As I write this I’m in Ottawa attending the National Electric Vehicle Conference & Trade Show, put on by Electric Mobility Canada (EMC). I’m here because I need to better understand the growing market, expanding infrastructure and developing regulatory environment …
It’s always a privilege for me to get an up close and personal view of the CADA Summit. Starting about a year before the event, our organizing committee meets regularly and we engage in discussions around topics, speakers and how …
The automotive industry calendar is particularly busy at this time of year. I look forward to the auto shows in Montreal, Toronto and Detroit and industry events like the CADA Summit. For the most part, these events are a lot …
Many Canadian dealerships have made great strides in boosting transparency, as you will discover from the feature story in this issue. But although steady progress has been made in sales and service, it hasn’t yet fully made it to most …
It’s one thing to have someone describe swimming to me, but it’s another thing entirely to jump in. And I figured it was time to make that jump and assess the electric vehicle experience. To do this, the gang at …
It’s well known at this point that consumers spend time online before they step into your store. New research also proves that millennials will be attracted to digital displays in your dealership. While not surprising, there are few dealerships yet …
I flew out to Victoria to visit Tom Harris, just two weeks before he died. I wanted to run some ideas by him. I wanted to pick his remarkable brain. And I was looking forward to the time together. Tom’s …
One of the real pleasures of my role in the industry is the opportunity to assist in the planning of a number of important industry events. Often, I get to participate directly as a conference speaker or panel moderator. I …
The Canadian auto dealer team recently returned from a successful CADEX conference in Halifax. CADEX is the annual conference put on by the Nova Scotia Automobile Dealers Association (NSADA) with the goal of bringing leading national figures to the Maritimes …
This year marked the fifth time that I have taken to the stage as one of the moderators at the CADA Summit. As I looked out over the crowd, I saw many familiar faces. The attendees that return each year …
The more things change, the less they actually do look the same. The funny thing about change, is it doesn’t tend to tap you on the shoulder. It comes in increments. Some small, some massive. But they add up. When …
A recent announcement from Ford yesterday took me right back to my earliest automotive memories, and produced decidedly mixed feelings for me. My father worked for a pharmaceutical company and drove a company car. GM products, always GM products. I …
