Legendary rockers Blue Rodeo, who recorded the hit song 5 Days In May thirty years ago, will be in Las Vegas performing for what should be one amazing night in February for Canadian dealers at the 2024 NADA Show.

The Toronto-based band, who have become Canadian icons with a multitude of tunes that also include Try, Hasn’t Hit Me Yet, and Till I Am Myself, will be doing a concert to bring back Canada Night NAD’eh on February 1. Tickets are complimentary for Canadian dealers. To learn more about the event and to sign up visit: https://canadanightnadeh.ca/

In an interview, the band’s co-frontman Jim Cuddy told Canadian auto dealer he is looking forward to the event.

“Well first of all, the people who are contracting us are really nice,” says Cuddy. “Obviously it’s a bigger event, because it’s the whole of Blue Rodeo. The last time I did it I was in a small room and just played a few tunes. I’m always impressed that people who are in an industry because of cars want music. To me, music is the best accompaniment for everything. I heard about this and thought it would be fun to go to Vegas. It would be fun to play for these people, too,” he said.

“If you’re a Canadian dealer and you’re going to be in Vegas, you’re not going to want to miss being here,” said Lara Appleton, Marketing and Customer Experience Manager at taq Automotive Intelligence, which is helping to organize the event along with a roster of leading suppliers, including Canadian auto dealer. “It’s a great way to reconnect with your Canadian industry friends and colleagues.”

Canada Night NAD’eh has been a huge theme at the NADA, beginning with an intimate performance in 2016 with just Jim Cuddy. Prominent Canadian acts that have followed included Alan Doyle of Great Big Sea and Barenaked Ladies. Then COVID disrupted the NADA Show and Canada Night NAD’eh was shelved.

“After five years, we’re really trying to bring the Eh! back to NADA. COVID can’t stop us. We’ve come through on the other side and we just thought what a great time to bring this event back,” said Appleton, adding “Where are you going to see Blue Rodeo in a really, really intimate setting with a few hundred of your closest industry friends? What a great night to kick off your NADA experience.”

Canada Night NAD’eh begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Sahara Theatre, which has a capacity of about 850. The concert runs from 10:30 p.m. to midnight. NADA’s Welcome Reception runs nearby at the Sphere from 7-10 p.m.

“You don’t have to choose between one event or the other,” said Appleton. “Come to ours as well. There’s going to be an open bar (and) food. We’d love for many Canadian dealers to come.”

Appleton added that the organizing committee wanted to hire a noteworthy, enduring Canadian musical group to cap off the night and Blue Rodeo fit the bill perfectly.

“For many Canadian dealers it’s their first NADA since COVID hit back in 2020, so we really wanted to put on a really great party — and who better to perform than Canadian legendary Juno-award winning band Blue Rodeo,” said Appleton. “We wanted a mainstream name, one that has been around for a long time, a name people would recognize, one we know who will put on a really good show and has experience in performing. We looked at some other acts as well, but they didn’t have the name recognition that Blue Rodeo does. Blue Rodeo is just a great way to bring this event back to the forefront.”

Vaughn Wyant, President and CEO of the Wyant Group, has seen Blue Rodeo perform several times and said the band defines Canadiana. “They’re so good, so musically in sync.”

The post Blue Rodeo’s Jim Cuddy tells Canadian auto dealer he’s looking forward to playing Canada Night NAD’eh appeared first on Canadian Auto Dealer.

Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association President Flavio Volpe has been appointed as a Member of the Order of Canada, which he calls the honour of a lifetime. The Governor General of Canada, the Right Honourable Mary Simon, announced Volpe as one of 78 new appointees on Thursday.

Volpe received the honour for advancing Canada’s automotive and technology industries on an international scale as a leading policy expert in national trade and industry competition. Created in 1967, the Order of Canada is one of the country’s highest civilian honours, recognizing people across all sectors who have made extraordinary and sustained contributions to Canada.

“It is the honour of a lifetime,” said Volpe on his LinkedIn account. “I have dedicated myself to a better Canada in everything that I do and there is nothing as humbling as being recognized by the best country in the world with its highest honour.”

More than 7,000 people from all sectors of Canada have been appointed into the Order. The recipients receive a six-point white enamel insignia symbolizing Canada’s northern heritage and diversity, and will officially be invited to an investiture ceremony sometime in 2024 in Ottawa.

“In everything I’ve ever accomplished of meaning, I have been inspired, supported, and led by people I love and respect. It’s my Team Canada of everyday people who do extraordinary things,” said Volpe in his post. “Someone asked me ‘what will you do next?’ What I’ve always done — honour the sacrifices my parents made and try to set the right example for my children.”

Volpe joined the APMA as President in September, 2014 and along with former APMA Chief Technical Officer Colin Dhillon conceived the idea for Project Arrow, the fully-electric vehicle, zero-emissions SUV concept car that was first unveiled at the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show. The car was designed, engineered and built with the help of 60 Canadian-based suppliers and post-secondary institutions.

The APMA will discuss Project Arrow 2.0 at the upcoming Consumers Electronic Show. As many as 20 cars will be built, none of which will be similar. The 2.0 will include more suppliers.

