[Seran Manian]

I am really not clear about the idea behind such move. The Techies in the automobile show rooms in India are already not that well informed and prospective buyers come back with many of their doubts not answered to their satisfaction. The best thing they get is first hand touch and feel of the car, seating comfort and fit and finish of the interiors. With this idea they would not even get that. Any way I simply loved the comment by GTO and laughed for a while.

[octane_100]

I just read this news of Renault showrooms not having cars! I was like What the..


Then I saw who's conceived it and I couldn't help but

PS: I don't mean any offence to anyone associated with TVS but having worked with them as a vendor and also having seen their market strategies, I couldn't help but make the above comment

[noopster]

Well...it's like that stuff that has been circulating on Whatsapp recently:

Uber, the world’s largest taxi company, owns no vehicles. Facebook, the world’s most popular media owner, creates no content. Alibaba, the most valuable retailer, has no inventory. And Airbnb, the world’s largest accommodation provider, owns no real estate. Something interesting is happening.

Source

Renault showroom has no cars!!

Jokes aside- this is a case of digital going too far. While there are valid use cases for a digital showroom, this isn't one of them. For example, Renault could have a mobile salesforce carrying one of these demo kits with them and setting them up quickly in office conference rooms, hotel rooms etc. to provide an interested buyer with a quick "experience". But my feeling is he is still going to ask for a TD afterwards.

It's very rare for anyone to buy a car without sitting in it. I know Team BHP members who trust our reviews enough to do this. But that trust has been built over time and with experience. Why would anyone trust a carmaker to deliver an authentic digital experience? In all probability the contours in the digital version will be smoother, the design sharper, space will appear more than it is in reality, etc. And most importantly how could a digital model however accurate ever compare to the experience of actually sitting in a car?!!

Personally I think the days of walking into a showroom, demanding a TD and getting one are dated. Most dealerships these days ask you to book a TD specifying the model and variant beforehand. I'm fine with them driving the car to my home or office from a centralized location and letting me TD it. But a digital experience sounds weird!

[veyron_head]

This digital exhibition model could excellently complement a regular showroom. The customer can touch & feel the car and also have a 360 degree view from all angles for their visual pleasure on big screens. It would also add greatly to the ambience

But replacing a brick n mortar showroom with a digital one is a very bad dimwit idea.

[RSR]

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

I think there will be Demo Cars of all models available at the dealership stockyards. Once the customer "digitally" checks out the models/variants and the features offered in each variant of his/her chosen Renault car, he/she may ask for a Test Drive, and the corresponding Demo Car will be made available to him/her.

I hope they do have demo cars that will be provided for test-drives. Otherwise, this entire concept is likely to fall flat on its face.

I think this idea may actually work out and help increase sales for Renault and TVS - if, and only IF it is used as a kind of force multiplier, so to speak.

Renault is nowhere near the top three in terms of sales numbers, and they are not in a position to attract too many dealer partners willing to make the required investment. Therefore, the number of dealer showrooms they have in large cities is going to be limited to two or three, and only one in other cities (for the foreseeable future).

Existing dealers can set up these digital showrooms to enhance their reach without investing too much. Renault's upcoming Kayou is going to compete against Maruti Suzuki's Alto and Hyundai's Eon, and both these manufacturers have multiple showrooms even in medium sized cities. The Kayou and the Lodgy (to a lesser extent) definitely need to be marketed as widely as possible, if they are to live up to their sales potential.

These virtual showrooms may be able to do just that, if this idea is implemented effectively. The Duster and other models can also benefit from this eventually.

[scopriobharath]

I actually appreciate the idea. This is basically in those area, where it is improbable / impractical to open a full fleged Dealership / showroom / service centre.

look at tier 3 towns, where Renault is not so popular. If someone there wants to buy a lodgy / duster, he can walk up to the nearest brand centre and experiece the car and then drive 200kms to the nearest town for a test drive and booking. These digital centres would just provide a feel of brand eperience at one's doorstep, instead of asking one to drive 200 kms for a test drive. These brand centres can also act as a virtual sales arm for the nearest renault dealership

If we read the XUV launch thread, it is to be noted that so many people have travelled a long way to test drive it. I think a brand cetre closer to them would have helped.

Mahindra has already done this (CLICK HERE)

[utsav1303]

How Renault is going to make a customer touch and feel the interiors of vehicle?

How can a customer judge sitting and visibility condition from a vehicle when there will be no cars around in the showroom?

Does this mean that for Renault, interiors are not of much importance to a customer when he or she is buying a car?

I think Renault is forgetting that in India many customer gets driven away to competitor vehicle just because a test drive or demo vehicle was not available in a showroom.

The French manufacturer states that the absence of the vehicle should not be seen as a negative trait since customers already see the car on roads before going into the showroom for a look.

WOW! They must be making transparent cars or surely working on human teleportation to take prospective customer into someone else car so that a customer could touch and feel the interiors!

[rahul4321]

Originally Posted by GTO

A car showroom without cars! Which dimwit came up with this idea. Let Renault come to my restaurant the next time, I'll show them pictures of food!

This had me in splits at office!!! My VP was looking at me like I am a bumbling idiot. Roflol!! Even if they get 'touch and feel' somehow, what will they do when customers ask for a test drive? Here is a video console with a steering wheel and 3 pedals and a gearshift, try test driving here. And oh, how do they test the suspension? Maybe get a technology to give that feel too. The 'car' would just be cheaper!

