Automotive News Canada - March 2024 - 18

18
* MARCH 2024
For youth, plugging in 'is not a big deal'
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14
night, " Cappella said.
Porsche aims to have more
than 80 per cent of its product
lineup fully electric by 2030, and
Cappella said automakers must
focus on the next generation of
buyers to bolster EV sales.
" High school students today
grew up plugging in a phone
every single night, so plugging
in cars is not a big deal. "
Government policy, Cappella
said, should boost demand by
offering consumer incentives
for such things as installing EV
home chargers.
Canada's EV market is shifting
from early adopters to " the
early majority, " he said. " They
want to see the proof of concept,
but those people will adopt. It
just takes a little longer because
that group is asking more questions. "
Porsche,
which saw sales
increase 16 per cent in 2023, will
launch four new vehicles in
2024, Cappella said.
" We've actually never done
that before. "
At the Canadian
International AutoShow, Feb.
16-25 in Toronto, the automaker
unveiled the 2025 Taycan and
2024 Panamera sedans.
As well, the Porsche
Experience Centre will open in
Toronto this year. It's the first
in Canada and one of 10 such
centres in the world.
" This reflects the importance
of the Canadian market for the
brand, " Cappella said. - ANC
He's helping Porsche
charge into the future
By JIL McINTOSH
OSHAWA CORRESPONDENT
DANIEL PONZINI
ELECTRIFICATION WAS THE
RIGHT FIT FOR THIS CAR LOVER
IT'S NOT ENOUGH FOR
automakers to just offer electric
vehicles; they also need to be
right for the market. At Porsche
Cars Canada's head office in
Toronto, Daniel Ponzini works
to that goal as product manager
for battery-electric vehicles and
charging.
CONSISTENT
GROWTH THAT BEATS
THE MARKET YEAR-OVER-YEAR
OVER-YEAR-OVER-YEAR-OVER
YEAR-OVER-YEAR-OVER-YEAR-OVER-YEAR
OVER-YEAR-OVER-YEAR-OVER-YEAR-OVER-YEAR-OVER
YEAR-OVER-YEAR-OVER-YEAR-OVER-YEAR
" I have four colleagues and
we handle everything on the
product side, every [customer]
touchpoint on the
vehicles. "
The group collaborates
with Porsche
in Germany and the
United States, " but
we have input into
which options are
important from the
trends we see here.
That's my responsibility
and we relay
that information
for the preplanning
before the vehicles
are launched, "
Ponzini said.
The team covers
vehicle connectivity,
the online
car configurator,
the automaker's
charging network
and documentation
for dealers so
facet of the industry that Eddie
Ng handles at Subaru Canada
in Mississauga, Ont., as the
brand's manager of connected
business.
He and his
two-person
team plan
the strategy
for Subaru
Starlink connected
services,
which
provides drivers
access to a live assistant for
emergencies, route planning
and vehicle support among its
features.
At Porsche Cars
Canada, Daniel
Ponzini has to
consider both
customers and
dealers as the brand
moves into an
electrified future.
PHOTO: PORSCHE
CARS CANADA
they're well-versed on the new
models.
" I set the foundation for what
we need today and also what's
necessary in the future, " he
said.
Ponzini, 35, grew up loving
cars and earned a degree
in media studies. He planned
to be an automotive journalist
and wrote for an online publication,
but he then went into public
relations at Kia. He stayed in
PR when he moved to Subaru in
2014 and to Porsche in 2016.
Transitioning into Porsche's
marketing department, Ponzini
initially handled partnerships
and motorsports. " But
the opportunity came to move
into this role with BEV and
charging, and it was a good fit to
be more involved with the [vehicles]
again. "
Ponzini believes continuous
learning is essential and he's
taking online courses toward a
master's degree in public relations.
" It's
not just about what we
need to bring to market, but
what the customers' interests
are and how they will use the
product and its appeal to them.
The brand has so much history
and I want to do it justice. "
EDDIE NG
PLANNING CONNECTIVITY FOR
CANADIANS IN THEIR SUBARUS
INSTEAD OF BEING SELFcontained,
vehicles are connected
to the outside world
through phones and in-car subscriptions.
It's a relatively new
" We work with the engineers
and developers in Japan and
with Subaru R&D
in Michigan, " he
said. " We need to
know what's in the
market, and that we
have the right pricing
for our annual
subscriptions.
There are similarities
between [what's
available] in Canada
and the U.S., but the
biggest difference is
how we package it
and offer it to customers. "
Ng,
46, earned a
degree in economics
and management.
His first job
was with an accounting
firm, " but it was
not for me, " he said.
He liked cars and
applied to Toyota,
where he spent seven years in
product planning and as a district
sales manager.
He was fascinated by the
emerging field of connectivity
and joined Kia 10 years ago
in a junior telematics position.
He moved to Subaru in his current
role in 2017. The automaker
launched
Starlink to
customers
two years
later.
Eddie Ng
works with
Subaru's
existing
connectivity
as well as
technology
that's in the
pipeline.
PHOTO: SUBARU
CANADA
Ng's team
touches on
every department,
including
service,
marketing,
product planning,
public
relations, and
legal counsel
for data privacy.
Ng also
works with
Subaru's
training
department.
" We are the subject matter
experts. We train the trainers,
and they take that information
and train the dealers. "
Connected services are still
in their infancy in Canada, Ng
said, but everything's moving
quickly.
" We're now planning out
to 2028 and it's hard to predict
because customer taste changes
frequently. We're working
on stuff that doesn't exist yet.
We want to get to an immersive
experience for the driver with
the vehicle. " - ANC
http://kumhotire.ca
Automotive News Canada - March 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Automotive News Canada - March 2024
