Automotive News Canada Podcast
Automotive News Canada
Updated 1 day agoPodcast by Automotive News Canada
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Episodes (316)
Feb. 18, 2022 | Tara Andriga schools us about autonomous vehicles
Tara Andriga of the Partners for Automated Vehicle Education talks about the potential for autonomous vehicles, when they might finally arrive for the masses, just who might be liable should they crash, and more.
Feb. 11, 2022 | An in-depth look at the EV startups coming to Canada and what they sell
Automotive News Canada reporter Sam McEachern gives a lay of the land when it comes to which EV startups have their sights set on selling new vehicles in Canada. He breaks down the makes, models and the differences between the likes of Lucid, Rivian, VinFast and traditional legacy automakers.
Feb. 4, 2022 | Unifor’s Jerry Dias on U.S. EV tax rebates, battery plants and Brampton
Unifor’s Jerry Dias says he would like to see Canadian-made EVs qualify for U.S. tax rebates under President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better bill. The union boss also warns “there will be hell to pay” if Stellantis doesn’t allocate new product to its assembly plant in Brampton, Ont.
Jan. 28, 2022 | J.D. Power’s Robert Karwel on incentives, interest rates and inventory
J.D. Power’s Robert Karwel said 2021 was a wild ride and 2022 will have some bumps in the road. But profits should remain high and inventory low. He also explains why an interest rate hike might not mean a thing.
Jan. 21, 2022 | David Adams on a federal ZEV mandate and luxury tax
David Adams, head of the Global Automakers of Canada, discusses the federal government’s “mandatory target” of having all sales of light-duty vehicles be of the zero-emissions variety by 2035. He also talks about the effects of a looming tax on luxury vehicles.
Jan. 14, 2022 | Jeff Williams of Absolute Results on digital retailing and retention
Jeff Williams of Absolute Results talks about retaining new-car buyers in the online era and he details how selling EVs in the digital realm differs from selling new vehicles powered by the traditional internal combustion engine.
Jan. 7, 2022 | Rebekah Young, Shahin Alizadeh on what lies ahead in 2022
Rebekah Young, director of fiscal and provincial economics at Scotiabank Economics, assess the health of the economy and predicts how many new vehicles Canadians will buy in 2022 while Downtown Auto Group CEO Shahin Alizadeh explains how his business will cope with the ongoing inventory and COVID-19 crises. Neither think much will change in the short term.
Dec. 31, 2021 | Replay of Pfaff CEO Chris Pfaff on why he sold to Lithia Motors
In this holiday replay of the Sept. 24, 2021 Automotive News Canada Podcast, Pfaff CEO Chris Pfaff explains how U.S.-based Lithia Motors went from “kicking tires” to buying Pfaff Automotive Partners “on our terms.” Pfaff also talks about why the deal was good for his company, and what’s next.
Dec. 24, 2021 | Replay of GM Canada’s Scott Bell on accelerated truck launch
In this holiday replay of the May 7, 2021 Automotive News Canada Podcast, Scott Bell, president of General Motors Canada, explains why the company has advanced the launch of pickup production in Oshawa, Ont., talks about the hurdles the company had to overcome, and sings the praises of the Canadian workforce.
Dec. 17, 2021 | Ontario’s Vic Fedeli on battery plants, EV incentives and more
Ontario Minister of Economic Development Vic Fedeli talks about the province's pursuit of battery plants, the importance of the auto tech sector and why the government won’t reinstitute an EV rebate.
Dec. 10, 2021 | Eva Wiese on Mercedes-Benz Canada’s sale of 7 dealerships
Mercedes-Benz Canada CEO Eva Wiese, Joe Zanchin of Zanchin Automotive Group and Sylvester Chuang of AWIN Group of Dealerships talk about Mercedes’ decision to sell seven stores in the GTA and why Zanchin and Chuang joined forces to buy the dealerships. The two dealers also talk about the future of consolidation.
Dec. 3, 2021 | Brendan Sweeney outlines why Canada needs a national auto strategy
Brendan Sweeney, the executive director of the Trillium Network for Advanced Manufacturing, explains why now is the time for a national auto strategy. He also talks about Canada’s first Automobility Hub and what makes it different from others in the world.