[anoop_lamba]

What next? Driving simulators in place of test drives?

[D4D]

What rubbish. Absolutely no logic. We go to a showroom to feel, touch and sit in a car.

Else I can just see the car in pictures in the comfort of my home using Team-BHP, the manufacturers website and also the videos on youtube. I don't need to even step out of my house to buy a car.

The showroom is there for prospective customers to touch a car and feel the quality, to check if the space meets his usage requirements and to ask for a test drive.

Originally Posted by GTO

Let Renault come to my restaurant the next time, I'll show them pictures of food!

[naikameya]

Originally Posted by GTO

A car showroom without cars! Which dimwit came up with this idea. Let Renault come to my restaurant the next time, I'll show them pictures of food!

Seriously, the primary reason that folks visit car showrooms is to 'touch & feel' the car. It's in our culture...we love touch & feel. The buyer is usually accompanied by his family members who - collectively - experience the car.

If I want to see 'internet-enabled' pictures or videos, I'll see them on my computer. What the heck do I need to go to the showroom for??!! Not like the usually uninformed sales advisors add any value either. If I read a Team-BHP review, not only have I saved the travel time, but I also know 100X of the information the sales advisor would've shared with me. So again, why should I visit a car-less showroom?!

I'm sure the dunce who came up with this idea is all smiles because he thinks he's very 'technologically savvy & with the times'. But what he really is, is plain stupid.



Oh stop it! I'm rolling on the floor now.

I cant agree more. Being from User Experience domain where I research and understand user psychology towards making decision this simply does not fit in.

Buying a car is a very emotional decision buyer needs to sit inside, feel it, drive it to make a purchase. Even detailed and trustworthy reviews from Team-BHP or Autocar or other publications can not be the sole influences for some one to buy a car.

Bunch of M-O-R-O-N-S...

I remember there a was penalty imposed on Maruti Suzuki & some other manufacturers since they were accepting booking amounts (pre-booking amount) without showing customers actual car. Correct me if I am wrong....But isn't this the same?

God helps only those who help themselves....These people are definitely not.

[naveenroy]

Funny enough thread but I am sure that someone is observing this from Renault and seeing more than 2 pages of us making fun of them, will go back on their plans for this "virtual" experience thingie!

[Geo_Ipe]

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

I think there will be Demo Cars of all models available at the dealership stockyards. Once the customer "digitally" checks out the models/variants and the features offered in each variant of his/her chosen Renault car, he/she may ask for a Test Drive, and the corresponding Demo Car will be made available to him/her.

Why would I take my car/bike out, fill fuel, emit carbon dioxide and travel all the way to these Renault eContraptions to see pictures of their cars, when I can do the same on TBHP on my laptop/smartphone on my couch!?

And in this era, a Demo Car is just a phone call away - a fact which TVS has been having difficulty in understanding maybe!

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

French manufacturer states that the absence of the vehicle should not be seen as a negative trait since customers already see the car on roads before going into the showroom for a look.

So if I want to buy any Renault car other than the Duster (don't ask me why I would wanna do that), I might have to acquire camping gear and go set up a tent by some highway and spend 2-3 days (maybe I'll need some surveillance gear as well) to spot them! That's not gonna help the eContraption concept either!!

[k_ajay]

I can't understand what would have made Renault decide on such a concept idea/presentation from TVS. Difficult to fathom, specially as it is 'without' any cars in the showroom at all and ONLY the digital experience will exist. Could have understood if the digital experience was to 'aid' the presence of physical cars.

Would I consider a Renault car by just a digital experience? Definitely not.

It will be interesting to see how Renault fares with this concept (and how many comments will eat dust).

[Tassem]

I know I may get a lot of flak for this but I think this is a brilliant move.

For one, kudos to Renault for having the cajones to experiment in our challenging market and not being afraid to try something new.

Indians may have the 'Mileage' or 'Touch, feel and then Buy' attitude, but if companies continued to provide India specific treatment, we'd never evolve as a market. Heck, going by that logic, we wouldn't have companies like Flipkart or Amazon. A few years ago, most people wouldn't even consider buying something online. That's changing, isn't it?

I applaud Renault for bringing this to India. At best, I don't have to handle misinformed salesmen who haven't the faintest clue about the technology and just keep repeating what's in the brochure.

At worst, a novelty that is sure to attract a lot of people who'd just want to see what the big deal is, even if they don't intend to buy the car in question. That's going to get people to my shop. Maybe they'd even realize that they like the car and book a test drive.

Isn't that the whole idea?

And that brings me to my final point. Test Drives. They're not denying that, are they? So why the hue and cry? I go experience something fun, book a test drive if I want to and Bob's your uncle.

As for people asking why go to the showroom when they can do the same thing online - I ask you, have you never been to the movies? Do you watch TV only at home? Do you never eat out because you have a kitchen at home? The experience is what matters. The novelty. The idea.

We keep crying that we don't get the latest this and that. And when a company tries something new, we push back hard.

I'd take this just as an ad campaign. TV, Radio, Paper and now Virtual Reality.

We should be proud they wanted India for this.

No offense intended. Purely my view.