Darren Slind, president of Clarify Group, shares insights from recent research on auto shows, revealing their continued significance in the vehicle buying journey. Despite the rise of online shopping, most consumers prefer a blend of online and in-person experiences. The data shows that auto show attendees are significantly more likely to purchase a vehicle within a year, with Gen Z showing notable enthusiasm for these events. The discussion also highlights how auto shows enhance digital marketing efforts and the evolving role of these events in the automotive landscape.
Honda adjusts production; hope for Brampton; exports lack U.S. content. Plus, Clarify Group co-founder and President Darren Slind discusses the latest findings in a survey about auto shows.
"we are currently managing an industry-wide semiconductor supply chain issue, making strategic adjustments to production as necessary"
Cars need tiny computer chips to run things like the engine, brakes, and entertainment systems. When there aren’t enough chips, car makers have to pause or slow down production.
A semiconductor supply chain issue refers to shortages or delays in the production of electronic chips, which are essential components for modern vehicles’ electronics and safety systems.
"Stellantis Canada maintains it is committed to Brampton Assembly Plant."
Stellantis is a big company that owns many car brands. It’s responsible for making cars in Canada and other countries.
Stellantis is a multinational automotive group formed from the merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and PSA Group, owning brands like Jeep, Peugeot, and Dodge.
"[155.8s] was to produce the Jeep Compass in Brampton,"
The Jeep Compass is a small SUV that’s easy to drive in the city and can handle light off‑road adventures. It’s known for its rugged look and comfortable interior.
The Jeep Compass is a compact crossover SUV produced by the American automaker Jeep, part of Stellantis. It combines off‑road styling with everyday practicality.
"It's keeping automakers from claiming a significant tariff discount. According to data from the U.S. International Trade Commission analyzed by T.D. Cohen, finished passenger vehicles from Canada and Mexico were tariffed at a rate of 19% in July."
A tariff discount means the government charges less money when a car comes from another country. It helps make those cars cheaper for buyers.
A tariff discount is a reduction in the import duty that a country applies to certain goods, often granted to encourage trade or protect domestic industries.
"According to data from the U.S. International Trade Commission analyzed by T.D. Cohen, finished passenger vehicles from Canada and Mexico were tariffed at a rate of 19% in July."
The USITC is a government group that looks at how much money people pay when cars come from other countries and makes sure trade rules are followed.
The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) is a federal agency that investigates trade disputes, collects data on imports and exports, and enforces trade laws.
"for the big three North American auto shows. So nearly three times..."
These shows are like the biggest car parties in North America where car companies show off their newest cars and plans. They’re called the "big three" because they’re the biggest and most important.
The "big three" refers to the three largest auto shows in North America: the Detroit Auto Show, the Los Angeles Auto Show, and the Chicago Auto Show. They are major events where manufacturers unveil new models and technology.
"And when we ask visitors in these post visit studies that we do, why they come..."
After people go to a car show, researchers ask them questions about why they went and what they liked. This helps car companies understand their audience.
Post-visit studies are surveys or research conducted after visitors attend an event, gathering feedback on their experiences and motivations.
"everything from software defined vehicles to various forms of electrification"
Think of a car that can get new features or fixes just by downloading a software update, like getting a new game on a console. It means the car’s behavior can change after you buy it, making it more flexible and up-to-date.
Software defined vehicles (SDVs) are cars whose functionality is largely controlled by software, allowing features to be updated or added over the air. This approach enables manufacturers to improve performance, safety, and user experience without physical recalls.
It’s the move from gasoline or diesel engines to cars that run on electricity, either fully electric or a mix of electric and gas. This helps cut pollution and can make cars cheaper to run.
Electrification refers to the shift from internal combustion engines to electric powertrains, including hybrids, plug‑in hybrids, and fully electric vehicles. This trend aims to reduce emissions, improve efficiency, and leverage advances in battery technology.
It’s the amount you have to pay when buying a brand‑new car today. Prices are higher than before because parts cost more and people want newer tech.
New vehicle prices refer to the cost consumers pay for a brand‑new car at the time of purchase. Prices have been rising due to supply chain constraints, higher material costs, and increased demand for advanced features.
"Yeah, this is what I call the out of sight, out of mind challenge or problem."
If a car brand isn’t shown or talked about, people might not remember it and may choose another brand instead.
This concept refers to the idea that when a brand is not visible at an event or in marketing, consumers may forget about it and be less likely to consider buying from that brand.
