British newspaper, Daily Mail and The Mirror have just reported that the Italian car manufacturer Fiat and Alfa under the FCA Group have pledged to cover up to seven months of payments on its models at no cost to the car owner.
Fiat and Alfa Romeo have become the first car makers in the UK to offer to waive finance payments on new car purchases in the event that the car buyer loses their job due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Customers whose employment circumstances change during the first 12 months of the financial agreement will be eligible for the payment waiver under the Job Loss Protection scheme, it said.
Every new car financed or leased from the 1st of June until end of September 2020 will feature job loss protection.
The job loss protection can be activated during the first year of the finance or leasing agreement and up to seven payments will be covered by the finance provider, as long as the customer has deals with FCA Automotive Services and Leasys UK.
The decision is in response to research carried out by Alfa Romeo which currently sells the Giulia saloon and Stelvio SUV in the UK that found almost one third of British motorists are interested in buying a new car but are concerned about their job security.
So, it must be noted that this offer does not apply to current Fiat and Alfa Romeo car owners and only for brand new June purchased Fiat and Alfa Romeo buyers who purchase the cars via FCA Automotive Services and Leasys UK.
So, this in turn is a sales discount gimmick to get UK car buyers thinking that Fiat and Alfa Romeo will look out for them in case of a job loss, when they are actually hedging their best against a hefty discount sales price at the start of the purchase.
It is a clever sale and marketing effort to get new car buyers away from their rival showrooms and into a new Fiat or Alfa Romeo.
Arnaud Leclerc, managing director of FCA in the UK and Ireland, said: ‘We know these are uncertain times, so what better way to support our customers than give them the reassurance that should their financial circumstances change in the months ahead, we will be there to cover their monthly car repayments.’
The unprecedented offer will be available to all cars under the FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) Group banner, which in this country includes Fiat, Abarth, Jeep and Alfa Romeo.
