Canadian dealers could play an important role in determining whether consumers embrace emerging Chinese automotive brands, according to new research from Clarify Group. The Vehicle Buyer Opinion Study (VBOS), based on responses from 2,007 Canadians who purchased or leased a …
Dealers risk being caught in the automotive tariff war if they lose discipline and stray from the fundamentals, says a prominent Western Canadian dealership executive. Steve Davidson, Partner and Chief Operating Officer of B.C.-based Steve Marshall Group, which operates 13 …
Hybrid vehicles are emerging as an increasingly important part of Canada’s electrification mix as consumers weigh affordability, efficiency and long-term vehicle value, according to Canadian Black Book (CBB). In its latest market insights article, CBB said hybrids have become one …
Canadian new light-vehicle sales posted a stronger year-over-year gain in August, rising an estimated 5.4 per cent as the market extended its growth streak to three consecutive months. DesRosiers Automotive Consultants (DAC) estimates Canadians purchased approximately 168,000 new light vehicles …
A year after the Crown withdrew all 176 criminal charges against former Rouge Valley Mitsubishi employees Harris Bocknek and Fadi Zeto, the fallout from Project Warden continues. The two men say they remain unable to return to registered auto-retail work, …
Auto theft continues to decline across Canada, but one important measure is moving in the opposite direction: the share of stolen vehicles being recovered has slipped. Équité Association reported that 20,759 private passenger vehicles were stolen during the first half …
Consumer comfort with digital dealership transactions continues to grow, but credit checks remain a notable exception, according to CDK. Its latest State of F&I at the Dealership report found shoppers became more comfortable between 2025 and 2026 with submitting banking …
Only days after Canada and the United States appeared close to a deal that could have reduced U.S. tariffs on Canadian-built vehicles, the talks collapsed and President Donald Trump threatened to raise automotive tariffs to 50 per cent on Jan. …
Organized crime groups are changing how they acquire vehicles in Canada, shifting from conventional theft toward increasingly sophisticated financing fraud that can allow vehicles to be exported before anyone realizes a crime has occurred. That was the warning from the …
With a midnight tariff deadline looming, the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association says it is cautiously optimistic that Canada and the United States can reach an agreement that avoids another escalation in the trade dispute and provides relief for the auto …
Reynolds and Reynolds drew record attendance to its fourth annual Amplify retail summit in Carlsbad, Calif., where dealers gathered to explore new technology, share operating ideas and get a closer look at the company’s expanding AI roadmap. The two-day event …
PBS Systems is betting that support, flexibility and long-term relationships matter more than a list of features For most dealers, the question is no longer what a DMS can do. At this point, every major platform can point to a …
Dealerships are absorbing the cost and the strain of fixing problems they did not create I have tremendous respect for all the dealer principals and general managers in Canada, and the challenges they face every day. The car business has …
The shift in power enables faster action, but raises stakes for oversight and industry engagement There is no denying that the emergence of a Liberal majority government marks a significant shift in Ottawa’s political landscape, one that will have real …
Artificial intelligence is becoming embedded in automotive retail, shaping how dealers respond to leads, price inventory and market vehicles. But while adoption is accelerating, understanding remains uneven, with many dealers still experimenting without fully grasping how the technology could reshape …
Barry Hillier, CEO and co-founder of Auto Agentic AI, outlines a seven-stage framework for AI maturity in his book, From the Transactional Age to the Intelligence Age: The automotive playbook for rebuilding organizations around AI, which examines how dealerships move …
Vendors say study confirms adoption, trust and integration challenges Technology providers say the Canada’s Automotive Retail Technology Study (CARTS) confirms what many have been hearing from dealers for years. The issue is not access to technology. It is getting that …
