Ford Motor Co. of Canada Ltd. will offer $100 to shoppers if they test-drive any one of the automaker's vehicles but then buy a rival's product instead.

Ford said yesterday it is introducing the national promotion tomorrow on a bet that the automaker can increase sales by pulling a lot more potential buyers into showrooms.

It is part of the company's summer incentive program, which will include "employee pricing" and thousands of dollars in savings that Ford and other automakers have offered to consumers in recent years during July and August.

In getting a small jump on the latest summer incentives, Ford president David Mondragon said the company is simply compensating consumers for their time in a company dealership.

"It's a way of introducing our brand and our vehicles," Mondragon added in an interview.

"We're betting on the fact that our vehicles are so good that once you drive a Ford, you won't want to drive anything else."

He said Ford's research shows that once shoppers visit its dealerships, the company's sales success rate is 30 percent and that it should increase this summer with the latest incentive.

Under the promotion, shoppers will receive $100 if they test-drive any new Ford or Lincoln and then purchase a model in the same segment from another manufacturer.

[Source: The Toronto Star]