One dealership in Arizona is preparing for an electric future by installing charging stations (including one supercharger), purchasing stronger equipment (such as a lift that can handle 18,000 pounds), and is preparing to invest more. According to Whitney Yates-Woods of Yates Buick GMC, electric vehicles “don’t have all the things that we’re so used to doing as a dealership,” but that “We just need to have more technology-based resources and our employees trained up on the technology.” (Source: azfamily.com) Read the original story…

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The U.K. Department for Transport found that EV public charge points in the country increased by 37% in 2021, with London well ahead of the game. According to Auto Express, the U.K. added 7,600 new devices. As of January 1, 2022, there are 28,375 public charge points available. “The DfT says charging devices have largely been funded by investment from the private sector, although there’s an element of grant funding from the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles.” (Source: Auto Express) Read the original story…

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General Motors plans to build generators that use hydrogen-powered (Hydrotec) fuel cells that offer mobile sources of electricity and act as temporary EV chargers, according to Driving.ca. “Hydrotec power generators can quickly be deployed for disaster relief, or it can provide backup for the electrical grid in areas that are experiencing rolling blackouts,” said Charlie Freese, Executive Director of GM’s Hydrotec division. Driving said the Mobile Power Generators use one cube, while the Empower quick charger uses eight. (Source: Driving.ca) Read the original story…

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Sony Group may add new technology partners to its electric vehicle project, according to Autoblog, which adds that the goal would be to create a mobility business “to transform cars from transportation machines to entertainment spaces.” Sony’s Senior General Manager Izumi Kawanishi said they see the risk of ignoring EVs “as greater than the challenge they pose.” Sony announced the creation of this new mobility unit at the CES event in Las Vegas this year. (Source: Autoblog) Read the original story…

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Britishvolt, a battery manufacturing start-up, recently secured funding of £1.7 billion (CA$2.90 billion) towards its goal of producing automotive battery cells in North East England as of 2024. “Britishvolt started constructing the factory in Blyth, Northumberland, in September last year and hopes to build enough cells to supply 300,000 automotive battery packs per year by 2028, equating to 48GWh of power,” said Autocar, adding that its first phase will give it the capacity of 11GWh worth of cells. (Source: Autocar) Read the original story…

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Distribution Stox recently announced the acquisition of Les Distributions Claude Côté—a wholesaler that specializes in the distribution of tires for cars, light trucks, and commercial vehicles in Eastern Quebec.

“This acquisition is part of our growth and consolidation strategy in Eastern Quebec,” said Bruno Leclair, President and CEO of Distribution Stox, adding that the two companies emphasize the importance of a close relationship with their customers.

“We’re well known for providing excellent service, and that won’t change. Starting February 1, Distributions Claude Côté customers will have access to additional inventory from other Distribution Stox warehouses,” said Leclair.

The acquisition comes into effect at the end of the month, on January 31. All employees of Distributions Claude Côté and its president Claude Côté will remain with the company.

Distribution Stox said the acquisition will add millions to its sales and a new warehouse to its network, giving them a total of 22 warehouses with 1.7 million square feet of storage space.

“By the end of January, Distribution Stox will implement a transition plan to take full advantage of both teams’ strengths,” said the company in a news release. “The addition of new management tools and the sharing of expertise and our teams’ talents are just some of the exciting projects that give us confidence in the future.”

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J.D. Power recently revealed the Auto Summit agenda for its big event, set to take place on March 10, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada as a live, in-person show.

“As the exclusive home of the U.S. Automotive Franchise Assessment, along with the New and Used Automotive Outlooks, the summit remains the industry’s only event to spotlight the current and future state of vehicle brands and sales,” said J.D. Power in a news release.

The event will include a U.S. automotive outlook session with Thomas King President, Data & Analytics and Chief Product Officer, J.D. Power; and a discussion around growth and competitive changes in the auto industry from Dave Habiger President & CEO, J.D. Power and Autonation CEO Mike Manley (previously the CEO of FCA). David Hult, President and CEO of Asbury Automotive Group, will deliver the yet-to-be-determined keynote topic.

Other topics include driving EV adoption at retail, understanding purchase pain points, connecting with the new generation of buyers, a used vehicle outlook, and the J.D. Power annual Automotive Franchise Assessment.

The one-day event will include 10 sessions, with the summit starting at 8:30 a.m. and ending at 4:30 p.m. Pacific time.

More information is available here.

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Kelly-Ann Neary, Director of Sales, Data and Licensing at CBB.

Canadian Black Book named Kelly-Ann Neary as its new director of sales, data and licensing—a role that will see her working closely with both automakers and lenders to help reduce risk and maximize profit.

Neary joins CBB’s sales team with 20 years of experience working with OEMs in progressively more senior sales roles. In her most recent position, Neary led the certified pre-owned and corporate fleet sales business for Volkswagen Canada, according to CBB.

“I could not be more excited to welcome Kelly-Ann to the team,” said Yolanda Biswah, Canadian Black Book SVP and General Manager. “Kelly-Ann brings a deep knowledge of the automotive industry, and her history working with OEMs will provide our customers with the insights that they need to grow their businesses.”

Neary said she partnered closely with CBB over the last several years on a number of strategic initiatives, and is looking forward to “leveraging my industry experience to help our customers unlock value in their businesses.”

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The Montreal Auto Show may have been cancelled, but the event’s Charity Preview Gala will run a virtual auction from January 17-31, 2022 in collaboration with iA Dealer Services to help six hospital foundations in the Greater Montreal area.

