Maryann Keller, one of North America’s most respected experts on the automotive industry, will be joining us at our CADEX event this
September. This is big news, as Maryann knows this business like few others.

To have a chance to hear her thoughts, in a presentation and discussion specifically tailored to Canadian new car dealers, is a rare opportunity. Maryann’s presentation will focus on remarketing and building a successful used car operation. Along with a presentation
and...

Since the late 1980s the auto business has seen dramatic changes and as executive director of the Toronto Automobile Dealers Association (TADA), Bill Davis helped steer that association through some very challenging, yet exciting times. In March 2010, Davis finally eased into a much-deserved retirement, leaving huge shoes to fill.

As well as representing the 340 auto dealers in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), which collectively sell approximately 60 percent of all new cars in Ontario, the...

One of the hottest current topics for automobile retailers in Ontario is the implementation of the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST), which comes into effect on July 1st. As it turns out, the transition to the new tax regime may not be as simple as it first appeared.

With the implementation of the HST almost upon Ontarians, the province’s automobile dealers’ association has been helping to guide its members through the complex transition process, including conducting seminars...

Long-term dependability improved in 25 of 36 vehicle brands compared with last year, according to J.D. Power and Associates’ 2010 Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS). And the industry average improved from 170 problems-per-100 (PP100) vehicles in 2009 to just 155 in 2010, continuing a steady trend of industry-wide improvement. 

Among those making big leaps in the rankings were Porsche, which moved up ten spots to top the brand listings and Lincoln, which gained six spots to rank...

Canadian auto dealer announces CADEX, a one-day conference specifically for auto dealers to be held this September 15, in Toronto. 

Since CADA’s National Conference in Vancouver a few years ago, we at Canadian auto dealer get asked on a regular basis whether we know the timing of the next event.

Our answer is, and continues to be, that we are not aware of plans for a CADA conference in the near future.

Typically, that conversation expresses the need for a Canadian event that...

On December 30, 2009, without prior notice, Quebec announced new regulations on vehicle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that took effect on January 14, 2010 – just over two weeks later. That action sets a precedent with serious implications for automakers, dealers and consumers in every province and territory.

The Quebec regulations are said to parallel Calfornia’s GHG rules. They differ dramatically from those announced by the U.S. Federal government and subsequently by the...

A class action lawsuit, seeking $750 million in damages, has been launched against General Motors of Canada on behalf of 215 Canadian GM auto dealers terminated in connection with last year’s auto bailout. 

The lawsuit, launched on January 21 in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, claims that General Motors of Canada Limited, a subsidiary of its U.S. parent, General Motors Company, breached franchise laws in connection with the agreements which GM obtained from the dealers it...

As the first major international auto show of each year, the North American International Auto Show in Detroit is an annual barometer of what to expect in the coming 12 months and beyond. Based on the mood at this year’s show, the forecast is subdued optimism.

Or, as analyst Dennis DesRosiers of DesRosiers Auutomotive Consultants put it, “In 2010, the auto industry had a heartbeat.”

That was a huge contrast to 2009, when doom and gloom prevailed. But it was far from the...

A few months back I wrote about the possible outcomes arising from the Canadian dealer network rightsizing initiatives that had just been announced. As that downsizing now begins to unfold, activity is at heightened levels. Stores are closing, stores are opening and stores are moving. It’s like the game of Monopoly on a real scale.

Most dealers own their facilities. Over the past five-plus years, many have invested heavily in order to meet or exceed OEM image program requirements &ndash...

The onset of winter brings with it a natural tendency to reflect on the year that has been and anticipate to the one before us. This time, that habit is stronger than normal, both because this New Year also brings with it a new decade and because the past twelve months have been particularly taxing on the business front.

And so we launch the ‘twenty-tens’ in much the same way we closed out the last decade: clinging to a cautious optimism that the worst is behind us and to a...