Kijiji has lined up entrepreneur and bestselling author Gary Vaynerchuk as its keynote speaker for its fifth annual Toronto DealerTalkx conference on Nov. 16.
Vaynerchuk will share his expertise on digital media and discuss entrepreneurship and leadership in a way that embodies this year’s conference theme, “Dealership of the Future,” according to Kijiji.
“DealerTalk is designed to inspire and educate Canadian automotive professionals, and offer insights on the latest sales and marketing trends,” Kijiji head of autos Leanne Kripp said in a news release. “With Gary Vaynerchuk, one of the world’s leading marketing experts, as our keynote — sharing his expertise on digital media, entrepreneurship and leadership with our industry partners — we’re confident this year’s conference will embody our forward-thinking theme and be the must-attend event.”
Additionally, a DealerTalk Advisory Board made up of a select group of Canada’s top automotive professionals has been established this year.
The board is led by Kripp and Niel Hiscox, president of Universus Media Group, who serves as the executive chairman of the board.
“I am honored to be leading the new DealerTalk Advisory Board,” Hiscox said. “Having a group of industry leaders guide the conference is a testament to Kijiji’s ongoing commitment in supporting the advancement of Canada’s dealers.”
The board is responsible for providing guidance and leading key elements of the conference in an effort to enhance the learning experience for all attendees, Kijiji said.
Additional speakers and conference details are set to be announced in the coming weeks.
For more information on the DealerTalkx conference, visit www.dealertalk.ca.
Koch Automotive Group recently announced that it has developed a new e-commerce website that it will roll out across each of its dealerships, starting with Edmonton's Koch Ford Lincoln and DK Ford.
The new platform for buying cars will allow consumers to browse inventory, speak with live operators and reserve a purchase — all online.
“The consumer can reserve or purchase a vehicle without ever physically stepping foot into a dealership,” Koch Auto Group said in a news release. “The new website challenges the auto retailer industry that has operated the same way for decades.”
Like at a brick-and-mortar dealership, consumers are granted test drives and can even negotiate pricing before paying the vehicle total on the website.
Before a purchase, car buyers can also speak with a representative to complete the financial terms.
When it’s time to pay, consumers will be directed to use a major credit card or a Paypal account to complete their transaction.
Additionally, there’s a "Reserve" option offered, it lets consumers reserve a vehicle with a refundable 1-percent deposit.
For more information about the new e-commerce website and its upcoming rollout, visit www.kochford.com.
Similarly, in the fall of last year, a new website launched in Canada that allows consumers to buy used vehicles entirely online.
Through Zoom.ca, shoppers can customize financing, put down a deposit, purchase protection and insurance, and sign necessary documents.
The site provides 360-degree views of vehicles and has what it calls a “rigorous certification and merchandising process.” The vehicles on the site are chosen by Zoom’s buyer team and undergo a 360-point inspection. A free CarProof report is also provided.
Zoom said that consumers will be able to finish the process in 10 minutes.
The Ontario Motor Vehicle Industry Council announced it recently launched a province-wide multi-media campaign to increase awareness of all-in price advertising.
OMVIC said it started the campaign following research the council conducted that showed some Ontario car dealers continue to add additional fees to their advertised prices — though it is illegal and disadvantages law abiding dealerships.
“Since 2010 car-buyers have had right to all-in price advertising”, OMVIC director of communications and education Terry O’Keefe said in a news release. “That means dealers must include all fees, except HST and licensing, in any advertised vehicle price.”
The council said when dealers don’t include all fees it is unfair to car-buyers and non-compliant dealers get an unfair edge over dealers who advertise prices which include all fees and charges.
“If consumers know they have a right to all-in price advertising, they are able to protect themselves should they encounter non-compliant advertising,” OMVIC said.
The Ontario-wide campaign has used television, radio, online, billboard/transit and social media advertising to inform car buyers about advertising pricing.
OMVIC’s awareness initiative includes a TV commercial directed at consumers that says, “Buying a car? The fun is back! Ontario made all-in price advertising the law for Ontario car dealers — no more hidden fees. All-in price advertising: it’s your right!”
The campaign’s 15-second TV commercial along with a 36-second radio message is currently available on Youtube.
Below are examples of fees or charges that dealers must include in an advertised price, according to OMVIC.
- Freight
- PDI-PDE (pre-delivery inspection/expense)
- Administration (Admin) fee(s)
- Government levies (air tax, etc.)
