Last year, General Motors (GM) cut Cadillac dealerships that did not want to sell the future electric cars’ from the quintessential American luxury brand.
Now the electric car’s arrival and the direct sales models from Tesla, Rivian, Lucid Motors, and other brands are changing the game at all levels.
The current distribution and sales model may undergo a reconversion under the excuse of the electric car’s arrival, as in General Motors in the United States.
The GMC Hummer EV’s imminent arrival, the latest electric giant to reach the succulent market of Pick-ups and large off-road vehicles that will compete with the Tesla Cybertruck, Rivian R1T, and the electric version of the Ford F-150, puts the dealerships back to the first line.
GM has instructed its dealers that if they want to sell the Hummer EV later this year, they must invest in charging stations, training, and tools necessary to work and market electric vehicles. At the moment, of the 1,700 dealerships that sell the brand, 1,000 have joined the electric car’s sale that will bring the Hummer brand back to life.
But GM is not alone in imposing new rules on dealers. Ford wants its network to be ready to serve its new generation of electric cars from the hand of the promising Mustang Mach-E.
Of the 3,000 Ford dealerships in the United States, 2,100 have been certified as ‘BEV compatible,’ forcing them to increase their recharge offer and train their staff to meet the needs and maintenance of electric vehicles.
The critical thing to be able to sell electric cars is that these are affordable for the general public. The president of Ricart Automotive Group’s association and owner with dealerships from Hyundai, Ford, Nissan, Kia, and Mitsubishi emphasizes that the aid “will be critical” to boost the electric market.