"...EV test track, as well as an external test track as well, so opportunities to actually drive the cars."
A test track is a special road or circuit where people can drive cars to see how fast and safe they are, without traffic.
A test track is a dedicated racing or driving circuit where manufacturers and enthusiasts can evaluate vehicle performance, handling, and safety under controlled conditions.
"...EV test track, as well as an external test track as well, so opportunities to actually drive the cars."
An EV is a car that runs on electricity from batteries, so it doesn’t use gasoline or diesel.
EV stands for Electric Vehicle, a car powered primarily or solely by electric motors and rechargeable batteries instead of internal combustion engines.
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Hi everyone, happy Halloween,
and welcome to the October 31st, 2025 episode
of the Automotive News Canada podcast.
I'm your host, Greg Lason,
the digital and mobile editor at Automotive News Canada,
coming to you from just outside Windsor, Ontario,
the automotive capital of Canada.
Today on the show, we hear from Clarify Group co-founder
and president, Darren Slind.
He recently spoke with Automotive News Canada publisher,
Tim Demopoulos.
Clarify Group is an automotive research and insights firm.
It recently conducted a survey about auto shows.
That survey was commissioned
by the Canadian International Auto Show,
the Los Angeles Auto Show,
and the New York International Auto Show.
Darren talks about those findings later on the podcast.
But first, a look at some of the top Canadian
automotive stories of the week.
Honda Canada says the Nexperia chip crisis
is forcing the automaker to make production adjustments
across its North American operations.
A spokesperson says, quote,
we are currently managing
an industry-wide semiconductor supply chain issue,
making strategic adjustments to production as necessary
to carefully manage the available supply of parts
and meet the needs of our customers.
The company would not comment on the status
of individual North American plants
or speculate on how long
the production curtailments would last.
Honda builds the Civic and the CRV at plants in Alliston,
just North of Toronto.
Sticking with manufacturing news,
Stellantis Canada maintains it is committed
to Brampton Assembly Plant.
Outgoing President of Canada Operations, Jeff Hines,
made the comment during this week's
House of Commons Industry and Technology Committee meeting.
Hines says the plant is not closed.
Says Hines, we want to continue
to build vehicles in Brampton,
and we want to bring something that's going to work,
but we need an environment that allows us to do that.
Hines was presumably alluding to the ongoing trade war
and reciprocal auto tariffs between the U.S. and Canada.
Hines says that while the original plan
was to produce the Jeep Compass in Brampton,
market dynamics that started nine months ago
led to the adjustments being made.
And finally, we end with even more manufacturing news.
An analysis of tariffs levied on vehicles imported
to the U.S. from Canada and Mexico
suggests that there is a high level
of non-U.S. content in those vehicles.
It's keeping automakers
from claiming a significant tariff discount.
According to data from the U.S. International Trade
Commission analyzed by T.D. Cohen,
finished passenger vehicles from Canada and Mexico
were tariffed at a rate of 19% in July.
Analysts suggest that reporting may have to do
with poor tracking and record keeping
up and down the value chain.
It's possible that USMCA compliant vehicles
contain more U.S. content,
but companies have not figured out
how to appropriately document that.
We have much more in-depth analysis on our website.
And that's a look at some
of the top Canadian automotive stories of the week.
Coming up, we hear a conversation
between Automotive News Canada publisher, Tim Demopoulos
and Clarify Group co-founder and president, Darren Slin.
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Welcome back to the Automotive News Canada podcast.
I'm your host, Greg Lason.
We now hear from the Clarified Group co-founder
and president, Darren Slin.
So Darren, your new research challenges the idea
that car buyers have moved entirely online.
What do the findings tell us
about why the in-person auto show experience
still matters so much in 2026?
Well, Tim, we know from not only
this visitor experience research,
but other work that we've been doing,
that the new vehicle buying journey is really a blend
of both the online and the in-person.
You know, when you consider the steps
through the buying journey for most consumers.
In fact, only a relatively small minority of shoppers
would be either all digital or all in-person.
The vast majority, it's a blend.
And so for the auto show, and particularly
the large multi-day, multifaceted shows
like the ones we're talking about today,
including the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto,
the New York International Auto Show
and the Los Angeles Auto Show,
they offer consumers an unrivaled opportunity
to see and to learn and to drive new vehicles
that are of interest to them in one place.
That's the key, and at one time.
And in fact, the data goes on to suggest
that the average visitor at these shows
is spending over four hours
and combined having something like nine plus
in-vehicle experiences.
