Automotive News Canada - March 2023 - 19

* MARCH 2023
19
2023 CANADA CONGRESS: TORONTO, FEB. 16
Project Arrow is on target for suppliers
The Canadian
EV prototype has
jump-started talks
for suppliers to reel
in new business,
APMA says
By PETRINA GENTILE
T ORONTO CORRESPONDENT
AUTO PARTS MAKERS THAT
equipped Canadian-made technology
on the Project Arrow concept
vehicle are starting to see
a return on their investment,
said Flavio Volpe,
president of the
Automotive Parts
Manufacturers'
Association
(APMA).
HOST
Greg
Layson
Digital and
mobile editor
A number of
suppliers are in
discussions with
auto companies for
possible business,
Volpe said at the 2023 Automotive
News Canada Congress.
Volpe referred to the January
global launch of Project Arrow at
CES in Las Vegas, an unveiling
that drew industry executives,
including Stellantis CEO Carlos
Tavares.
" Carlos said, 'Why did you do
it?' " Volpe said, recalling their
conversation. " So we can show
CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE
Group, an Ontario-based dealership
group that focuses on luxury
brands.
" Everybody who owns a dealership
or dealer groups knows
that the systems are antiquated, "
Frey said, but
ways exist to tap into
the proper channels.
Policaro has built a
range of custom capabilities
to streamline
the digital customer
experience. The
tools engage customers
through the earlier
stages of the buying
process - though
today, they stop short
of performing the final
vehicle transaction.
Frey said she sees little
appetite so far from
customers wanting to
take care of the finer
points, such as an online credit
check or signing papers online.
But she is not writing off carrying
the process through to
completion in the future. The
goal is not to dictate to customers,
she said, but give them
choice.
" It's about us trying to give
them what they need, and some
people do want to come into the
dealership, and some people
don't, so provide both. "
Particularly in social media,
creating the right environment
in which customers can interact
with the dealership is integral,
said Kevin O'Rourke, counThe
APMA praised suppliers for stepping up to build Project Arrow
- with their own resources - during the COVID-19 pandemic.
try manager for Canada at the
social media services company
Dealers United.
HELP THEM FIND YOU
" There really has become
this nomadic customer that has
started to surface, " O'Rourke
said. " It's less about
trying to find the audience
than it is about
having the audience
find you. "
Sciama: If there
were a right
way to go about
online sales,
retailers would
already have
the " $1 million
answer. "
Interacting with
consumers on social
channels is one step
in the buying process
but should not always
revolve around the purchase
itself, he said,
pointing to brand- and
culture-building posts
as being important as
well.
" E-commerce doesn't
have to be credit
card, submit and go, "
O'Rourke said.
As the industry embraces
omnichannel best practices,
room exists for experimentation.
If
a right and wrong way
existed to go about online sales,
retailers would already have
the " $1 million answer, " said
Google's Sciama. Dealerships
should instead approach the
digital realm with a " test and
learn " mentality, she said.
" This is how you build a
good, impactful omnichannel
strategy that probably is different
than others because it is
based on your data. " - ANC
ORDER BY 6 PM FOR
SAME DAY SHIPPING
you the technology. And he
said, 'Don't we already buy from
them?' I said maybe 20 [suppliers].
He said, 'Tell me about the
other 38.' "
At CES, Volpe said, he spoke
with 14 automakers that are now
scheduling technology days with
many of the suppliers.
" If they win business, then
that's the ROI. "
The technology in the Arrow
is built to model-year-2025 standards,
Volpe said.
OVERCOMING CHAOS
Initially, 534 Canadian companies
expressed interest in
participating in Project Arrow
and 150 of those were new to the
APMA's database. Fifty-eight
made the cut, putting technology
into the prototype during
the chaos of a pandemic. About
20 of the suppliers shifted gears
and paid out of pocket to make
items such as personal protective
equipment and ventilators,
Volpe said.
" What we had asked from our
industry partners was to spend
money with no return expectations.
We had all these people
who could have easily dodged
[Project Arrow] - 'Sorry the
world is falling apart. We've got
our people to worry about.' But
they believed in what we could
do, and they put their money
where their mouth is. "
SESSION 7
Keynote session
Flavio Volpe
President, APMA
Colin Dhillon
Chief technical
officer, APMA
Colin Dhillon, the APMA's
chief technology officer, said he
had spoken recently with two
suppliers that are now talking
with several global car companies
and Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers.
One
startup has even traveled
to Japan to meet automakers,
said Dhillon.
" Because of their technology
being in the vehicle, they've now
been able to demonstrate their
software, " he said.
REAL CAR REALLY MATTERS
The key was building a working
prototype, Dhillon said.
" When you create something
that's functional, and you take it
to an [automaker], the credibility
you get and the potential you get
of gaining business is greater. "
Instead of a " clay concept, "
Arrow is a " fully driveable prototype, "
Dhillon said. " Because at
the end of the day, it is a demonstration
vehicle. It has been built
to demonstrate all of the companies'
technologies. "
The vehicle's launch at
CES and subsequent debut at
the Canadian International
AutoShow in Toronto marked
the beginning of a two-year
tour that will take the Arrow in
both virtual and actual forms to
events and auto shows around
the world to trumpet Canadianmade
technology.
" It doesn't end here, " Volpe
said. " We challenge everybody
to look at Canada, specifically
look at southwestern Ontario
and Quebec from a hardware
perspective and critical minerals
and then software across the
country. ... There's lots of advantages
over Silicon Valley. "
The APMA chief made bold
predictions, pointing to a recent
conversation with FrancoisPhilippe
Champagne, Canada's
minister of innovation, science
and industry.
" Within 10 years, you're going
to see Canadian car companies
here. The only thing that's missing
is money. He [Champagne]
said, 'If all that's missing is
money, it's solvable.' " - ANC
23_000706_Automotive_News_Canada_MAR_CN Mod: February 7, 2023 4:57 PM
Print: 02/17/23 1:49:55 PM page 1 v7
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