In COVID-19 automotive news are WANADA, Hyundai, Lyft, Bridgestone, Jaguar Land Rover, Lear, RideKleen, AutoWeb and CARVANA.
WANADA Donates to MedStar
The Washington Area New Automobile Dealers Association (WANADA), producers of The Washington Auto Show, made a $50,000 donation today to MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, to help support its work screening and treating patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As the COVID-19 crisis continues to spread across the world, hospitals are being stretched to the limits, while doctors, nurses, and support staff members are putting themselves at risk to heroically provide care to at-risk patients. WANADA, through this donation, is supporting a vital institution in our region at their time of greatest need.
Hyundai Extends Warranties
Hyundai extended its warranties expiring between March and June 2020 until June 30, 2020
- For U.S. Hyundai owners with a 5-year/60,000-mile new vehicle limited warranty or a 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain limited warranty that is expiring between March and June 2020, they will have the warranty coverage extended to June 30, 2020
Free LyftUp Rides for Critical Workforce Program
Lyft announced LyftUp Scooter Critical Workforce Program, a new initiative providing the first-responder, healthcare, and transit workforce with free scooter trips as they serve the public on the frontlines against COVID-19. These free 30 minute rides are available for critical workers in Austin, Denver,Los Angeles, Metro DC, San Diego and Santa Monica.
Bridgestone Donates to Boys & Girls Club
Bridgestone Retail Operations (Bridgestone), a subsidiary of Bridgestone Americas, announced it will donate $840,000 to support COVID-19 relief efforts at Boys & Girls Clubs across the country. The contribution represents the total amount of customer donations collected in Q1 2020 across the Bridgestone nationwide network of 2,200+ tire and automotive service centers doing business as Firestone Complete Auto Care, Tires Plus, Hibdon Tires Plus and Wheel Works.
Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s newly launched, multi-million-dollar COVID-19 relief fund will ensure Club staff, youth, families and communities have the resources and support needed to navigate challenging circumstances during the ongoing global health pandemic. Boys & Girls Clubs are providing a variety of critical services like emergency childcare for essential workers, access to meals for children who rely on daily school lunches for food security, and virtual classroom opportunities. Donations to the fund will go to work immediately, ensuring Clubs can continue their critical response work.
The donation in support of Boys & Girls Clubs COVID-19 relief efforts builds on the longstanding commitment of Bridgestone to help youth gain access to Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s high-impact, out-of-school programming. Since 2015, Bridgestone has raised and contributed $10.5 million through its Driving Great Futures initiative. In addition to collecting monetary donations, Bridgestone employees also donate company time to service Club vehicles and volunteer at Clubs in their local communities. The program is part of the company’s Our Way to Serve corporate social responsibility (CSR) commitment to improve the way people move, live, work, and play.
Coronavirus Deals from Jaguar Land Rover
In response to COVID-19, Jaguar Land Rover announced new programs to support current owners and new car shoppers purchasing vehicles from Jaguar and Land Rover retailers across the United States, many of which offer a fully digital shopping process and home pickup/delivery services.
The new programs are:
NEW FINANCE PURCHASES
– 0% financing for 72 Months – Jaguar Land Rover will offer zero-percent financing on 2020 Jaguar and Land Rover models, as well as 2021 Jaguar F-TYPE, for up to 72 months.
– Payment Deferral Program1 –Jaguar Land Rover will offer a 90-day first payment deferral for qualifying customers who finance through Jaguar Financial Group or Land Rover Financial Group (collectively, “Jaguar Land Rover Financial Group”)*. The program applies to all 2020 Jaguar and Land Rover models, as well as 2021 Jaguar F-TYPE (at an amount financed cap of $100,000).
CURRENT JAGUAR LAND ROVER FINANCIAL GROUP LEASE CUSTOMERS
– By continuing to make monthly payments, Jaguar Land Rover Financial Group lease customers may extend the term of a Lease Agreement for up to six months to allow extra time and flexibility. No phone call is needed to confirm the extension. Customers will receive a letter or email from Chase for more information about the lease extension.
