Manufacturing Plants Reopen & Virtual Vehicle Reveals
Automakers are gassed up and ready for a restart at plants across the country.
This is what the new normal will look like for many manufacturers. Employees will be required to wear face masks, temperatures will be taken before coming into a facility, and in many cases, shifts will be staggered as things get back up and running. We’ve seen plants transformed over the last few weeks, churning out medical equipment and protective gear instead of vehicles. Manufacturers say they’ve been able to take lessons learned during that time and apply them now, ensuring they’re taking the right precautions for their workforce as vehicle production gets back underway.
Car buyers are looking to shift gears, even after lockdowns are lifted.
KPMG surveyed 2500 consumers in April to get a better idea of what car buying will look like after COVID-19. More than half of people who intended to buy a car before the stay-at-home orders say they are even more likely to buy now. But they don’t want to go to a showroom and instead, would prefer the experience be completely online, with dealers bringing the car to them for a test drive.
And automakers are getting innovative when it comes to vehicle reveals.
Like most automotive press, MotorWeek is front and center when the sheet is pulled off a new vehicle. But most manufacturers have now had to get creative for virtual debuts. We saw Hyundai live stream the debut of their 2021 Elantra and Elantra hybrid from the lot studios in West Hollywood, California. Lamborghini used augmented reality to launch the Huracán EVO rear wheel drive Spyder. Using an iPad or iPhone, the virtual experience allows viewers to park the super sports car in their driveway, or in their living room, to get an up-close, first hand look.
Other automakers have made the decision to just delay reveals, so only time will if this will be a lasting trend. And that does it for this week’s Motor News update.