J.D. Power has launched its J.D. Power Dealer of Excellence Program in Canada, and sweeping the inaugural list of honorees is the Dilawri Group, whose Markham Honda, Dixie Mazda, Acura North Toronto, Volkswagen de Sources and Audi Queensway stores were recognized.
The program has been in the U.S. since 2016. It is designed to spotlight “the commitment and dedication select retailers provide to their customers with a purchase experience that meets today’s customer expectations,” J.D. Power said in a news release.
“Vehicle buyers in Canada now have access to an incredible tool in their car search, giving them peace of mind that the dealer they’ve chosen will take care of them,” said J.D. Ney, automotive practice lead at J.D. Power Canada, in a news release. “Certified dealers will benefit by leveraging the J.D. Power brand and promoting their dealership’s commitment to an outstanding customer experience.”
To qualify, dealers are required to pass an in-store sales process verification. They must also meet or exceed sales best practices from J.D. Power, which include “professional customer communication, an efficient online-to-showroom transition, standard processes for addressing customer issues through feedback and presence of digital retail tools,” the company said.
Canadian Black Book has debuted a new awards program.
In addition to its existing “Best Retained Value Awards” for automakers, CBB is launching the “Best Residual Value Awards.”
The latter spotlights vehicles expected to hold the greatest value of MSRP 48 months after original purchase date, honoring models in 21 categories of cars, trucks, SUVs and electric vehicles.
Meantime, the existing Best Retained Value Awards are based on, “how much of a vehicle’s original MSRP it holds after four years of ownership,” CBB said in a news release.
“In short, ‘Retained’ awards measure value held from the past and the new ‘Residual’ awards measure values held into the future,” the company said.
Yolanda Biswah, who is vice president and general manager of CBB, said in the release: “Due to our position as a leader in wholesale and residual value data and analytics, the Residual Value Awards were the logical next step for us and the industry. The company's values are based on art, science, and an unbiased approach, and these awards reflect that formula.”  
Vehicles must have been on sale by Jan. 1 and included in the January/February Canadian Black Book Residual Value guide to be eligible for the new award. CBB bases the value forecast on 48 months of age with an average mileage of 24,000 kilometers driven.
As far as the inaugural winners of the Residual Value Award, Toyota took home the overall car award, while Cadillac earned top honors for both SUV/truck and most improved. Lexus earned the award for luxury, while Kia won in zero-emissions vehicle category.
Toyota and Lexus combined for seven category wins and earning 12 first, second or third place finishes. General Motors had six category wins and seven first-, second- or third-place rankings.
“Our new Residual Value Awards were designed to better represent the dynamic of today’s Canadian auto market. Therefore, we have put so much more emphasis on EV categories — growth in EV options and consumer acceptance are hugely influencing today and tomorrow’s market,” said James Hancock, who is CBB’s director of OEM strategy and analytics.
The 2021 autoTRADER.ca Awards were announced Monday, honoring new vehicles across 22 categories, including three “Best Overall” nods.
Starting at the top, the Best Overall Car award went to the Genesis G70, while the Best Overall SUV honors went to the Volvo XC40 and the Best Overall Truck award was the Ram 1500.
Among the highlights of the segment winners were first-time honorees Kia Seltos (Best Subcompact SUV), Hyundai Sonata (Best Family Sedan) and Genesis GV80 (Best 3-Row Luxury SUV).
Back-to-back winners included the Chrysler Pacifica (Best Minivan) and Kia Telluride (Best 3-Row SUV)
Vehicles were assessed for “value, innovation, performance, technology and on-board features, engineering excellence, user-friendliness, driving satisfaction, design, quality of materials, fuel efficiency, safety and overall excellence,” autoTRADER.ca said in a news release.
“autoTRADER.ca is committed to providing Canadians with expert automotive advice to help make them more confident throughout their car-buying journey,” autoTRADER.ca editor in chief Jodi Lai said in the release. “As Canada’s biggest and most trusted marketplace, we take great care to assemble the most dynamic, qualified jury to ensure we are only recommending the very best vehicles we know consumers will love.”
Lai added: “Year after year, vehicle manufacturers keep upping their game to improve the quality, value and performance of their vehicles. Most cars these days are great, but our awards aim to separate the great cars from the award-winning cars, which are ones that our experts feel confident recommending to Canadians. The winning vehicles are ones that our experts feel go above and beyond.”
