Tablet tales
Canadian auto dealer delivers new tablet edition The role of the tablet device as a communications tool is one of the most interesting technology debates raging. How it all sorts itself out is something that auto dealers need to keep …
Category: Editor’s note
The social media mix
It’s the big question with no easy answer Social media is one of the biggest issues facing dealers that nobody can really define, quantify, measure, grasp or figure out what to do about. In this swirl of confusion, there are …
Let’s not forget the magic
Our love affair with cars runs deep After having just spent about 18 hours at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre for media day, followed by VIP night, and then assorted after-hours parties and photo ops, you might think I’d had …
Measuring the pulse of the customer
Survey project to inform dealers about what customers think and feel Canadians have LOTS of ideas and impressions about Canadian auto dealers, automotive brands, and the vehicle purchasing experience. If only dealers could get inside the heads of their customers, …
Man on a Mission
I’m on another call and my phone rings — again. Soon thereafter, an email arrives. It’s Jim Bell, our popular and colourful Focus on Fixed columnist. When he can’t reach me, he calls publisher Niel Hiscox in the office next …
Pick up the phone
Dealer phone call leads to lunch chat In my first editor’s note in this space, I wrote that I loved getting reader feedback and hearing from dealers. That’s why I was so happy to pick up my phone and hear …
Wanted: Young guns
Are you ready for the next generation? There’s a lot of interest in issues like succession planning, the lack of a solid bench strength for our industry, and questions about where the future leaders of Canada’s automotive retail industry are …
Shifting Gears
Got an opinion? We’d love to hear it. The first thing you’ll notice in this issue of Canadian auto dealer is that my picture replaces the picture of our longtime editor Gerry Malloy in this spot. But all is well …
We are not selling just transportation devices any more
And we no longer operate in a closed, automotive-only environment A very few years ago, people in the industry were joking that the car would soon become little more than a mobile platform for the newest electronic gadgetry. It’s no …
Resurgent Detroit gives cause for optimism
It had a totally different vibe… Y ou can’t guage what’s going to happen during the year from the mood at one auto show. Or even two or three. If you recall the shows early in 2008, including the NADA …
Welcome the New Year with optimism
And make sure you’ve got a ‘Plan B’ As you read through this magazine, you’ll no doubt recognize that its overriding theme is ‘the year ahead’. Nothing unusual about that. The New Year is a natural time to reflect on …
AJAC awards benefit both consumers and dealers
Published test data are a treasure of useful information As I write this note, I’ve just returned from spending the better part of a week at the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada’s (AJAC) annual TestFest in Niagara on the Lake, …
