To accommodate its continuing growth in Canada, CARFAX said it will add hundreds of highly skilled jobs in the next few years. To house the expanding 230-plus person team, the company invested in a new 48,555-square-foot, state-of-the-art office space.
The office space was a relocation of CARFAX’s Canadian headquarters to the historical landmark at 100 Kellogg Lane in London, Ontario.
The company said CARFAX teams in London support the Canadian market and teams that support the U.S. portion of the business.
The company’s shared mission is to help used car buyers and sellers make better decisions about vehicles. That mission, according to the company, unites the efforts of both teams to a common goal.
The company offered additional details about the new space:
— 48,555 square feet of space over 2nd and 3rd floor
— Sit/stand capability and privacy/flexibility elements at every desk
— State-of-the-art AV and technology throughout
— Natural lighting via large windows and glass walls
— Green “living walls” helps air stay fresh
— Almost every white wall is a whiteboard
— Fun brand elements weaved in (such as colours, CAR FOX, and wall wraps)
Space specifics:
— 40 meeting rooms suited for various types of work: That includes17 focus rooms: one to two people for individual work or one-on-one meetings. These rooms are named for London, with names such as "Dufferin," "OEV" and "Thames." It also includes 11 huddle rooms for small meetings of up to five people. Named to pay homage to Kellogg’s with names such as Corn Flakes and Froot Loops. And it includes12 conference rooms: Sizes range to fit six to 12 people. Includes privacy elements and increased AV capabilities. Names relate to CARFAX such as Recall and VIN.
— Four open organic collaborations zones with couches and tables
— Three wellness rooms for activities such as rest, prayer and first aid.
— One large classroom that can break out into three sections (called “Snap,” “Crackle” and “Pop”)
— Kitchen and work café with booths
— Product demo space
— Fun zone and games centre
CARFAX Canada president and general manager Mark Rousseau said in a news release that the company owes much of its success to the strong talent in London, “so much so that our colleagues in the U.S. now also view London as a centre of excellence for building strong teams – especially in the technology and development sectors.”
Rousseau added that the company is excited about its future because of its recent naming as “Best Large Business” in London, its new office, and its growing business opportunities.
“We’re thrilled to see CARFAX growing here in London and joining the vibrant space at 100 Kellogg,” said London Economic Development Corp. president and chief executive officer Kapil Lakhotia.
“As a leader in our fast-growing technology and digital media sector of over 350 companies, CARFAX is an award-winning employer that’s putting London on the map,” Lakhotia said.
The company noted that until COVID-related health concerns ease, Canadian CARFAX employees are currently working from home, with hopes to be in the new office sometime in 2021. Hiring for various positions is still taking place virtually, and company job seekers can search for open Canadian CARFAX positions.
Through a new exclusive partnership with SiriusXM, Canadian independent warranty program provider Global Warranty is providing its customers with a three-month SiriusXM All Access trial that is free with qualifying Global Warranty products.
Those customers will receive the trial even if the vehicles they purchase do not have satellite radio.
Global Warranty is making the offer through its network of franchise and independent partner dealerships.
It is making the offer valid on all of its vehicle warranties: ULTIMATE Star Series, 30/30 Bumper to Bumper, ULTIMATE Test Drive and ULTIMATE RV warranties.
The company says driving should be an enjoyable and worry-free experience.
“So now, your customers can listen to their favorite tunes and feel well-protected by Global Warranty as they drive,” the company said in a news release.
Global Warranty emphasized that everyone is eligible for the program: For those with vehicles that don’t have satellite radio, the company is offering the three-month All Access trial as a streaming service for connected devices.
To sign up, partnered dealers can submit the warranty application online through EazeeApp.
Global Warranty will then handle the rest, and SiriusXM will then contact the customer directly through email or direct mail, to set up his or her account.
“We’re excited to work with Global Warranty on this new partnership, providing valuable tools for their dealers, and ultimately, more value for the customer,” said Sirius XM Canada vice president, automotive remarketing and dealer operations Mike Mazgay.