“The first time around we were trying to figure out what a Canadian car looks like,” said Volpe in a recent interview with Electric Autonomy Canada. “This time we have a vehicle, we have a design, we have the engineering. It is an evolution of the product and the platform. Project Arrow is more than just about a car. It should be about the entire Canadian movement into the (EV) space.”

“We’ve got a series of different options. Let’s call it Arrow 2.1 and 2.2 and 2.3 to be the showcase for how you lightweight an EV,” he added.

The post Flavio Volpe appointed into the Order of Canada appeared first on Canadian Auto Dealer.

In every small and large town across Canada, where there’s a need, you’ll find a dealer making a difference.

Whether it’s providing financial assistance, volunteer support or assistance to a charity, organization or association, Canadian dealers are always willing to give back to their communities.

In fact, according to The Bridgespan Group, a global non-profit, 90 per cent of car dealerships keep their donations in the local community to support services and organizations, and more than 65 percent organize staff volunteer opportunities.

Giving to charities is a big part of the ethos of the Myers Automotive Group, the biggest automotive group in Ottawa.

Brothers Harry and Rob Mews were recently asked to pledge $2.5 million towards the construction of the new Ottawa Hospital Civic Hospital and the purchase of equipment.

The brothers had already made $1 million donations twice in the past few years towards local hospitals. The first happened in 2015 for the Acute Care of the Elderly Unit of The Queensway Carleton Hospital Foundation.

The Mews’ parents had volunteered their services there over the years and their father, Hank, made numerous private donations. The second donation was made to the University of Ottawa Heart Institute in 2022 following a successful heart procedure their father underwent in 2017.

“It’s a local business that really depends on the local community and reputation is everything,” said Harry in an interview with Canadian auto dealer. “Some don’t give back as much as others, but for the most part dealers are aligned that way.

Generally speaking the people that work for us are driven locally. That’s the immediate touchpoint for our staff, so it makes sense they feel good about us when we support their local interests.

There’s not too many businesses our size that can do what we do and are still local at the same time.”

One of the big functions of the Kelowna Auto Dealers Association is to give back to the community through fundraisers. From August 1 to September 30, dealers raised $230,000 for B.C.-Cancer Kelowna for a new state-of-the-art systemic cancer therapy suite.

“We do a lot individually to give back to the community and we thought it would be a good opportunity with this need for systemic treatment facility upgrade to come together and do something bigger to really give some decent assistance to get this going,” said KADA President Aaron Fanslau. “This was something we’d never done before of this scale. I thought it was really important to get the group together. There was no minimum donation. We just really wanted to see if we could get together and get some momentum. We were thrilled to overachieve (the original financial target).

“The Kelowna B.C. Cancer Facility treats 20 percent of B.C. residents in all of the Okanagan, so it’s grown quite large and it’s very important. It was built 25 years ago. They are able to administer the treatments, but with very tight conditions. There’s no room for you to bring a support person to you. Once they finish this renovation it will be a first-class experience with individual pods and room to bring people. It’s really going to improve the experience dramatically for people who are going to need it.”

Fanslau, General Manager of Turner Volkswagen, said all of the dealerships in Kelowna are locally-owned and locally-operated, and there is a deep tie-in between Dealer Principals and GMs to the community.

“At the end of the day the least we can do is to give back,” said Fanslau.

Earlier this year, Ryan Finch of the Finch Auto Group in London, personally donated $5 million to St. Joseph’s Health Care. The donation was the largest to support mental health care research in Southwestern Ontario.

“If you’ve got mental health issues you should be able to receive the same treatments as someone who was bleeding badly and needed stitches…and yet mental health still has the stigma around it,” said Finch. “I kind of wanted to stay on the right side of that issue and I want to help the community.”

His company donates to various charities, one of which is the London and Middlesex Humane Society.

“It’s a great cause, one we’re certainly proud to be associated with,” said Finch. “We’ve got all these animals in London that don’t have people to care for them and support and services, so how could you not support such a wonderful cause?”

Jay McKeen, Managing Partner of Jack Carter Auto Group, which has a total of 12 stores collectively in Alberta, B.C. and California, said giving back to charities is something he and his employees embrace.

“The way that I was taught when first starting out in the industry is we’re in the community, we represent the community, our business comes from the community, therefore we need to give back to the community,” said McKeen. “It’s really that simple. We can’t just take by doing business, we have to give back, too. I think it’s just something a lot of us feel is just really important.

“It’s not unique to our dealership group, I know of lots of groups that are heavily involved, and I think that’s great. That real tie to the community is because our business is centred around a specific area.”

Following the Alberta Wildlife fires earlier this year, McKeen decided to donate the proceeds of the sale of four classic cars that were trade-ins, to the Canadian Red Cross. He anticipated $30,000-$40,000 would be raised, which the Red Cross has agreed to split between the Kelowna, Shuswap and Yellowknife fire relief.

“I’d love to brag and tell you that was my idea, but that was an employee-driven idea,” said McKeen. “There were lots of ideas that we bounced around. There weren’t a lot of boots on the ground things we could do, but we could try and raise some money.”

A few years ago following the Humboldt Broncos’ bus tragedy in which 16 people were killed and 13 injured, McKeen devised the idea of donating money for every stick dropped off at the company’s dealerships and anticipated it would amount to a budget of $5,000-$10,000. Through a social media blitz, about 2,000 sticks were collected and the final donation was $55,000. The sticks were donated to The Hockey Foundation for overseas countries promoting hockey and KidSport Society of Calgary for families facing financial barriers.

