Automotive News Canada - August 2017 - 26

* AUGUST 2017

Cosmopolitan Calgarians warm to Tesla, despite no rebates
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$1,000), or the semi-autonomous driving system.
Nott Autocorp is a high-end
Winnipeg used-vehicle dealer that has
added previously owned Tesla vehicles to its inventory. There's no information on where its gets its cars but
models ranging from 2013 to 2016 have
been sold there and according to its
website, at press time, two used Teslas
were for sale on the lot.
More than most automakers, secrecy surrounds Tesla's operations and
intentions in Canada.
Russ Shaw, Chinook Centre manag
er, came to Tesla from Microsoft while
sales/service site manager, Christen
Rose, comes from a retail background.

The Tesla store in Calgary's Chinook
Centre shopping mall has been open
for two years. ( P H O T O : H A R R Y P E G G )

COSMOPOLITAN CALGARY
Shaw is not surprised by the growing positive reaction to electric vehicles in Calgary, saying Calgarians are

more cosmopolitan than the stereotypical "truck drivin' cowboys and oil
men."
While expressing a desire to be
cooperative with the press, both said
they are not authorized to speak about
sales, service or anything else to do
with the operation of their dealerships.
"I am forbidden to represent the
company to any kind of media," said
Shaw, while Rose said he's not allowed
to discuss the business. Shaw did say
that the service centre handled deliveries for his mall store. Photographs
were not allowed to be taken inside
either store.

CHARGE NETWORK GROWING

Plans for a network of Tesla

charging stations across the country
are indicated on the company website,
which shows a map of available locations, but as it is not dated it is uncertain how current it is.
A breakdown of sites by province
gleaned from the map:
Superchargers (about 20 minutes to charge a battery to 50 per cent
capacity, 40 minutes to 80 per cent,
75 minutes to 100 per cent): In British
Columbia, 44 with three coming soon.
In Alberta, 27 with two coming soon.
In Ontario, 61 with 16 coming soon. In
Quebec, 38 with 11 coming soon.
There are no chargers in
Saskatchewan or Manitoba although
one is planned for Winnipeg.
According to the map, there are none
east of Quebec. - ANC

Pickering's
classics were
part of the CIAS
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and Beverly Hills Group. Today,
BHG Media Fleet and its affiliates
schedule and prepare vehicles for
media use in Toronto, Vancouver,
Montreal and the Prairies.
On a visit to California about
30 years ago, "he noticed they
did fine detailing on a lot of cars,
and realized there was nothing in
Canada that did this," said Bhu
Kapur, a manager at BHG Media
Fleet in Toronto.
Pickering
returned to start
Beverly Hills
Fine Detailing
"and was one of
the first to bring
fine detailing and
high-speed waxing here.
"The manuRichard
Pickering had facturers reala passion for ized they needcars, planes
ed to keep the
and boats.
cars clean at the
auto shows and
Richard saw a niche and jumped
in. He started at Toronto, and then
did Vancouver and Montreal. He
had a team that went from show to
show cleaning cars."
Pickering had a passion for
cars, airplanes and boats, and was
well-known for the car collections
he assembled each year for the
CIAS over 10 years.
In 1991, then-AutoShow manager Tom Tonks wanted to start a
classics display. They met through
a mutual friend. At the time,
Pickering owned a 1968 Camaro.
"[Richard] drove into the parking lot with this amazing car and
right away it was, 'We're going to
be friends,'" said Tonks.
"It was a meeting of the minds,
and he was a part of many of those
projects" from 1991 until (Tonks'
retirement in) 2015.
"One year the show just didn't
have the budget, and the directors
didn't want the classics. Richard
asked if I wanted the classic cars
and I said absolutely . . . and he
said, 'I'll do it for free', and he did."
The following year, said Tonks,
"everyone was a believer. Richard
knew the investment and commitment he made would not be lost,
and he was right. He had a unique
business sense that way." - ANC

JANUARY 16-17, 2018

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Automotive News Canada - August 2017