back to basics (panda got there first).

 

Salesmen 'upsold' every customer.....

 

 

TS

[face]

Today's adverts seem to concentrate on lifestyle and nothing about the car.

 

On the radio this morning there was an ad about the "Seat sale event" - brand new Ibiza Toca, £8995 with sat nav and bluetooth.....

 

Engine size? Fuel type? Doors?

 

The only manufacture coming anywhere near on the radio is Mini who state the mpg and performance figures.

[Pillock]

Ford Escort Popular......

 

Evoking the sidevalve/back to basics (panda got there first).

 

Salesmen 'upsold' every customer.....

 

 

TS

This is how it works.

 

Advertise basic product for £x. Customer comes in to purchase. Salesman's job is then to term everything in small payments, usually by going through the options list. There will then be a tipping point where a few options add up to more than the step up to the next model, which has those bits at standard. Salesman how now got a sale for a Popular Plus. Stick or twist? Let's twist.... Do it again, how about a 5 speed box and internally adjustable mirrors? It's just £y for the next step up to the L though.

 

How many times have you seen a giffer driving a Titanium, GLX, Ghia, SE spec or whatever? Do you think they all wanted the top spec? No, they got upsold.

 

It's fine in car dealers, as products aren't usually available on site. In retail, you have to make sure the lower priced product is still available or it's known as Bait and Switch and makes watchdogs unhappy.

[J-Rod]

 

 

 

I love 50s US car ads.  I used to have loads of National Geographics from back then and the car ads were the best bit! 

[Junkman]

I have a quite interesting book about it.

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Selling-dream-Advertising-automobile-1930-1980/dp/187336122X

[Stanky]

A guy at work bought a Hyundai Coupe advertised on Autotrader. One of the 'features' in the ad was an adjustable steering column.

 

Yes, just like every other car made since about 1980, this 2004 example has an adjustable steering column. Obviously, this was the clincher in the deal.

[J-Rod]

Ah thanks for that! Am off on hols in a week or so, so will go get a copy!  

[Albert Ross]

Not new ads, but used ads.... People seem to think that telling us about standard features will make it more desirable. It's like they're reading from a bloody script. Airbags. Great. Yeah.... all cars of that particular type had them fitted. Glad to see it still has them. ABS brakes. Wonderful. Legal requirement on vehicles manufactured after a certain year. I'd be concerned if it DIDN'T have them... Toyota did a TV advert years ago. One of my favourites. Basically it showed things like "Seats.. to sit on" "Brakes.. to make you stop" etc. I'd love to find it and guffaw again,.

[Junkman]

Ah thanks for that! Am off on hols in a week or so, so will go get a copy!

 

To avoid any potential disappointment, I just submitted this review on Amazon:

 

If you expect a nostalgic story of a pastel coloured American dream that probably never existed, this book is not for you.

It is rather a dissertation about the harsh reality of a dog eats dog business, targeted at the serious automotive historian.

 

It tells the story of how the American car industry used (or abused?) psychology, and the spirit of the times, with all its

spin and propaganda, in its quest to fight for each and every customer.

It is richly illustrated with black and white copies of real adverts to complement the content matter.

 

The text, often spiced with Heon Stevenson's delightfully sarcastic humour, makes for surprisingly entertaining reading

for what is in essence a scientific work on history.

[garbaldy]

Not exactly the worst selling point but it did make me love turbo's.

[sierraman]

Recent bills... That's a good sign, it's been costing you a packet lately.

 

Very Fast... Corsa SXI

 

Radio cassette... So no CD then??

 

6 owners.... In 4 years

 

Serviced by myself... Badly