- Safety and e-test (unless the ad contains a mandated "Unfit Vehicle" or "As-Is Vehicle" statement)
For more information on all-in price advertising, visit OMVIC’s website.
Dilawri Group of Companies announced the opening Vancouver Nissan, its fifth Nissan dealership.
The group now owns and operates a total of 63 franchised dealerships across Canada.
"With the opening of Vancouver Nissan, we continue to expand our relationship with Nissan Canada. This dealership represents our third Nissan franchise in the Greater Vancouver Area," Dilawri’s co-principal director Ajay Dilawri said in a news release. "Nissan is a brand that is synonymous with quality and innovation. We are very proud to represent this brand in Downtown Vancouver."
Vancouver Nissan offers all of the latest Nissan vehicles in addition to a wide selection of certified pre-owned models, according to Dilawri.
The location’s service center provides factory trained technicians and a customer lounge fitted with WiFi, TV and phone charging stations.
The new dealership is located at the intersection of Burrard Street and West 8th Avenue.
"We are very excited to service the Downtown Vancouver market and we invite the local community to visit the new sales and service facilities," said General Manager Angelo Barigello. "Our multilingual sales and service staff are ready to deliver clients with a world-class purchase and service experience."
Vancouver Nissan’s complimentary services include refreshments, car wash with every service, and Dilawri's loyalty rewards program.
Mazda Canada recently named the recipients of its Dealer of Distinction award program, which recognizes dealers who have efficiently run all facets of their dealership's operations.
"The Dealer of Distinction award is one of the highest honors a Mazda Dealer can earn," Massey Kondo, Mazda Canada's president and chief executive officer, said in a news release. "Each of these 30 winning dealers have excelled in delivering outstanding customer experience and have demonstrated their strong commitment to the Mazda brand."
The evaluation process used to identify and enhance dealer’s operating efficiency according to Mazda Canada's strict guidelines has been in place since 1993.
Mazda Canada said it collects quantifiable data from all the aspects of a dealer's operations and evaluates them. Specific areas of operation include: sales, service, administration and facilities.
“The criteria required for a dealership hoping to earn the award is a continually moving target in order to challenge dealerships even after receiving the Dealer of Distinction designation.” Mazda Canada said.
Winning dealers will receive a commemorative award for display in their respective dealerships.
Mazda Canada is headquartered in Richmond Hill, Ontario and currently has a nationwide network of 165 dealerships.
The following dealerships listed are Mazda Canada's 2017 Dealer of Distinction award program recipients:
Courtenay Mazda, Courtney, BC
Destination Mazda Vancouver, Vancouver, BC
Metrotown Mazda, Burnaby, BC
Morrey Mazda of the Northshore, North Vancouver, BC
OpenRoad Mazda, Port Moody, BC
Pacific Mazda, Victoria, BC
Signature Mazda, Richmond, BC
VIP Mazda, Abbotsford, BC
West Coast Mazda, Pitt Meadows, BC
Wolfe Langley Mazda, Langley, BC
Kramer Mazda, Calgary, AB
Regina Mazda, Regina, SK
Highway Mazda, Steinbach, MB
Achilles Mazda of Milton, Milton, ON
Agincourt Mazda, Toronto
Carling Motors, Ottawa
Cobourg Mazda, Cobourg, ON
401Dixie Mazda, Mississauga, ON
Guelph City Mazda, Guelph, ON
Kanata Mazda, Kanata, ON
Kieswetter Motors Inc., Kitchener, ON
Leggat Mazda Burlington, Burlington, ON
Yorkdale Dufferin Mazda, Toronto
Baie Comeau Mazda, Baie Comeau, QC
Beauport Mazda, Beauport, QC
Dubé Mazda, Rivière-du-Loup, QC
Performe Mazda, Mont Laurier, QC
Sept-Îles Mazda, Sept-Îles, QC
Atlantic Mazda, Moncton, NB
Martin Mazda, Edmundston, NB
The Dilawri Group of Companies earlier this week announced the acquisition of Cadillac Chevrolet Buick GMC West Island, lifting the company to a combined total of nine dealerships in the province of Quebec.
Executives also pointed out this acquisition brings Dilawri’s total franchised dealership count to 62, and represents a second Cadillac Chevrolet Buick GMC dealership for the group.
“We are thrilled to realize the addition of Cadillac Chevrolet Buick GMC West Island to our group and are pleased to welcome the more than 65 new employees to our company," said Kap Dilawri, who shares the title of principal director with his brothers, Tony and Ajay.
