Automotive News Canada - December 2023 - S8

8
BEST PRACTICES 2023
Diversity at dealerships is lacking, and
Panel delves into
startling data on
the showroom
interactions of
more than 1,100
respondents
FROM THE
JANUARY
EDITION
FROM THE
FEBRUARY
EDITION
FROM THE
MARCH
EDITION
FROM THE
A NEW STUDY INDICATES
that automobile buyers,
regardless of their racial
background, notice a lack
of diversity among staff at
Canada's dealerships.
Commissioned by
Accelerate Auto, the study
found that 63
per cent of
Black respondents
perAPRIL
EDITION
EDITION
FROM
THE
MAY
ceived a dearth
of employee
diversity.
" The interesting thing
when we looked at the numbers
is that that 63 per cent
is very uniform across all
segments " of respondents,
said Raj Kuchibhatla, founder
and managing
partner at the
marketing firm
RK Insights.
EDITION
FROM THE
EDITION
FROM THE
HOST
Stephanie
Henry
On-air
FROM THE
AUGUST
EDITION
FROM THE
personality,
Rogers Sports
and Media
JUNE
" The findings
are really telling
us that if
you have a dealership
without
any diversity
in sales staff or
leadership, the
JULY
customers do notice, Black
customers notice, other
minority customers notice,
[as do] white customers.
" So, that was a bit of a
surprise. "
SEPTEMBER
EDITION
The report encompassed
responses from 1,116 participants
from different racial
backgrounds who had purchased
a vehicle over the
past decade.
FROM THE
OCTOBER
EDITION
The study was the focus
of the March 28 Embracing
FROM THE
NOVEMBER
EDITION
By GRACE MACALUSO
MANAGING EDITOR
Diversity online panel organized
by Automotive News
Canada and Accelerate
Auto, a group that aims to
advance career opportunities
for Black talent in dealerships
and within auto
manufacturing, the aftermarket
and suppliers.
The other panelists were
Jerry Chinner, vice-president
of sales
and business
development at
taq Automotive
Intelligence;
Anne Marie
Desando,
SCAN TO VIEW
THE VIDEO
PRESENTATION
automotivenews.ca
(Found under
'EVENTS & AWARDS')
vice-president
of manufacturer
partnerships
and dealer
programs at
Scotiabank Auto Finance;
and Shereena Robinson,
senior manager of HR at
Porsche Cars Canada Ltd.
PROFILING IS REAL
The study also found that
Blacks and other minorities
are more likely than white
consumers to be financially
profiled at a dealership and
directed toward lower-priced
vehicles.
Negative experiences,
such as staff assuming that
a customer had poor credit,
were cited by 76 per cent of
Black consumers, compared
with 64 per cent of white consumers
and 82 per cent of
other minorities, according
to the study.
A diverse employee base
within a dealership " makes
great business sense, " said
Chinner, who is also a founding
member of Accelerate
Auto. " People like to talk to
people in the sales process
with [staff] they can relate
to. "
Chinner urged dealers to
get involved with underrepresented
groups on a local
level.
" Go to the local schools,
start talking to people, " he
Anne Marie
Desando
Vice-president,
manufacturer
partnerships and
dealer programs,
Scotiabank
Auto Finance
Jerry
Chinner
Vice-president
of sales and
business
development,
taq Automotive
Intelligence
PANELISTS
Embracing Diversity,
March 28
motive industry and two of
the students put their hand
up, " he said. " At the end, we
asked the same thing, and
40 out of the 45 put up their
hand. "
Raj
Kuchibhatla
Founder and
managing
partner,
RK Insights
Shereena
Robinson
Senior manager
of HR, Porsche
Cars Canada Ltd.
In an effort to create a
bias-free workplace, Porsche
Canada launched a diversity,
equity and inclusion
training program aimed at
" delivering customer experiences
that are as great and
as legendary as the cars, "
Robinson said.
A survey leading up to
the program found that
some of Porsche's employees
didn't always feel as if " they
belonged in the dealership, "
she said.
" So, we needed to change
the narrative, " Robinson
said, adding that the twoyear-old
program has been
" embraced " by Porsche's
dealer body.
said. Chinner cited an event
organized by Accelerate
Auto last summer at a
Toronto high school that was
visited by representatives
of Nissan Canada and suppliers.
" The
students loved it, "
Chinner said, " just the fact
that we brought part of the
industry down to them so
they can see it. "
During the Canadian
International AutoShow in
February, Accelerate Auto
partnered with the Toronto
District School Board for an
event that included students
from five predominantly
Black high schools, Chinner
said.
" At the beginning of the
event, we asked how many
of the students were considering
a career in the autoCREDIT
FOR NEW CANADIANS
Vehicle affordability
also emerged as a key concern
of survey respondents.
That issue is a priority at
Scotiabank, Desando said,
citing the financial institution's
StartRight Auto
Finance program.
" Oftentimes, underrepresented
groups are new to
Canada [and] don't have a
credit history in Canada, "
she said. The program helps
newcomers " establish credit
for the first time [and]
buy that first vehicle when
they come to the country, "
Desando said.
With the federal government
planning to boost
immigration, the auto
industry needs to focus on
vehicle affordability, said
Chinner of taq Automotive
Intelligence.
" We're on the verge of
pricing a segment of the population
out of vehicle ownership
and moving people
down a different path, " he
said. - ANC
http://www.automotivenews.ca
Automotive News Canada - December 2023

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