CoDriver: An app to replace the sales person during a test drive

Online car sales are here, and they’re probably here to stay. But an essential part of the car buying experience is the test drive. After all, a brochure can only tell you so much, it is the way a car makes you feel. While companies have taken measure to still host test drives in a safe manner — be it from a customer’s home or at the dealership — a company called Ignition has developed an app called CoDriver that will play pre-recorded content during a test drive.

The app can also be cleverly programmed to guide customers on different routes depending on the car — take you on an open road for a sporty car or a regular city street for a commuter. Neat. The app provides all the information relevant to the car during the test drive and does so consistently, thanks to GPS integration.

This essentially solves multiple problems, the first of which is social distancing. With this app you will be able to safely take a test drive without having someone else in the car, which is more hygienic. The second problem it solves is that in case car makers do shift to unaccompanied test drives, there would be no one to explain the car’s functions, thus defeating a fairly major purpose of the test drive. Thirdly, security. Now, this has not been mentioned in the release but surely the company will be able to relay the GPS position of the car back to the dealer, helping them stay aware of which car is out for a test drive and where it is exactly.

With the new normal requiring social distancing, car makers have put in place measures like restricting only one person per test drive and having a sales executive in the back seat, but what if this isn't enough? Will an app like CoDriver be the solution? Maybe. Technology must be used innovatively to tackle the problems of today and this seems like a rather ingenious solution.