TJAA Professional:Canada’s Automotive Business

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WEEKLY VIDEO: Buying Used Cars

August 08 2008: EVs Are Coming - Are You Ready?

CANADIAN AUTO BUSINESS: CHANGING TIMES AND NEW FUEL ALTERNATIVES

Natural Gas - Canada's next opportunity
Pure Electric - EVs Are Coming: Are YOU ready
Ethanol - Tightrope walking
Hybrids - The middle road
IC Engine - New hopes

TJAA.ca presents a new series on Canada's automotive opportunities related to alternative fuels. Here is the second installment:

by Michael Pistol

Electric cars??

C'mon, what do we really know about electric cars? The electric car business I mean...
While researching for this article, it became clear to me that with Quebec's exception, the ignorance level related to the electric car business is beyond unacceptable in the rest of Canada.
When I say ignorance, I refer to the willful act of choosing to ignore the possibilities, the potential benefits and most importantly, the incredible talent we have here, at home.
For decades, the Canadian automotive industry - with few exceptions, was built on the largely liberal ‘squeaking-wheel-always-gets-the-grease' principle. My friend, that era is over - welcome to the ‘squeaking-wheel-gets-replaced' era. Don't believe it? Then just go to Windsor or Oshawa, for an edification tour.
The decades-old massive inertia is currently shaken with a frightening velocity by such things as currency volatility, global competition, credit nightmares, energy realignments, and of course - technology.

Which brings us, neatly, to the electric car and what it may mean for your business, and why you - as an automotive businessperson, cannot afford to ignore it anymore.

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Business Class Review

2009 Honda Pilot Touring - 4WD: Calculated advancement vis-à-vis Russian roulette.

For Honda aficionados, the 2009 Pilot represents another major step in the company's determination to cover the entire mobility spectrum - from individual devices to the 8-passenger vehicles, and the new Pilot is indeed, very well positioned to cover that top end of the market...

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Ipso Facto - Fundamentals August 2008

REPORT: Bulk up on gold and silver stocks, cash as interest rates and inflation rise - CIBC World Markets

By this time next year, the cost of borrowing in Canada may be a full percentage point higher, and the recent easing in oil prices will be a distant memory, notes a new report from CIBC World Markets...
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US SALES: Retail Sales Rate Falls Dramatically In July - J.D. Power and Associates Sales Report

The U.S. automotive market took another significant hit in July, with the overall (retail and fleet) sales pace falling to a 12.5 million-unit rate (the lowest since mid-1992), according to the J.D. Power and Associates Sales Report...
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LABOUR FORCE SURVEY: Employment Dropped by 55,000 in July – StatsCan

Following gains at the beginning of 2008, and little change from April to June, employment dropped by 55,000 in July. The unemployment rate edged down 0.1 percentage points to 6.1%, as many people, particularly youth, left the labour force...
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AFTERMARKET: OK Tire Ranks Highest among Automotive Service Centers in Canada - J.D. POWER'S 2008 CANADIAN CUSTOMER COMMITMENT INDEX STUDY

OK Tire ranks highest in satisfying automotive customers in Canada with the service establishment experience, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Canadian Customer Commitment Index StudySM released this week...
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RESOURCES 2009