Remembering Ron Porter
I received some sad news on May 15. As many of you will now know, Ron E. Porter, former SVP Automotive Finance at Scotiabank died at age 71. Ron was a true automotive guy. He spent over 30 years at …
Author: Niel Hiscox
What to do about AI?
I was having lunch a couple of weeks ago with the head of a dealer group whose company I very much enjoy, and whose views I very much respect. We have lunches like this every so often, just to trade notes on what’s going …
The event you really can’t miss
CADA Summit is the can’t miss calendar event for dealers, and increasingly for OEMs and suppliers who want to know what the auto retail industry is really going through. I’ve been to every CADA Summit and have always had an …
Absorbing CES and Autovate
I’m finally back in the office. It feels like I’ve been travelling since the beginning of December — simply because I have been. But it’s been worth it, and I thought I’d share a few key takeaways that may have relevance …
A tale of two cities, sort of…
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 …
A chat with U.S. Analyst Cliff Banks
I’ve saved myself some typing this month. My publisher’s note is a multimedia experience this issue. I was invited to join U.S auto industry analyst Cliff Banks as his guest on his video podcast. Cliff has been at the heart …
Bringing the best ideas to bear
As soon as the 2023 CADA Summit finished, the planning committee (which consists of CADA’s senior leaders and the publishing team on Canadian auto dealer) dove into the attendee feedback to understand where we needed to make refinements, which topic …
Today, 5 years from now
A few weeks back I delivered a presentation to the Automobile Dealers Association of Newfoundland and Labrador. I was part of the agenda for their annual meeting, and it was a pleasure to be back on the Rock speaking to …
What happens in Vegas…
If you’ll allow me to alter and repurpose that well known and oft-quoted Vegas slogan, what happens in Vegas won’t stay in Vegas. I know that because I’ll be reporting on it. I’ll be heading down there for Thomson Reuter’s …
A story of brand risk
In a world of social media, where anyone can publish to the world and any given story can take off and reach an audience of thousands, companies need to be particularly careful about how their actions might be seen. It …
Sneak preview of CADEX chat
Steve Greenfield, Founder and CEO of Automotive Ventures and I sat down to plan Steve’s appearance at CADEX in Halifax in April, and we got to talking. Some of that chat is reproduced here as a teaser to what we’ll …
A little bit of one-on-one
For many of us in the automotive industry, there is plenty of time spent poring over charts and tables of data, trying to glean the insights the data is willing to yield. The Canadian auto dealer team has the benefit …
