20 years and counting
This year marks Canadian auto dealer’s 20th anniversary — a milestone that’s hard to believe when I look back at how far we’ve come, and how much the industry has changed in that time. When we started, the goal was …
Category: Editor’s note
Getting your tech stack right
There are a lot of things dealers don’t have control over. Their OEMs decide on the models and types of vehicles they will produce, set the MSRP, determine the inventory mix they will provide to the dealership, and even dictate …
The trouble with techs
You already know the auto technician shortage is more than a headline — it’s what greets you every morning when bays go idle. Ontario alone has more than 3,000 vacant trades roles, double the pre-pandemic total, and the situation is …
The brightest lights
In this issue, we are proud to feature the three CADA Laureate Award winners for 2025: Brent Ravelle, Ambassador Laureate, Michael Wyant, Innovator Laureate and Annie Laliberté, Retailer Laureate. The CADA Laureates, and the program itself continue to grow in …
Dealers have a used advantage
One challenge dealers have is that most have spent a lifetime inside the auto industry — they drive dealership demo vehicles, and don’t have a current sense of what it’s like for a consumer to shop for or purchase a vehicle, …
Dealers have a great hand
As the circus surrounding tariffs, counter-tariffs, annexation threats, and concerns over the collapse of Canada’s auto industry swirl around them, car dealers are faced with the same dilemma they always face. Many of these issues are simply outside of their …
Don’t be the sub guy
As an occupational hazard, and it truly can be hazardous to my health, I can’t just turn off the news. For the better part of 30+ years, I’ve had to stay abreast of current issues, report on them, and even …
Be the “I” in DEI
These are scary times. I’m not impossibly naive enough to believe that progress on social issues, like diversity, equity and inclusion, will always move steadily upward, and that any gains that are realized will be maintained. The truth is, human …
Are you the next Brian Benstock?
There aren’t too many people who can be the last presenter at a two-day conference with eight hours plus of speakers a day and can still energize and light up a room. Mix in all the networking, social events, late …
Get an AI information edge
There has been a lot written about how the auto retail world will be impacted and disrupted by artificial intelligence, or machine learning. With so many overly-hyped predictions, amid some self-serving promises of tech vendors hoping to make a quick …
The people challenge
Getting the right people in place, and keeping them happy and productive is the surest proven path to dealership success, better customer satisfaction and profitability. But why do so few dealerships get it right? Why are so few dealerships able …
Just communicate better with customers!
As an editor who covers the auto industry, sometimes I have an experience with a dealership that reminds me what it’s like being a typical consumer. Sadly, sometimes, the experience isn’t that great, and it reminds me our industry still …