– Lease Payment Waiver for qualified returning Jaguar Land Rover Financial Group lease customers. This waiver is the first of its kind among luxury marques. Through the Lease Payment Waiver, Jaguar Land Rover Financial Group will waive two payments of up to $750 each for eligible returning lessees,who begin a new lease through Jaguar Land Rover Financial Group. The Lease Payment Waiver covers all 2020 Jaguar models, as well as the 2021 F-TYPE, and 2020 Land Rover Discovery Sport, Discovery, Range Rover Evoque, and Range Rover Velar.
Jaguar Land Rover recognizes that customer transportation requirements are ongoing, and is fully committed to supporting vehicle sales, service, and parts needs during this period of extraordinary caution. As part of the complimentary valet service from Jaguar Land Rover, participating retailers are able to deliver vehicles to customers for test drives and product presentations.
Retailers are ready to handle the entire vehicle purchase process remotely and are available to finalize all purchases without the need for customers to leave their homes. Retailer facilities are undergoing an updated daily cleaning regimen and personnel are observing the safest levels of social distancing to continue supporting customers’ vehicle needs. Retailers are extending vehicle drop-off times to eliminate vehicle service congestion, as well as offering a variety of transportation options to facilitate vehicle servicing.
Lear Publishes Safe Work Playbook
Lear Corporation a global automotive technology leader in Seating and E-Systems, is making available to all organizations its Safe Work Playbook, a newly created interactive guide offering potentially helpful practices for health and safety procedures, cross-functional teamwork, operating discipline and training for employees in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
RideKleen Offers Eco-Conscious Disinfection
Consistent with its pledge to deliver safe and exceptional vehicle care and always do the right thing for its customers and communities, RideKleen, the leader in eco-conscious mobile vehicle care and fleet services, is advancing its everyday solutions and operations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The company’s heightened RideKleen Surface Disinfection & Air Cleanse Services will be implemented in partnership with Cox Automotive brands and industry leaders Clutch Technologies and Manheim to power a new Retail Delivery & Service Pickup and Delivery offering, as well as new cleaning and disinfecting products.
RideKleen is now able to treat vehicles with an EPA-approved, hospital-grade disinfectant designed to kill up to 99.9% of bacteria and viruses, including Human Coronavirus. RideKleen also will begin treating in-vehicle air with a hygienic vapor to help remove contaminants, odor and pollutants and reach places sprays and wipes cannot.
In addition to these new products, RideKleen is enabling dealers to deliver treated vehicles to their customers. Dealers using the Clutch Technologies Retail Delivery & Service Pickup and Delivery platform will have access to RideKleen’s Surface Disinfection & Air Cleanse Services – beginning in Atlanta and scaling rapidly to other markets. Local Manheim staff and drivers will be utilized to help perform some of these services.
AutoWeb Reduces Costs
AutoWeb, Inc. a robust digital marketing platform providing advertising solutions for automotive dealers and OEMs, has implemented a series of cost actions in response to COVID-19, including reduced executive and board compensation to mitigate the financial impact to other members of the team. The cost reductions are expected to save approximately $1.6 million in cash expenditures in 2020.
Cost Actions
- Reduced recruitment, travel, consulting and B2B marketing expenses
- Consolidation of various technology tools and products
- Voluntary executive salary reductions for the second quarter
- CEO Jared Rowe has taken a 30% salary reduction
- All other members of the executive team have taken a 10% salary reduction
- The board of directors have taken a voluntary 50% compensation reduction for the second quarter
- Limited employee furloughs and staff reductions
Carvana Offers Up to 90-Days Deferred Payments
Carvana, a leading e-commerce platform for buying and selling used cars, in an effort to provide customers more flexible financing options during this difficult time, is now giving customers up to 90 days to make their first payment.
Carvana provides customers with an easy, safe way to purchase a vehicle entirely online from home, including Touchless Delivery and the peace of mind of a 7-day return policy. Customers can shop more than 25,000 vehicles on Carvana.com with high-definition, 360-degree virtual vehicle tours, finance, purchase and select as-soon-as-next-day Touchless home delivery, all in as little as 5 minutes. Customers financing with Carvana are eligible to opt in to the payment extension option, as long as they complete their purchase by April 20, 2020.