“Through their network, even more drivers are going to be able to enjoy our unparalleled audio entertainment inside and outside of the car,” Mazgay said.
Global Warranty vice president of sales and marketing Joe Korab said the program is another example of the company’s focus on innovation.
“It’s one more value-add tool we can give to our partnered dealers so they can offer the customer a better buying experience and at the same time, help drive their sales forward,” Korab said.
He continued, “Our commitment to innovation is fundamental to why we experienced unprecedented growth in 2019 and look forward to an even stronger 2020.”
Pre-owned vehicle online retailer Clutch has launched its service in the greater Toronto area.
The company started operations in Halifax in 2017, describing itself as an alternative to buying a car from a traditional dealership or privately from an individual.
Clutch says it does not operate within a large glass showroom or employ commission-based salespeople, allowing it to pass those savings on to its customers.
The company says every one of its cars undergoes a 210-point inspection, and it offers a seven-day, no-questions-asked money-back guarantee.
Clutch also said it is officially registered with the Ontario Motor Vehicle Industry Council, or OMVIC.
“We are proud to have worked closely with OMVIC over the last several months to be compliant with the Motor Vehicles Dealers Act and become registered to buy and sell vehicles in the province of Ontario,” Clutch founder and chief operating officer Steve Seibel said in a news release.
Clutch, which says it “makes buying a car as easy as getting an Uber,” also announced it has added several former Uber executives to “scale the business across Canada.”
Dan Park, former general manager and head of Uber Eats Canada, becomes chief executive officer for Clutch.
Karthik Sundaresan, former head of U.S. and Canada strategy and planning at Uber Eats, becomes chief supply officer for Clutch, with responsibility for purchasing, pricing and inventory management.
Andrew Tiffin, former chief of staff to the head of Uber Eats North America, becomes vice president, operations for Clutch.
“We are very excited to welcome Dan, Karthik and Andrew to the team," Seibel said.
Seibel added, "In Eastern Canada, our customers love Clutch and I am thrilled to be bringing a better way to buy and sell cars to the GTA," Seibel said.
Prior to joining Clutch, Park was responsible for building and scaling Uber Eats across Canada. The company said he drove strong growth in Canada, launching Uber Eats into more than 80 markets across the country and signing enterprise partnerships with McDonald’s, A&W, Recipe Group, Popeye’s and Starbucks.
“The car buying process is often painful and complicated,” Park said.
Park continued, “Buying a car should be as easy as getting an Uber, and I can't wait to change the way Canadians buy cars. I am excited to be building a truly customer-focused company rooted in transparency and trust to make car buying fun and easy.”
Sundaresan will lead the pricing, purchasing, inventory management and data science teams at Clutch.
Before joining Clutch, Sundaresan was director of strategy at the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. Prior to that, Sundaresan built the strategy and planning and finance functions for Uber Eats. That included overseeing efforts on growth and expansion strategy, business profitability, and regional operations.
Before Uber, Sundaresan was with McKinsey & Company, Credit Suisse and Scotia Capital.
“Clutch is a platform for consumers to buy and sell cars,” Sundaresan said.
Sundaresan added, “We are leveraging data to provide consumers with pricing transparency and ensure that we’re delivering the best value to our customers.”
For the fifth consecutive year, the Ford-F-150 is the top-searched vehicle on autoTRADER.ca.
And according to 2019 data that autoTRADER.ca recently released from its annual Top Searched Vehicles list, another truck moved into the list’s top 10 in 2019 – the Ram 1500. That vehicle climbed from spot No. 32 in 2018 to No. 7 in 2019.
“It's been five years since more than one pickup made the Top 10, indicating a renewed passion for larger utility vehicles among car shoppers,” autoTRADER.ca associate editor Dustin Woods said in a news release.
To “capture the pulse of Canadian car buyers' interests,” automotive marketplace, autoTRADER.ca says it mines and analyzes its site search data each year.