While McKeen does not have any dealerships in Humboldt or Saskatchewan, he said the tragedy resonated because there’s a lot of people from that province living in Alberta and hockey is popular throughout Canada. He also said many people who have played the sport have travelled to games and tournaments in a bus.

“I think (the tragedy) touched people because they could see it could have been them or their family, so they could really feel the pain those families would have felt,” said McKeen.

These are only a handful of snapshots of dealers who care, but there are thousands of similar stories from Canadian dealers. Canadian auto dealer applauds all of you for the work you do to keep our communities strong.

The post Heart and Soul appeared first on Canadian Auto Dealer.

Kia Canada is facing intense media and public scrutiny after a CBC news story published this week revealed details of the company’s alleged plans to withhold sold vehicles from customers in an apparent bid to suppress their sales numbers to avoid repercussions from their parent company in Korea.

It’s an odd story because car manufacturers around this time of year often do everything they can to boost sales numbers.

Kia Canada had already surpassed its previous record for sales in a single year. At the end of November, Kia Canada issued a media release indicating that without yet accounting for December sales, 79,199 units were already sold in 2023, putting it ahead of the previous record of 79,198 units sold for the 2021 calendar year. So you’d think it would be a good news story for the franchise.

But their dealers, in particular ones in Ontario, are unhappy because, according to a CBC report published on Tuesday, they have been told vehicles that have already been sold won’t be made available until sometime during the first quarter of 2024 — even though there are units available at a central vehicle storage compound in Wolverton, Ontario.

Prior to the CBC story being released, Canadian auto dealer was also pursuing this story and had reached out to Kia Canada for comment. Kia Canada spokesperson Susan Bernardo told Canadian auto dealer, “Though we cannot provide comments on internal business matters, Kia Canada continues to work with its dealers to ensure timely delivery of customer orders.”

The CBC story included a video they had obtained, in which Kia Canada’s Central Region Manager Vince Capicotto explained the inventory situation to more than 100 dealership reps during a November 17 video call. He explained the reasons the cars were being held back was because it could show over-achievement, which in turn could result in Kia Canada getting less future resources from its parent company in Korea.

Kia dealers and employees contacted by Canadian auto dealer are upset, because all sales are conditional upon delivery to the customers. However, they declined to speak on record because of the sensitivity of the matter and how it could impact them.

One dealer described the situation as “kind of weird.”

A manager of one store, who asked that his name not be used, said he was contacted after the CBC report by four customers canceling their orders.

“The dealers are going to be the ones who feel the effect of this for a very long time by this actually coming out,” said the manager. “It sucks that dealers are going to feel that.”

Canadian auto dealer obtained a document by Capicotto, in which he asked the Central Region Dealers for their December wish list of cars.

Following the letter by Capicotto, Central Region Dealers issued a response explaining their frustration with Kia Canada for not being provided with inventory that had already been sold while knowing there were available cars sitting in a compound in Wolverton near Cambridge.

In the letter to Kia Canada, a copy of which Canadian auto dealer obtained, the Central Region Dealers said 2023 has been “a fruitful year for both the dealer body and KCA,” but it has also come with challenges in relation to vehicle inventory.”

“Unfortunately the recent news of our cars being held (back) has not been received well by our dealer body. Central Region Dealers have been given another hurdle which we are finding very difficult to overcome. Dealers have been in communication with our clients since the date of the sale and have been giving estimated arrival dates in full transparency. We are now left to explain why their vehicles won’t be arriving, knowing that the vehicles are sitting a short distance away in a holding compound. We find it not only difficult to explain the reasoning, but unethical to not be candid about what’s really happening.”

“We are also trying to explain to our sales staff who are compensated on performance-based pay plans why their vehicles are being held back from delivery. Christmas is around the corner and our staff are expecting to earn a living.”

“We understand the strategic planning behind the short shipments in Q1 2024 and 2024 budgets, however we also have a responsibility to provide our clients with the cars that we promised they would receive when they signed a contract to buy it. In Ontario, either party (both the purchaser and seller) may cancel a sale agreement after 90 days if the seller cannot provide a vehicle within that time frame. The financial impact on Central dealers (and other regions) will be substantial, given the fact that other manufacturers have product on the ground.”

The Central Region Dealers subsequently issued a followup letter to Kia Canada, obtained by Canadian auto dealer, with six requests if the manufacturer planned to “take a hard stance” on stopping shipments for 2023. Those requests include immediately releasing all vehicles marked “sold” from the compounds so they can be delivered to customers, an adjustment to compensation for salespeople for November/December, and some other requests to help offset the financial impact to dealers.

“We appreciate the fact that KCA has always been willing to work with the dealer body towards a fair and equitable resolution on previous matters,” the dealers said in the letter. “We hope we are able to work towards a fair resolution on this urgent matter as well.”

The post Kia Canada under fire for inventory practices appeared first on Canadian Auto Dealer.

Canada’s Electric Availability Standards, which the federal government formally announced this week as part of its plan to eliminate gas-powered vehicles and replace them by 2035 with zero-emission vehicles, has drawn mixed reviews from some dealers and dealership groups that consider the plan more politically-driven than consumer-driven.

