You’ve all heard the saying “If you can’t beat ‘em, help get their drivers new cars”. Okay, so that’s not how the saying goes, but for Ernesto Depiano (General Sales Manager at Kia of Stamford in Connecticut) he has embraced Uber and it’s drivers.
Since ride-sharing has become very popular, Depiano and his team crafted one of the first discount programs for Uber drivers and the idea was an instant hit. According to Bloomberg, in the first year (2014), the dealership sold about 30 cars…equal to a month’s volume at the time.
The idea was also a hit with other dealerships, and Uber took notice. Bloomberg says Uber has negotiated discounts with several non-luxury brands to help get drivers into qualifying cars. The result? The Uber arrangement with automakers has saved drivers $20 million dollars around the world.
One of those automakers is Kia. They offer drivers as much as $2,000 off a 2016 model. Depiano says despite losing Uber sales to other Kia dealerships in town, he’s excited that his brand will be more visible on the road. He offers $500 in addition to the Kia discount.
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