In addition to its top vehicle list, autoTRADER.ca noted some other findings from its study. One of those trends: Spring is king.
The company said buying and selling is top of mind as Canadians seek to spruce up their vehicles for the new season. March and April were top months for search volume on autoTRADER.ca in 2019.
Another finding is that classic car colors – black and white — were the most popular vehicle colors that Canadians sought. Those two made up more than half of all color queries, while grey, blue, red and silver were additional popular color choices.
And yet another trend from the study: Electric Vehicles are on the rise, with 2019 data showing a more than 50% increase in search volume for hybrid, electric vehicles and plug-in-hybrid vehicles compared to 2018. Nearly half of those searches were for hybrid vehicles such as the Toyota Prius, which continued to lead the category.
But a top theme from the Top Searched Vehicles list was the preference for trucks, with autoTRADER.ca noting that Canadians’ preference for large trucks challenged that of SUVs. The company said “the beloved Jeep Wrangler” fell off the list for the first time since 2014.
Pickup truck listings were up 21% from January to December 2019. SUV listings, on the other hand, showed a 5% decrease over the same period, according to autoTRADER.ca.
“The findings further indicate that the truck category is revving up with Canadians,” autoTRADER.ca wrote.
The study also showed trends on a regional level, noting that the Honda Civic held its spot as the No. 1 top searched vehicle in Quebec for the third consecutive year. It placed No. 2 on the national list.
In Ontario, residents of that region are leaving luxury behind, according to autoTRADER.ca. The BMW 3-series was the only luxury vehicle to make the Top 10 list in Ontario.
And more good news for trucks on a regional level: The Ford F-150, Ram 1500 and Toyota Tacoma all made the Top 10 list in the Maritimes region.
2019 top searched vehicles in Canada:
— Ford F-150
— Honda Civic
— Honda CR-V
— BMW 3 Series
— Ford Mustang
— Chevrolet Corvette
— Ram 1500
— Toyota Corolla
— Toyota RAV4
— Porsche 911
As digital wholesale platforms continue growing in Canada, Cox Automotive Canada has launched a new Canadian dealer-to-dealer digital auction platform that it says can use Manheim’s brand and physical auction services to deliver a competitive advantage to all dealers and franchises.
The platform, called MUVIT, offers thousands of vehicles from coast-to-coast, according to the company, which adds that the platform adds fresh, high-quality inventory daily.
Cox Automotive Canada said the inventory is sourced from dealers, OEMs and fleet portfolios, which the company says removes the barriers of digital arbitration with direct access to Manheim services with the click of a button.
The company describes the platform as connecting “buyers and sellers from anywhere, anytime.”
It was designed and developed in Canada and supported by PAVE, an artificial intelligence vehicle inspection technology. With MUVIT, users can post vehicles for sale within minutes, the company said. The platform helps connect expanded sales channels, data analytics and integrated services for online auctions, the company said.
Together, MUVIT and PAVE provide an inspection and listing process for online selling. Automated damage detection, a guided workflow for image capture and click-to-list capabilities helps MUVIT create a consistent experience on every vehicle, Cox Automotive Canada said.
That, according to the company, helps dealers buy and sell more vehicles with confidence.
With MUVIT, the company said, dealers can find the vehicles they are searching for and — all in one transaction and available 24/7 — purchase, finance, and order transport.
The company said the platform offers diverse channels so buyers can find the specific vehicles they need. It also offers access to all of Manheim’s vehicle services, including arbitration, PayOnline, inspections, and transportation.
Other advantages of the platform for buyers, according to the company:
— Buyers get full transparency/disclosures on all vehicles sold, using the PAVE AI integrated inspection platform.
— Accurate wholesale market data refines bidding/purchasing to keep buyers current with vehicle trends through Kelley Blue Book values.
— From a desktop or mobile device, buyers can bid, buy, pay and order transport on all vehicles.
For sellers, the company says MUVIT’s advantages include:
— In minutes, PAVE inspects and loads vehicles, which according to the company creates a seamless process and saves time with what it says is the industry’s first automated damage detection.
