Automotive News Canada - November 2017 - 3

SECOND FRONT
Hyundai drops
Accent hatch in U.S.
but Canada says no
By PERRY LEFKO

TORONTO CORRESPONDENT

HYUNDAI WILL SELL THE 2018 ACCENT
Hatchback in Canada because of its importance in the market, even though it won't be
sold in the United States and will somewhat
overlap with the Kona utility vehicle arriving
early next year.
"The five-door represents over 70 per cent
of Accent sales in Canada," Hyundai Canada
CEO Don
Romano said.
"As such, the
Accent five-door
has developed a
strong following
in Canada and
despite the segment's decline
in recent years,
it remains the
third-largest car
segment, slightly behind interHyundai says that 70 per
mediate.
cent of all Accent sales in
"As for the
Canada are hatchbacks,
U.S., intermeditop. It will stay in the lineate is the largup even though there will
est segment and
be some overlap with the
is slightly largnew Kona, above.
er than the sub(PHOTO: HYUNDAI)
compact. As
such, Accent plays a less important role to
Hyundai U.S. In addition, five-door models
are less popular in the United States than in
Canada.
"While SUVs are impacting car sales in
all segments, there is still strong demand
for small, versatile, fuel-efficient cars in
Canada."
Sam Fiorani, vice-president of U.S.-based
Global Vehicle Forecasting, said Canadian
buyers have a different appetite for the fivedoor hatchback than Americans.
"Canadians are more utilitarian in their
car purchases, whereas in the U.S. in order
to sell a hatchback you have to call it a crossover," Fiorani said. "The U.S. has shifted
from cars to crossovers. Hyundai's Kona is a
much better deal for the U.S. It will sell well
in Canada, too, but the Kona will sell much
better in the U.S. than an Accent Hatchback
ever would." - ANC

Because of their size
and capability, trucks
and utility vehicles
make up the bulk
of vehicle sales
in Canada, yet
Nissan's only
electric vehicle
is a car.
(PHOTO: NISSAN)

CARTRADICTION

If the world is going electric, why are there
no EVs in the most popular vehicle categories?
By JOHN IRWIN

TORONTO BUREAU

DOZENS OF AUTOMAKERS,
suppliers and technology companies have made headlines this
year by announcing plans to electrify their offerings as the auto
industry slowly moves toward a
zero-emissions future.
The money to invest so heavily
in green technology comes from
explosive growth of the North
American light-truck market.
The Canadian auto sector is on
pace for its strongest year ever,
bolstered by record sales of utility
vehicles and pickups.
Combined sales of Ford,
General Motors and Ram full-size

pickup trucks were up 15 per cent
through October from a year earlier. These dominate the list of
best-selling vehicles on the market, and they're among the most
profitable. Meanwhile, compact
utility vehicles such as the Jeep
Compass, Volkswagen Tiguan
and Honda CR-V are on pace for
record years.
Simply put, the money
remains, more than ever, in
North American truck and utility sales. Automakers must keep
their offerings strong in those segments to bolster profits, even as
they invest more money into a
tiny but growing EV market.
Don't expect things to change
anytime soon, said Tony Faria,

co-director of the Office of
Automotive and Vehicle Research
at the University of Windsor.
"More than likely as we look
ahead over the next five or 10
years, it's looking like a continuous movement toward truckbased vehicles," Faria said.

TRUCKS HELP DEALERS
The growing market for trucks
and utilities has been a boon
to dealers in provinces such as
Manitoba and Alberta, where
trucks were already popular and
central to the viability of many
dealerships.
Sayed Dost, the sales team
lead for Carman Ford in Carman,
Man., southwest of Winnipeg,
said the dealership has seen sales
of the highly profitable F-150 pickup and of Ford's various cross-

SEE TRUCKS PAGE 27

The Ford F series set a sales record
in October. Trucks have high
profit margins and provide funding
for green-technology initiatives.

Correction

A Page 12 story in the October edition of
Automotive News Canada gave the incorrect
name of the dealer principal for London Kia of
London, Ont. He is Ryan Brown.

(PHOTO: FORD)

TRANS-CANADA NEWS 5,000 KILOMETRES OF STORIES
Car-club meets generate
repeats for Wolfe Auto Group

Tuner cars and enthusiasts are drawn to
car meets hosted at Wolfe Auto Group
dealerships in Langley, Surrey and
Vancouver, B.C. ( P H O T O : W O L F E G R O U P )

11.17

LANGLEY, B.C. - Hosting local car
clubs has been a customer-retention
strategy that works for the four-dealership Wolfe Auto Group, based here,
says vice-president Mike Hacquard.
He and group partner Gordon Wolfe
host regular car-club meets at their
dealerships in Langley, Surrey and
Vancouver.
Marques hosted include the Wolfe
brands, Mazda, Mitsubishi and
Subaru, all popular brands with the

tuner crowd who are encouraged to
attend and "celebrate the passion
they have for their vehicles," he said.
"We tell the customer we want to
service you for life, not just for one
car for four to five years."
The meets are among several community-focused strategies the group
uses; they've been an important program in bringing in more repeat customers, Hacquard said.
"Without passion for a brand, the
brand won't exist. Not only do we
have passion within the Wolfe group,

but so do the car clubs and enthusiasts."

Courtesy BBQ supports
community, charity events
CAMBRIDGE, Ont. - As a member
of the Cambridge-Kitchener-Waterloo
community, Bennett ChevroletCadillac-Buick GMC helps support
community and charitable events by
making available at no cost a mobile
food-service barbecue.
Bennett also provides utensils and
cleanup supplies.
It's in high demand during the
spring and summer months, said

SEE TRANS-CANADA PAGE 27

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