Automotive News Canada - March 2022 - 3

* MARCH 2022
3
SECOND FRONT
WAR IN UKRAINE
UPDATES ON THE IMPACTS
TO THE AUTO INDUSTRY AT
www.automotivenews.ca
Russia's attack on Ukraine has caused disruptions at some
autoassembly plants and prompted companies to suspend
business with Russia. Automotive News Canada provides
updates online as they unfold. Short bites of latest news include:
Jobs available for
Ukrainian refugees
CANADA'S AUTO
suppliers are marshaling
their resources to support victims
of Russia's invasion of
Ukraine.
Flavio Volpe, head of the
Canadian Automotive Parts
Manufacturers' Association
(APMA), issued the call in a
tweet March 10, telling refugees
seeking security to reach
out to his organization.
" There is a proud heritage
of
Ukrainians
in automotive
in
Canada,
so we said,
'Let's go,' "
Volpe said
in a phone
inter " Like
most in the international
community, we remain
deeply concerned with the
very unfortunate situation
in Ukraine, " Magna spokeswoman
Tracy Fuerst said in
a statement. " Given current
conditions, Magna is idling its
Russian operations. "
Magna has a significant
presence in Russia, with six
plants and about 2,500 employees
there. Only Germany
(32 plants), Austria (17) and
the Czech Republic (11) have
more Magna plants within
their borders in Europe,
according to the company's
website.
view with
Automotive
News Canada. " We've got
more than a few board members
who have said, 'We need
people. If you want to be
active here and invite these
people, we will activate our
[human resources] departments
to respond to matchmaking.'
"
Volpe
FILE PHOTO
Magna suspends
Russian operations
CANADIAN SUPPLIER
giant Magna International
Inc. said it was halting its
operations in Russia due to
the invasion of Ukraine, a
company spokeswoman said
March 3.
Magna's plant in Kaluga,
for example, supplies components
to Volkswagen. The supplier
also has injection-molding
plants in St. Petersburg
and Nizhny Novgorod.
Magna follows many other
automotive companies in
suspending business operations
in Russia. Automakers
including Ford, Honda,
Toyota, Volkswagen, Jaguar,
Aston Martin, Volvo, General
Motors and Daimler Truck
have all suspended shipments
to Russia, halted vehicle
assembly in the country or
both in recent weeks.
Russia could seize
foreign-owned factories
that shut operations
A SENIOR MEMBER OF
Russia's ruling party has proposed
nationalizing - seizing
- foreign-owned factories that
shut down operations in the
country over what the Kremlin
calls a special military operation
in Ukraine.
Automakers including
Volkswagen, Toyota, Ford and
Hyundai have announced temporary
shutdowns of factories
in Russia after its invasion of
Ukraine and as their supply
chains are disrupted.
Linamar predicts
short-term supply issues
THE AUTO INDUSTRY
faces months of disruption
because of Russia's war in
Ukraine, but production will
recover as companies find
alternative sources for components,
according to the head of
one of Canada's largest parts
makers.
Linamar Corp. CEO Linda
Hasenfratz said her firm
- based in Guelph, Ont. -
expects to endure " another
month to two months " of supply-chain
problems directly
related to the
war.
The conflict
and
widespread
sanctions
against
Russia have
forced automakers
from
Stellantis to
Hasenfratz
FILE PHOTO
The Magna-Steyr plant in
Graz, Austria. FILE PHOTO
General Motors to Ferrari to
stop doing business there.
" I think that we shouldn't
get too carried away with
expectations of massive
declines in the market in
Europe, " Hasenfratz said
March 10 in an interview with
BNN Bloomberg Television.
" Obviously there's going to
be some short-term impact.
There's suppliers in Ukraine
who are unable to supply. So
our customers are rapidly looking
at where can they resource
those components and systems
and executing on that as we
speak, " she said. - ANC
UNMASK?
Is retail
ready to
By DOUG FIRBY
CALGARY CORRESPONDENT
WHEN GOVERNMENTS
responded to the COVID-19
pandemic with
mask mandates
and other
restrictions, auto
dealers across
Canada had no
choice but to
comply. But now
that mandates
are easing, dealers
are left to
navigate how
they will disengage
from rules
that have been
controversial at
best and divisive
at worst.
