General Motors is creating a new umbrella organization to cater to the needs of commercial and government customers dubbed GM Envolve.
GM Envolve creates one-stop for individual customers’ unique business needs, according to Steve Hill, vice president of GM’s commercial growth strategies and operations, who will be responsible for the initiative, which will offer “tailored solutions,” drawing from the entire GM enterprise portfolio of commercial products and services.
Bright Drop one part of bigger initiative
Bright Drop — the GM subsidiary geared to build battery-electric commercial trucks — will both maintain its operating structure as a separate tech startup within GM and will be included as a delivery solution within GM Envolve’s offerings to create smarter, safer, more sustainable moment of goods, GM officials said.
At the same time, GM Envolve will help customers prepare for an all-electric future, while also managing their ICE fleets, while offering a single sales touchpoint for account management, said Ed Peper, who will lead day-to-day operations and all fleet vehicle sales as U.S. vice president of GM Envolve.
“GM Envolve allows businesses to stay ahead of change,” he said, noting there is enormous interest in GM’s new Silverado EV. Working through the GM Envolve umbrella, the company expects to gain operating efficiencies and create more revenue generating opportunities with current and future customers.
At GM’s annual Fleet Solutions Summit in San Diego, Steve Carlisle, president, GM North America, revealed GM’s plans for Envolve to an audience of nearly 850 business customers and dealers, noting that GM Fleet is being reimagined as a one-stop B2B/B2G partner.
According to Carlisle, GM Fleet continues to deliver impressive results, achieving its best first quarter of commercial fleet sales since 2006, making GM the leader in fleet and commercial sales in the U.S — a claim hotly disputed by Ford Motor Co., which, for years, has claimed it is the leader in commercial vehicle sales and recently created Ford Pro to target commercial business.
Goal is to offer customers comprehensive services
“GM Envolve will leverage the complete power of General Motors to offer the best solutions to customers and further reinforce why we’ve increased our fleet sales for five consecutive quarters,” Carlisle said.
Customers will have access to the connected GM ecosystem through a single account executive. This single sales touchpoint will simplify the purchasing experience and function as an extension of the customers’ team, bringing new energy and ideas with a holistic problem-solving mindset, the GM executive said.
Under the new structure created by GM Envolve, account executives will be backed by a dedicated team of experts to help identify and curate a package of GM’s technologies and innovative solutions for each customer’s business.
GM Envolve customers can also manage their GM portfolio through an soon-to-be-released digital platform. The foundation of GM Envolve will be working together with each customer to create a solutions package tailored to their needs.
“At AutoZone, we have and will forever be committed to supporting a more sustainable world for all and for generations to come,” said Bill Rhodes, chairman, president, and CEO of AutoZone Inc. “Today, we experience the positive impacts GM has on our business by purchasing their vehicles, parts, and telematics services.”
Genesis of the program
GM began planning for GM Envolve 18 months ago and the products and services designed to keep businesses moving in smarter, more productive ways through the company’s brands include ready access GM Genuine Parts, AC Delco and Certified Service and Accessories.
It also provides a comprehensive set of solutions designed to provide commercial operations with greater energy management and resiliency through holistic offerings including stationary storage, integrated charging, cloud management, and GM’s Hydrotech fuel cell technology.
The services available under GM Envolve also includes portfolio of hardware and software solutions, through BrightDrop, designed to expedite commercial delivery and logistics, and create a smarter, safer, more sustainable movement of goods.
The program also will foster development software designed to optimize operations through data-driven insights, while protecting people and assets, through OnStar Business Solutions as well as a suite of consultancy services designed to help customers maximize performance and accelerate new growth, through GM’s knowledge of products, EV infrastructure, energy, finance, sustainability, tech and more.