VERONA – Two types of transition, one towards electricity and one towards a distribution and sales system completely different from the past thanks to the transformation, desired by European standards, from concessionaire to agency. The two passages that polarize the attention of the employees of the Automotive Dealer Day, the three days at the Verona Fair which ends today and which has made record numbers: more than 5 thousand subscribers. “There has been a great movement”, underline the organizers of Quintegia.
The course for the first transition now seems to have been drawn, it is only a matter of time, even if the conflict in Ukraine and global difficulties could slow things down. It’s true. Italy, compared to the 2030 targets, is behind according to the electrification index calculated by Quintegia, which in the first quarter of 2021 reached 46.1, almost ten points less due to the drop in registrations from January to March. Now that the incentives are back, the situation should improve and then the investments of the car manufacturers go in that direction, as well as the political choices: “Even today, consumers of equal conditions would choose an electric vehicle”, says Francesco Naso, secretary of Motus -E, the Confindustria of companies that deal with all the different electricity supply chains. And even the managers of the houses who took turns in the debates remarked that the electricity transition is not in question, even if the Minister for Economic Development, Giancarlo Giorgetti, prefers to speak of “technological neutrality”, an objective that should be pursued without considering the ‘electric as the only option.
What do the operators think? “The electric is already there, it’s a reality – underlines Marco Saltalamacchia, CEO of the Koelliker group, one of the most important companies in the distribution and import of vehicles – on the commercial front, even without incentives, everyone is now turning to electric to cover the last mile. It is a natural passage. The rest will come “. The theme is the same, different shades. “The moment is dramatic – underlines Raffaele Fusilli, CEO of Renault Italy – but despite everything, Renault is already recording important signs of recovery. We must be ready to change, those who remain anchored to the certainties that have characterized this sector up to now are destined to become extinct “. According to the head of Renault in Italy, fewer and fewer cars will be sold in the future, fewer and fewer ownerships and more and more sharing formulas: “And we are increasingly registering a greater interest in the electric, solved the question of the charging infrastructure are the future “. And on the front of the changes in the dealerships. Renault is more cautious. “It would be difficult to take over this part directly,” says Fusilli.
Even for Marcus Osegowitsch, CEO of Volkswagen Italy, the electric is the only way. “And there will be no room for hybrids and plug-in hybrids-only the Bevs, for the pure electric,” he remarks. And also on the front of changing relations with dealers, the German group is ready to change relations, but “this will not mean worsening them – he underlines – we will simply manage the relationship with the customer in another way, but always together”. A path that Stellantis will also take starting from 2023 which will apply the retailer dealership contract: “We start in June 2023 for commercial vehicles, premium brands (DS, Alfa Romeo and Lancia) and with three pilot states: Austria, Belgium and Holland. From 2026 we will switch to all Stellantis brands in the area of the G-10 area countries “, explained Maria Grazia Davino, head of sales & marketing Enlarged Europe of the group. The bonuses will vary according to the type of brand, if premium or consumer goods, and “it should be around 5%”.
With this step, desired by the change in European legislation to allow the slice of online sales to be enlarged, the car manufacturers will sell directly to the customer, deciding prices, discounts and marketing policies. And the trade association, Federauto, is worried about the effects: 60 to 70 thousand employees could find themselves out of work. “We would be forced to contain some costs and review the reports – says the vice president of Federauto Plinio Vannini – we know that things are not forever, but we would like to face this passage in the least traumatic way possible”.