The complete list of honorees is below:
Best Overall Car – Genesis G70
Best Overall SUV – Volvo XC40
Best Overall Truck – Ram 1500
Best Minivan – Chrysler Pacifica/Grand Caravan
Best Green Vehicle Under $50K – Toyota RAV4 Hybrid/Prime
Best Green Vehicle Over $50K – Porsche Taycan
Best Mid-Size Truck – Chevrolet Colorado/GMC Canyon
Best Full-Size Truck – Ram 1500
Best Subcompact SUV – Kia Seltos
Best 2-Row SUV – Toyota RAV4
Best 3-Row SUV – Kia Telluride
Best Subcompact Luxury SUV – Volvo XC40
Best 2-Row Luxury SUV – Porsche Macan
Best 3-Row Luxury SUV – Genesis GV80
Best Subcompact Car – Kia Rio
Best Compact Car – Mazda3
Best Family Sedan – Hyundai Sonata
Best Wagon – Volvo V60/V60 Cross Country
Best Performance Car Under $50K – Mazda MX-5
Best Performance Car Over $50K – Chevrolet Corvette
Best Compact Luxury Car – Genesis G70
Best Large Luxury Car – Genesis G90
Hyundai Capital Canada had a reason to celebrate this week, announcing that it was named among Greater Toronto’s Top Employers for the second year in a row by The Globe and Mail.
Headquartered in Toronto, the company that provides lease and purchase financing services for Hyundai, Kia and Genesis brands throughout Canada claimed the accolade by demonstrating its capability to provide employee-friendly working environment in the pandemic era.
HCCA said it was recognized for its extensive employee benefits and support programs. Generous LifeCare allowance, education reimbursement and maternity and parental leave were cited as the best examples to ensure employees feel comfortable during these challenging times.
“We are so proud to be named one of the Greater Toronto’s Top Employers for two years in a row,” HCCA chief administrative officer David Daywalt said in a news release.
“During these challenging times, HCCA has been committed to providing employees with top-notch benefits that protect their health, provide financial security, and help them to develop their careers at the same time,” Daywalt continued.
The company was named one of top employers in the Greater Toronto area a year earlier for its inclusive corporate culture, whereby employees may “drive and thrive together.”
HCCA attributed the earlier honor as a result of the company’s efforts to create an ideal environment for employees to thrive in with a full-time manager of corporate culture supported by corporate culture committee. They act as a sounding board for management, help to organize activities such as annual holiday parties, happy hours, picnics and charitable events.
Employee clubs are also supported by the company and hugely popular, according to HCCA.
The company went on to mention that communications channels including regular town hall meetings keep HCCA employees updated on their performance as well as what’s happening at the parent automaker.
Through the annual Global Site Visit program, some of HCCA employees are given a chance to spend a week at corporate headquarters in Seoul, South Korea.
“We want people to feel like they work for this huge multinational but at the same time are part of this small, intimate family at HCCA and get the benefits of both worlds,” Daywalt said.
HCCA added that the company also emphasizes a healthy work-life balance.
Employees receive an annual $2,000 LifeCare allowance they can allocate between a health spending account and a wellness account. They can use it in almost any way that promotes their health and well-being, including building a home gym, buying a gym membership or even paying for a ski vacation “to recharge their batteries.”
The company said it uses technology for this process as expense claims can be submitted on a mobile app and reimbursement is made in a week.
For education and retirement-related financial benefits for employees, the company said it offers tuition reimbursement, Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) matching programs and performance bonuses.
Amidst COVID-19, HCCA highlighted that it has prioritized employee engagement. From the initial stage of the pandemic, HCCA noted that it allowed flexible working arrangement and send the entire staff members home for safety.
During the lockdown period, the company also encouraged employees to share their photos and cheerful messages that were later made into a video clip titled, “Let’s Stay Connected.”
“Watching the clip, employees could feel connected with each other,” the company said.
Furthermore, HCCA assembled “care packages,” consisting of a reusable face mask, a touch-free door opener and a tote bag made from recycled cotton. They were delivered to the doorsteps of all employees.
And finally, HCCA mentioned that it has turned to virtual alternatives for meetings and events.
Deloitte Canada continues to see quite a notable performance originating from Canada Drives.
According to a news release distributed this week, the fintech firm and online retailer has been presented with an Enterprise Fast 15 award from Deloitte Canada in recognition of its technological innovation, entrepreneurship and rapid growth.
The Enterprise Fast 15 leadership category is part of the Technology Fast 50 program and recognizes the fastest-growing enterprise-level technology, media and telecommunications companies by revenue-growth percentage over their last four years of operation.
Canada Drives ranked ninth on the list with a growth rate of 244%.
The company also announced that it has placed 386th on Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500. With this achievement, Canada Drives highlighted that it marks its fifth consecutive year in the North American Technology Fast 500 ranking.
Canada Drives founder and co-chief executive officer Cody Green credited a culture of relentless innovation and customer-centricity for propelling the company toward this level of achievement.
“To see Canada Drives hold a place on these prestigious rankings for five years in a row is a testament to our unyielding focus on solving the real and ever-evolving problems facing our customers,” Green said in the news release.
“I am extremely proud of our team’s commitment to keep innovating and adding value to our customers, especially in these challenging times,” he continued.
Eligibility in the Enterprise Fast 15 category requires applicants to meet the same criteria as for Technology Fast 50 nominees except they must have a minimum revenue of $10 million in 2016 and a minimum revenue of $25 million in 2019.
“We’re delighted to recognize Enterprise Fast 15 winners, who are amongst the elite of Canada’s technology sector, achieving world-class results and helping shape and transform the industry,” said Erica Pretorius, partner and national leader for the Technology Fast 50 program at Deloitte Canada.
“Enterprise Fast 15 winners join the ranks of other global leaders across Canada. Their competitive drive, integrity and vision for the future propels and strengthens Canadian innovation. I can’t wait to see where they take us moving forward,” Pretorius went on to say.
Along with Canada Drives, the other Enterprise Fast 15 winners include:
— 360Insights
— AcuityAds
— Aucerna
— District M
— Docebo
— Doxim
— Eddyfi Technologies
— Financeit
— Geotab
— Helcim
— Kinova
— Paladin Technologies
— Sangoma Technologies
— SendtoNews
“Our winners can be incredibly proud of the impact they are making in Canada. They are living proof that innovation and adaptability are key factors in remaining competitive and thriving in unpredictable times,” Pretorius said.
CARFAX Canada took home honors as the “Large Business of the Year” for the second time during last week’s London Chamber of Commerce Business Achievement Awards.
The company previously won this award in 2012.
The gala for the awards, which was held Wednesday at the Best Western Lamplighter Inn in London, was scaled down this year and also live-streamed for folks unable to attend in person.
“With 20 years of history in London, we’re honoured to receive this prestigious award for a second time,” CARFAX Canada president and general manager Mark Rousseau said in a news release. “Not only has CARFAX Canada experienced success by drawing on the incredible talent London has to offer, but CARFAX in the U.S. has recently hired remote teams based in London, as well.
“This setup allows us to leverage synergies across the business in the name of achieving our joint mission; to help used-car buyers and sellers make better decisions about vehicles,” he said. “London has been a great home for CARFAX, and we’re looking forward to our continued growth.”
Shawn Vording, who is the vice president of automotive sales at CARFAX Canada, accepted the award on behalf of the company;
In the release, the awards are described as recognizing businesses that, “make outstanding contributions to the local community, demonstrate innovation in technology, excel in taking care of their employees and contribute significantly to London’s economical base.”
Before November closed, Scotiabank collected another accolade.
Scotiabank was named the winner of the Judge’s Choice Award for Responsible Innovation in Financial Services at the 2019 Annual Canadian FinTech & AI Awards.
The awards recognize banks, credit unions, innovators, investors, advisory firms, law firms, technology companies, impactors and thought leaders across Canada in financial services. International experts judged the awards this year from leading organizations that included:
— Credit Suisse
— The World Bank
— Rolls-Royce
— NASA
— Lloyd’s Bank
— Amazon
— Standard Chartered Bank
— Airbnb
— Hulu
— Google
— Cineplex
— LG Electronics
“Scotiabank is thrilled to have been recognized for leadership in innovation and first-to-market solutions by the Digital Finance Institute,” said Rania Llewellyn, Scotiabank’s executive vice president of global business payments.
“With rapidly-evolving customer expectations, innovative digital technologies and new service models, we put the customer experience at the centre of everything we do,” Llewellyn continued in a news release
The award winners were announced at a gala on Nov. 18 at the Royal York Hotel where more than 660 people were in attendance.