Dealers
interviewed
by Automotive
News Canada
will take various
approaches,
but the common
theme is flexibility
with customers.
" Most
people
will be happy
to not have to
wear masks any
longer, " said
Reg Nimeck,
president of
Etobicoke, Ont.based
Raceway
Automotive
" The general population will
be happy to go back to the new
normal. "
Ontario planned to scrap
most mask mandates, including
in schools, restaurants,
gyms and stores, on March 21,
with remaining COVID-19 regulations
set to drop by the end
of April.
Nimeck:
" The general
population
will be happy
to go back
to the new
normal. "
PHOTO:
LINKEDIN
Poëti:
Masks or
no masks?
In Quebec,
customers
will decide.
FILE PHOTO
Francesco
Policaro, CEO
of the Policaro
Group, said
his four dealerships
- which
sell Acura,
BMW, Lexus
and Porsche -
in the Toronto
area will follow
government
guidelines but
will also be flexible.
" If
a customer prefers to
wear a mask and wants a staff
person to wear a mask, then
we'll wear a mask when dealing
with that customer. "
Policaro:
" If a
customer
prefers to
wear a mask
and wants a
staff person
to wear a
mask, then
we'll wear a
mask. "
FILE PHOTO
Group, which owns three dealerships
in the Toronto area.
IT'S UP TO CUSTOMERS
Quebec halted the use of vaccine
passports March 12, and
the province aims to lift mask
mandates in public spaces by
mid-April.
Dealers will respect the
wishes of customers, said
Robert Poëti, CEO of la
Corporation des concessionnaires
automobiles du Québec,
which represents 900 franchised
retailers.
SEE DEALERS PAGE 26
TRANS-CANADA NEWS 5,000 KILOMETRES OF STORIES
Benefits abound for new
dealership group addition
SARNIA, ONT. - LAMBTON
Ford became the eighth dealership
in London, Ont.-based
Finch Auto Group's stable of
Southern Ontario stores March
1. The dealership gains access
to greater operating efficiencies
and broader customer service,
said outgoing President Rob
Ravensberg.
" The resources that are available
through an auto group that
size can definitely do a lot for
the dealership, " Ravensberg told
SarniaNewsToday.ca
" They've got single-source
resourcing with their IT and
HR departments, and training
and development with internal
employees at different dealerships. "
Ravensberg
said the group's
dealerships work to support each
other, " whether it's a used vehicle
that can be sold at one of the other
dealers or things like that. "
After 24 years owning the dealership,
Ravensberg said some of
his fondest memories are of working
with community charities,
most notably the Ontario Hockey
League Sarnia Sting's annual
Teddy Bear Toss. It has collected
As part of the Finch Auto
Group, Lambton Ford will
have access to resources that
can " definitely do a lot for the
dealership. " PHOTO: LAMBTON FORD
" over 75,000 donations " for local
charities since it started in 1998,
he said. - Joe Knycha
Growth-hungry Dilawri
boosts executive ranks
TORONTO - WITH 76
franchised dealerships selling
35 brands in five provinces,
The Dilawri Group of
Companies has made two key
hires to further grow the family-owned
business.
Virginie Aubert has been
named vice-president of marketing
and communications,
and Ettore Gattolin was
named vice-president of mergers,
acquisitions and special
projects.
Aubert, most recently
vice-president of marketing
at Mercedes-Benz Canada,
will work at enhancing brand
strategy and customer experi03
03.22
As
restrictions ease, auto dealers
across Canada are faced with customers
who have different attitudes about
disengagement from a two-year-long
health habit
Virginie Aubert and Ettore
Gattolin are joining Dilawri's
national leadership team.
PHOTO: DILAWRI GROUP
ence at Toronto-based Dilawri.
Gattolin, previously general
manager of Ferrari of
Ontario/Ferrari of Toronto,
will " structure and streamline "
Dilawri's mergers and
acquisitions activity
nationally. - Steve Mertl
SEE TRANS-CANADA PAGE 12
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Automotive News Canada - March 2022

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