“The virtual auction, which offers more than a hundred varied lots, starts now and will end on January 31st at noon,” said the auto show team in a news release. “This virtual auction replaces the fundraising activity that traditionally takes place during the prestigious VIP evening of the Charity Preview Gala.”

The Charity Preview Gala typically launches the activities of the Montreal Auto Show, and is moving forward this year regardless of the show’s cancellation, to maintain its commitment to the foundations that benefit from the money raised.

The hospital foundations include: the Cité de la Santé Foundation, the Montreal Heart Institute Foundation, the Institut de Gériatrie de MTL Foundation, the Pierre-Boucher Hospital Foundation, the Santa Cabrini Hospital Foundation, the Sacré-Coeur de Montréal Hospital Foundation, and the SIAM Foundation.

To view or participate in the auction, visit: https://encanpro.ca/encans/encanapb.

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Perry Lefko, an experienced automotive journalist has joined the

Twenty-one of those years were spent with the Toronto Sun, and most recently Lefko has focused on the automotive industry for major news outlets such as the Toronto Star Automotive News Canada and the Canadian International AutoShow, including writing articles for its website and organizing panels for topics on diversity and electrification.

“I entered into the automotive writing business when I met Norris McDonald, a veteran automotive writer who is one of the most respected individuals in the business, quite by chance,” Perry said. “I was working for Elections Canada and he was voting in the riding in which I worked. When he showed me his driver’s license, I asked him if he worked for the Toronto Star – he was the editor of the Wheels section at the time – and introduced myself. He has become important in my life as a friend, who is always encouraging, and a mentor.”

For more than five years Perry has specialized in automotive writing about dealerships and dealer principals, including profiles on Nav Bhatia, Vaughn Wyant, Susan Gubasta and Benny Leung and industry executives such as Don Romano, Wolfgang Hoffmann and Larry Hutchinson. He is also keenly focused on the Canadian auto shows and the impact COVID-19 has had on them and the industry at large.

“I joined Canadian auto dealer having had a chance to meet Todd Phillips a couple of times. Todd made an impression on me with his assistance at some events while I was new to the business,” Perry said. “I found that to be comforting because the automotive industry can be complex along with its terminology, and it also showed me something about Todd’s character. I also like the overall Canadian auto dealer ethos and felt I could help to make the strong content even stronger. I am looking forward to using my journalism instincts and knowledge of the automotive industry to deliver breaking stories and interesting profiles about companies and people. Although the industry is centred around cars, I truly believe it is about people.”

Perry believes this is a uniquely interesting time in the industry because of the ongoing effects of COVID on the international semiconductor chip shortage and the advancement of digital retailing. The overall effect of the pandemic on dealerships and the way they conduct business, and the continued efforts to move towards electrification are topics of great interest to Perry.

“I think COVID will continue to affect the global supply chain, which will mean dealerships will not have access to new inventory and will have to be aggressive to secure used vehicles, which have become a hot commodity,” Perry said.

In addition to writing about the automotive industry Perry has been active as an author, having written more than 10 books since 1995, most recently helping former National Hockey League players turned broadcasters Eddie Olczyk and Nick Kypreos write books about their lives and careers. He has also written books about or with sports stars such as Doug Flutie, Michael (Pinball) Clemons, Bret Hart, Sandy Hawley, Sandra Schmirler and Colleen Jones. He is currently working with Canadian realtor Raman Dua on his autobiography.

To contact him about stories for Canadian auto dealer, you can reach him at perrylefko@gmail.com.

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Jerry, a car-ownership app released its 2022 State of the American Driver Report this week, reporting on car-related trends in the United States as well as the country’s driving culture and consumer attitudes towards the adoption of new automotive technology.

Despite the volatility in the automotive market due to the pandemic and inflation, the 2022 State of the American Driver Report, which is based on a national survey of American drivers aged 16-75 combined with Jerry business data, found little evidence of a decline in car demand or in the cost of driving.

In fact, “the survey found 80% of American drivers consider a car essential to conducting daily or weekly activities.” However, the survey did reveal that drivers are spending less time on the road, especially due to the increasing costs of gas.

Just one in four American drivers plan to shop for a vehicle in 2022. However, more Americans said they expect to sell their vehicle in 2022 than in the year prior, with digital platforms like Autotrader and Facebook Marketplace being the most common way for consumers to sell a used vehicle. In fact, “women are three times as likely to sell their vehicle on Facebook Marketplace.” Also of interest is that Baby Boomers are most likely to go to a dealership to trade-in their vehicle.

Despite the industry shift to electric vehicles, “a third of Americans surveyed never expect to drive an EV in their lifetime, while half expect to within 10 years.” The survey dug into the motivation behind EV use and found that “EV shoppers are motivated most by saving money on gas.”

Lakshmi Iyengar, a data scientist for Jerry, added that “despite significant EV interest due to expected cost savings, consumers likely won’t find immediate cost reductions when buying an EV. That may come over the next 10 years as technology and charging infrastructure mature.” Those surveyed showed some hesitation towards autonomous vehicles as well, with “40% of drivers never expecting to use an autonomous vehicle.”

The report also “confirmed that pandemic-era effects on cost and inventory continue to impact car buying and selling, driving frequency, and the necessity of driving amongst Americans,” said Iyengar, who added that “Americans experienced sticker shock when shopping for new and used cars in 2021, and no relief is in sight this year.”

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