Automotive News Canada - February 2017 - 12

12

* FEBRUARY 2017

How to handle life when it's going sideways at 200 km/h
By MICHAEL GOETZ
TORONTO CORRESPONDENT

FRANCK KIRCHHOFF
ICE-MASTER OF MECAGLISSE

"LEARNING THE
techniques to get control of a
car going sideways on ice
. . . that's so much fun," says
Franck Kirchhoff. "More fun
than driving on a road course
at 200 kilometres an hour."
He should know. He has
done both, and on the same
track, one of several that
make up the Quebec-based
Mecaglisse Motorsport Complex
that's owned and operated by
Kirchhoff.
In the non winter months,
the facility is used for rally
and defensive driving schools,
motorcycle racing,
club and corporate
events, and public
lapping days. Same
thing in the winter,
except for the motorcycles, and that some
of the tracks are
flooded with water
and iced over.
Mecaglisse has
become a favourite
spot of automakers
and tire manufacturers to hold product launches
and other corporate events. Not
a bad gig for a former sand and
gravel pit.
Kirchhoff opened and ran the
track with his father, Vincent,
who is now retired. A former
VW-Audi dealer in France,
Vincent was instrumental in

Franck Kirchhoff set up the winter driving facility with his
now-retired father, who was a former Audi dealer in France.

setting up Audi's first winter
driving program in Europe. The
two Kirchhoffs were
certain that North
America would also
embrace a permanent winter-driving
facility and scouted
around Quebec for a
few years until they
found this 700-acre
site.
"Business is
growing, year after
year," says Franck
Kirchhoff, adding
that a new off-road track is in
the works.

BERNADETTE BENOIT
CADA EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

"EVERY DAY I COME TO
work, I treat it like it's my first
day on the job," says Bernadette

tive-assistant role. That's quite
a few first days on the job, somewhere north of 7,500.
Benoit says the first-day
approach ensures that she
never takes her job for granted
and tackles her responsibilities
with full commitment.
Her job is to assist the CADA
President and the CADA board,
overseeing the CADA newsletter and the production of the
Dealer Satisfaction Index, and
more.
"One minute you're working
with the federal government,
then you're working with the
manufacturers, then with the
dealers themselves. CADA's
reach is very broad. I love the
variety and all the different people I get to meet. Never a boring
moment."
Anyone who has ever been
engaged with Benoit on CADA
business knows that in addition
to being hardworking and detail
oriented, she manages to keep
things on the light side.
"Life can get pretty difficult.
Sometimes you have to laugh."

SANKAR DASGUPTA

LEADING THE CHARGE FOR GLOBAL
CANADIAN PLAYER IN BATTERIES
Bernadette Benoit is in her
34th year with CADA.

"Berni" Benoit, executive assistant, Canadian Automobile
Dealers Association (CADA).
This is her 34th year with
CADA, and 31st in the execu-

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develops and manufactures proprietary lithium-ion ceramic
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Its subsidiary in Germany,
Litarion GmbH, is one of the

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largest suppliers of lithium-ion
cells and components in Europe.
Litarion, previously co-owned
by Daimler, also produces
electrodes and the Separion
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Electrovaya recently introduced
a line of Lithium-ion battery
systems for forklifts.
One of the big brains
behind Electrovaya is Sankar
DasGupta, an award-winning
scientist educated in London,
England, and Calcutta, India.
He co-founded the company and
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He is also an adjunct professor
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DasGupta is sought out
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- ANC

Qashqai is Nissan's new cash cow
Canada claims
Qashqai name,
but U.S. opts
for Rogue Sport for
brand ties to Rogue
By STEPHANIE WALLCRAFT

"JVTN® is my foundation! I developed a plan, a ton of new skills and
sold 9, 17 and now, my current average is 21 per month!"

Sankar DasGupta co-founded
Electrovaya and is chairman
and CEO.

TORONTO CORRESPONDENT

Nissan chose the Qashqai
name in Canada because of
cultural ties with Europe.

NISSAN'S SUBCOMPACT
utility vehicle is coming to
the North American market
as the Qashqai in Canada and
the Rogue Sport in the United
States.
The Canadian unit's decision to retain the global
Qashqai name stems from a
desire to capitalize on existing
awareness of the badge among
consumers who might have
encountered it in Europe since
its launch in 2006, says Brent
Smith, chief marketing manager at Nissan Canada.
"Qashqai is going to be a
core model and will be one of
our largest-selling vehicles."
Because of Canadians' affinity for a smaller vehicle and
a lot of similarities to Europe
in Canada, "we wanted to
have the same affiliation with
European lifestyle."
In contrast, Nissan USA
says that the benefits of shifting to the Rogue Sport name
south of the border will outweigh any similar pre-existing

awareness of the Qashqai that
American consumers might
have.
"The research that we did
showed that there is some
awareness of Qashqai but it's
minimal," says Phil O'Connor,
director and chief marketing
manager at Nissan Motor Co..
"Rogue has become our
best-selling model. Not just in
sales but also when we look at
the purchase funnel, we have
seen real growth in the awareness of the brand with consumers.
"Our thought was that if
we were to play off the Rogue
brand, the investment that we
make to launch the brand and
to sustain the growth of the
new Rogue Sport will benefit
Rogue and vice versa.
"We get kind of a double
return because the strength in
the Rogue brand would impact
both vehicles."
The Qashqai will begin
arriving in Canadian showrooms in the spring. - ANC
http://www.JoeVerde.com/Can
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Automotive News Canada - February 2017