So if you consider the cost for an OEM
or a large dealer group to replicate
that kind of consumer engagement outside of an auto show,
I mean, it would be prohibitive.
So what we're seeing from the data
is that when you think about the show itself
from a return or ROI, return on investment perspective,
it delivers strong value to exhibitors.
And I would argue that it doesn't replace digital marketing.
In fact, it accelerates the impact of digital marketing
because it drives consumers or drives behaviors
of consumers that both OEMs and dealers care about.
Still looking at ROI, most people that exhibit
or most companies that exhibit are looking for
real sort of action from their visits to the auto show.
So how much more likely are auto show attendees to purchase
and what's driving that level of purchase intent?
Well, I think the answer,
well, I'm not sure whether it'll surprise you or not,
but we've calculated this in comparison
to the average North American consumer,
a visitor to one of the three auto shows
that we're talking about is 2.9 times more likely
to purchase a new vehicle within the next 12 months.
So the statistics are, you know,
14% for the average North American consumer
in the next 12 months as compared to 40%
for the big three North American auto shows.
So nearly three times.
And when we ask visitors in these post visit studies
that we do, why they come,
the responses are remarkably consistent
across not only the big three North American shows,
but also we work with Montreal and Vancouver
and the results are remarkably consistent.
The number one reason, 80% of visitors come to see
what's new in terms of models and brands.
The second most compelling reason for attendance
is that 50% of visitors want to learn more
about new automotive technology.
And as you know, things are rapidly changing on that front.
And third, and perhaps most significant for exhibitors
is that nearly two in five visitors,
37% come to the show to make the decision
on their next vehicle.
And the auto show is the perfect venue,
the perfect way to accomplish all of these objectives.
So one of the more surprising insights
is that the Gen Z visitors are among the most enthusiastic
regarding auto shows.
And they're also the most enthusiastic promoters.
So what does that say about how younger consumers
engage with automotive brands today?
Indeed, it was kind of a counterintuitive finding
when we first saw it.
And we double and triple check the data.
And of course, what we've seen now,
this is three years in a row, we've seen the same result
and we've seen the same result across markets.
So this is not a fluke,
but when we compare the likelihood
of different age categories of visitors
to recommend the show to family and friends,
by far the most enthusiastic promoters
are the 20 to 29 age group,
essentially the Gen Z in America,
the Gen Z cohort in Canada.
And when we sort of dig a little bit deeper
as to why that might be the case,
there's a couple of main reasons.
Number one, we know that vehicle technology
is changing at a very rapid pace,
everything from software defined vehicles
to various forms of electrification.
And we also know that new vehicle prices
are at record levels.
And so the stakes,
particularly for younger consumers are very high.
They don't wanna make a bad decision.
They wanna be fully educated.
And so these younger buyers
essentially appreciate the show
for not only its educational value,
but also the efficiency it offers them
in terms of being able to see,
and in many cases,
drive the vehicles that interest them.
As you know, all of these shows have significant
both indoor and outdoor test track opportunities.
Now, the study also found that a brand's absence
at the show can directly influence buying behavior
with some consumers saying that they're less likely
to consider that brand afterwards.
How should OEMs interpret that finding
when deciding whether or not to participate?
Yeah, this is what I call the out of sight,
out of mind challenge or problem.
Across all of the auto shows that we work with,
we know that visitors who are in the market
and state that within the next 12 months,
they intend to buy,
add at least one, if not more,
new models to their consideration list
as a result of attending the show.
In other words, brands or models
that were not on their radar
prior to buying a ticket to attend.
So when we roll that up in an aggregate level,
when we compare the results of exhibiting
versus non-exhibiting brands,
the results are quite dramatic.
And we measure something called consideration uplift.
And essentially, when you,
and we can do this both for exhibiting brands
as well as for brands that we're not exhibiting
because we know the nature of ownership of all visitors.
So we know what brands they own.
And what we found is that exhibiting brands
generate two and a half times the consideration uplift
compared to the average of all brands.
And then on the downside,
non-exhibiting brands collectively experience
a decline in consideration that is three times lower
than the average of all brands.
So taking that one step further,
we ask consumers, you know,
to what degree did brands being absent
have an impact on their show experience?
And over 70% said it did.
And frankly, it's not a positive one.
23% says nearly one in four visitors indicate
they are more likely to consider an exhibiting brand.
And one in five, 20% report being less likely
to buy a brand that was absent for the show.
So I would argue the stakes are quite high.
And in a mature vehicle market like in North America,
you know, we're talking about how the pie gets shared
when the pie's not necessarily growing.
You know, it is our opinion,
and the data would support this,
that OEM should not miss the opportunity
to protect their market share,
and ideally grow it through the auto show circuit.
Okay, with 55% of visitors heading to a dealership
and 28% actually purchasing or ordering a vehicle
after attending, according to your research,
what does that tell us about how auto shows complement
digital marketing and dealer engagement strategies
in particular?
Well, I think, Tim, that is the key word.
Auto shows are a vital complement to online brand
and model awareness efforts of the manufacturers.
In our view, auto shows accelerate
the consumer buying decision.
So what they're really doing is amplifying
those digital marketing efforts,
because there's nowhere else that consumers can see,
and in many cases, drive the vehicles
that they are considering.
So they use the show to narrow down their shortlist.
And as I said before, in at least half the cases,
they're adding a new brand or model to their list.
So auto shows don't really replace digital marketing.
That's not their goal.
They amplify digital marketing efforts
and bring them to life.
So in its simplest explanation, the data is clear.
Auto shows sell cars.
Okay, now your company works
with the three largest auto shows in North America.
From your perspective, how have these events evolved
in recent years to remain relevant
and deliver a measurable ROI?
We talked a little bit about that before,
but let's talk about how it delivers ROI,
not only for the exhibitors,
but also for some of the sponsors too.
Yeah, and that's a great question.
And actually, just to clarify, pardon the pun,
we're fortunate to work with not only
the three largest North American shows,
New York, Los Angeles, and Toronto,
but also with the three largest shows across Canada,
which include Salon d'Auto in Montreal,
Vancouver Elevate, and for the first time this year,
Quebec City is joining the program.
But for sure, since the pandemic,
we are seeing an evolution in the role of the show.
While shows continue to be the perfect venue
for OEMs to launch new vehicles
and technologies to the media,
we've seen that the emphasis has been shifting a little bit
to the show's role as a highly effective consumer marketing
and selling opportunity.
In fact, I think it's fair to say some OEMs were skeptical
about coming back right after the pandemic,
but now that the auto shows have been able
to provide the manufacturers
with this kind of objective quantitative data
to both exhibiting and not exhibiting manufacturers alike,
the business case, the ROI for the show
is definitely more clear.
And this is the reason several brands
have now made the decision to return to major auto shows
as they don't want to miss the opportunity
to generate incremental consideration for their brand
and not gift that consideration
to their exhibiting competitors.
Now, out of all the auto shows on the auto show circuit,
Toronto seems to have remained relatively healthy
in terms of attendance,
and exhibitors are now starting to pile back in post-COVID.
So what is it about the show in Toronto in particular
that keeps on bringing back visitors year over year?
Well, I think it's a combination of factors.
It is the fact that so many exhibitors are at the show,
and as you say, more and more coming back every year.
In fact, it's only a small handful now
that are not yet exhibitors,
but it's not just the opportunity to see
and learn more about brands and vehicles,
but there are a lot of experiential elements at the show.
And I'm talking primarily, but not exclusively,
about both the internal within the convention center,
EV test track, as well as an external test track as well,
so opportunities to actually drive the cars.
And of course, you've got Camp Jeep
and other type exhibits that provide opportunities
for consumers to be in the vehicle.
And then there's a whole entertainment aspect.
I mean, not every single visitor is coming to buy a car.
There are families that come
and enjoy an afternoon at the show,
everything from Lego and exhibits
and other things like that, the police exhibits and so on.
So there's kind of something for everything.
But as I said before,
what we're seeing is that the vast majority,
it's nearly two and three consumers
that are coming to the Toronto show,
and this would be true of New York and LA as well.
They're there because they are at some stage
of the purchase funnel,
and they're using the show to help make a good decision.
I'd like to thank Darren for his time
and Tim for conducting the interview.
If you'd like to be a guest on the podcast,
have a suggestion or simply want to comment,
email me at glason at autonews.com.
And remember, you can listen to all our previous podcasts
on Spotify, iTunes, Google Play,
or on our website, automotivenews.ca.
Just scroll to the podcast hub
in the middle of the homepage.
And don't forget, you can follow Automotive News Canada
on X, where we're at, Auto News Canada.
And you can find me there too, under at G Lason, A-N-C.
Finally, you can find us on LinkedIn.
Just search Automotive News Canada.
That does it for this episode
of the Automotive News Canada podcast.
We hope you'll join us next time.
So long, everybody.
Bye.
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