Ok, I’ll say it right up front: I would not call Lake Louise, Alberta, a city. It is, however, a great spot for a dealer conference.
A significant chunk of the dealer community clearly agrees, based on the record attendance at the recently-held Western Canadian Dealer Summit. This year’s conference set an attendance record, and the energy and engagement of the dealers, vendors and association staff were clearly evident.
Provincial Association executives Blair Qualey, Larry Heggs, and Gerald Wood put on a great show. I was very pleased to take part.
The content mix was interesting. Many familiar faces (CADA’s team was out in force, as an example) and there were many new ones.
A week later I was at the opposite end of the country, in Moncton, speaking at Darcy LeBlanc’s event as part of the New Brunswick Dealers Association’s President’s Dinner. It was my great pleasure to share the speaking responsibilities with Steve Greenfield from Automotive Ventures. You may recall I invited Steve to join the CADEX event in Halifax last spring, where he was a very popular speaker. It’s great to see him return to the Maritimes at another energized and very well attended event.
At a time of rapid industry change, getting in front of speakers with all kinds of expertise is critical, for the team at Canadian auto dealer as publishers, and of course for you as dealers.
So which topics made an impression on me?
Not surprisingly, the drop in the growth rate of consumer EV adoption is top of mind at both ends of the country. The current wisdom (which I agree with) is that we’ve sold EVs to the early adopters in the market. Further EV sales are going to be sold to early majority consumers who bring a very different set of questions, needs and expectations with them. Early majority consumers will make a lot more demands of your sales teams, and need a lot more information.
Not surprisingly, this drop in the growth rate of EV sales is fueling plenty of discussion around how fast EV adoption will grow, even to the point of a few “I told you so” comments from those still not convinced the transition will happen.
I believe it will, but it will take time. It will be messy. And there will be the same kinds of inventory challenges for dealers that the ICE age held: too many of some vehicles hanging around your lots, while others remain unobtainable.
Perhaps what’s most interesting is the spotlight now appearing to shine on the plug-in hybrid, which for much of the past was seen as neither here nor there, an unnecessary step on the path.
That view is quickly changing, and I expect it will continue to change. As someone who owned one for years, I can say first-hand that it solves most of the challenges a full BEV presents for many consumers, while dramatically reducing carbon emissions. It may be a step on the path, but I think it will become a very important step for many. I expect dealers will find that PHEVs move quickly off their lots.
The next topic that received significant attention was automation. As generative AI tools like ChatGPT and others become woven into the DNA of more
and more software solutions available to you, you’ll find your business gaining time and other efficiencies that you couldn’t have imagined a few years ago.
A Swedish company called Phyron is an example. They demonstrated an AI video platform that creates videos of your inventory for placement across digital marketing channels, at scale, without human intervention. Set the parameters, and the magic happens. In minutes.
As someone with a long career in content creation, I found it pretty compelling.
Thank you again to the provincial dealer associations for putting their energy and creativity into making these events happen. It was time well spent for me and the many others who took the time to attend.
For now, I’m about to board a plane to speak at Cliff Bank’s Autovate event in Scottsdale, and see what other things I can learn. And we’re just a few months from the CADA Summit and CADEX. I hope to see you there!
