Auto giants now offer discounts on cars for healthcare workers fighting Covid-19

The role of medical professionals around the world in fighting the coronavirus pandemic - also referred to as Covid-19 - is being praised as nothing short of heroic. And while the battle rages on, auto makers in several countries have reportedly started offering discounts on their products especially for these heroes at the frontline.

In the United States, for instance, car makers have come out with schemes which reportedly offer discounts between $500 and $750 on their new cars for healthcare workers. It is learnt that Honda is one such company that has come out with Honda First Responder & Healthcare Professional Appreciation Program. General Motors has had a First Responder Discount already in place while Hyundai has reportedly expanded its First Responder Program which now covers healthcare professionals and hospital employees, apart from emergency medical technicians and firefighters who were even previously eligible for discounts.

Volvo is yet another company that is hailing the efforts of healthcare workers and is reportedly offering discounts of around $2,000 when leasing its cars.

CarsDirect, a California-based automotive website, has compiled a list of all such deals and states that all that an eligible person has to do is show his or payslips and proof of employment to enjoy the discounts.

Similar moves are being gradually companies in the UK, Germany and Australia.

The demand for cars the world over has mostly fallen amid the current coronavirus-related concerns and even if healthcare professionals are often putting extra hours saving lives, giving them an option to buy a discounted car is more of a noble gesture hailing their efforts than what a few have chosen to describe as a marketing strategy.

The global automotive industry is expected to have a tumultuous upcoming months with factories in many parts of the world shut down and unlikely to open till May. Breaks in supply chain, falling demand and suspended work have combined to make the forecast rather gloomy with new launches possibly getting delayed and job cuts a very real possibility.