Vauxhall are offering buyers of the range extender Ampera the chance to buy risk free for 30 days and return the Ampera.
New technology can be a curse and a bonus for car makers, especially when it’s a big change from what’s gone before. It’s a bonus in that it can appeal to the real technology lovers, but for the mass market new technology can be off-putting.
So in an effort to get more car buyers looking seriously at the Vauxhall Ampera range-extender, Vauxhall have come up with a scheme to allow Ampera buyers to grab a new Ampera, try it for 30 days and then give it back if they don’t get on with it.
It’s a clever scheme, because the Ampera is a good car. A range extender is by far the best way to offer an electric car as it takes away the range anxiety and can offer both the cost benefits associated with running costs on an EV without losing the freedom and practicality of a traditional ICE car.
The offer doesn’t help the price of the Ampera – a big obstacle with even the new Vauxhall Ampera Earth entry-level listing at £35k – but offering the Ampera risk free for a month does remove the technophobe issue.
There are a few caveats – you have to change your mind within 30 days, not do more than 1500 miles and be willing to pay for any damage – but other than that it is a risk-free way of trying the Ampera, even if you do have to stump up a chunk of change in the first place.
Vauxhall boss, Duncan Aldred, said:
This initiative shows the real world confidence we have in Ampera.
We appreciate that investing in new technology is a big decision which can require a leap of faith for some buyers. It’s therefore vital that we demonstrate our belief in Ampera and provide customer reassurance during the buying process. ‘Love it or Return it’ aims to achieve just that.
Be interesting to see what the ‘Love it or Return it’ offer does for Ampera sales. They’ve not been stellar so far.
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