Trade storms clear up — a bit
The USMCA agreement is signed. But the trade picture for the auto sector is far from clear in the months and years ahead This fall has been a very busy period for Canadian trade negotiations. After close to 18 months …
Category: The Big Picture: David Adams
The changing nature of change itself
Change now moves so quickly it can catch us all off guard In everything change is inevitable — usually being more iterative than instantaneous. While this remains the case in the automotive world, the space between what was and what …
Dwellers on the threshold
Canada needs to actively plan despite uncertain climate In thinking about how to sum up a summer in the automotive industry as I have never seen in my more than 30 years working in it, Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison’s …
Shifting sands in NAFTA negotiations
Auto industry braces for fallout of trade war and tariffs. Less than two months ago there was a line in the sand drawn on getting a NAFTA 2.0 Agreement put in place by the Trump administration. Mid-May came and went …
Do shifting politics mean a shift on the environment?
Changing policies can have huge impact on dealers A couple of weeks ago I leased a pure battery electric vehicle, or BEV as it is called in the industry lingo. Was I entirely ready to make the dive into the …
Politicians and the auto industry
In their zeal to win votes, many politicians don’t appreciate policies that impact car dealers As I write this, the Ontario Progressive Conservative party has thrown out not only its leader but also its well-crafted policy platform for the upcoming …
What’s trade got to do with it?
If Trump tears up NAFTA: what does that mean for Canadian car buyers? For many readers, the impacts and implications of trade agreements on your businesses may not be easy to discern. In observing the news for the last many …
Trump’s NAFTA stance at odds with reality
More bluster than progress on NAFTA talks as U.S. digs in heels It has been a few months since my first column on NAFTA 2.0 and in many ways a lot has changed, while in many other ways a lot …
Dealers accused of being weak link on EV sales
Governments point fingers at dealers for lack of EV sales We will all remember Anne Robinson, the British host of the television show “The Weakest Link” from a few years back. I remember liking the show. Robinson had a magnificent, …
Pivotal time for NAFTA and auto industry
Turbulent times ahead for NAFTA negotiators as bluster and rhetoric increase Beginning August 16th the federal government’s trade negotiators will be sitting down in with their American and Mexican counterparts in Washington for five days to begin the first, of …
Ready, set…wait
Governmental initiatives to put more electric vehicles on the road is well-intentioned but economically, technologically and socially premature The Federal government recently announced it had established a Federal Advisory Committee to assist it in establishing a Zero Emission Vehicle strategy …
Rules and regulations
Regulatory coherence between Canada and other countries can benefit the automotive industry Based on recent and surprising changes to trading conditions between the United States and Canada, one might believe the trading relationship between our two countries is anything but …
