Subaru Canada Inc.’s new CEO Tomohiro Kubota is touring the nation to satisfy with sellers as the corporate goals to bounce again from a poor gross sales 12 months and prepared its community of outlets for the electric-vehicle period.
Kubota, who took excessive submit on the model in December, advised Automotive News Canada on the Canadian International AutoShow Feb. 16. that he’s within the means of familiarizing himself with the Canadian market and shall be “listening closely” to sellers in regional conferences operating all through March.
Subaru was hobbled by manufacturing challenges and stock shortages in Canada in 2022, resulting in its worst gross sales efficiency in years. Sales fell to 44,009 final 12 months, down greater than 20 per cent from 56,870 in 2021 and 57,524 in pre-pandemic 2019.
Kubota stated the corporate is seeking to “rebound” in 2023. It is concentrating on gross sales of 60,000 automobiles in Canada this 12 months, and additional progress within the years forward.
“Our long-term goal is to achieve five per cent market share,” equating to about 80,000 automobiles yearly, Kubota stated.
Despite the numerous decline in gross sales final 12 months, sellers stay enthusiastic concerning the model. In February, Subaru earned the highest place within the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association’s 2022 Dealer Satisfaction Index amongst manufacturers with fewer than 100 dealerships for the tenth 12 months in a row.
Subaru additionally started Canadian deliveries of its first battery-electric car within the fall because it irons out its electrification technique.
The Subaru Solterra, a rebadged model of the Toyota bZ4X, has obtained optimistic suggestions from prospects and has been a “good start” for the model, Kubota stated. As with many different EVs, nonetheless, Canadian prospects are dealing with a waitlist.
“Depending on the trim level, it’s over five months,” Kubota stated.
Each of Subaru Canada’s 95 sellers have “opted in” to promote EVs, and about half have made their first electrical sale, in keeping with Julie Lychak, supervisor of public relations for Subaru Canada.
To correctly serve EV prospects, Subaru is asking its retailers to make recent investments of their dealerships, although it’s permitting a comparatively excessive diploma of regional differentiation, Lychak added. Dealers might want to set up at the very least one customer-facing EV charger, and one other within the store, however the whole variety of chargers and their pace will rely upon native calls for.
The want for dealership store upgrades will even be market dependent, Lychak stated. Dealers in Quebec, for example, beforehand bought the Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid, and invested in a number of the needed gear at that time. She stated sellers not beforehand outfitted who’re serving massive markets will doubtless should spend “significantly more,” however she wouldn’t specify how a lot the funding may run.
Subaru plans to help sellers with the capital spending, contributing as much as 30 per cent of the funding, based mostly on what market sellers serve.
While the Solterra is Subaru’s first step within the EV market, different fashions, together with these constructed in-house, will observe.
Kubota stated the Japan-based firm plans to color a clearer image of its product plans and electrification technique within the first half of its fiscal 12 months, which runs from April to September.
Source: canada.autonews.com