Moroccan Auto Dealers Offer Steep Discounts to Boost Year-End Sales Amid Pandemic Slump

Automobile dealers want to limit the damage and close out 2020 with very good results, reports l’Économiste. While sales have collapsed due to the coronavirus, automotive importers-distributors want to make up for some of the annual losses estimated at -24% at the end of October.

This year, the Association of Vehicle Importers in Morocco (AIVAM) hopes that the achievements of November and December will be almost similar to those of 2019 so that the market ends up around 135,000 and 137,000 units, down 17 to 18%. To this end, they have offered discounts of up to 91,000 DH with offers of ancillary services (after-sales service, maintenance, credit, insurance, assistance, warranty, etc.).

Each brand is trying to refine its commercial strategy with attractive proposals ranging from the introduction of new models at competitive prices to aggressive marketing and communication plans, as well as significant discounts, special operations, flash sales and open house days. Other dealers, on the other hand, are offering exceptional discounts on certain models in stock that exceed hundreds of thousands of DH, while other players are offering the buyback of vehicles of any brand, insurance and after-sales service, particularly on spare parts or defer credit maturities by 6 months.

As for luxury vehicle professionals, they are hoping for a relaunch of activities in 2021. For the president of AIVAM, 2021 would be a year of recovery with a not-so-bright domestic demand with rental companies not yet back in the dealerships. "We’ll see how the luxury segment behaves. In any case, it is very difficult to make forecasts at this stage," he says.