By Frank Whitman
Globally, the auto industry is changing with the transition to electric vehicles. While EV sales are relatively slow, they are increasing and in light of the worldwide concern about the environment, are unlikely to disappear.
The prediction is that by 2030, about 60 percent of global vehicle sales will be EVs.
“For us, I would say we’re in a good position,” said Alex Yap, president of Atkin Kroll Inc. “But probably as far as Guam is concerned, it will take a couple more years. It won’t be so soon, but we are ready.”
In 2022, AK introduced its first EV to the Guam market, the Chevrolet Volt. “We have even brought in luxury EV vehicle brands.”
In 2022 there were 13 EVs on Guam, 23 in 2023, and more than 50 in the first quarter of 2024, according to Yap.
He noted that the number of hybrid vehicles is also increasing. “Clean energy will not go away,” he said.
In order to prepare for the transition to EVs, the industry will have to ensure that its service staff have the correct skill set – more programming and software; less nuts-and-bolts mechanics than in the past, Yap said.
Another ongoing transition in the automotive industry – as it is in all fields - is the use of artificial intelligence.
AI and EVs are in “ongoing conversation” at Inchcape, Yap said. The company benefits from size and diversity to “leverage its market expertise” as ideas and practices introduced by Inchcape in markets around the globe prove successful.
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One area in which the company is using AI is called predictive analytics. Yap explained that under the conventional service model, customers are told, after a maintenance visit, “Come back in six months.”
With predictive analytics, the dealer tracks the time since the last visit and assuming the customer’s driving pattern does not change. “We’ll know when you should be back,” Yap said.
Then the dealer will contact the customer and remind him or her to come in for service. Similarly for sales, the dealer is able to see in what vehicle models the customer may have shown interest on the company’s website. “We won’t bug you yet,” Yap said. The dealer may send a reminder or more information “at the appropriate time.”
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