You will have noticed that our country is in lockdown for the umpteenth time. You can read here what that means for companies in the automotive industry and their customers.
The lockdown, in effect from December 19, will be in effect until at least January 14, 2022. Until then, all non-essential stores must close. For car dealers, this means that the showroom must remain closed. Walk-in is not allowed, but sales by appointment are also prohibited. So no customers at all in the ‘glass palace’.
It is true that episodes and test drives are allowed. It is therefore not possible to have a quiet cup of coffee with a salesman, but meeting outside to drive a round is. Moreover, if you already have a car on order, you do not have to worry that the delivery will not take place due to the measures. However, it may be a little different than you had hoped, for example because the aforementioned coffee is missing.
Even if there are no sales at all, there will still be some life at car dealerships. After all, services can continue as usual, so that also applies to the workshops of garage companies. The RAI Association reports that these service providers are allowed to use the usual working hours, as long as any showroom is not accessible from the workshop.
Still ‘sale’
There is one exception to the ‘sales ban’: business-to-business sales talks may take place by appointment. If you order something online, you can also pick it up at the store. Moreover, these ‘click and collect’ practices do not require a waiting period of a minimum number of hours to be taken into account. It is doubtful whether this is so useful for car dealers, but it is good to know this for, for example, the accessories trade or other related stores. However, it also applies to click and collect that entering the store is not allowed. Receive it outside and go home straight away, so.
In principle, an exception applies to car parts stores, because these are wholesalers. However, whether your favorite parts supplier will actually be open in the near future will differ per location. It is therefore advisable to check this before getting into the car.
driving schools
Other services can also continue. This applies, for example, to the services offered by the RDW, such as inspections. Importing a car should therefore still be possible. The same applies to the services that driving schools offer. This is an important difference from previous lockdowns, which did affect the driving school industry. The CBR is also participating, so in addition to the lessons, the exams can also continue.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl