Automotive News Canada - September 2023 - 3

* SEPTEMBER 2023
3
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Overall share is 61
per cent, up from 58
a year ago, which
translates to more than
$250 million in revenue
By GREG LAYSON
DIGITAL AND MOBILE EDITOR
CANADA'S NEW-VEHICLE
dealers continue to gain market share
in the service segment, but they lag
the aftermarket sector on initial
repair work, according to a new
survey.
The J.D. Power 2023 Canada
Customer Service Index - LongTerm
Study found that dealerships
have grown their overall share of the
Ontario's new-vehicle
dealers continue to
invest millions in
technicians, tools
and facilities to
repair and maintain
vehicles, said Frank
Notte of the Motor
Vehicle Retailers
of Ontario.
FILE PHOTO
$9.1-billion service market to 61 per
cent, up from 58 per cent a year ago.
That incremental increase of three
percentage points translates to more
than $250 million in revenue.
The study measures usage and satisfaction
of service shops for vehicles
that are four to 12 years old and is
based on responses from 8,188 owners
and was fielded from April through
June 2023.
" Ontario's new-car retailers continue
to invest millions of dollars
to ensure they have the best technicians,
tools and facilities to repair and
maintain vehicles, " said Frank Notte,
Motor Vehicle Retailers of Ontario
director of government relations,
in a statement to Automotive News
Canada. " They also use cutting-edge
technology in everything from booking
service appointments to the latest
electric vehicle diagnosing and repair,
making them the best places to bring
vehicles in for service. "
Bruce Johnson, senior director of
product marketing for CDK Global,
recently said on the Automotive News
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Dealerships gain a bigger slice
of a $9B service pie, study finds
Canada Podcast that " technology isn't
there just for technology's sake. "
" Technology is there to help enable
a better process, " he said. CDK Global
is a dealership-support company.
Johnson said technology is allowing
dealerships to do things better
and faster and with more information.
" That
leads to success, " he said.
It helps customers stay informed
with appointment reminders, for
example.
" We talk about shopping online,
but it's just as important to use technology
to schedule your service
online, " he said.
IT'S NOT ALL GOOD NEWS FOR DEALERS
But, when it comes to completing
the service work correctly the
first time, aftermarket service facilities
correctly complete service work
the first time 95 per cent of the time.
That's unchanged from 2022. But
the success rate at dealerships is at
93 per cent, continuing a downward
trend from 2022 (94 per cent) and 2021
SEE SERVICE PAGE 20
Sales of the Honda CR-V were up 192 per cent
in August, contributing to an increase of
28 per cent for the brand. PHOTO: HONDA
August sales
continue road
to recovery
For the second month, the
numbers for the brands reporting
monthly were all up, but 2022
is a 'weak' comparator
By GREG LAYSON
DIGITAL AND MOBILE EDITOR
CANADIAN NEW-VEHICLE SALES CONTINUED
to turn the corner in August and inventory levels
are slowing rising.
Sales jumped 18.3 per compared with the same
time last year, according to DesRosiers Automotive
Consultants Inc. Automakers sold an
estimated 149,697 vehicles, the company
said, but it warned against a direct
comparison to year-ago numbers.
" August 2022 was a very weak comparable
- the worst August since 1999
- but still, the market strength this
year was impressive, " DesRosiers said in a statement
Sept. 6.
SALES
ANALYSIS
AUGUST
AUGUST
STATS/P25
STATS/P25
The August 2023 total was 1.8 per cent higher
than the 146,925 vehicles automakers sold in
August 2021, but still down 17.7 per cent from the
August 2019 total of 181,996 in the last uninterrupted
sales year before the COVID-19 pandemic took
hold in 2020.
Monthly sales totals are estimates because the
majority of automakers have turned to quarterly
reporting, while Ford Canada reports annuals.
PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
TRANS-CANADA NEWS 5,000 KILOMETRES
OF STORIES
School program teaches
'future-focused skills'
HAMILTON, ONT -
A community outreach program
headed by Mohawk
College will put more than
500 students a step closer to a
career in the automotive sector
as part of an Ontario government
initiative to build up the
industry's future work force.
The series of skills-building
workshops began at summer
camps in August and will run
through the fall for students
Grades 5 through 12 at two
An outreach program at
Mohawk College aims to
turn more elementary and
high school students toward
careers in automotive.
PHOTO: MOHAWK COLLEGE
Mohawk College campuses.
David Santi, dean of
Mohawk College's Marshall
School of Skilled Trades and
Apprenticeship, said the initiative
will introduce youngsters
to " future-focused skills " as
electric and autonomous vehicles
rapidly and " drastically "
remake the auto sector.
The Ontario Vehicle
Innovation Network (OVIN)
helped fund the program with
a $400,000 contribution. It is
just one part of the government-backed
group's wider
Regional Workforce Program.
OVIN also committed $345,000
to the University of Waterloo
in Waterloo, Ont., in July for a
similar initiative designed to
encourage young and underrepresented
students focused on
science, technology, engineering
and math (STEM) toward
considering careers in the auto
industry. - David Kennedy
Canadian tech firm strikes
a chord with China's BYD
MONTREAL - MUSIC AND
technology company Stingray
Group Inc. has signed a deal to
bring its Karaoke app to Chinabased
BYD's electric vehicles,
globally.
The agreement announced
Aug. 7 will give drivers and passengers
the ability to sing along
to a catalogue of thousands of
songs in dozens of languages.
Stingray Karaoke will be built
into the infotainment system
of BYD EVs globally.
PHOTO: STINGRAY GROUP INC.
Stingray CEO Eric Boyko said
the deal with China's largest EV
maker by volume will expand
the Montreal-based company's
exposure " worldwide. "
SEE TRANS-CANADA PAGE 20
SEE SALES PAGE 20
03
09.23
Automotive News Canada - September 2023

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