Canadian auto dealer connected with Steve Flamand about his new role at Hyundai Canada and discovered that becoming the third overall President and CEO means a lot to him — given that he was born and raised in Canada.
The 54-year-old Quebec native grew up within an hour or so of Hyundai’s first and only plant in Canada. He followed in his father’s footsteps, working for General Motors, and did so for almost 26 years. His last post was as Executive Director for Eastern Canada in Vehicle Sales, Service and Marketing.
He was hired by Hyundai more than seven years ago and was positioned to replace Don Romano, who held the post for more than a decade and helped grow the Hyundai and Genesis brands in Canada.
“I grew up in an automotive family my whole life and of course it’s always a dream (to become an OEM President),” said Flamand in an interview with Canadian auto dealer. “I’m super proud, but at the same time it comes with a lot of responsibility, in terms of best representing the dealers, the customers, the brand and so forth.”
Flamand is confident he can improve on both Hyundai and Genesis’ record sales in 2024. Hyundai sold 131,715 units, a 13.9 per cent increase from 2023. Genesis sold 7,040 units, an increase of 6.4 per cent. He is not deterred by the turmoil of the industry, specifically the impact of the ongoing tariff war with the United States.
“Whether the industry is stable and strong or in a state of flux like it is right now, the fundamentals are still strong,” said Flamand. “What all these tariffs and retaliatory tariffs bring about is uncertainty. The way to succeed in an industry that’s in big fluctuation like this is to be very agile.”
He added Hyundai has set up a business with the dealers being very good partners. He also said Hyundai has a portfolio that can meet all kinds of customer needs, whether it pertains to internal combustion engines, hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and electric vehicles. He also said Hyundai has the flexibility to switch between plants in Korea and the U.S. There is a plan to begin production in Mexico next year.
Steve Flamand
It was announced on Monday that Flamand hired Jessica Todd as Director of Sales, the first woman in company history to hold that title. Romano had been big on diversity, equity and inclusion, and Flamand said it’s just part of the company’s DNA. He said Todd will effectively be his successor.
“It was a no-brainer, absolute rocking all-star,” said Flamand. “At the same time, it’s not done on the basis of DEI. She’s absolutely earned it. She’s the best choice. ”
Romano said Flamand was particularly instrumental in Hyundai acting quickly to backstop customers when Quebec temporarily paused its rebates on EVs in December and the federal government ended its rebate program in January.
“It’s always a team effort — it takes a whole bunch of people — but at the time I was responsible for sales, pricing and incentives,” said Flamand. “It was obviously my department and I had to deal with the situation. Ultimately, I’m the one that decided to pull the trigger. It’s either we leave the dealers or customers exposed, and that’s a non-negotiable.”
“We have a very strong program in March with what’s left of the 2024 EV model year, and with the return of incentives in April we’re hoping for a more normalized, albeit smaller volume, opportunity.”
Romano also mentioned how Flamand “singlehandedly” came up with the idea to leverage the sponsorship with the National Hockey League and NHL Players Association with the launch of 2024 Santa Fe Hybrid Edition. It also included an authentic-signed jersey of NHL 2023 first overall pick Connor Bedard.
“It was my idea, but it was an overall team brainstorming with what we could do to elevate the brand with something very unique,” said Flamand. “It wasn’t about selling the 500 Santa Fe. They would have sold regardless, but it was about selling them in a fun way. The autographed Connor Bedard jersey was the icing on top of the cake. Those things sold out in the snap of the fingers.”
Flamand is a hockey fan, has played it growing up, and his three boys played too. “There aren’t too many hockey rinks I haven’t seen,” said Flamand, who added that he is a Montreal Canadiens fan. “Always will be. There’s no other team.”
