Earlier this year, GM Fleet announced it was offering commercial, government, and rental fleet discounts on replacement parts under a new program, which was created to support and streamline how fleets manage vehicle maintenance and repair.
The new General Motors Fleet Parts Discount Program offers fleets discounts up to 32% off list prices, depending on the size of the fleet. The dealer-based discount parts program will include more than 450,000 GM Genuine Parts and ACDelco maintenance and repair parts for Chevrolet, GMC, Buick, and Cadillac. If a fleet has an account number with General Motors, it qualifies for the program.
History of the Program
The desire to support this realm of fleet was initially considered by Steve Hill, North America VP for General Motors, when he previously served the automaker’s customer care and aftersales program, which had an adjacency with the fleet team. The fleet team expressed a desire to improve how it sold parts and managed maintenance through its dealers for fleets.
“We were looking for the one-stop shop,” said Lance Zimmerman, national fleet parts manager at GM Customer Care and Aftersales. “Instead of coming and buying cars and forgetting about the dealership, fleets could come back for parts and service needs.”
The program was unveiled in March 2019 at the NTEA Work Truck Show.
Most recently, the GM Fleet Parts Discount Program announced its partnership with MSTS, a global business-to-business payment and credit solutions provider, to provide its dealer network and customers with electronic consolidated invoicing, access to extended terms options, and customized discounts during payment.
How the Program Works
Breaking down the discount ranges for GM original equipment and ACDelco Parts, fleets between 5 to 49 assets receive a 28% discount; those with 50 to 349 vehicles receive a 30% discounts, and 350 or more are offered the 32% discount. All the aforementioned ranges also receive a 10% discount on GM Powertrain Assemblies, Tires, and Accessories.
The program is available through nearly 1,400 dealers, including more than 500 Chevrolet and GMC Business Elite dealers, and is also available for mixed fleets; meaning those who operate more than just GM vehicles, can also experience benefits with their non-GM vehicles at GM dealerships through ACDelco’s professional series of parts. It offers parts for various makes and models that are not under the GM nameplate.
General Motors already had programs for fleets that streamlined billing, invoicing and data communication, etc. However, as the industry has expanded, the automaker realized dealership maintenance needed the same kind of support with regards to how fleets S and address maintenance.
Corollary Fleet Benefits
The program’s strengths also lay in the idea in being able to help fleet customers worry less about repair and maintenance issues, according to Zimmerman.
“Fleets want quality parts that they don’t have to immediately replace; they’re concerned about preventive maintenance, driver safety, and what the optimum performance for the vehicle is,” said Randy Chancellor, fleet and indirect sales manager at GM Customer Care & Aftersales. “These are work vehicles, so if they break down that’s unproductive time.”
Having the program available nationwide is also designed to streamline maintenance processes for fleets.
“Their total cost of ownership becomes easier to calculate and they can get the parts in California or Connecticut,” said Zimmerman, and added that the discount applies if they want the dealer to perform certain maintenance that is outside the expertise of a fleet’s in-house technician.
