Q1 sales plunge 20% as COVID-19 cripples much of the Canadian economy

Mark Nantais has steered the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association, which represents the Detroit Three car makers in Canada, since 1994.

Most salaried employees globally will have to give up 20 per cent of their pay for three months but will get the money later, according to a letter from CEO Mike Manley, who will have his salary cut by half. Nineteen other top execs will take a 30 per cent hit.

After a weekend of intense lobbying, Canadian new-vehicle dealers were breathing a sigh of relief when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday his government’s new coronavirus-related wage subsidy would be tied to lost sales, not employer size. 

The debate over privacy in a high-tech world is entering the service bay amid moves by the Alberta dealers’ association to address concerns about vehicle dashcams recording auto technicians on the job. 

The next Detroit auto show is now scheduled for June 2021, organizers told sponsors on Saturday.The TCF Center, where the show was set to take place in June, is being converted by the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency for a field hospital as coronavirus cases in Michigan rise.

Canada’s biggest three auto suppliers have agreed to assist in the production of much-needed ventilators during the ongoing outbreak of COVID-19. They'll work with a trio of medical suppliers.

Magna International says it’s ready to make a product that could be used in hospitals to disinfect masks and other personal protective equipment that are in short supply amid the global outbreak of the novel coronavirus. But first, the supplier says it needs to find a specialized “Level 3” lab that’s willing to test the device to ensure it works against the virus.

Dealers say that under most dealer agreements, “if you close, you’re in violation of your dealer agreement unless the closure is government ordered." 

Enterprise's CarShare program currently operates in the Ontario cities of Toronto, Mississauga, Oshawa and Waterloo. The car rental agency says that its CarShare program will close indefinitely to “ensure the safety of our community.”