FINDING THE RIGHT car for your lifestyle and budget can be a tricky process. We want to help streamline the search. As part of our Dealer Insights series, every week we’ll take a different car-buying question to the experts at the heart of the motor industry.
The 182 registration period kicks off in six weeks, and we’re looking forward to the to see which trends buyers are leaning toward for the second half of the year, and where the best value can be found.
We asked Pat Comerford, Sales Manager at Windsor Deansgrange Nissan, to share his predictions. Here’s a look at the features all smart car buyers will be looking for in 182, direct from the forecourt…
If you’re shopping for 182 and you’re not quite ready for an electric car yet, there are still plenty of incredibly efficient petrol engines out there.
Manufacturers have reaffirmed that they’ll depend less on diesel engines by advancing the capabilities of standard petrol engines. With a more efficient petrol engine, you’ll meet the lower CO2 emission guideless and lower your road tax as a result.
Range anxiety was previously an obstacle for car buyers considering taking the leap to a full electric vehicle, but that’s all changing. The updated model Nissan Leaf EV launched this March, for example, with a range of 375km from a full charge.
For us, it’s a real benchmark. Around 70 to 80 per cent of buyers looking for the Leaf this year have never owned one before. It’s been around since 2013 but now it’s attracting a whole new group of buyers.
In terms of tech, extras like regenerative braking, parking assist and lane departure warnings are all becoming the standard, and new models are building on that. We’re being drip-fed future tech bit by bit.
Keep in mind that a large volume of new car buyers are upgrading from an older car that they may have had since before the economic downturn hit. If you’re going from a 2006 car to a 2018 model, the jump in tech will be huge.
Scrappage incentives still have a strong percentage hold on the market. There are customers happily driving around in 2008 cars – which are ten years old at this stage, don’t forget – with no instinct to change. Scrappage deals are helping to grab their attention.
Buyers are also leaning toward electric and hybrid incentives, fuel alternatives and low interest deals. Manufacturers are learning to cast the net wide because one offer won’t suit everyone.
The amount of high tech extras on a new car now is incredible. Take the Nissan Micra for example, which would traditionally have been viewed as a bit of a “granny’s car”. The new Micra has Bose speakers and four cameras to help with manoeuvring. To get all that tech in a Micra just shows you where we are going.
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