November 26, 2021 | Flavio Volpe: Biden ‘worse than Trump’ for Canada’s auto industry
Flavio Volpe, the head of the Canadian Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association was in Washington during the trilateral summit between Canada, the United States and Mexico. He breaks down how President Joe Biden’s purchase incentive for American-made EVs could decimate the Canadian auto industry. He also explains the latest way the microchip crisis is costing suppliers.
November 19, 2021 | Swamy Kotagiri on ‘the strength of Magna,’ and a failed Veoneer deal
Magna CEO Swamy Kotagiri talks about what he calls “the strength of Magna,” how the supply giant has navigated COVID-19 and the chip crisis, what’s next after a failed Veoneer deal, and when might autonomous vehicles arrive?
Nov. 12, 2021 | Rebekah Young, Robert Karwel on when the inventory shortage might end
Rebekah Young, the director of fiscal and provincial economics, at Scotiabank Economics, and Robert Karwel, J.D. Power Canada’s senior manager of automotive practice, discuss when the inventory shortage might end, what it’s doing to new-vehicle pricing and what it could mean for incentives in the new year.
Nov. 5, 2021 | Marketing expert Ryan Holtz on digital retailing and social media
Ryan Holtz, of Ryan Holtz Marketing and a podcast host, explains where the industry’s at when it comes to digital retailing and what dealers must do to capitalize on it. He also lays out some dos and don’ts for dealers using social media to sell cars and build relationships.
Oct. 29, 2021 | Jerry Dias on Unifor’s problem with The Detroit 3 vaccine mandates
Unifor President Jerry Dias explains why his membership is now pushing back against vaccine mandates set to be implemented by the Detroit Three automakers. Dias says his union believes in vaccines but that the companies should be consulting with his executives before imposing mandates on employees.
Oct. 22, 2021 | Breaking down Stellantis’ future in Windsor
Stellantis says it will reduce minivan output to a single shift in Windsor, Ont. But, Unifor Local 444 President David Cassidy says the company has promised new product and the return of three shifts, eventually. Sam Fiorani of AutoForecast Solutions says product is earmarked for the factory, but it’s contingent on the next collective agreement. Meanwhile, Ontario Premier Doug Ford says the province is willing to offer financial assistance to the automaker.
Oct. 15, 2021 | Mitsubishi Canada’s Steve Carter on burgeoning digital retailing
Mitsubishi Canada Marketing Director Steve Carter says the company’s dealer network supports the automaker’s virtual showroom ClickShop. He also says the brand is weighing whether to participate in auto shows moving forward.
Oct. 8, 2021 | Don Romano: Chip crisis has Hyundai Canada with 7,000 vehicles on order
Hyundai Canada CEO Don Romano says the global microchip and inventory shortages are “100 per cent” behind the automaker’s third-quarter, nine-per-cent sales decline, but he insists “demand is at record levels,” too. He also notes other kinks, such as a lack of shipping containers and truckers, are affecting the service bay.
Oct. 1, 2021 | Volvo Canada’s Girgis talks sustainability, XC40 Recharge and inventory
Volvo Canada Managing Director Matt Girgis explains how the company’s unique shoe deal with Casca footwear came to be, and how it went international. He also discusses the importance of sustainability, how upgrades at the Port of Vancouver benefit Canadian dealers, and when inventory might get back to normal.
Sept. 24, 2021 | Pfaff CEO Chris Pfaff explains why he sold to Lithia Motors
Pfaff CEO Chris Pfaff explains how U.S.-based Lithia Motors went from “kicking tires” to buying Pfaff Automotive Partners “on our terms.” Pfaff also talks about why the deal was good for his company, and what’s next.
Sept. 17, 2021 | Plug ’N’ Drive’s Cara Clairman on the federal parties’ EV promises
Plug ’N’ Drive CEO Cara Clairman says there is more to electric-vehicle policy than just incentives. The next federal government needs to also focus on infrastructure and EV manufacturing.
Sept. 10, 2021 | What it means to have live auto shows and events again
Adam Ruppel is the organizer of the Drive Festival, just outside Toronto, and Christine Smith is the director of marketing for Hyundai Canada. They talk about dealing with COVID-19 while trying to get a live event off the ground and discuss the importance of auto shows making a return, and what they might look like moving forward.
Sept. 3, 2021 | Sam Fiorani on chip crisis: ‘It’s like trying to turn the Titanic’
Sam Fiorani of AutoForecast Solutions explains why automakers idle some Ontario plants before others worldwide, how long the on-again-off-again production due to the chip shortage might last, and which EVs Ford Oakville will be building.