Resumption of business by car dealerships: Volkswagen launches “JumpStart” program

The objective of all these measures is to allow an easy resumption of normal business activities by dealers. Many of the ideas presented have come from the dealerships themselves and have evolved over the past few weeks. In clearly structured check lists, videos and audio files, dealers receive answers to the most pressing questions concerning service for customers, virtual vehicle presentations, test drives, no-contact collection and delivery services or the vehicle hand over. In addition, Volkswagen recommends various disinfection and cleaning products for its dealers to improve health protection for employees of dealerships as well as for customers.

“The JumpStart program is our initial impulse to revive car trade,” says Holger B. Santel, Head of Sales and Marketing, Germany. “Especially in the present situation, there is growing demand for individual mobility. People appreciate the hygiene of their own car. We have good offers and arguments which dealers can use to actively approach customers.”

In close cooperation with the dealers’ association, Volkswagen is also offering highly attractive conditions for leasing and financing in order to promote the sale of new and recent-model used cars. In addition, car buyers benefit from a complimentary installment protection plan.

“When car sales start to rise again, we will have a good basis for the restart of the entire German economy. However, we will also need broad impetus from politicians to support these efforts,” says Jürgen Stackmann, Member of the Board of Management of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand responsible for Sales, Marketing and After-Sales. “In addition, there are still several million EU4 or older emissions standard vehicles on German roads. By replacing this fleet, we can jointly make a key contribution to climate protection.”