Remote service coming?
IKEA is on my mind. It should be on yours. I moved recently. And it got me thinking about remote service and the opportunity for dealers. We needed to get a bunch of new beds, as our move is combining …
Category: Publisher’s letter
It’s time to act
By now I imagine most of you have seen and read Driving the Road Ahead: A View into the Future of Canadian Automobile Retailing, the research paper published this past spring by the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association (CADA). This comprehensive …
Every business is a software business
This quote has been making the rounds widely in various forms, and is increasingly being touted as an obvious truth. And frankly I agree. It seems to have been first attributed to Watts S. Humphrey, an American pioneer in software …
Staying ahead of change
Products must continually evolve to remain relevant to the changing needs of their customers. Ideally, product designers will anticipate those needs and stay a few steps ahead of their customers. This is true of all products — including magazines. When …
Bits and pieces
Mark your calendars and get your flights booked: next year’s NADA Show, CADA Summit, and Canadian International AutoShow VIP night run right into each other. The CADA Summit will take place February 12, 2020, in Toronto, Ont., followed by VIP …
Where were tech players?
I had the pleasure of attending Media Day at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit a couple of weeks ago. This has been a highlight of the calendar ever since I started working in the automotive industry …
I think we did a good job
As our readers know, it’s my pleasure and privilege to be part of the planning committee for the CADA Summit, the one-day thought leadership event put on in mid-February by the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association. We start planning the speaker …
Will the dealers get their share?
There have been plenty of airplane rides for me in the past few weeks. This time of year holds a number of important industry events, and the Canadian auto dealer team makes sure we cover off our fair share. I …
Remembering Marchionne
Marchionne. It’s a name that will live on as a legend in the automotive industry. The news that Sergio Marchionne died suddenly at 66 rocked the business world and in particular the automotive industry. Tributes poured in from all around …
Millennial wisdom on display
Although I’m not overly fond of the way we too easily pin labels on generations and then ascribe a lot of stereotypical behaviours to them, there’s no doubt that the next generation of young people entering the workforce have some …
Electrical adventures in Ottawa
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 …
CADA Summit musings
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 …
