Mass-Produced BEVs Sales

T.Y：
Over the years, I have worked in a variety of roles, including overseas sales, product planning, and domestic sales planning. Now, I am responsible for preparing the launch of new vehicle models, including our commercial mini BEVs. Preparing to launch a commercial mini BEV was very different from preparing to launch a conventional gasoline-powered vehicle. We need to propose not only the vehicle itself, but also charging infrastructure, government subsidies, and ongoing operating costs. A major part of our role was putting the necessary information and support systems in place so sales company staff could confidently explain these vehicles to customers.

M.T：
My experience includes improving systems for sales company activities, planning used-car sales initiatives, and working on assignment at sales companies. During these assignments, I sold vehicles directly to customers as a member of the sales team in addition to heading various headquarters functions. For this commercial mini BEV project, I have been responsible for sales company training programs, rollout policies, and sales campaign planning.
Having worked as a salesperson myself, I am always conscious of the realities of customer-facing sales situations. Even when designing training sessions and role-playing exercises, I often find myself asking, “Will real customer conversations really go this smoothly?” and “Is this something sales staff can explain naturally and comfortably?” A polished explanation alone is not enough for the sales floor. What matters is whether the sales staff who interact with customers every day can genuinely talk about it with confidence and ease. Keeping that perspective in mind, we have worked through every step of the launch preparation process.

T.Y：
Because commercial mini BEVs are work vehicles, our primary customers are companies and business owners who use them for work. While large corporations with a strong interest in carbon neutrality are an important target, we also hope to reach a wide range of small businesses and sole proprietors by leveraging the practical size of mini vehicles.
In particular, customers such as delivery operators, whose daily routes and driving distances are relatively predictable, can more easily plan charging schedules and visualize how a BEV would fit into their operations. That is why I believe it is important to tailor our proposals to each customer’s actual operating conditions.

M.T：
One of the clearest selling points is that customers can switch from a gasoline vehicle without significantly changing the way they use the cargo area. Many sole proprietors customize their cargo space to suit their work, installing shelves, adding partitions, or making other modifications to improve usability. Because the commercial mini BEV maintains the same cargo area dimensions, such customizations can often be carried over with minimal changes. Being able to tell customers they can switch vehicles without dramatically changing how they work provides clear reassurance.
Of course, BEVs also raise concerns such as “Will the driving range be enough?” and “What happens if the battery runs out during the day?” If sales staff can only offer vague answers to those questions, customers cannot make decisions with confidence. That is why it is so important to carefully understand how far customers typically drive, what hours they operate, and where charging is available, so we can confidently explain whether a BEV will work for their specific needs.

T.Y：
With gasoline vehicles, there were many cases where simply asking about daily driving distance was enough to make a recommendation. With a BEV, however, that alone is no longer enough. We need to understand much more, including when and where charging can take place, what kinds of cargo are being carried, and how frequently the vehicle is used. I believe this requires us to gain a much deeper understanding of how our customers actually work.

M.T：
BEVs are a new product not only for customers, but also for our sales companies. They require knowledge that was never necessary with conventional gasoline vehicles, including electricity, charging equipment, government subsidies, and energy efficiency. Every salesperson naturally has vehicles they feel more comfortable selling and others they do not. If there are too many unknowns, it becomes difficult to discuss the vehicle with confidence. That is why it was so important to ensure that sales staff never felt they would rather not sell this vehicle.
Ahead of the launch, we prepared staff manuals and e-learning materials, and also conducted product training sessions. We also invited sales company staff to a test circuit where they could drive the vehicle themselves and experience its performance firsthand. Rather than relying solely on classroom instruction, we used role-playing exercises to help staff visualize how they would present the vehicle during actual customer consultations.
We gathered and organized the many questions that arose through these activities and compiled them into a Q&A resource that was shared with sales companies. We addressed each question individually and turned the answers into practical tools for real sales situations. By continuing that steady process of communication and support, I feel we were able to gradually reduce many of the uncertainties people initially had.

M.T：
Once the vehicle is launched, a wide range of feedback naturally begins to come in from actual sales discussions in the field. One of the most common concerns is the driving range. In many cases, the key to a successful conversation is understanding how the customer actually uses the vehicle and confidently saying, “For your needs, this vehicle should work just fine.”
This is also new territory for us, and there is no established playbook for BEV sales yet. That is why we want to gather feedback from the field, refine our FAQs and sales approaches, and work with our sales companies to develop a distinctly Daihatsu way of selling BEVs.

T.Y：
One thing this initiative has reinforced for me is that proposing a BEV is not simply about explaining the vehicle itself. Electrification contributes to carbon neutrality, but it also requires customers to adapt certain aspects of how they use their vehicles. That is why I want to approach every aspect of my work with Daihatsu’s Mission firmly in mind: “Staying close to our customers and enriching their lives.”

M.T：
Our role is to create an environment where the sales company staff feel confident enough to comfortably introduce the vehicle to customers. By listening to feedback from the field, we hope to bring the value of commercial mini BEVs to our customers.