TD Launches New Auto-Finance Program

TD Auto Finance is launching a 9-point program in conjunction with the recent debuts of the Fiat 500 car and dedicated Fiat dealerships in North America.

The financing firm replaces Chrysler Financial as the main finance and insurance resource for Chrysler-brand dealerships. Up to 165 Chrysler stores also will sell the Italian subcompact at so-called Fiat “studios” continuing to open across the U.S.

The program soon will be available for non-Chrysler and other import brands “dualed” with Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep retailers.

Program features include:

Retail credit-application review hours until midnight Eastern time Monday-Friday, 9 p.m. Saturdays and 6 p.m. on Sundays. Dealers in the U.S. and Canada are asked to present TD’s credentials in sales negotiations with customers, says TD sales-support specialist Kimberly Presson.

TD Auto Finance is part of the Toronto-Dominion Bank Group, “rated as one of the safest banks in North America,” she says.

Fiat 500 Cabrio debuted this summer.

The bank purchased Chrysler Financial, the former auto-lending unit of Chrysler, for $6.3 billion last year.

“TD Auto Finance combines more than 45 years of automotive financing experience from Chrysler Financial with the financial stability of TD Auto Group,” Presson says.

Laura Soave, head of the Fiat brand in the U.S., tells dealers at a recent meeting they “will be able to interact with a group of sophisticated individuals who are not now part of our current customer base.”

Chrysler-Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne insisted the new Fiat dealerships be dedicated stand-alone structures.

At the meeting, Mike Maroone, president of AutoNation, the country’s largest dealership chain, says Fiat is a welcome franchise addition to the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram portfolio.

“AutoNation is looking at a long run for Fiat, with repeat sales and high profits to boot,” he says.