Automotive News Canada Podcast

As head of the Global Automakers of Canada, David Adams lobbies governments in Canada on behalf of car companies based overseas. He has some ideas about what should be in the next federal budget, from EV incentives to a scrappage program. But how long should incentives last? He also talks about where sales might head in the remaining three quarters, after a fairly strong — but inventory-plagued —...

Dealers Michael Carmichael in Ontario and Michael Wyant in Western Canada both say the pandemic and mild winter have affected the bottom line in the service bay. But, despite those hits and an inventory shortage, margins and profitability are up, in part because the pandemic forced them to find efficiencies and new ways to do business.

Jon Azzopardi, chair of the Canadian Association of Mold Makers, says ongoing pandemic-related border restrictions are causing his members to lose money and customers, some of which might never be recovered. He’s calling on the federal government to adopt border measures that would allow his members to cross more freely for the good of the auto industry.

Bob Larocque, head of the Canadian Fuels Association, has a simple suggestion for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who aims to have all new-vehicle sales be of the zero-emissions variety by 2040: “Please consider every potential option that gets you to net zero that allows flexibility for consumers. It’s not just one option.”

Susan Gubasta, a dealer principal, organizer of the WomenDriven event and first female head of Ontario’s Trillium Automobile Dealers Association, says that while women have come a long way in her nearly 30 years in the business, there’s still plenty more to do. She says all that talented, capable women really need is a chance.

Tim Reuss, the head of the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association, says COVID-19 has rapidly accelerated change throughout the industry. He also says now is not the time for automakers to ask dealers to upgrade stores or for the government to implement new taxes.

Former Toyota executive and auto adviser Ray Tanguay assesses Canada’s auto industry, explains why Canada’s transition to electric vehicles should start in the commercial and public transit sectors and says Canada has EV battery potential in more places than Ontario.

Lidar has become a linchpin technology for the development of autonomous vehicles, and Québec City-based LeddarTech is an industry leader. But, it makes more than just lidar. The head of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers' Association once said: “Everything that you and I think is cool in vehicles, LeddarTech does it.” LeddarTech COO Frantz Saintellemy talks about the importance of diversity...

The COVID-19 pandemic has been around for a year, with a third wave of infections possible in Canada, yet it continues to be a seller's market with it comes to dealers looking to unload their stores. Farid Ahmad of Dealer Solutions Mergers and Acquisitions explains why owners are looking to sell, what makes a dealership attractive and who the potential buyers might be in 2021.

The global pandemic has created some serious inventory shortages in Canada. J.D. Power’s Robert Karwel explains how dealers and automakers are handling the situation and still maintaining some level of profitability. He also says the used-vehicle market is shaping up for a strong 2021.

Jim McManes, founder of McManes Automotive Group, owns 10 FCA branded dealerships in Western Canada. He’s lived through the Daimler and Fiat mergers and survived the Cerberus experiment. He offers his thoughts on the merger with Stellantis, its CEO Carols Taveres, what it might mean for Canadian dealers. McManes talks about where the holes are in FCA’s lineup and what PSA might be able to do to fi...

General Motors Canada President Scott Bell explains why the automaker moved contract talks with Unifor up eight months, what made the company’s CAMI plant in Ingersoll, Ont., the perfect place to build its new EV600 electric commercial van, and talks about a Canadian innovation that’s a very big part of GM’s BrightDrop division.

Carmine Pizzurro, plant manager of the former Delphi battery plant in Ontario and the co-founder of EV infrastructure company eCamion, says the province has to become a leader in EV battery production. And, if it does, it means longevity for auto plants there.

Rebekah Young, Scotiabank Economics’ director of fiscal and provincial economics, says a K-shaped recovery could be on the way, talks about how much money Canadians have managed to save during the pandemic and what all that might mean for sales in 2021.

Unifor President Jerry Dias discusses the Canadian labor union's success in bargaining with the Detroit Three automakers, the pandemic's ''positive'' impact on negotiations and ending the ''bitter fight'' over GM's Oshawa assembly plant.

Incoming Magna CEO Swamy Kotagiri discusses the road ahead for the Canadian supplier as Don Walker prepares to retire at the end of the year. He also shares insight on bringing new products to market and opportunities for Magna Steyr in North America.

Gerald Wood just couldn’t stay retired. Eighteen months after leaving Ford Canada, he became the head of the Motor Dealers’ Association of Alberta and finds himself helping his members navigate COVID-19 restrictions in a province that loves its trucks and whose oil workers are loyal to the internal combustion engine.

Jeff Schuster of auto forecaster LMC Automotive says restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19 will likely hurt December sales while inventory woes could linger into the first quarter. But, with a vaccine on the way, he says there’s hope for the spring selling season.

Mathew Growden of Google Canada’s Auto Retail Team reveals the two most important things car buyers want from a dealer website and talks about how the pandemic changed attitudes toward online sales “overnight.” But when it comes to a dealership’s digital strategy, Jeremy Koch of Koch Ford Lincoln says everyone must buy into a “complete overhaul” if it’s going to work.

Downtown Auto Group’s Shahin Alizadeh explains how economics and “thinking outside the box” led him to build a $100-million multi-brand store complete with nearly 900 condominiums on the same property.

GM Canada President Scott Bell says automaker “never gave up on Oshawa” and that the investment “is real, it’s happening.” He also says “the pavement is down” on the autonomous-vehicle test track there and is hopefully of a retail future, post-pandemic.

Kristin Dziczek, the vice-president of industry, labor and economics at the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, Mich., talks about the Detroit Three’s “surprising” $5-billion investment in Canadian auto assembly, whether they can follow through on all those EV promises and what happens in 2023 when Unifor bargains at the same time as the United Auto Workers in the United States.

New Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers Association CEO Brian Kingston talks about what Ford’s and FCA’s EV commitments mean to the industry, what makes Canada a good place to invest and what his members would like to see in the way of government aid when it comes to helping the industry survive the COVID-19 pandemic.

Flavio Volpe, the head of the Canadian Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association, provides an update on Project Arrow, talks about “tapping into the spirit of the Avro Arrow,” and assesses the potential Canada has in electric-vehicle manufacturing.

Retiring Magna CEO Don Walker talks about what he’s most proud of during his 33-year tenure, whether he has regrets, and says the ever-changing supply giant is in steady hands under his successor, Swamy Kotagiri.