“This dealership addition allows us to grow our footprint in Dollard-des-Ormeaux, a community that we have proudly served since 2015. Representing our second Cadillac Chevrolet Buick GMC dealership, we are very proud to grow our partnership with General Motors Canada and we are honored to represent these brands in the local market,” Kap Dilawri continued.
Located at 3650 Boulevard des Source in Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Cadillac Chevrolet Buick GMC West Island originally opened its doors in 2013. At just over 23,000 square feet, the dealership boasts a 16-vehicle showroom, 12-car indoor service drive-thru and 18 mechanical service bays.
The dealership also features a state-of-the-art collision center, including two paint booths.
“We are proud to join a first-class dealership group such as Dilawri,” said Nick Avdeliodis, general manager of Cadillac Chevrolet Buick GMC West Island. “We look forward to gaining from Dilawri’s structure, experience, processes and customer service orientation. It’s an exciting time for the dealership.”
As the industry continues to gather for the Auto Remarketing Canada Conference and the Women & Automotive: Canadian Leadership Forum, platinum sponsor TradeRev announced on Tuesday a series of exclusive relationships with some of Canada’s largest dealer groups.
TradRev highlighted the collection includes the Dilawri Group of Companies, AWIN Group, The Humberview Group, Open Road Automotive Group, Weins Canada and The MIERINS Automotive Group.
Officials explained the agreements were signed in partnership with ADESA, a 50-percent stakeholder in TradeRev and business unit of KAR Auction Services. The arrangements make ADESA the exclusive physical auction partner and TradeRev’s mobile app the exclusive online remarketing tool for these large geographically diverse dealerships.
TradeRev chief executive officer and co-founder Mark Endras pointed out the groups represent more than 100 dealerships across Canada and will add tens of thousands of vehicles to the inventory available through TradeRev’s broad network of buyer and seller dealers.
“We’re tremendously proud to have earned the trust and confidence of some of Canada’s largest, most successful and most technologically sophisticated dealer groups,” Endras said. “Today’s news is a big step forward for our company, our mobile app solution and the wholesale used-car industry in Canada.”
TradeRev’s technology is designed to build transparency and convenience into every automotive transaction by placing live, real-time bidding auctions into the palm of dealers’ hands. The company insisted its intuitive, easy-to-use mobile app can provide a fast, efficient and accurate way to obtain true market value for trade-ins and used-vehicle inventory.
With the added volume of vehicles from these agreements, Endras added dealers will have increased access to a broader range of used vehicles that fit their unique dealer profile and business model.
“The ADESA-TradeRev partnership and KAR’s diverse platform of capabilities will provide these progressive dealer groups with a true end-to-end remarketing option,” he said. “This huge value-add is not something that’s typically available at the dealer level.”
ADESA Canada chief client officer Lisa Scott elaborated about the development, saying, “We have strong, longtime partnerships with dealer groups in Canada, and we’re always looking for new, innovative ways to deliver value.
“With our combined services and offerings, we have the ability to streamline the used-vehicle lifecycle and generate better outcomes for dealers,” Scott went on to say.
To learn more about TradeRev’s new Pro and Standard plans go to DealerEndorsed.com.
As the company prepared to share its 2016 used- and new-vehicle sales totals, AutoCanada announced late on Thursday that Thomas Orysiuk is resigning from his position as president and as a member of the company’s board of directors.
The dealer group said Orysiuk’s resignation as president and director is effective on Friday, and AutoCanada chief executive officer Steven Landry would assume the role of president and CEO.
“On behalf of the board of directors, we sincerely thank Tom for his many years of dedicated service as an officer and director of AutoCanada — and particularly in this year of transition,” Landry said. “We wish him all the best in his future endeavors.”
The executive action coincided with AutoCanada releasing its fourth-quarter and full-year financial statement, which included reports of annual revenue and gross profit staying nearly flat year-over-year.
The company said revenue from existing and new dealerships came in at $2.89 billion in 2016, down slightly from the 2015 figure of $2.90 billion. Its gross profit from existing and new dealerships remained flat at $486.1 million in 2016, as a year earlier it was $487.7 million.
Looking at how the dealer group moved metal, AutoCanada reported that its 55 stores retailed a total 19,561 used vehicles in 2016, down slightly from the 2015 total of 20,342 used units. On the new-model side, AutoCanada said its combination of retail and fleet transactions resulted in a sum of 40,032 units last year; that’s down by 2,425 units year-over-year.
“Fiscal 2016 capped off the second consecutive year where our core markets faced deteriorating business conditions. However, wherever there are challenges there are also opportunities, and I believe AutoCanada is well-positioned to execute on its strategy and create value for shareholders,” Landry said.
