Vauxhall backs lifetime warranty with ad push

Vauxhall is rolling out a £7m campaign to promote its offer of a "lifetime" warranty on all new cars, as manufacturers battle to improve the perception of the quality of their products.

Vauxhall: backs lifetime warranty
Vauxhall: backs lifetime warranty

The offer, which promises to cover all new Vauxhall vehicles with a guarantee up to 100,000 miles, comes into effect from this month.

TV ads, which carry the tagline "A warranty can now last a lifetime", will carry clips of classic Vauxhall campaigns.

Vauxhall managing director Duncan Aldred said the brand is making a "strong statement of confidence" in the quality of its products, and that it aims to provide the 'best customer service in the UK'.

The scheme is a major launch for Vauxhall. Its sales suffered last year due to uncertainty over its prospective sale to Canadian parts manufacturer Magna, which was subsequently aborted.

According to the Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), sales of new Vauxhall vehicles fell by more than 20% year on year in 2009.

However, the General Motors-owned marque is the latest in a series of brands to focus its marketing on the quality of its products in the run-up to September, which is traditionally the second-highest-selling month of the year for UK car dealers.

Korean manufacturer Kia has concentrated much of its recent advertising on its seven-year warranty, also with a limit of 100,000 miles, originally available only on its C'eed model but now extended to its whole range.

Last week, the SMMT revealed that new car registrations fell 13.2% in July, the first drop following 12 successive monthly rises. With the government's scrappage incentive scheme now concluded, the figures have sparked fears that consumer spending in the sector is set to slow down.

Ford has responded by launching an ad campaign that highlights the value of its vehicles, rather than focusing on price-led promotions. The push introduced 'The Ford Standard' quality promise, intended to encourage consumers to look beyond price alone.

Ads use the endline "More. As standard" and aim to convince consumers that Ford offers cutting-edge motoring at an affordable price.

The brand was responding to a danger that the scrappage scheme and manufacturers' subsequent aggressive pricing strategies have diminished UK consumers' perception of the quality of new cars.

In the weeks after the end of the scrappage scheme in March, rival manufacturers including Peugeot, Mazda and Toyota rolled out similar promotions offering consumers cash incentives in exchange for a vehicle over a certain age.

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