In an effort to increase the popularity of its flagship sedan Neon, Chrysler Japan Sales Ltd. announced Mar. 5 that it will introduce a program on Mar. 7 to let customers "test-drive" the car for a year for a monthly fee of 14,200 yen to 18,800 yen.
After a year, the customers can decide whether to return the 2,000cc sedan or buy it by paying the balance. The program is limited to 500 sedans.
Chrysler officials said the program is aimed at increasing the awareness of the Neon among Japanese consumers, and give them sufficient time to decide whether to buy it. Neon was introduced to the Japanese market in June and 1,110 units were sold by the end of February. The company had originally planned to sell 4,000 units in the first six months. It recently stopped presenting sales targets.