Honda Tries To Get Millennials Hooked On Stick Shift

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Auto Industry

Honda Tries To Get Millennials Hooked On Stick Shift

Honda’s “Shifting Gears” program is designed to give young people confidence in driving manual, and experience the excitement of being in full control of a car.

Counterman Staff
By Counterman Staff
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Honda’s “Shifting Gears” program is designed to give young people confidence in driving manual, and experience the excitement of being in full control of a car.

LOS ANGELES – Honda recently hosted more than 53 media and social influencers at its “Shifting Gears” celebration of the manual transmission.

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The program, held in the San Gabriel Mountains. was designed to showcase Honda’s 16 vehicles offered with manual transmissions as well as to teach drivers how to operate a manual transmission for the first time, the automaker said.

Participants had the chance to experience everything from the cheerful Honda Fit Sport to the high-performance Civic Type R from the modern lineup, as well as a variety of vintage Honda models, including the Honda Civic CVCC, Prelude SH, S2000 CR and more, sharing their experiences on social media using the hashtag #DriveManual.

“There’s something special, something intimate and pure about being in complete control of your car,” said Sage Marie, Assistant Vice President of Honda communications. “In a fast-coming world of autonomy, we mustn’t forget some of the simple joys that have been part of driving since the very beginning.”

Honda continues to offer manual transmissions in multiple trims of its entire gasoline-powered passenger car lineup, including the Honda Fit LX, Sport and EX; the Civic Sedan LX and EX-T; Civic Coupe LX and EX-T; the Civic Hatch LX and Sport; and Accord Sport 1.5T and 2.0T sedans. The Civic Type R and Civic Si Coupe and Sedan are offered exclusively with manual transmissions.

The HR-V crossover also is offered with a six-speed manual in LX and EX trims.

Experienced drivers were able to sample a variety of new cars on some of the most dynamic roads in Southern California, while beginner and novice manual drivers were given the chance to learn in a four-activity Driving Confidence program, before graduating to the open road.

“As Honda continues to push forward with some of the industry’s most advanced safety features through deployment of its Honda Sensing suite of advanced safety and driver-assistive technologies, the personality of its affordable, fun-to-drive cars remains intact,” the automaker said in a news release. “It’s a part of the DNA and original promise from the founder of the company, Soichiro Honda, who said, ‘The value of life can be measured by the number of times your soul has been deeply stirred.’ For the engineers at Honda, continuing to develop vehicles that enthusiasts can be proud to own is part of the brand mission.”

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Auto Industry

Customer Service: How It’s Done

Customer service should be your number one priority, and it all starts with the greeting.

Eric Garbe
By Eric Garbe
Eric Garbe is a graduate of Columbus State Community College with a degree in Automotive Maintenance Technology. He has extensive independent and dealership field experience as a technician and shop owner and is an ASE Certified Master Technician and former Adjunct Automotive Professor. He has been professionally writing automotive technical articles and documents for many years and in his free time enjoys restoring old cars and creating custom interiors and upholstery.
Published:

This is always an important topic to discuss, because I consider excellent customer service one of the most important tools you can have to earn trust, respect and repeat business from the customers that come through your door. Whether that customer is do-it-yourselfer from across town or the professional repair shop across the street, your business depends on a solid relationship.It’s a subject that I am passionate about, and it’s one that many people are losing touch with. Whether you are communicating to someone in person, on the phone or using some type of social media, good customer service and bad can both exist. You can’t afford the latter, so this is the first in a series of topics which can and should be shared from the front of the shop to the back. No matter which role you hold, you represent the shop and yourself. Customer service should be your number one priority.First on the list is the greeting. From the second a customer walks in the door, they need to know you appreciate them coming in and how important they are to your business. First impressions are everything and here’s the correct way to do it each and every time: look them directly in the eye, smile and say hello!Of course, you can say “Good morning” or “Welcome to Joe’s Autocare,” but it should be a formal greeting and the most important thing is that you have smiled, looked them in the eye and recognized that they have walked through the door.You should always retain a formal greeting until you are on a first-name basis with a customer. Only once you have established that level of relationship is it OK to use the less formal greeting of “Hi,” followed by the person’s name.This greeting does more than just indicate respect and appreciation for someone walking through the door. Most likely there are customers both new and old who are in earshot of your conversation. For newer customers, this continues to build rapport and reinforce their positive view of your shop; they see that you demonstrate respect and treat everyone in the same manner. For repeat customers, even ones that have been coming for years, the greeting is important because the way you treat them is the reason they continue to come.And when a long-time customer comes in and you greet them with “Hi [First Name],” this indicates your appreciation for them and that you’re glad to see them as a person, more than just a customer. New customers that witness this will see that your repeat customers are comfortable enough to be on a first-name basis, another indication of the trust they have in you.

Read Full Article

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