Crossing the EV Chasm: The Dealership Opportunity

The news cycle in EVs right now with Trump and Musk is well…something. As we at Lectrium have been saying for years, Musk drama = franchise dealership opportunity in the EV space.

As Geoffrey Moore explains in his book Crossing the Chasm, the biggest threat to any new technology is whether the early majority buys in.

I believe that Franchise dealerships are the key to the early majority buying into EVs. With such strong community influences and ties to their local markets, Franchise dealers help shape both supply and demand.

An example of an Auto Group positively influencing the supply side of EVs comes from Adam Lee, Owner of Lee Auto Malls. In his open letter to Toyota he encourages the OEM to improve their stance on climate and produce a more competitive EV lineup.

"But even with those we love, we must tell them when they’re falling short. I want Toyota to get back to being the green car company I have been so proud to support." - Adam Lee

On the demand side, Auto Groups who segment out EVs as a separate category (New, Used, Electric) and run specific campaigns to merchandise, market, and sell EVs are seeing success and taking market share from their local competitors. I believe every Lectrium customer is doing their part in influencing EV demand in a positive way in their community!

🏁 The Job for Dealers: Move from Early Adopter → Early Majority

The Franchise dealership business is Awesome. Awesome, but fragmented. Because of this, savvy dealers on the pulse of their local market can generate outsized returns and take market share quickly, especially when large transitions like EV adoption are at stake.

Forward-thinking dealers stand to win BIG. To convert the early majority into EV buyers they need confidence throughout the buying process, and this can only be delivered by a consistent digital and physical presence in Automotive retail.

🔧 The Tooling to Cross the Chasm: Lectrium’s EVDP Bundle

Tier 3 merchandising has remained the same for ICE, PHEV, and EV for too long. It is time for each powertrain to have customized, native merchandising across all website providers.

At Lectrium we’ve built the EV Intelligence layer for retail automotive. We help turn VDPs into EVDPs that showcase:

• Real world range and charging

• Incentives & fuel savings

• Transparent CO2 footprint data

• VIN-specific EV reports for every shopper

Technology built to equip and enable your sales and BDC team and to save hours of time answering tough questions.

🤝 OEMs are Stepping Up for Tier 3 Merchandising too

One of our proudest go-to-market examples is the program we have built together with Shift Digital and BMW.

We have launched the industry’s first certified EV merchandising program for BMW and MINI dealers - in collaboration with the OEM.

This collaboration allows stronger data, improved pricing, and a seamless customer experience.

🚘 Final Thought

Crossing the chasm is about execution. The early adopters are in, now it is time for the early majority. This will eventually happen, the question remains WHO and WHICH Auto Groups will proactively accept and accelerate this change and take market share as part of the process.

If you are this Auto Group and want to chat, book a quick demo directly with me.