Acura’s new certified lease calculator tool helps clients and dealers compare the estimated costs of leasing versus purchasing Acura Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles (ACPV). The tool also empowers Acura dealerships, creating more opportunities to put a client behind the wheel of an ACPV.
Leasing an ACPV is more complicated than leasing a new vehicle because there are many more variables, including model year and mileage, that determine the vehicle’s residual value. Fortunately, Acura Financial Services (AFS) has already crunched the numbers, providing estimated payment terms based on those factors.
The new ACPV lease calculator can be found on acuracertified.com, integrated into the inventory pages and each vehicle detail page. Clients are able to see the estimated cost benefit of leasing an ACPV and then click into the payment calculator to adjust their down payment and terms until they arrive at a desired payment. The new calculator is accessible via desktop, tablet and smartphone, providing flexibility that allows clients to shop from anywhere.
“What we are trying to do is make it easy for business managers to use the lease calculator for ACPV,” says Dan Rodriguez, senior manager, Auto Remarketing & Fleet Operations, American Honda Motor Co., Inc. “With pre-owned vehicle prices and new vehicle prices being so high, it is really a way for us to bring that younger first-time client into our brand.”
“Also, due to the cyclical nature of leasing, dealers can build close relationships with their clients, from the service department to the showroom,” Rodriguez says, adding that between 25% and 30% of ACPV clients will replace their leased vehicle with another Acura vehicle.
“And service loyalty is in the 65% range,” Rodriguez explains. “When clients come back to our dealers and they service the vehicle, they are using our parts, and they are creating a better client experience, which we hope leads to lifetime loyalty.”