OPINION: While marketers love to aim EV ads at young up-and-comers, are they missing a trick with the more mature crowd?
I just had a long-overdue chat with one of my army of uncles, who’s looking to replace my aunt’s car with “one of those fancy EV things”, in his words.
Now, this uncle is, I would argue, an absolutely perfect example of where we all are currently in the electric vehicle conversation.
He’s in the retiree percentile, well off enough that a small electric SUV or sedan would be easily attainable, but he’s not at all interested in spending more than he needs to.
And badge buying is absolutely not for him.
He’s a self-made blue-collar bloke with knowledge and skills earned in a lifetime in the workforce, but he has next to no workable knowledge about EVs.
And crucially, he’s still wary of the dealership model when it comes to buying a new car, but he’s also cognisant that online deals might not be as good as they appear to be when it comes to purchasing a vehicle.
“Timbo, what’s this GM or BD thing I’m seeing on the internet?” he booms. “Should I buy one?”
After a moment of confusion, I quickly assessed that he’d seen articles on both the updated MG ZS EV and the BYD Atto 3 and combined them together.
We chatted for a bit about the fact that cars will always cost a certain amount ie because cars have been built for such a long time now, economies of scale and rising costs mean that the cheap car no longer exists).
I explained that EVs are ridiculously easy to drive and to live with, especially for people doing less than 50km a week as they are.
When he asked about the BYD arrangement, I shared my personal opinion – borne of a career in the automotive space – that I’d steer clear of the brand for the moment, just until the dust settles on the service and warranty issues that have marked the EV brand’s debut in Australia.
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“Yeah, I gotta say, I was worried about that. What about warranties and this and that?” he said.
I suggested, based on his budget, that he check out the base-model MG ZS EV – it’s got a decent warranty and plenty of brick-and-mortar retailers, too – but just be prepared for a wait.
We also talked about the carsales Best Electric Car 2022 winner, the Tesla Model 3, but the price – and the fact that with the aim of simplicity, the company has forgone a lot of touchpoints familiar to more mature drivers – meant it was a non-starter.
“Well, I’m glad I called you, mate,” he said. “There’s a lot of information out there but it’s still all a bit much!”
As I hung up, I reflected on a few things. First… uncle John wants an EV?! Here’s a bloke with dirt under the nails and petrol in his veins, but he’s actively thinking of changing the habits of a lifetime to buy an electric vehicle. Consider my gob smacked.
Second, while it can be argued that marketing has done its job if my uncle knows about them, the EV retail and marketing spaces feel like they’re directed at younger, upwardly mobile types at the moment.
I actually wonder if it’s being aimed at the right cohort of buyers.
My 26-year-old daughter, for example, wants to go to Paris and buy crazily expensive handbags, but a new car, let alone an EV, isn’t even on her radar – yet a lot of work is being directed at her age group
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And my 20-year-old just wants to blow loads of cash on old Japanese import cars, but that’s another story…
I reckon there’s an important job for dealerships in the coming years – and it’s not about processing stock as quickly as possible to meet an insane level of demand that’s only going to get stronger.
A dealer contact once told me that it takes four times as long to sell an EV on the shop floor as it does an ICE-powered car, but I reckon this will be time well spent.
Granted, a lot of dealers are concerned about the impact of lower rates of servicing on new EVs rolling out of their showrooms – but that’s been a characteristic of the automotive game forever as service intervals on modern cars stretch out longer and longer.
It’s about looking at the other ways to keep customers in the happy zone – on-site charging that’s complemented by a free-of-charge coffee van, a shady seat and fast wifi, perhaps, or the opportunity to swap the EV for a ute or sports car for a weekend.
And EVs will still need tyres, alignments and wiper blades and coolant top-ups, not to mention lease updates and the like.
At their heart, EVs are actually incredibly simple to own and operate, and it’s this simplicity that will sell EVs to the more mature customer. Hop in, press button, go forward… that’s it.
And the charging question? If a customer is buying an EV for urban duties, a 240v outlet will do the job for most, and a $1000 wallbox will absolutely cover the rest.
If they can charge a mobile phone, they can care for an EV.
I’m keen to see how my aunt and uncle go with their EV purchase and I’ll be following their progress with interest.
And I reckon there will be some interesting lessons to learn.
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[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://editorial.csnstatic.com/editors/tim-robson-author.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Tim Robson[/author_info] [/author]