Canadian auto dealer reached out to a cross-section of dealers from various parts of the country where EVs are starting to increase in popularity, though nowhere near at the pace that will be needed to hit the 2035 targets.

Vaughn Wyant, President and CEO of the Wyant Group, which owns dealerships in British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan, said there are so many unanswered questions that have consumers feeling uncertain.

“I think the general belief is that, while this is a really noble thing to try to attempt, the timeline they set out to do it is practically impossible as told by quite a few of the Premiers across the country,” said Wyant. “If you get into the rural areas, there’s hundreds and hundreds of kilometres of roads to travel in extremely cool temperatures with no infrastructure system at all and, frankly, no infrastructure planned. What they want to do is practically impossible to do. In the timeframe they want to do it, it’s not going to happen.”

Michael Carmichael, President/CEO of Up Auto in Ontario, says the Federal plan is “draconian” and will be devasting to the automotive industry.

“They are forcing a wholesale change that no one’s asking for and few people want,” says Carmichael. “There’s very little consumer demand. While the products are continually getting better, they are still very specific to certain applications like luxury city driving and very small commuter cars. Many are not affordable to the average Canadian who has a specific utility requirement. There is a disconnect between what OEMs are making and what the average Canadian needs and can afford. Further, that need is quite broad when you look at geographic and climactic disparity in our country.”

He says the whole thing is a longshot.

“It’s a bit of a Hail Mary,” adds Carmichael. “It’s a hope and a dream of where we’d like to get to. There’s just so many unknowns. I will be there to sell and service whatever we’ve got, but when I say devastating I mean what is this going to do to manufacturing in this country? Manufacturers will be left to limit the number of cars they will be shipping to the country down the road to hit these quotas on route to the 100% at the deadline. Scarcity will impact pricing on both the new and used markets.”

Right now, only Quebec and B.C. are making strong gains in EV sales, largely because of mandates that manufacturers must meet in those provinces for tax credits, along with higher rebates for consumers than anywhere else in the country. The Ontario government has chosen to put tax dollars into building battery plants instead of rebates for customers.

Norman John Hébert, President and CEO of Groupe Park Avenue, which has 17 dealerships in Québec, thinks the whole plan is an incomplete analysis of the situation.

“I think it’s important that people realize the bill represents only one aspect of the solution,” said Hébert. “The success of this or any type of initiative around EVs depends on the adoption of Canadian consumers and optimal market conditions…I observe daily a decrease in customer interest in electric vehicles. My company has more than 200 electric vehicles on the ground for immediate delivery across all of our brands, including intermediate and luxury.”

He says demand has largely faltered in the EV market.

“There’s many different hypotheses out there,” he added. “I tend to be in the camp that 10-12 per cent of the market has adopted, and the shift to mass market requires more than just availability of vehicles and incentives.”

The pricing of EVs, he noted, is also a challenge.

“They still remain expensive products to purchase…and I think it’s unfair to put the onus on the manufacturers to just build them, because it’s going to lead to what we see now,” said Hébert.

The post Dealers lukewarm about Ottawa’s ZEV standards appeared first on Canadian Auto Dealer.

Students from a variety of programs at Georgian College are collaborating on a unique project to retrofit a 1972 Volkswagen Westfalia into an electric vehicle.

The project has a budget of $80,000, including $16,000 for the purchase of the vehicle that did not have an engine and was being sold online on Facebook Marketplace. It is also being funded by several sources. The project is scheduled to be completed sometime in the spring and was introduced Monday at the Automotive Business School of Canada (ABSC) in Barrie, Ont. — which is part of Georgian College.

“I have a friend, who is another faculty member, who has a Volkswagen and is having engine trouble. (So) I said, ‘Why don’t you convert it into (an) electric, and that got the idea going,” said the project’s manager Ron Sky, who is also a Professor of Engineering and Environmental Technologies at Georgian College, in an interview with Canadian auto dealer.

Sky said Dr. Rebecca Sabourin, Georgian’s Dean of Engineering and Environmental Technologies and Skilled Trades, is also a Volkswagen aficionado. She mentioned the idea to ABSC Executive Director Jason Dale.

“Really the way this came to fruition is the Automotive Business School of Canada needed some sort of different marketing tool that we could utilize to get young students in high school very interested in the automotive industry,” said Dale. “I approached the executive team to start talking about it. I’m a Volkswagen fan and Rebecca is also a Volkswagen fan, and she said we’re looking at projects for the future, maybe we could buy one of these and convert (it) into electric.”

Dale added that he “then approached our ABSC Board of Directors and asked if they would fund such a project for us and (if) we’d be able to have a vehicle that we’d be able to move around to high schools and show them the really exciting and cool projects that we do here.”

He said all the people involved in the search agreed on specifically buying the Westfalia because it’s a ‘70s iconic vehicle.

“The young students actually think these are so cool, and they really are very cool when you see what you can do and how versatile a van used to be,” said Dale.

While he said the plan is to have the retrofitted vehicle ready for the Georgian College Auto Show that is put on by the ABSC’s students in June, there might be a sneak preview at the Canadian International AutoShow in February, depending on how far along the project is that point.

