Swiss wisdom
Everything I learned about the car business, I learned from the Swiss I learned a lot living and working in Switzerland. I remember my first visit for a business meeting. I was waiting for a colleague outside the hotel when I …
Category: Columns
Start fresh, start strong
Start the new automotive sales year with clarity and purpose As a new automotive sales year gets underway, what separates the most successful sales professionals from the rest isn’t merely the number of vehicles they sold last year — it’s the …
Handling the AI conversation
Dealers attending NADA 2026 heard AI promises everywhere. What should they take seriously now? The AI conversation in automotive accelerated rapidly in 2025. Some dealers moved quickly, others more cautiously. What mattered was whether restraint was deliberate, driven by learning, engagement, …
The 2026 crystal ball is cloudy
Chuck Seguin looks ahead at a year shaped by economic headwinds, shifting OEM demands, and continued dealer resilience Since we are at the beginning of the New Year, I thought it would be appropriate to offer some insights into the …
Are you ready to meet your clone?
How auto retail executives can build a thought partner to accompany them on their journey Senior leadership can be lonely. You’re expected to make fast decisions with incomplete information, navigate competing priorities, and maintain a consistent philosophy across dozens — sometimes …
15 ways to sell more used vehicles in 2026
From merchandising and follow-up to financing and inventory selection, small execution improvements can add up to meaningful gains If you want to sell more used vehicles this year, there are several practical strategies worth revisiting — many of them rooted in …
Why 2026 feels different on the showroom floor
Sales are holding, but consumer anxiety is changing the rules of engagement for dealers As CADA’s chief economist, a big part of my daily routine involves answering the same fundamental question, often phrased differently and for different reasons: where is …
A New World Order
Our columnist David Adams is retiring and reflects on a 40-year career in automotive, sharing key lessons learned along the way Anew world order. That was a statement made by Prime Minister Mark Carney during his mid-January visit to China, …
Cash is king!
In a volatile market, strong cash flow matters more than booked sales or paper profits Today’s automotive ecosystem is volatile. New tariffs, supply-chain disruptions, recessionary economic indicators and OEM spending restrictions have forced Canadian dealerships to work harder than ever …
The importance of work order review
Work orders aren’t paperwork — they’re profit, protection, and a powerful management tool hiding in plain sight When I was a service manager, there was never a time you could walk into my office and not see a stack of work …
The affordability challenge
Will 2026 be a turning point for affordable, practical vehicle ownership? British Columbia enters 2026 at a crossroads — one that reflects both the province’s unique pressures and the broader affordability challenges unfolding across Canada. While BC faces several issues that are more …
The complex role of the GM
In this two-part series, our columnist looks at the difficult role of being a dealership’s general manager Ask most people in the automotive industry to define the core responsibilities of a sales manager, service advisor, technician, or even controller, and …
