Automotive News Canada - November 2022 - 9

* NOVEMBER 2022
9
EV sales hunch pays off
for dealership group
Bruce Hyundai's general
manager saw an emerging
trend that awakened the
group to take action
By DOUG FIRBY
CALGARY CORRESPONDENT
SOMETIMES, THE BEST WAY TO
learn how to swim is to dive right in. The
same could be said for dealerships selling
and servicing electric vehicles.
Three years ago, despite research
suggesting that many people were hesitant
about EVs,
Brittany Deveau
scooped up 48
EVs. The general
manager of Bruce
Hyundai in rural
Nova Scotia even
BEST PRACTICES
SPOTLIGHT
bought some from dealerships that didn't
want them.
A risky move?
" It was incredibly bold, " said Paul
Jobson, director of marketing and strategy
for the eight-dealership Bruce
Automotive Group in Yarmouth, N.S.,
which owns Bruce Hyundai, 230 kilomeAlthough
Bruce
Automotive was
expecting
low demand
for EVs, Bruce
Hyundai General
Manager
Brittany Deveau
stocked her
store with 48.
Six months later,
they were sold.
FILE PHOTO
tres northeast in
New Minas.
" We thought we
saw demand for 10
[EVs] " in a year.
Deveau's intuition
served her
well. Bruce Hyundai
met that 10-EV estimate
within two
months, and within
six months it had
sold all 48 Kona and
Ioniq 5s.
It was the beginning
of a new era
for the Bruce group,
which sells about
4,000 new and
used Honda, Ford,
General Motors,
Hyundai, Mazda and
Chrysler vehicles a year, Jobson said.
And it had much to learn.
SERVICE SCRAMBLE
" The early adopters [of EVs] knew
more than us, " Jobson said.
Bruce Hyundai had to move quickly to
learn to service the EVs. " They're on the
road, " Jobson said. " We have to support
them now. "
Why hurry to train techs to service EVs?
" They're on the road, " said Paul Jobson, director of marketing
and strategy for Bruce Automotive Group. " We have to
support them now. " SUPPLIED PHOTO
It had to step up training. Technicians
were encouraged to take EV certification
courses as quickly as possible, and
call-centre staff needed coaching, Jobson
said.
" We had to tell them, 'Please do not
do an oil change reminder,' " because, of
course, EVs don't need them.
In 2020, the group appointed a project
manager, Morgan Laffin, to help the dealerships
prepare to sell and service EVs.
Steps included installing on-site chargers,
getting listed on charge-point maps so
nonlocal EV drivers could find the chargers,
and preparing materials to help buyers
learn more about EV ownership.
Laffin also prepared a series of FAQ
videos for customers, answering many of
the frequent questions potential EV buyers
have.
Since Deveau's big leap into EVs, five
of the eight Bruce stores are installing or
have installed chargers. Jobson estimates
that by the end of this year, 80 per cent of
the dealerships will be EV-ready.
SEE HYUNDAI PAGE 31
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Automotive News Canada - November 2022

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