(Left to right) Fritz Ahadi, Frank Dankovich, Ed Peper, Paul Jontig, and Claude Masters, CAFM
The second OEM Fireside Chat discussion brought together NAFA President Claude Masters, CAFM and top executives from Chrysler, Ford, GM, and Toyota in a conversation based upon questions submitted by NAFA members in early-2014.
The OEM "Fireside Chat" Panel Discussion, moderated by Masters, included
Fritz Ahadi, General Manager-Commercial & Government Operations, Ford Motor Company;
Frank Dankovich, Director, Fleet Sales, Chrysler Group, LLC;
Paul Jontig, National Fleet Sales Manager, Toyota Motor Sales USA; and
Ed Peper, US Vice President, Fleet and Commercial Sales, General Motors.
"It isn’t every day we get to ask our distinguished guests our questions," noted NAFA Senior Vice President and Manager, Fleet Center of Excellence, Serco Group., Inc., Ruth Alfson, CAFM, in introducing the session. As for those panelists, two—Ahadi and Dankovich—had been in their current roles for a matter of months, and Peper has held his title for just two years. But the group delivered a depth of knowledge about the industry all the same, starting with an often-asked question about the outlook for the fleet market in 2014 and beyond.
Growth was down a tad in the first quarter—due in part to the season’s unusually harsh weather—but the group was optimistic as a whole. Peper said his company was "bullish on the commercial fleet market," particularly for the next couple of years. Ahadi anticipated increased interest from the construction and housing industries for trucks and vans—and noted a new Transit commercial van from Ford to help meet demand. And Jontig spoke of a "return to normalcy" after some challenging times.
Members of the panel also addressed various alternative fuels and advances in technology, with each showcasing their company’s particular offerings. There’s still not one silver bullet, Peper said, but answers come with "providing great products that deliver great fuel economy every day." In general, that means keeping a finger in numerous pies.
"Consumers are making choices," Jontig said, "but how it plays out is going to take some time." His company is not only looking at hybrids, for example; future sustainability in terms of zero emissions also is on the table. Next year, Toyota will introduce a fuel cell electric vehicle, a trend that Jontig believes will take his company into the future.
Ford has put much effort into lighter-weight vehicles, including its 2015 aluminum alloy F-150. And Dankovich noted that Chrysler is the only OEM that produces CNG vehicles right out of the factory.
