Franchised dealers are at the forefront of the electric vehicle revolution and are ‘essential’ for its widespread adoption.
These were the first remarks the newly appointed chairman of the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) chairman Mike Alford at the world’s biggest dealer trade show held this year in Las Vegas.
“We are on a path to an electric future. And we cannot get to the end of this road without franchised dealers leading the way,” Alford said.
“But dealerships are the launching pad for enabling millions of car buyers to choose electric. If the government and OEMs are serious about scaling EVs and getting them into the mass market, then dealerships are the way forward.”
Alford also said that franchised dealers will help usher in a new era of vehicle ownership thanks to the continued rollout of post-sale products, services and vehicle updates.
“For years we’ve trained ourselves to think about vehicle manufacturing and vehicle retail as two separate worlds connected by only one thing: the vehicle itself.
“That’s changing. Our OEM partners are rolling out vehicle and ownership products and services after the point of sale. And with each new development, our worlds are being connected by the customer, and their expectations, and by the experience of owning a new car or truck.
“This evolution is not to be feared, because there’s so much opportunity for us all,” he continued.
“But we, as an industry – as dealers AND as OEMS – have a choice to make: Do we see each other as adversaries, as two opposing sides, each with its own turf to protect, and distrusting of each other’s motives?
“Or do we see ourselves as two necessary components of a single ecosystem where the retail channel and the manufacturing channel collaborate to bring about a customer experience that could be the envy of every other industry in the world?”
“I know where I stand. Because I’ve seen glimpses of this collaborative approach, and it’s one where everyone wins.”
Franchised dealers ‘essential’ for widespread adoption of EVs