CINCINNATI—Could Tesla’s manufacturer-direct model, where consumers buy and lease cars directly from the carmaker, someday have an impact on FI lending portfolios, giving automakers’ a much bigger portion of the financing pie?
A new study by Swapalease.com indicates that consumers like the idea of buying straight from the automaker. Survey results show that 67.4% of women and 75.0% of men are “all in favor of it.”
The online survey was presented to more than 2,500 consumers across the U.S. from May 10 – May 30.
Tesla has quickly grown in popularity for its feature-rich electric vehicles, yet its manufacturer-direct model has been a topic of much debate throughout the automotive industry.
As a benchmark to the survey, 54.4% of women polled said they were familiar with Tesla’s model compared with 77.3% of men. Among the other key findings:
- When asked what would prompt consumers to go direct to the manufacturer for their next car purchase or lease, 50% of women said they wouldn’t mind avoiding the dealer negotiation process, compared to 46.5% of men. Thirty-three percent of women and 31% of men feel they could get a better deal directly from the manufacturer.
- Fifty percent of women also feel the direct model would work for all car and truck brands, both domestic and foreign, compared to 57% of men.
- Fourteen percent of women say they would still want to pick up their car at the dealer compared with 26% of men. Also, 50% of women said they can do service and financing without the dealer compared with only 38% of men.
“This survey clearly indicates that there is a lot of room for improvement with the experience women currently have at the dealership,” said Anne Fleming, president of Women-Drivers.com in a release. “While our surveys also indicate that this is improving, it may not be occurring fast enough.”