How automotive retail executives can get more from their AI vendors Artificial intelligence is no longer theoretical in automotive retail. Chatbots, pricing recommendation engines, content creation, service booking and follow-up automation, the tools are here, and the demos are impressive. …
A new CADA initiative aims to help Canadian dealers navigate AI adoption with insights and real-world lessons from their peers In the February 2026 edition of Canadian auto dealer, one of our columnists Barry Hillier wrote about the AI tsunami …
Effective ways dealerships can recruit, train, mentor, and retain the next generation of automotive professionals Across the automotive industry, one of the biggest challenges facing dealerships today is attracting younger talent into both sales and service departments. Many experienced professionals …
Why your search for the “easy button” is leading you into a dead end Every dealer principal is feeling both excitement and paralysis about Artificial Intelligence. You’re told you need to be “doing AI,” and you’re just looking for an …
Sym-Tech Dealer Services is betting that better-trained people and a better customer experience lead to stronger F&I outcomes In dealership F&I, performance is usually measured in results: revenue, product penetration, and consistency from one manager to the next. But Derek …
New platform offers dealers an alternative to established used vehicle pricing tools Few areas of dealership operations are as entrenched as used vehicle pricing. For years, most Canadian dealers have relied on a small number of platforms — most notably vAuto — …
Prime Minister Carney’s auto strategy announcements offered some clarity but left plenty of uncertainty The future of Canada’s automotive industry could well be wrapped up in two announcements made by the Prime Minister a little more than two weeks apart. …
How automotive retail execs can use AI to win the ops battle For the better part of two decades, the dealership growth playbook has been remarkably consistent: more spend, more traffic, more leads. And to be clear, those things still …
Current economic conditions and consumer buying habits make it a challenging year for Canada’s car dealers. Canadian buying habits are closely tied to the economic conditions of the day. When the economy is thriving and people are confidently employed, spending …
A simple delivery-day video strategy can help shape buyer perception, build trust, and extend the sales conversation well beyond the showroom. Pre-framing is an influence tool that allows you to shape someone’s thought process about an event or topic before …
Dealer principals should make an annual habit of reviewing wills, succession plans, and dealership agreements Every March, around tax time, I pull out my personal plans and documents and review them to ensure that they are still relevant and up …
Different demographics require a different approach In my last article we looked at automotive consumer sentiment going into 2026. Afterward, I received a lot of feedback from dealers asking some version of the same question: is this anxiety simply a …