“This is really just a one-off project for students to really showcase what the future is going to look like,” said Dale. “I really believe this is going to be part of our industry in the future with all the governmental mandates and all the environmental mandates that we have upon us. There is going to be a whole industry that is going to be taking our Internal Combustion Engine vehicles and transporting them into EVs.”

John Leeder, President and CEO of Leeder Automotive and a member of the ABSC Board, said the project was given the go-ahead because it’s a way to promote the school at shows and involve students converting a car into an EV.

“It seemed to be the right thing at the right time, especially when we started talking to some partners who were willing to financially support it,” said Leeder. “Not only do we get to show off what the school can do, but we also have something that we’ll use for years to come.”

One of the departments involved is Georgian College’s Interior Design program. Kelly Raffan, is one of eight students from her course working on the project. She said it is definitely unique for her department to be working on a car.

“Interior design is not just houses, a lot of people don’t realize just how big the industry is,” said Raffan. “Cars are a little bit less of a venture, but it’s still a design. The automotive students look at everything else and we just make sure it looks pretty.”

Two concepts will be shown to the school, from which one will be chosen. “Every conversion is going to be unique and it’s all about giving the students those hands-on skills and that real-world experience,” said Sky. “It’s all part of the package of what we’re trying to do at the college.”

Sky said the budget includes money for the conversion kit, which costs more than $30,000, upgrades, training materials, and faculty supervision. And then the wrap up and marketing of it. She said the funding came from the school, the Fletcher Foundation that is part of the Ontario Association of Certified Engineering Technicians and Technologists, and individual sponsors — including Volkswagen.

The post Georgian College students to retrofit 1972 VW Westfalia into EV appeared first on Canadian Auto Dealer.

As the number of vehicles stolen from dealerships by criminals posing as customers continues to rise, numerous recommendations are being offered by police services, industry associations, and insurance companies to try to prevent these situations.

Following an investigation earlier this month, which revealed more than $1.6 million in vehicles stolen from the Greater Toronto Area association of dealerships (none of which were named), the Halton Regional Police Services (HRPS) provided details of the criminal activity.

The individuals used forged credentials to impersonate representatives of a legitimate retailer to fraudulently acquire the vehicles and subsequently re-sell them. As a result of the findings of the investigation, the Ontario Motor Vehicle Industry Council (OMVIC) and HRPS urged dealers and their salespeople to be vigilant in verifying a buyer’s identity with a driver’s license and one other form of identification that includes the name and address.

OMVIC and HRPS provided some other ways to prevent fraud:

• Use common sense and good judgment with prospective buyers;
• If the transaction is making you feel uneasy, be cautious as scammers use high-pressure tactics;
• Take steps to identify the vehicle an individual arrives in and other people associated with them when something doesn’t feel right;
• Secure payment before transferring ownership;
• Verify payment with the issuing bank (i.e. bank drafts);
• Verify the buyer’s identity with a driver’s license and another form of identification. Be cautious with out-of-province identification;
• Verify the legitimacy of the identification;
• If they are not a repeat or loyal customer, be cautious about the deal when they want delivery right away; and
• Be cautious with distant buyers, beware of sight-unforeseen offers or third-party transactions.

Canadian auto dealer contacted Sathyan Laloo, Director of Risk Control at Pitcher and Doyle, a provider of insurance solutions for dealerships across Canada, about vehicle theft.

“Is it preventable? Yes,” said Laloo. “You’re not going to catch them 100 per cent of the time, depending on how detailed you are. The only way to prevent that would be (to) not release the vehicle until the funds have cleared in your bank account.”

He also suggested increasing preventative measures after hours, because that’s one method criminals are using to steal cars. “They are generally looking for lots that are open, because you see a lot more of these things happen on dealerships that are a lot closer to the highway,” said Laloo. “They are wide open and with no physical protection.”

He also recommended dealers put all the keys in a Faraday box or bag. “Make sure your keys are stored properly and not randomly lying all over a desk as some dealerships are,” said Laloo.

He also strongly advises dealers to do a thorough background check on employees, because of easy access to keys. “If you don’t have an electronic machine, you may not necessarily know which keys go missing for which vehicles.”

Laloo also added that: “Sometimes, vehicles go missing and the dealerships don’t (realize) it until they do an inventory count (at) the end of the month. So it’s just being aware of everything around you and having a second set of eyes overseeing everything. There’s a lot of moving parts in a dealership and my job is to try to get more control or provide recommendations.”

The post Recommendations for dealers to verify buyer identification appeared first on Canadian Auto Dealer.

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.”

The post Brothers from India purchase first dealership in Canada appeared first on Canadian Auto Dealer.

Canadian Pierre Boutin, who announced earlier this week he is leaving Volkswagen Group Canada as President and CEO after almost four years to return to Europe for a “new challenge,” made quite an impression on the federal and Ontario governments, the Canadian automotive industry, and Volkswagen dealers across the country during his time in the position.

“He was very passionate about being Canadian and the Canadian marketplace and what it potentially offers to investors,” said David Adams, President and CEO of the Global Automakers of Canada, in an interview with Canadian auto dealer. “I think he was the right person at the right time.”

Boutin took on his role at Volkswagen Group Canada in January 2020, after heading up Volkswagen Group France from November 2017 to December 2019. Overall, he has been with Volkswagen since April 2014, when he headed up Volkswagen Group Russia. Prior to that he had worked in various executive leadership roles with Nissan Motor Corporation.

