Vaughn Wyant, CEO of the Wyant Group in Saskatoon, Sask., mentioned he has heard of pushback from a number of sellers over the funding Ford is looking for from its retailers. “I don’t think dealers are excited about their [Ford’s] first position.” His firm owns two Ford dealerships, in Prince Albert and Saskatoon.
“It’s going to be really tough for rural dealers,” he mentioned. With restricted charging services all through Saskatchewan and no provincial buy incentives, “Electrification is going to be slower to come to a lot of rural dealers.”
The strain to amend this system displays robust blowback within the United States. Ford just lately introduced it will lengthen the unique Oct. 31 deadline to Dec. 2 for U.S. sellers to resolve on participation after receiving robust objections to this system.
The Virginia Automobile Dealers Association despatched a letter to Ford CEO Jim Farley and different executives in October asking them to rethink this system and revise the principles, based on sibling publication Automotive News.
Separately, a gaggle of executives, representing vendor associations in Virginia and 11 different southern states, in late October requested Ford to “reconsider the Ford Model e program as it is currently described,” saying it “includes unreasonable restrictions on dealer autonomy.”
Meanwhile, some bigger vendor teams in Canada say they’re ready to make the funding Ford is looking for.
“I don’t really have a problem with them [the programs], at all,” mentioned Steve Chipman, CEO of the Manitoba-based Birchwood Auto Group, which operates three rural Ford dealerships within the province and one Ford dealership in Winnipeg.
Although Chipman mentioned there isn’t any assure that investing within the EV infrastructure will assure extra enterprise, the funding is the price of proudly owning a franchise. As Birchwood renovates its numerous shops, it installs the wiring wanted to provide quick chargers, even when the automaker doesn’t but require it, he mentioned. Birchwood has 24 dealerships, representing 22 manufacturers.
Chipman mentioned he’s sympathetic to different sellers, particularly smaller ones, who’ve issues over the price as a result of circumstances for every dealership differ.
“Ford has to be open-minded,” Chipman mentioned. “One size doesn’t fit all.”
Source: canada.autonews.com