The big debate
DON’T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU READ ABOUT ECONOMICS IN THE MEDIA —THERE’S USUALLY MORE TO IT WHILE I WAS WRITING this column, the debate was still raging as to whether or not the Canadian economy had entered a recession in the …
Category: Opinion
Diesel’s dirty cloud
WOW. Over its illustrious history, the automotive industry has faced its fair share of scandals and setbacks. There have been recalls affecting countless millions of vehicles, automakers not fully disclosing safety-related risks, and an endless series of lawsuits and fines, …
Sharing a slice of history
THE FALL IS ALWAYS a busy time for events in the automotive industry. For me personally, one recent event really stood out in particular. The New Car Dealers Association of BC’s conference and gala dinner in September provided a chance …
The haze of crisis
WITH ALL OF THE ECONOMIC TURMOIL IN GREECE, CANADIANS MIGHT BE WORRIED ABOUT A SIMILAR SITUATION HAPPENING HERE. BUT WE ARE FAR FROM BEING THE NEXT GREECE As of this writing, it was far from clear what kind of solution …
Why the CADA Summit matters
Since it’s inception, I have had the pleasure of being part of the planning committee that helps pull together the annual CADA Summit event. On February 10, 2016, the fourth CADA Summit will be held, and it has rapidly become …
The times they are a-changin’
i had an interesting moment this week while travelling in the Maritimes. I was on the final stop of a swing through car dealerships in Halifax, Dartmouth, Truro, Summerside, Saint John. We had just pulled up to the hotel in …
Down to the wire
IT’S HARD TO SAY WHAT WILL HAPPEN ON ELECTION DAY By all accounts, we are headed for an exciting and unpredictable federal election. Though the main players claim to ignore the polls that are thrown at them almost daily, the …
Donning the Laureate jacket
This special issue of Canadian auto dealer is designed in part to be a throwback to the old days of journalism where the corner newsie would yell out the big news of the day: “Extra, Extra, Read all about it! …
They grow up so fast
THIS IS A BIG YEAR FOR ME. MY BABY IS TURNING TEN. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the launch of Canadian auto dealer magazine. Ten years ago, we created the magazine that has been the leading Canadian magazine …
Doing the right thing
INVESTING IN GOODWILL WILL PAY OFF AT YOUR DEALERSHIP In an era of ill will towards business and populist leaders pandering to such sentiment, it has never been more important to invest in “long-termism” and to place the customer’s interest …
Cut through the hype
DEALERS ARE BOMBARDED WITH PEOPLE OFFERING COMPLEX ANSWERS TO SIMPLE QUESTIONS I had the privilege of presenting at CADEX 2015, the Nova Scotia Automobile Dealers Association (NSADA) event in Halifax last month on the topic of digital measurement for dealers. …
See-through dealerships
Speaker after speaker at the recent Kijiji DealerTalk conference reinforced the event’s central message — that transparency is the name of the game for auto retailers. Whether it’s transparency in new or used vehicle pricing, availability of inventory, incentives, financing …