Among the highlights of his time at the helm of Volkswagen Canada was his role in working with the company’s head office and the Canadian and Ontario governments in an agreement announced earlier this year to invest $7 billion in an electric battery vehicle plant in St. Thomas. Vic Fedeli, Ontario Minister of Economic Development, Job and Trade, worked closely with Boutin in the discussions and lauded him for his commitment.

“Pierre Boutin’s deep understanding of Volkswagen helped us in our pursuit of landing Volkswagen battery manufacturing here in Ontario,” said Fedeli in a statement provided to Canadian auto dealer. “He represented the company wonderfully, with the utmost professionalism, and he was helpful in guiding us in our dealings with additional German companies. His thoughtful contributions will be missed and we wish him the best of luck in his future endeavours.”

Adams said Boutin played a crucial role being a bilingual Canadian during the negotiation process. He said Volkswagen was actively looking at the U.S. market to make the investment.

“That was a huge feather in his cap to facilitate at least some of that with the head office back in Germany and facilitate discussions with the federal and provincial governments as well,” said Adams. “Because he’s Canadian, I think he’s always done his best job, from my understanding, to make his own case for Canada within the Volkswagen organization.”

Boutin helped bring Volkswagen’s first-ever fully-electric SUV, the ID.4, to the Canadian market. He worked with dealers on a plan to invest $1 billion in their facilities in his role as Co-Chair of the dealer-company relations committee, which was named Volkswagen Roundtable. He took over his new role just as the world was about to be shut down by COVID-19 and a subsequent supply parts shortage that limited production of new vehicles.

It has not been announced by the manufacturer what Boutin’s new role will be or who will replace him.

“I am fully engaged to close our fiscal year on a high note and launch our plans for a record-breaking year in 2024, stepping-up the pace and making Volkswagen a love brand in the heart of more Canadians,” said Boutin. “I am therefore eager to jump into new and unexplored fields where I can continue to bring value and interact with passionate and talented people. Looking forward to writing the new chapter.”

Michael Crosby, Dealer Principal of Crosby Automotive Group, worked closely with Boutin over the last three years as Co-Chairs of the Volkswagen Roundtable and praised his leadership style, which he said was very passionate about the brand, the dealers, and the customers.

“We were at a transition point with improving our SUV lineup with combustion engines and then the introduction of our first fully electric vehicle,” said Crosby. “He did a great job, basically, working with the dealers and getting them prepared for the future of Volkswagen in Canada. We got the largest automotive investment in Canada with the battery plant in St. Thomas.

“I think it’ll be looked back upon as a really successful period for Volkswagen Canada. He’s done a great job to lay the foundation for the next three to five years. He’s leaving a strong legacy behind him for the future.”

Aaron Fanslau, General Manager of Turner Volkswagen in Kelowna and President of the Kelowna Auto Dealers Association, praised Boutin for establishing a really good line of communication between the brand and the dealers.

“I think his leadership was very people first,” said Fanslau. “He joined Volkswagen literally as COVID took hold around the world. I do think he did a very good job navigating around our brand through a very difficult time.”

Ryan Williams, General Manager of Taylor Volkswagen in Regina, said it was a pleasure working with Boutin.

“I found Mr. Boutin to be straightforward, honest, above all else a man of his word,” said Williams. “He demonstrated a sincere commitment to building a stronger importer/dealer relationship. Our collective success since coming out of a once in a lifetime pandemic, global parts shortages, and logistical nightmares was a direct result of his leadership. He will be greatly missed.”

The post Pierre Boutin steps down from Volkswagen Canada as President/CEO appeared first on Canadian Auto Dealer.

Companies go the extra mile to make sure dealership teams are fully-versed in their products and how to promote them.

Finance and insurance is a key driver of profitability for dealerships, and many are taking advantage of training programs available to their managers to boost that aspect of the business.

Sym-Tech Dealer Services and iA Dealer Services are companies that have robust F&I training programs that are becoming increasingly popular. In fact, Sym-Tech’s training called the Performance Plan has grown so much it was introduced into another province, New Brunswick, in September.

Sym-Tech and iA Dealer Services both offer five-day programs and follow up assistance. Sym-Tech has Performance Centres in Toronto, Montreal and Calgary.

iA Dealer Services’ APEX program is available for in-person training in every province and online.

The objective of both companies is to increase customer retention and grow loyalty with F&I products and services.

“While we provide protection products, we also ensure that we support dealerships with information, tools and development opportunities that will help to promote their dealership, brand and provide the best vehicle ownership experience to their customers.” — Danielle Campbell, Regional Sales Vice President Western Canada, iA Dealer Services

“F&I is a vital part of a dealership’s operations and we are very proud of our protection products,” said iA Dealer Services’ Danielle Campbell, Regional Sales Vice President Western Canada, Ontario and Atlantic. “While we provide protection products, we also ensure that we support dealerships with information, tools and development opportunities that will help to promote their dealership, brand and provide the best vehicle ownership experience to their customers.”

