Drone Delivery By Geely: Selling Cars In The Age Of COVID-19
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You’ve really got to feel for the carmakers of the world right. I mean, you’ve got to feel for everyone right now, but I’m a car guy and I needed an introduction to a story about how hard it is to actually sell a new car or motorcycle in the age of COVID-19 during the Coronapocalypse. Part of what makes it difficult, beyond the economic uncertainty, is the actual act of getting to the dealer and — Gasp! — shaking hands with the salespeople. Luckily, Geely has figured out a solution: drone delivery.
If you’re not familiar with Geely, you’re certainly familiar with some of the companies it owns, namely Volvo and Lotus Cars, each EV and tech pioneers in their own right. The Geely Bo Rui GE PHEV (pronounced “Bow Ray”), for example, is built using the same CMA architecture found in the award-winning Volvo XC40, and it is slick. You can learn more about the Bo Rui by clicking here, but that’s not what this post is about. What this post is about is Geely’s brilliant combination of online configuration, ordering, purchasing, and– finally!– the drone delivery of your new Geely’s keys.
The whole process is incredibly polished, and could set the standard by which direct-to-consumer sales start to happen globally. That’s especially significant these days, too, now that the laws surrounding dealerships and franchises continue to get challenged by upstart EV makers. Heck, even the keys themselves are next-level — take a look for yourself!
Geely Bo Rui GE SmartKey
It’s worth noting, too, that Geely’s drone delivery thing — while definitely a timely gimmick — isn’t an isolated thing. The Geely ICON (shown in the image, above) is said to be China’s first mass-produced vehicle equipped an anti-bacterial cabin filter. Think of Tesla’s Bioweapon Defense Mode, and you’ll get the idea. In addition to that, Geelys purchased online “are thoroughly disinfected by the dealership including through ionization prior to delivery in order to ensure customers enjoy a safe and healthy purchase experience.”
Geely’s other companies appear to be following suit, too, if emails I’ve received announcing similar “disinfecting” steps being taken at two Chicago-area Volvo dealerships (Volvo Oak Park and Patrick Volvo) are any indication.
What do you guys think? Would you buy a car totally online and have your documents and keys sent over by drone delivery, or would you prefer to interact with a human being at a car dealership and, maybe, negotiate yourself a better deal than you might be able to get online? Check out Geely’s official press release and video, below, then let us know what you think in the comments.
Geely Auto Goes Full Contactless with New Car Keys Being Delivered by Drone
Hangzhou, China — Geely Auto launched its own proprietary online sales system that offered consumers the complete one stop solution for ordering online that included the modification of vehicle specifications, online financing and insurance as well as giving the option of establishing a home delivery in a contactless solution.
Geely Auto has also improved upon its contactless home delivery system which looks to directly deliver new vehicles to consumers’ homes or place of work rather than collecting from dealerships. The new system will now use drones in select locations to pass new car keys to consumers by delivering directly to their door or balcony, furthering the distance between staff and consumer and creating a truly contactless process.
Since the platform was launched in February, just over 10,000 consumers have ordered and paid for vehicles on Geely’s online mall with a further 110,000 users registering their interest to buy a Geely vehicle in the short term. All confirmed orders and confirmed leads are a sent to local dealers who process orders and begin the home delivery process.
All Geely Auto vehicles are thoroughly disinfected by the dealership including through ionization prior to delivery in order to ensure customers enjoy a safe and healthy purchase experience. As part of Geely’s commitment to developing healthy cars, Geely Auto has set aside a 370 million RMB fund that will focus on the development of cleaner, healthier vehicles providing clean cabin air and using materials that are antimicrobial in nature. The first mass produced vehicle equipped with anti-bacterial filters, the Geely ICON (shown), that was launched in late February 2020.
Victor Yang, Vice President of Geely Auto Sales Company commented: “Geely Auto’s constant change to market requirements and consumer concerns is the driving force behind Geely’s continued success in the Chinese market.”
Source | Images: Geely Global Media.
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