“The Digital Finance Institute’s Awards recognize Canadian innovation and innovators in financial services and AI in Canada and help promote Canada as a leading hub for technology innovation and research,” said Ellis Odynn, executive director of Digital Finance Institute.
Vincentric describes the 2019 Toyota Avalon as having the best fuel economy, lowest insurance cost, and lowest depreciation in its class. That helped the Avalon win the Vincentric Best Value in Canada award in the large sedan segment.
Toyota Canada won 11 awards, and in the luxury car category, Audi took home eight, including best value luxury brand. For the fourth consecutive year, Ford took the truck brand award by winning all three full-size pickup awards.
Mazda was named top passenger car brand.
Including vehicle ownership costs in the decision-making process of purchasing a vehicle is important, said Vincentric president David Wurster.
“For example, a vehicle with a higher purchase price may be more affordable over the entire ownership period than one with a lower purchase price,” Wurster said.
Toyota Canada’s 11 awards included best value SUV, crossover, and van brand award for Toyota, along with the best value luxury SUV & crossover brand award for Lexus.
With three awards, Honda was another brand with multiple award-winning vehicles, including the CR-V, a seven-time winner. Subaru won two awards, and Alfa Romeo, Chevrolet, Hyundai, Kia, Lincoln, Mitsubishi and Volvo were other brands with models winning Vincentric Best Value in Canada awards.
To identify the Best Value in Canada winners, Vincentric used a statistical model and the eight ownership cost factors: depreciation, fees & taxes, financing, fuel, insurance, maintenance, opportunity cost and repairs. That model looked at market segment and price in determining the vehicles with a lower-than- expected ownership cost.
Using a range of annual kilometer intervals and insurance profiles, the company evaluated each vehicle in all 10 provinces plus the Northwest Territories.
Audi was a standout in the luxury category, and in naming the 2019 Audi A6 as a winner in the premium luxury mid-size sedan category, Vincentric said the vehicle had the lowest maintenance and insurance costs in its class.
A more detailed list of the winners is available at the Vincentric site.
CarGurus senior editor Matt Smith says shopping for a used vehicle can be “a journey peppered with uncertainty.”
But Smith says CarGurus’ inaugural Editor’s Choice Used Car Awards, which the company launched in Canada, are a “signal of assurance for used-car shoppers” when they are looking for a vehicle. The vehicles in this awards program are specific to the Canadian market.
“The CarGurus editors sifted through thousands of automotive data points to arrive at these recommendations, and shoppers should feel confident behind the wheel of any of these vehicles,” Smith said in a news release.
Several automakers performed well in the CarGurus awards program, but Honda won in three categories: Small Crossover/SUV, Compact Sedan/Hatchback and Mid-size Sedan.
CarGurus’ editorial team arrived at the winners by looking at popularity, availability and expert review scores to identify the top recent-year used models across 10 body style categories.
CarGurus selected Editor’s Choice Used Car Awards nominees from late-model cars originally available for sale in Canada. The CarGurus editorial team considered vehicle generations that include the 2015 model year in their entirety. To determine the best options across a range of vehicle segments, the team evaluated nominees based on criteria such as CarGurus professional test drive reviews, popularity (measured by search volume) and availability (measured by inventory volumes).
The 2019 CarGurus Editor’s Choice Used Car Awards recipients are:
Small crossover/SUV
1st Place: 2012-2016 Honda CR-V
2nd Place: 2013-2016 Subaru XV Crosstrek
3rd Place: 2014-2018 Jeep Cherokee
Midsize crossover/SUV
1st: 2013-2018 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport
2nd: 2011-2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee
3rd: 2015-2018 Ford Edge
Large crossover/SUV
1st: 2007-2017 Ford Expedition
2nd: 2013-2018 Hyundai Santa Fe
3rd: 2009-2017 Chevrolet Traverse
Luxury crossover/SUV
1st: 2014-2018 Volvo XC90
2nd: 2015-2018 Audi Q7
3rd: 2014-2018 BMW X5
Compact sedan/hatchback
1st: 2011-2015 Honda Civic
2nd: 2011-2016 Hyundai Elantra
3rd: 2014-2018 Mazda MAZDA3
Midsize sedan
1st: 2013-2017 Honda Accord
2nd: 2012-2017 Mazda
3rd: 2014-2018 Hyundai Sonata
Full-size sedan
1st: 2011-2018 Chrysler 300
2nd: 2011-2018 Dodge Charger
3rd: 2010-2016 Buick LaCrosse
Luxury sedan
1st: 2015-2018 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
2nd: 2015-2016 Hyundai Genesis
3rd: 2013-2018 Lexus IS 350
Pickup truck
1st: 2011-2018 Ram 1500
2nd: 2015-2018 Ford F-150
3rd: 2014-2018 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
Sports car
1st: 2014-2018 Chevrolet Corvette
2nd: 2014-2018 Jaguar F-TYPE
3rd: 2008-2018 Dodge Challenger
The Canadian auto industry, be it retail, remarketing or finance, is full of young men and women who have achieved massive success at an early age.