Derek Sloan, President Sym-Tech Dealer Services, said F&I managers who take the training course realize a 90 per cent retention of the process and material trained. He said the reason for this is facilitators use video recording in mock F&I offices that simulate a real customer experience. The facilitators then review these recordings and score the F&I manager for accuracy and improvement.

“Daveplus is flexible and allows different approaches to the customer. It allows for the single point of contact process where the sales representative can handle the customer from beginning to end with the technology and sales process because it’s easier and is more efficient.” — Derek Sloan, President, Sym-Tech Dealer Services

“The training is state-of-the-art because our goal is to have a high level of retention from the F&I manager,” said Sloan, who was hired in 2010, in part to build up the training program. “We train by showing, not by telling. Our approach is more so about the customer journey through the F&I process.”

Following the in-class training, the trainers spend a week with the F&I managers in their office in the dealership and help them take the practical classroom knowledge and put it into real situations with customers. Sloan said because the trainers are OMVIC and AMVIC certified, they can participate in — or completely do — the deals themselves.

“We sit in the chair in the F&I office,” said Sloan. “It impacts the F&I managers in the stores because we’re having a huge impact on them immediately. They get to see the process.”

In addition, the trainers spend one full day each month with the F&I managers to assist in training and development with anything they need. The program is available for as long as the dealership is selling Sym-Tech products.

When a new store opens retaining Sym-Tech products, a Sym-Tech representative will spend two weeks taking all the deals and then switches it back to the F&I manager.

Sym-Tech will soon be launching a variation of its proprietary technology ”dave” which is an acronym for Dealer Automated & Verified E-solutions. It was created in 2012 and features built-in menus that are customized with prescriptive analytics that take the customer’s driving habits and past history and tailors it to their needs. The new iteration, daveplus, was done in partnership with JD Power and Darwin Automotive in the U.S.

“Daveplus is flexible and allows different approaches to the customer,” said Sloan. “It allows for the single point of contact process where the sales representative can handle the customer from beginning to end with the technology and sales process because it’s easier and is more efficient…If you’re a store that wants the journey for the customer to be with one representative throughout the whole process, including F&I, then daveplus allows them to that with ease.”

iA Dealer Services has been an F&I partner to dealerships for 60 years and is one of the largest of its kind in Canada. It provides learning and development services to dealership Financial Service Managers through its Centre of Excellence and APEX.

“Many of our trainers and our sales consultants come from a dealership background, whether it’s sales management or financial services themselves. They have real-life knowledge of the ins and outs of the finance office as well as the dealership.” — Sophie St-Laurent, National Director, Learning and Development, iA Dealer Services

Sophie St-Laurent, iA Dealer Services’ National Director, Learning and Development, said APEX provides those new to the F&I role with tools in presentation, financing processes, turnover etiquette, knowledge in products and compliance regulations. It has interactive role play, job practice and practical exams. There are also regular follow-ups to determine if more assistance can be offered to support the dealership’s F&I objectives.

Of the 150 people that iA Dealer Services has in the field, 23 of them are dedicated specifically to learning, development and training. These trainers, who are based across the country, are able to provide a whole range of learning and development sessions to FSMs, from workshops to customized one-on-one sessions, that provide dealerships with F&I support and that will hone their F&I skills.

St-Laurent said all of the company’s learning and development programs are heavily promoted and attended. “For us it’s a great way to introduce new FSMs to dealerships that require people,” she said. “The goal is to provide them with the necessary information, knowledge, and tools so they can perform to their fullest in their dealership career. Many of our trainers and our sales consultants come from a dealership background, whether it’s sales management or financial services themselves. They have real-life knowledge of the ins and outs of the finance office as well as the dealership.”

She added her company’s product and training pivots from what is required in the market.

“There’s been lots of emphasis on different products post-COVID,” said St-Laurent. “We are listening to the dealers where they want assistance and where they need support.”

“The company is invested heavily in the growing problem of auto theft with an antitheft trackable device called InvisiTrak Locate. It is covertly attached to the vehicle and engineered to be virtually undetectable by thieves and can help in recovery in up to 98 per cent of the cases with law enforcement. It has a 24-7 phone number that can be called to begin the process of recovering the vehicle with local law enforcement authorities.” — Steve Clelland, VP, OEM Partnerships, iA Dealer Services

Steve Clelland, VP, OEM Partnerships, with iA Dealer Services, said his company’s product portfolio is the most comprehensive in the industry, ranging from Extended Warranty, GAP and Replacement Insurance to Appearance protection and Loan Protection.

He said the company is invested heavily in the growing problem of auto theft with an anti-theft trackable device called InvisiTrak Locate. Clelland said it is covertly attached to the vehicle and engineered to be virtually undetectable by thieves and can help in recovery in up to 98 per cent of the cases with law enforcement. It has a 24-7 phone number that can be called to begin the process of recovering the vehicle with local law enforcement authorities.

He said InvisiTrak Locate is the first solution of its kind to function from inside a shipping container and allows authorities to pinpoint the precise container containing the stolen vehicle.

“InvisiTrak Locate offers consumers the best chance for them to recover their vehicle and the greatest value with auto insurers recognizing the recovery device and enabling consumers to benefit,” said Clelland.

The post Dealerships’ training vital for F&I providers appeared first on Canadian Auto Dealer.

CanadaOne Auto is scheduled to announce the purchases of 12 dealerships in the next few weeks that would more than double its total in the last three years, while also launching a non-profit to donate $30 million towards mental health.

