Jiwan Sidhu and Mani Boparai are living the Canadian automotive dream following the purchase of their first dealership.
The two brothers arrived in Canada from India more than more than 12 years ago, and through hard work in various jobs and perseverance specifically in the used-car industry, they earned enough to invest last month in the purchase of a Mitsubishi dealership in Caledon, Ont.
The two had been looking at various dealership opportunities in different parts of Ontario over the last year, and were told about the Mitsubishi location in March. The grand opening took place October 22. Earlier this year, Sidhu told Canadian auto dealer that Mitsubishi appealed to them the most because the brand has a strong following in India.
“Their warranty is the best in the market, nobody can beat it. Their prices are way more affordable than other brands,” said Sidhu in an interview with Canadian auto dealer. “It’s a great product. The customers get the value for their money.”
“For us, this was (a way of) proving ourselves to Mitsubishi that we can do it and take their brand to another level. They recognized our hard work in the last six years. We started with no experience and now we are here,” he added.
Sidhu and Boparai changed the dealership name, which had previously been Parker Mitsubishi. “We thought Caledon is a good name because it connects with the town,” said Sidhu.
They have also brought in new employees and didn’t place a priority on experience in the automotive business. “If they have something they really want to do in their life, they have (a) passion (for) cars and work, we like those kinds of employees,” said Sidhu. “We can train them the way we want.”
The 32-year-old Sidhu came to Canada in 2009 with his family as a high school student. Following high school, Sidhu studied and graduated in human resources at Sheridan College. “The plan was to one day have a business, we were not sure what business when we started,” said Sidhu.
Through money they earned working in various jobs such as security, in a warehouse, factories and bakeries, they purchased a used-car dealership in Brampton, Ont., in 2017 and named it 22G Auto Sales. The business did so well they bought a second location nearby to hold more cars. They also made renovations to do service repairs and build a showroom to sell tires.
Sidhu said the experience they gained selling used cars has given them insight on selling new cars. “New cars are different because there are no problems, but with used cars it’s not an easy market,” said Sidhu. “Going through that, this is an easy one for us.”
He also has advice for people who want to try something in which they have no experience. “Never quit, just keep going,” said Sidhu. “Obviously there’s going to be hurdles, but once you go over all those hurdles — you’re going to always win.”
