BEST PRACTICES
No more hiding the hybrids

$100,000 cutaway draws a crowd -- and at least 1 sale

Ohio dealer Rick Germain positioned one hybrid display near the reception desk so shoppers can see it as soon as they enter the dealership. Says Germain: “It is a conversation-starter when somebody walks in.”

Photo credit: CHUCK HOCKENHEIMER

Rick Kranz
Automotive News -- January 10, 2011 - 12:01 am ET






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DUBLIN, Ohio -- It took $100,000 and a high-powered design company to turn hybrid technology into a destination at Germain Lexus here in central Dublin, near Columbus.

Before the futuristic hybrid displays were installed in late September, many visitors to Germain Lexus of Dublin walked past the hybrid models, unaware the dealership sold hybrids.

Through commercials and marketing, Lexus "is doing a great job with all these hybrids," said Roberto Vazquez, general sales manager at Germain Lexus, "and I started thinking: 'What are we doing to create that interest when somebody walks in?'"

With the launch of the HS 250h the dealership looked for a way to boost hybrid sales and call attention to the newest product. The result is a dramatic -- and expensive -- exhibit, a showcase that looks like a giant car cutaway.

The displays of two hybrid vehicles explain the ABCs of alternative powertrains, including how the vehicles operate, the estimated fuel savings and the ways a hybrid can help the environment.

"It is a conversation-starter when somebody walks in," said Rick Germain, COO of Germain Motor Co., which owns the dealership.

Last May, Germain contacted Chute Gerdeman Retail, a design company in Columbus, about creating the display. Chute Gerdeman was known for designing store and restaurant displays and previously did work for RadioShack and Reebok.

Germain "wanted to create a new showroom experience that is primarily focused around the introduction of the HS 250h," said Matt Jeffries, senior brand communications designer at Chute Gerdeman. "We wanted the showroom experience to be exciting for the shopper. We also wanted it to be a selling device for his team."

Receptionist convinced


The Lexus HS 250h is the star of a second hybrid display at the dealership.

Photo credit: CHUCK HOCKENHEIMER

Last year the dealership sold 69 Lexus hybrids, 11 percent of total new Lexus sales. That was up from 42 in 2009.

So far Germain can only attribute one hybrid sale to the display.

"There was one customer who did credit the display to her decision to purchase a hybrid, and that is our receptionist," Germain wrote in an e-mail. "Apparently because she stares at the display all day long, she decided to purchase an HS 250h in December."

Others purchasing hybrids already had their minds made up to buy that vehicle before they entered the showroom.

But Germain takes a long-term view of the $100,000 investment, especially since the display can be modified to feature new models. For example, he can switch it from an HS 250h display to feature the compact CT 200h hybrid, which comes out this spring.

"The idea was that hybrids are going to continue to be a big part of our product lineup," he says. "We knew what we were getting into and what the expense would be," Germain added. "We felt long term it would be a worthwhile venture."

During development of the display, Germain and several members of his staff were interviewed by Chute Gerdeman about the questions visitors asked about hybrids. Chute Gerdeman focused on marketing, demographics and the customers the dealership was trying to attract. Lexus provided assistance.

The result was an interactive experience in which customers are introduced to the hybrid technology from the store's front door all the way through the showroom display.

"We are looking at every touch point that the visitor walking into that showroom would hit and how that message would be communicated back to the hybrid model," Jeffries said.

For customers entering the showroom, hybrids are featured on the left side of the dealership, just past the information desk, and nonhybrid models are to the right.

The goal of the displays is to "create a unique scenario where the customer can really look into the car's mechanics without having to open the hood," Jeffries said.

Hybrid topics in the display areas are separated into three categories -- technology, performance and innovation -- and details are printed on large acrylic panels positioned alongside a white HS 250h

One panel explains that the car features plastic made from plants. A panel in front of the car, suspended over the hood, explains how the car operates in electric mode, gasoline mode or a combination of the two.

'Educational moments'


Rick Germain: Many shoppers "spent time with the display, reading information about the technology."

Photo credit: CHUCK HOCKENHEIMER

A black HS 250h sits in front of the second display, flanked by three tall panels, each about 8 feet high, that Jeffries calls "large educational moments." These are the reasons to drive a hybrid. Better mileage and lower fuel costs are two examples.

A second panel raises the question: 'What does the hybrid do for me?" The answer talks about less pollution and less impact on the environment. The last panel explains some of the car's features.

A Chute Gerdeman spokesman said half of the total cost of the exhibit was for the design fee. The rest was for prototyping.

Vazquez admits it was a big expense to create the displays, but judging from the number of customers attracted to the display, he feels it was worth the cost.

From time to time, Vazquez keeps an eye on the front door, monitoring the shopping pattern of visitors to the showroom. After the reception desk, most immediately turn left, toward the hybrid display.

"It is amazing how many people start reading about the hybrid" even if they have no intent to purchase a hybrid model, he said.

Vazquez already is thinking about the dealership's next hybrid display.

"I want to have a display with a man or woman, projecting a person, a hologram," he said. "I want to take it to the next level."