Automotive News Canada - June 2024 - 13

* JUNE 2024
13
EVs and mobility present new revenue streams
By JIL McINTOSH
OSHAWA CORRESPONDENT
ABHISHEK BHATIA
A GLOBAL BACKGROUND
BRINGS CANADIAN SUCCESS
ELECTRIFICATION IS ABOUT
more than just the vehicle; it also
includes charging infrastructure,
suppliers and regulations.
A year ago, Nissan Canada
placed Abhishek Bhatia in a
newly created
role of senior
manager of EV
transformation
and strategy.
" I look for
opportunities
that don't
exist today, "
said Bhatia, 34,
who is based at the company's
Mississauga, Ont., headquarters.
" It's a combination of looking
at things our competitors are
doing and identifying areas where
Nissan can potentially have a
competitive edge. As our president
put it, I'm an exploration
officer in the company, looking at
Abhishek Bhatia credits his
global auto experience with
guiding Nissan Canada further
into electrification.
PHOTO: NISSAN CANADA
Abhishek Bhatia credits his
new revenue and transportation
opportunities for electrification. "
Working with a three-person
team, his responsibilities include
partnerships with charging companies,
monitoring government
incentives and mandates, and batteries.
" I
don't deal with [battery] suppliers,
but I look at the ecosystem
of what happens to the battery at
the end of its life, bidirectional
charging opportunities and how
we create harmony between the
grid and EVs. "
Bhatia earned a degree in engineering
in his native India. His
first job there was sourcing components
and managing logistics
for Suzuki. Wanting to further his
education, he moved to England
to pursue an MBA. His schooling
continued in Hong Kong, where
he was hired by Infiniti in 2016 as
part of its supply chain team.
He rose to marketing manager
and then moved to Japan
as Infiniti's global lead for marketing
and sales. In that role, he
became familiar with electrification
and came to Canada in 2023
to take his current position.
" We've been working with
[internal combustion-engine] cars
and it's easy, but now we have
to prepare and adapt ourselves
to the EV, " he said. " I've been in
global environments and I interact
with a lot of industry players.
That diverse mentality has helped
me to build a sense of collaboration
that's helpful when you're in
a position where you have to rely
on others. "
ANDREW PARRAVANO
HE HELPS VOLVO DEALERS
OVERCOME CHALLENGES
SALES AND SERVICE HAVE
traditionally been separate
departments, but Volvo Car
Canada is changing that. Andrew
Parravano, director of commercial
operations at the head office
in Richmond Hill, Ont., oversees
them both.
" A year ago, we looked at how
to modernize the business, " he
the sales process, and as of April
2022, customers order all EVs
online.
" A Volvo retailer will walk [a
customer] through the online process
if [they] prefer, but it's innovative
and we saw it as pivotal to
our business in the future. "
Parravano, 42, earned a degree
in political science and economics.
His father drove Volvo vehicles
and got him a summer job at
a Toronto-area dealership. Upon
graduation, he joined the store as
a full-time employee.
Andrew Parravano oversees
Volvo Car Canada's sales and
service business to improve
the experience for dealers and
customers.
PHOTO: VOLVO CAR CANADA
said. " [Someone] who buys the
car today is servicing it tomorrow,
but we act as if they are different
customers. We could get
synergy if we brought them under
one roof. "
Working with a team of 19
in Canada, and online with colleagues
in Sweden, Parravano
makes plans to move the business
forward. He also works on sales
forecasts and presentations for
dealers and visits with them regularly.
He
has focused on digitizing
24_003868_Auto_News_Canada_JUN_CN Mod: May 8, 2024 10:02 AM Print: 05/16/24 page 1 v2.5
" I worked the service counter,
which was probably one of the
most difficult jobs. Nobody gets
excited buying four tires. "
He worked in parts and then
sales, with eight years as sales
manager. " I always had a desire
to work corporately, " he said, and
was briefly a district sales manager
at Kia before joining Volvo
in 2014 as a regional aftersales
manager. He became a business
development manager and then
the director of customer service
before taking his current position
in summer 2023.
" Coming up through [service
and parts], I learned how to deal
with difficult situations, " he said.
" It helps me with dealers, understanding
their challenges and
making better decisions to structure
their programs. It always
helps to have a diversity of experiences. "
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