OTTAWA -- Everyone in the auto industry knows that it's easier to sell cars to people who've test-driven them, but that it's hard to get people to do that.

Looking at the expectant faces on the crowds of people at DaimlerChrysler's Gold Medal Tour at the Frank Clair Stadium complex on a hot May afternoon in Ottawa, however, it's clear the company has found a way.

Essentially, DaimlerChrysler Canada has set up a test-drive network in the parking lots of the facility by the Rideau Canal where prospective customers and larking day-trippers can have some fun with new cars.

While it's a marketing effort with advertising banners, tire displays, computers where you can figure out financing payments and helpful "ambassadors," there are no salespeople and virtually no pressure.

A couple of thousand people visited the Gold Medal Tour in Ottawa in mid-May, as they did in Halifax in early May, and as they're expected to do in upcoming stops in Montreal, Toronto, Mississauga, Winnipeg, Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary this summer.

Pearl Davies, the senior manager for national advertising and direct marketing for DaimlerChrysler and the primary organizer of the Gold Medal Tour, seemed pleased with the way things are going.

In an interview on the first day of the event in Ottawa, where 6,500 people were preregistered to attend, Davies said that "taking the product to the consumer and getting them to notice you takes a lot more effort now."

From the extent of the displays and programs in the Gold Medal Tour, it takes a lot more money as well, but Davies laughingly declined to say how much.

"We're doing this because we hope to sell more cars," she said, and to many people "who haven't experienced us before, as well as our faithful customers."

A week after the Halifax event, Davies said it was early to tell if the Gold Medal Tour resulted directly in any sales from the 2,000 participants.

The company will, however, know exactly how many future buyers of its products took part in one of the programs, because all participants (drivers and passengers) are required to register and show a driver's licence at the event itself.

After that, it's pretty easy to cross-reference future buyers with participants.

"Success will be measured by the number of visitors," Davies said, "but we will be measuring sales against registrations."

The Gold Medal Tour follows hard on the heels of DaimlerChrysler Canada's VIP program in April, when all of its dealerships put on special shows for people wanting to see the company's new cars.

Those new cars are also on display at the Gold Medal Tour event, so that people who attend will be able to drive nine vehicles, including the Chrysler 300C Hemi sedan, Dodge Magnum wagon, Jeep TJ Unlimited, Chrysler Crossfire Roadster, Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible, and Dodge Grand Caravan/Chrysler Town & Country with Stow 'n Go seating.

A combination of vehicles will be available on three different courses, Davies said, including a handling course, an off-road course, and a course that highlights such technologies as ESP, which is DaimlerChrysler's version of stability control.

There will also be what she calls a "thrill ride," in which trained drivers take visitors around a short course in Dodge Vipers, Ram pickups, and SRT-4 performance sedans.

Because of facility restrictions at the Mississauga and Winnipeg sites, said Davies, the high-speed course will be replaced by an on-road course.

In any event, participants will still be able to do things at a Gold Medal program that they couldn't do in a regular new-car test drive or, for the most part, in their regular lives.

Essentially, the consumer registers in advance at http://www.goldmedaltour.ca or 1-800-526-3561 and arranges a time to take part while the show is in their city.

The Ottawa visit proved it's possible to walk up and take part, but that may not hold true if too many people preregister.

Davies said the company is expecting several thousand visitors at future events, and the plan is to "make them happy and give them a quality experience."

The event starts with a short dissertation on the products and the methodology of the event itself. The audience is then broken into groups and goes to an assigned station, but eventually everyone gets to all of the different attractions.

At the Ottawa event, there were the inevitable lineups, of course, but they seemed short and it wasn't uncommon for people to get in line for another go with various models.

Because the participants are spread evenly across the duration of each event, Davies said, there shouldn't be much of a crowding problem and people should be able to get around the stations in about two hours.

There were product "ambassadors" on hand to explain and demonstrate the dynamics of all Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles and to answer product-related questions, but they were extremely low-key and no one I spoke to felt pressured in any way.

Indeed, everyone at the first day of the Ottawa event seemed to be enjoying themselves quite a lot.

Tour schedule

Remaining events and locations on the DaimlerChrysler

Gold Medal Tour:

Montreal (PMG Blainville)

June 3 to 6

Toronto (Downsview Park)

June 10 to 13

Mississauga (Hershey Centre)

June 17 to 20

Winnipeg (Canada Inns)

June 25 to 27

Vancouver (Boundary Bay Ctr.)

July 8 to 11

Edmonton (Budweiser Park)

July 15 to 18

Calgary (Spruce Meadows)

July 22 to 25