Pat Priestner, CEO of CanadaOne Auto, told Canadian auto dealer the company will be announcing the new purchases over the next few weeks. He expects by the first quarter of 2024 the company will have 42 dealerships. Three years ago it had 20.

“We’re very selective buyers, and we’ve just had an opportunity to see a lot of stores presented to us over the year,” said Pat. “We’ve probably looked at 30 and we’re going to close on maybe 10 to 12 of them.”

Priestner also talked about a five-year plan to donate $6 million each year towards mental health. The plan, which was launched in the last few weeks and will continue through to 2028, is part of a non-profit foundation he and his wife Diana founded. It’s called: Well-Being Canada. It was founded with assistance from leading experts in mental health, social emotional learning, education, and youth engagement.

“Each year we will be adding to that curriculum in the classroom,” said Diana. “We’re hoping to get spokespeople such as athletes, musicians, influencers, and others to speak to their own well-being journeys and experiences.”

The first phase of it is being directed toward students from kindergarten to Grade 12 to support their own well-being and mental health. It integrates the latest science and empirical research to give young people the tools they need to support their own well-being.

“The research shows getting to kids early (with help) can prevent some of the anxiety and depression later,” said Diana. The program will be put into a format where teachers can easily access it.

Diana is hoping the program will help students foster self-care habits and translate that knowledge into impactful action for a healthier generation. She also hopes the program will change the stigma associated with mental health. She said COVID-19 exacerbated the mental health crisis, which is why she and her husband are specifically addressing it.

“We started looking more at it, and obviously we know people in our lives and talk to people all the time that are experiencing this and know loved ones that are experiencing issues,” said Diana. “So we thought maybe we should focus on one area of our giving to really make a difference.”

The Priestners have been providing money annually to dealerships to distribute to charities or organizations of their choice, but that money through Well-Being Canada will contribute to non-profit organizations and initiatives that promote well-being in the communities of our dealerships,” said Pat.

Pat has had a specific interest in things related to well-being and mindfulness. He has written a book about well-being that will be published in January. It is called Notes For The Children, and was originally written for the couple’s children to talk about the life philosophies and lessons he’s learned.

He said the book was written before the idea for the mental health program was initiated.

The post CanadaOne Auto set to expand dealerships, investment in mental health for youth appeared first on Canadian Auto Dealer.

The Canadian Automobile Dealers Association said it is thankful for the commitment of the Ontario government and the province’s police to crack down on the escalation of car theft following the results last week of a Toronto Police Service sting to curb the problem.

The operation, dubbed Project Stallion, recovered 1,080 vehicles, many of them high-end and valued at more than $60 million. It resulted in 553 charges laid against 228 people. The investigation ran from November 2022 to September 2023 and focused on two specific areas in the west end of Toronto. Last May, the Provincial Government committed $51 million over three years to curtail auto theft.

“Big picture, CADA is very appreciative of the attention and focus that Ontario police agencies as a whole and the Ford government has put on to stopping the scourge of auto theft,” said CADA Director of Public Affairs Huw Williams in an interview with Canadian auto dealer. “There’s a real shift in recognition that since 2018 auto theft has been completely out of control in Canada, in particular Ontario and Quebec.”

Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw and Toronto police Superintendent Ron Taverner spoke about the findings of the investigation to assure residents that police are continuing to act against rising auto theft in the city.

“Auto thefts are becoming increasingly violent and high risk,” said Demkiw. “Whether it be carjackings, home invasions, assaults or other forms of intimidation, the level of violence used in the commission of these crimes represents a new and evolving threat to public safety.”

Taverner said the vehicles have been stolen from residential homes and public places. While dealerships were not noted specifically as targets, Williams said there have been stolen vehicles from lots.

“We’ve had multiple, multiple hits on dealerships, though dealers are working hard to harden those targets up,” said Williams. “But (they) have a big inventory sitting out there. It’s an appetizing target for organized crime. When consumers see particular cars are being targeted or even new vehicles generally, there’s a hesitancy to buy cars. That undercuts the entire sales process. As organized crime is allowed to flourish, this leads to an entire system that isn’t conducive for business to operate.”

Frank Romeo, President of Pine View Auto Group, said one of his dealerships had a car stolen from the service department. He said dealerships could be subject to increasing auto theft now that more new vehicles are being supplied following the drop-off due to the supply chain shortage.

“We’re very concerned about the auto theft problem because it’s escalating,” said Romeo. “We’ve been kind of guarded from it because we haven’t had a lot of inventory, so there’s been no stock for anybody to steal new vehicles, but that’s starting to change now. I’m concerned we’re going to see an escalation in thefts from our dealer lots.”

Williams said the results of Project Stallion are indicative of why the federal government needs to become more vigilant about cracking down on existing laws specifically aimed at auto theft.

“Last week’s bust is a good example — and there’s been others — that shows just how deep this runs in criminal organizations, and this is why we need to see greater action at the federal level in terms of the activity and enforcement at the Canada Border Services Agency,” said Williams. “These cars are not being stolen for joy riding in Canada. They are being stolen for export.”

The post CADA praises Ontario Government for cracking down on auto theft appeared first on Canadian Auto Dealer.