“We are responding to economic conditions in our key markets by focusing on market share, operating expenses, accretive acquisitions, and delivering consistent performance across all of our dealerships,” he continued.
Contained within the company’s outlook for 2017, AutoCanada said it plans to spend approximately $30.9 million on dealership relocations and expansions.
“We are under construction on the relocation of Audi Winnipeg, which we anticipate will lead to increased customer traffic and sales. We also plan to begin construction on two new open-point locations in Calgary and Ottawa,” the company said.
AutoCanada went on to mention its five-year capital spending outlook is approximately $145.3 million.
“This level of spending, along with the company’s current dividend commitments, are expected to be balanced with internally generated cash flow,” AutoCanada said.
AutoCanada also announced that it has executed an agreement with its syndicated lending partners to amend and restate its $250 million revolving credit facility while extending the maturity date of the agreement by two years to May 2020.
Although there were no changes to the composition of lenders included in the syndicate, AutoCanada indicated HSBC and RBC will co-lead the agreement while HSBC will retain its position as sole book-runner and agent.
Under the terms of the new agreement, AutoCanada pointed out there are no changes to the $250 million borrowing limit or debt covenants although modifications have been made to the facility pricing grid, which the company anticipates will allow for more effective management of financing charges.
“Despite the sustained economic challenges of the past two years, this new agreement highlights the unwavering confidence our lending partners, HSBC, RBC and ATB, have in AutoCanada and their continued support for the growth and success of our company,” AutoCanada chief financial officer Chris Burrows said.
“We believe that this agreement will allow us to continue to pursue and implement our strategic vision and underlines the strength of our relationships with our valued financing partners,” Burrows added.
Dealer performance will be one of the many topics discussed, as there are more than 100 people from 74 different dealerships registered for the Auto Remarketing Canada Conference, which will be held April 3-4 at the Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto.
And the list has been growing steadily, say conference organizers.
If you’d like to connect with these folks, make sure you register for the conference today.
The more a Canadian car shopper researches online, the more likely he or she is to be the move.
According to a CarGurus survey of 1,000 randomly selected Canadian adults — conducted online in February by Google Surveys — most car shoppers (70 percent, in fact) say they wouldn’t travel more than 100 kilometers to buy a car.
However, of the car shoppers who spend more than 10 hours researching online, nearly a third (30 percent) said they would be willing to travel more than 200 kilometers.
And 57 percent of those folks going online for 10-plus hours will end up visiting at least four dealerships, CarGurus said.
Among respondents using at least four websites to research the car, 70 percent said they would travel furthest to buy a car, putting it above such big ticket items as electronics, home appliances and furniture.
Looking again at shoppers using four-plus websites, 54 percent will visit at least four dealerships, according to CarGurus.
Conversely, among shoppers who don’t use the Web to research their purchase, 44 percent were more apt to stop by just one dealership.
“Dedicating research time and using online resources can take the guess-work out car shopping and position a shopper to find their perfect deal, even if it means travelling further to get it,” Sarah Welch, senior vice president of consumer marketing at CarGurus, said in a news release.
“It’s interesting yet unsurprising that shoppers that invest significant time in research are also willing to travel further to get the car they want.”
With an impressive 2,084 new vehicles sold in 2016, Dilawri Group of Cos. announced on Wednesday that 401 Dixie Nissan set a new all-time record for Nissan dealerships nationwide.
The Mississauga store located in the Dixie Automall surpassed the previous sales record and has been recognized as the highest volume Nissan dealership two years in a row.
“It is an honour to be recognized by a trusted and dynamic brand such as Nissan,” 401 Dixie Nissan regional director Omar Khan said in a news release.“This commendation is a testament to our dedicated staff and their efforts to continually strive towards providing customer satisfaction.”
401 Dixie Nissan has also been awarded Nissan Motor Company’s prestigious Nissan Global Award, which recognizes distinction in sales and customer service.
Dilawri said, “[it’s] considered the highest acknowledgment bestowed upon Nissan dealerships worldwide.”
Khan and general manager Sohail Iqbal were presented with the award.
“Our success is made possible by our loyal clients who continue to allow us to prove our commitment in fulfilling their vehicle needs,” Iqbal said.
“Reaching this milestone only motivates us to continue to strive for greater achievements and customer service excellence.”
401 Dixie Nissan serves the Greater Toronto Area and carries an inventory of new and pre-owned Nissans.
