Automotive News Canada - October 2024 - 3

* OCTOBER 2024
3
SECOND FRONT
By DAVID KENNEDY
TORONTO BUREAU CHIEF
K.W. Bruun Import distributes brands such
as Peugeot, Citroen, Opel and Mitsubishi in
Denmark and Sweden.
PHOTO: K.W. BRUUN WEBSITE
Toronto group
expands to Europe
with a deal worth
a reported $1.6B
Alpha Auto affiliate acquires
K.W. Bruun distribution
business with a dealership
network of more than 200 stores
By DAVID KENNEDY
TORONTO BUREAU CHIEF
THE OWNERS OF TORONTO'S ALPHA AUTO
Group are following up the purchase of U.K. dealership
group Lookers with another supersized
deal.
This time, Alpha Auto is moving into mainland
Europe with the acquisition of K.W.
Bruun Import, which distributes brands such
as Peugeot, Citroen, Opel and Mitsubishi in
Denmark and Sweden.
Global Auto Holdings Ltd. (GAH), an Alpha
Auto affiliate, said Sept. 27 that it will purchase
K.W. Bruun's vehicle- and parts-distribution business
as well as its auto repair and digital-solutions
unit NxT.
Financial terms were not disclosed, but the
Wall Street Journal, which first reported the
agreement, said the deal was worth about $1.2
billion (Cdn $1.6 billion). Alpha Auto did not
respond to a request for further comment by
Automotive News Canada.
Alpha Auto, led by Executive Chairman
Kuldeep Billan, owns 15 new-vehicle dealerships
in Canada and the United States. Via GAH,
it clinched a major expansion beyond North
America in October 2023 with the 504.2-milSEE
ALPHA PAGE 46
TRANS-CANADA NEWS 5,000 KILOMETRES
OF STORIES
Hourly rental EVs provide the
chance to test before buying
HALIFAX - IN ITS FIRST STEP
toward electrification in Nova
Scotia, Communauto has added
five Kia Niro electric vehicles to
its fleet of more than 250 vehicles
rented hourly from stations
across the city.
The initiative gives Halifax
residents the chance to go electric
" in an affordable and accessible
way, " said Marco Viviani,
vice-president of strategic development
at Communauto.
For people curious about EVs,
the Niros offer the chance to test
Five Kia Niros will launch
Communauto's electrification
efforts in Nova Scotia.
PHOTO COMMUNAUTO
an EV before deciding to purchase,
he said.
The Montreal company that
operates in nearly 20 Canadian
cities, as well as Paris, was an
early mover on EVs, launching
a pilot in Quebec in 2013.
Viviani said the short-term
rentals are also among the most
effective ways to lower greenhouse
gas emissions, " not just
by changing the type of vehicle
people drive, but also by reducing
the number of vehicles on
the road and their usage. " -
Joe Knycha
Fueling up for the success
of the 'youngest generation'
TOYOTA CANADA HAS
donated $100,000 to Breakfast
Club of Canada to help feed
schoolkids across the country.
More than 800,000 children
in 3,000 schools nationwide
require its support, Breakfast
Club of Canada said in a Toyota
news release.
Equal opportunity " starts with
that first meal in the morning, "
said Toyota Canada.
PHOTO: TOYOTA CANADA
" When we think about equal
opportunity and access for
today's youngest generation, it
really starts with that first meal
in the morning, " said Leslie
Miller, vice-president, corporate
services and CFO of Toyota
Canada.
Toyota Canada has expanded
its national effort to address
food security and said partnering
with Breakfast Club of
Canada " furthers the company's
commitment to invest in
the success of Canada's youngest
generation. "
" We are deeply appreciative
of Toyota Canada's generous
donation, " said Paul
Lethbridge, director of corporate
and community giving
for Breakfast Club of Canada,
which is celebrating its 30th
anniversary this fall.
- Kelly Taylor
SEE TRANS-CANADA PAGE 46
THE COUNTRY'S ONLY PUBLICLY
traded dealership group is closing more
than half of its RightRide locations to
restructure the business that caters to
customers with low credit.
AutoCanada, based in Edmonton,
operated 13 RightRide outlets as of
August, according to the company's
The financing unit will
carry less used-vehicle
inventory and refocus
on its original nonprime
lending strategy
latest quarterly earnings report. The
group owns 65 new-vehicle franchises
in Canada and 18 in the United States.
Canada-built Stealth utility to replace
Durango, forecaster says
New model is expected
to be built in Windsor
and launched in early
2027 to 'fill the void in
the Dodge lineup'
By GREG LAYSON
DIGITAL AND MOBILE EDITOR
STELLANTIS PLANS TO REPLACE
the Dodge Durango utility vehicle
with a smaller vehicle called the
Stealth to be assembled in Windsor,
Ont., according to AutoForecast
Solutions.
Sam Fiorani, vice-president of the
global forecaster in Pennsylvania,
said Durango production will end
in July 2027 at the Detroit Assembly
Complex where the Jeep Grand
Cherokee is produced.
" There are no plans for another
Fiorani:
A larger
version of
the Stealth,
wearing the
Durango
badge, was
to be built in
Michigan, but
that model
has been
cancelled.
FILE PHOTO
model spun off from
the Jeep model for
Dodge, " Fiorani told
Automotive News
Canada in an email
Sept. 16. " Filling the
void in the Dodge
lineup will be a new
model launched in
early 2027.
" Production will
be at the Windsor
plant and the new,
slightly smaller
sport-utility will be
called Stealth.
" A larger variation
carrying the
Durango badge was
also expected to
enter production in
Michigan, but that
model has been cancelled. "
Sibling publication Automotive
News reported Sept. 15 that the
The Dodge Stealth sports car was
introduced in 1990 and dropped
after the 1996 model year. It was
the sibling of the Mitsubishi
3000GT. FILE PHOTO
Stealth will be a five-passenger
crossover built on the STLA Large
platform, which can support internal-combustion
and electric powertrains.
The publication didn't say
where the vehicle is to be assembled.
The Stealth name was originally
used for a luxury sports coupe nearly
35 years ago. It was introduced
in 1990 and dropped after the 1996
model year. It was the sibling of the
Mitsubishi 3000GT.
Stellantis is building the
new Dodge Charger at Windsor
Assembly, which continues to produce
the Chrysler Pacifica, Pacifica
Hybrid and Grand Caravan minivans.
Fiorani
said a Chrysler product
will also be added to Windsor
Assembly Plant " in early 2026. "
" Production of the minivans and
the Dodge Charger are expected to
continue being produced after the
new Chrysler model is added at the
SEE UAW PAGE 50
Dodge Durango production
in Detroit is set to end in July
2027, according to AutoForecast
Solutions. PHOTO: STELLANTIS
03
10.24
RightRide overhaul is part of a leaner AutoCanada
AutoCanada Executive Chairman
Paul Antony said Sept. 24 that the
" difficult decision " to close seven
money-losing locations was made to
put the business in the black for the
long term.
" By focusing on our profitable locations
and returning to our original
strategy, we are confident that the
SEE NONPRIME PAGE 50
Automotive News Canada - October 2024

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