— From a desktop or mobile device, more visibility and control over sellers’ inventory at Manheim locations.
— With flexibility to offer sellers’ vehicles in multiple digital channels to target what the company describes as the “right” buyers, that allows product to achieve the highest value.
— Sellers gain access to all of Manheim’s ancillary end-to-end remarketing services with what the company describes as “the maximum amount of resources to increase speed to market.”
— Support is provided from a trade desk sales team that the company says is dedicated to negotiating offers received on all sellers’ vehicles—whether they are listed online or in-lane across Canada—which the company says helps close more deals and reduce days to sell.
“With the addition of MUVIT and its seamless integration with our existing and trusted Manheim, NextGear Capital, Ready Logistics and Kelley Blue Book brands, Cox Automotive is now able to deliver the most robust suite of services in the market,” Cox Automotive Canada vice president, inventory & financial solutions Jerome Dwight said in a news release.
Dwight added, “Regardless of dealership size or location, our clients now have another channel to efficiently find the right car or buyer at any time.”
Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources Amarjeet Sohi has announced a nearly $2 million investment for the development of two electric vehicle infrastructure projects in Quebec.
Through one of the projects, utilities will be able to “dynamically adjust power output and pricing” at charging stations, and that will occur based on predicted load use, said Natural Resources Canada.
Stating in a news release that Canada’s climate plan is working well for the planet and Canadians, Natural Resources Canada said zero-emission vehicles will be an important part of Canada’s clean energy future. The organization said Canada’s climate plan includes environmental protection measures such as actions to protect oceans, phase out coal-fired electricity, invest in renewables and public transit and reduce plastic pollution.
“As families continue to make greener choices, Canada is delivering more options for them to drive where they need to go, while reducing pollution,” Natural Resources Canada said.
The two projects are funded through the Green Infrastructure Program, providing data for future Canadian clean energy projects throughout Canada, Natural Resources Canada said, adding that the projects will help create jobs and reduce pollution.
Quebec-based Mogile Technologies will develop the projects.
The first project comes through a $1.136 million investment and will test new technology designed to lower power grid peak period demand. The technology is compatible with multiple electric vehicle charging networks, according to Natural Resources Canada.
The second project, at an $861,000 investment, will develop a single account for electric vehicle drivers to pay for the use of any charging station. That could improve the business model for charging infrastructure operators and make payment easier for drivers, Natural Resources Canada said.
“Getting more electric vehicles on the road is a practical and effective way for Canadians to reduce pollution and fight climate change,” Sohi said. “The Government of Canada will continue to invest in the infrastructure needed to give drivers easy, fast-charging options for low-emission vehicles, giving Canadians cleaner options when they drive."
Mogile Technologies Inc. chief executive officer Simon Ouellette said, “To get more Canadians on the roads in electric vehicles right now, we have to simplify the charging experience. To make these choices ubiquitous in the future, we need to build an infrastructure that optimizes available energy resources. With our ChargeHub Passport payment solution and our ChargeHub Central infrastructure management system, we will do just that."
The Dilawri Group is leveraging technology in an effort to have a single tool to manage, develop and grow their employees.
The group operating 72 franchises and employing more than 4,000 individuals recently chose HR4 as its exclusive HR and employee engagement software partner.
According to a news release, Dilawri is on a mission to heighten its employee experience in order to attract, retain and grow their team.
“We have always focused on creating a culture that puts people first — our employees, our customers, and our community,” co-principal director Kap Dilawri said.
“In order to deliver on this philosophy, we continue to implement progressive solutions to provide the right processes, habits, and culture that fosters connectivity and innovation for our employees,” Dilawri continued. “We are excited to partner with HR4 and take our human resources to the next level.”
HR4 founder and chief executive officer Heather Macpherson added, “Working with Dilawri is a testament to HR4 and our team’s ability to deliver high-quality service and software to Canada’s largest automotive group. We are thrilled to call them our partner.”