And for the fifth consecutive year, Auto Remarketing Canada is excited to honor many of those individuals in “Remarketing’s Under 40.”
Thank you to all who submitted nominations. While we could not include everyone who was nominated, it was truly inspiring to learn about the young people who are making waves in Canada’s auto industry.
We recognize several of those outstanding leaders here as well as in the March-April edition of the Auto Remarketing Canada magazine and on site at this month's Auto Remarketing Canada Conference, which is being held March 19-20 at the Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto.
Without further ado, below is the 2019 class of Remarketing's Under 40, which is presented by Eblock (in alphabetical order by last name):
ALICIA AGNEW, Leader, Dealer Support, SCI MarketView
BLAIR ALLISON, Senior Manager, Remarketing, SiriusXM Canada
VAS BABUSCHIN, Senior F&I Manager, VOS Motors
PAUL BARNES, Associate Vice President of Business Development, Carfinco Inc.
DAVE BARROW, President, Super Dave’s Auto Sales
BLAKE BRADLEY, Dealer Development, EDealer
BURGANDI CAUDLE, Strategic Account Manager, Cox Automotive Canada
BRAD COCHRANE, Director of Sales Operations, NAPA Canada
MICHAEL CIRILLO, CEO of FlexDealer and Host of The Dealer Playbook podcast
ROMIT DATTA, Remarketing Specialist, Honda Financial Services
BRAD DICKERSON, Director, New Business Development, LGM Financial Services Inc.
KRYSTAL DUNN, National Sales Manager, 90 Day Pool
MEAGHAN FREDERICKSON, Analyst, Used Vehicle Operations, Honda Canada Inc.
RODRIGO GUIZONI, Product Manager, Cox Automotive Canada
ABBY HADDAD, Regional Director, NextGear Capital/Cox Automotive Canada
NASAR HAMAMI, Dealer Principal, Seven Speed Motors Inc.
PATRICK HOANG, President, StreetXtreme Auto Gallery and StreetXtreme Autobody
OSMAN HEGGI, Global CEO and Co-Founder, Winfooz
KAL IDRISS, Operational Manager, That Car Place Inc.
JUSTIN KLEE, Owner/Founder/Partner, House of Cars Group Inc.
JOE KUPFER, Partner, Auto Show Sales & Finance
HILTON LEE, Engineering Manager, ADESA
STEPHEN LEECH, Dealer Principal, Guelph Kia
AMIR LEHRER, Digital Strategy Consultant, Ford D3
DAN LESLIE, Business Development Manager, ADESA
BRYAN MCINTYRE, Senior Manager, Remarketing, Hyundai Capital Canada
JONATHAN D. MIRECKI, National Sales Manager, Carpages.ca
JASON MISTRY, Director of Operations, EBlock
CARRIE OLIVA, Director of Product Development, Strathcom Media
FRANCESCO OLIVETI, President, Option B Solutions Inc.
CANDICE PAHAL, Dealer Services Consultant, iA-SAL
REENA PATEL, Administration Manager, Northstar Acceptance Corp.
CHRIS SAMADH, Director, Customer Experience, autoTRADER.ca and TRADER Corp.
LUIZ SEDEH, Marketing Manager — Branding & Analytics, TradeRev
DILPREET SINGH KALSI, Group Marketing Manager, Rafih Auto Group
JON TOKER, Used Vehicle Consultant, ES3
CASSANDRA D. VASSOS, Director of Finance, Approval Team
WILTON WONG, Senior Director Automotive and Insurance, Strategy & Innovation, Equifax Canada Co.
