Investing in a company car is a big move—you don’t want to pay for “more car than you need”, but at the same time you’ll want to make sure you get all the features needed to be productive while working on the road.
For the most part, a company car is used for 3 main purposes: to deliver products, to transport clients or to be used as a mobile office. Thinking carefully about which vehicle will best suit your business needs is critical. A car is a big investment, and you want to make sure you find something that will suit your purpose without blowing money on features you will never use. But at the same time you want to make sure you don’t skimp on vital necessities to run your business efficiently when mobile. Continue reading to get some insight into choosing your next company’s vehicle.
Going green on four wheels
No matter what size of car you need or what features you require, investing in a green car such as a hybrid or an electric vehicle will help you reduce your carbon footprint while allowing you to stand out in your industry as being responsibly green. And in the US, you may be able to slash more than $7K off the sticker price through a tax credit.
If you own a boutique tech consulting firm and you drive around town to meet with clients, having a small car with better mileage and loaded with technology features like Bluetooth and connectivity options for your portable devices should be your top priority. However, if you are a real estate broker and you drive clients around to see homes and properties, having something more spacious and luxurious is a better option.
Room and comfort
More businesses are trying to embrace green technology and promote themselves as eco-friendly companies. If your line of work requires you to transport clients and you want to boast a green image, consider an electric or hybrid SUV. The Toyota RAV4 EV is currently the only electric SUV on the market. The Japanese automaker and Tesla joined arms to create this electric powertrain. Car and Driver raves about this vehicle and praises its motor—a “green beast” that is good for 154 hp and a max torque of 273 lb-ft; the output is routed through a single-speed transmission to the RAV4’s front wheels. Furthermore, there are Normal and Sport driving modes. Even though the idea of “sport” on an electric SUV may sound ridiculous, the Sport mode provides access to full torque, which makes a tangible difference in the crossover’s performance.
Going hi-tech
Having a mobile office requires Bluetooth and full integration capabilities, and the Toyota Prius 2 offers just that for under 25K. The Kia Optima hybrid and Ford Fusion hybrid are also fully equipped with wireless Bluetooth to offer drivers an affordable car turned portable office. The Prius is steeper in price, but offers some amazing benefits such as a solar roof that, when parked in direct sunlight, operates your air conditioning and lights.
Having a mobile office is advantageous. The driver can synch their laptop to the vehicle’s command station and access their cloud database, send faxes, engage in word processing and almost anything else one would normally do in a stationary office setting. If the client is running late, no problem, simply synch your notebook or laptop and fine-tune that report while you wait.
Protecting your investment
A company car is a big expense, and keeping it in like-new condition is vital to protecting your investment. There are a number of things you can do that will offer a huge ROI. In an article on extending vehicle life, the author states that tinting the car’s windows will help protect your vehicle’s interior from the sun’s harmful rays. The article reminds us that leather, vinyl and fabric are all susceptible to damage form the sun’s UV rays. By tinting your windows not only will you be protecting your business investment, you will help to keep the climate cooler and reduce glare.
Finally, make sure you get your company car washed once a week. Just as your clean store front holds your brand’s reputation, so too does your company car that carries your logo.
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