It’s been five years since GM Financial Canada has been servicing GM dealers and their customers across Canada, and Howard Cobham said time has flown by.
“I don’t know where these five years have gone but when I reflected on this milestone it became extremely exciting for us,” said Cobham, Senior-Vice President, Dealer Services Canada for GM Financial, in an interview with Canadian auto dealer at GM Financial Canada’s Toronto office.
“As I reflect through the five years some of the biggest accomplishments come through the relationships we’ve built,” Cobham added, saying the company has built strong relationships with GM Canada, its Canadian dealer network, and GM Financial in the U.S.
As part of recent celebrations, GM Financial President & CEO Dan Berce, along with North American COO Kyle Birch, recently visited the Toronto office from company headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas.
The GM Financial team also marked the occasion by kicking off a campaign with the SickKids Foundation, which included presenting a $10,000 cheque to the foundation.
LOOKING AHEAD
Over the last five years, Cobham said GM Financial Canada has been focused on the prime leasing and non-prime retail loan space as GM’s captive finance organization in Canada.
“We are 100 per cent focused on GM dealers and putting a great amount of attention on assisting them,” said Cobham. He added the company also entered the dealer-floor plan lending space and introduced bi-weekly payment capability for leasing to help elevate GM Canada’s lease share, ensuring customers are able to come back to market more quickly .
“I think our dealers have really accepted us as their captive finance company and enjoy working with our team,” said Cobham.
He acknowledges that as a young company, there are always going to be challenges to work through.
While the company is currently providing prime retail leasing and non-prime retail loans for now, Cobham said GM Financial Canada is working to provide a broader product spectrum, with the goal of eventually being a full captive finance company in Canada.
“Looking ahead there is nothing but significant growth and opportunity for us as a company,” said Cobham.
