General Motors has extended its 24-hour, test-drive programme that allows prospective buyers to take vehicles home overnight, Dow Jones reported.
The programme, originally planned to end on September 2, now will run until January 2 – the second extension since GM instigated the programme in April, the report said.
“Our whole point (with the programme) is to get people driving our cars and get on their consideration list,” GM spokeswoman Marcia McGee told Dow Jones, adding: “It’s been very successful.”
McGee reportedly said an estimated 280,000 overnight, test drives were taken since the programme began, resulting in about 89,000 sales. The 31.8% sales ratio is about 11% higher than the industry average for customers who participate in traditional test drives, she told Dow Jones.
The news agency noted that, under the programme, qualified drivers 21 and over can take many GM vehicles home overnight and test drive them up to 100 miles.
“We’re thrilled with our success,” McGee told Dow Jones, adding: “We’ve sold a lot of cars.”
