Volcon Inc. announced that its portfolio of electric vehicles will be available at Canadian dealerships, with industry veteran Gerry Picard being named the brand’s Canadian national sales manager.
Picard brings a strong knowledge of Canadian powersports dealership operations, having most recently served as Canadian director of sales for Mahindra Vehicle Sales and Service for its Roxor brand from 2018 to 2022. Picard also spent a combined 30 years with BRP and Yamaha in a variety of positions, including dealer development, product development and territory management. He has also worked in various consulting roles.
“We are excited to announce our expansion into Canada,” said Melissa Coffey, vice president of global revenue and business development at Volcon. “It’s an important market for our growing line of two-wheel and four-wheel products and a natural extension of our efforts in the U.S. We are also thrilled to name Gerry Picard as our head of sales in Canada. He brings decades of experience in helping dealership owners grow their business, and we’re glad to have him represent our brand in Canada.”
Picard’s extensive experience will allow him to engage with dealerships throughout Canada that are seeking to increase their profitability and broaden their inventory to include electric vehicles by adding Volcon’s two- and four-wheel offerings. The company is on track to establish 30 to 40 dealers in 2023 and 50 to 60 2024.
“The powersports industry is on a fast track of change moving to electric mobility, with Volcon on the leading edge of this change,” Picard said. “I invite all Canadian dealers to reach out and look at how Volcon can dramatically increase their bottom line with an excellent lineup of both two-wheel and four-wheel electric vehicles.”
The timing of the announcement aligns with the Canadian government’s recent efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change and implement regulations like the electric-vehicle (EV) mandate and a federal carbon tax. The EV mandate will require all new passenger vehicles and light trucks sold in Canada after 2035 be electric zero-emission vehicles. In addition, the country’s carbon tax increased by $15 CAD on April 1.
“These regulations show that Canada is thinking about EV seriously and we’re making a sound choice to work with our neighbors up north,” Coffey said. “We’re confident it will be a robust market for expansion, especially as the need for other zero-emission vehicles plays a role in furthering Canada’s efforts to fight climate change.”
Based in Alberta, Picard graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business/commerce from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology. Picard welcomes interested Canadian dealers to reach out to him at [email protected].
