The order game has changed: have we adapted?
Order-to-delivery is going to be with us for a while, and we need to improve our approach for how we keep our customers in the loop. The rules of the game have changed. If you think back to the days …
Category: The Road Ahead: Darren Slind
The green dividend: cashing-in on EVs?
New streams of revenue are out there for those who are willing to adapt The future is green, or at least moving closer to zero emission in the coming decades. The recent new vehicle registration market share figures from S&P …
Practicing what I preach
I’ve never thought of myself as an early adopter. If my lovely wife had a dollar for every time she encouraged me to “try something new”—say other than navy blue sweaters or penne a la vodka when we go to …
Vehicle-as-a-Service is the new OEM mantra
How can dealers manage the new subscription-based upgrade model without alienating consumers? Herbert Diess, former CEO of The Volkswagen Group, commented at the end of June that global revenues for the automotive industry are forecast to reach circa CAD $6.5 …
From peak car to peak ICE: how near are we?
We are old enough to remember when economists, sociologists, and futurologists alike, predicted the end of the long hours culture in favour of a new utopia called the “leisure society.” The argument ran in the 1960s and 1970s that technology …
EV lessons from Europe
What can Canadians learn from the European experience with selling electric vehicles? The Canadian auto dealer team asked me to reflect on lessons learned from the growth of electric vehicles (EVs)—battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs)—over recent years …
Government incentives can help launch the EV sales wave
Few Canadian provinces are investing in consumer incentives for EVs. It’s time to change that. The good news: The number of Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEVs) in Canadian driveways grew by 58 per cent in 2021 according to a recent Automotive Insights report …
How interested are Canadians in buying EVs?
A powerful new tool, State of Charge Canadian EV Monitor, launches to measure EV consumer behaviour The pace of automotive innovation continues to accelerate. Almost every OEM has made a company-changing announcement regarding their transition to electrification and the multiple …
The EV wave is coming. Are you ready?
The wave of electrified vehicles is pending, but it is coming. Dealers need to be ready to meet consumer demands for more information and education—directly in the showroom. With Canadian new vehicle transaction prices reaching all-time highs this year—exceeding $42,000, …
Augmented research will be a game-changer for our industry
Access to unprompted, authentic engagement from consumers can help decision-makers across the industry better understand demand dynamics. As we contemplate the transition from combustion to electrification, not a day goes by that we don’t read something new regarding what OEMs, …
Unfolding the future of auto retail
In a rapidly changing industry, with technology driving the product transformation from combustion to eMobility, what does the future hold for automotive retail and for Canadian dealers in particular? Mark Twain allegedly remarked to a reporter in 1897: “The reports …
Dealers should consider work at home impact
A May 2021 study from Leger reveals that for many Canadians working from home, the experience has been positive, and many are eyeing a hybrid mix of working from home and the office post-pandemic. As many Canadians eagerly await their …
