Jeremy Sinek

A sharp pivot to video and other tools of digital retailing — along with a focus on communicating with customers — helped a Kia dealership in Newfoundland and Labrador thrive throughout the pandemic and ongoing inventory shortages.

Toyota and Honda are among the automakers that are seeing rising take rates for sportier versions of mainstream sedans and hatchbacks — a trend that’s emerging as utility vehicles and pickups make up about 80 per cent of all new-vehicle sales in Canada.

Canada’s automotive future doesn’t exist in luring new vehicle assembly plants but in the supply chain’s ability to adapt to a self-driving and electric technologies, says Ray Tanguay, the former Toyota executive and federal and provincial auto adviser.

The sudden shift to more online sales has "tossed all the chips up in the air," creating the opportunity for dealers to boost market share, says one Toronto dealer. The challenge now is to balance the attention between existing customers and new online leads.

The list of automakers that have stopped reporting sales on a monthly basis grew in January. But of those that reported, Hyundai and Kia saw their sales spike 13 and 14 per cent respectively while Subaru sales were up nearly six per cent. Toyota slipped were off nearly four per cent.

The new utility model is the “third pillar” in JLR Canada’s conquest strategy, but skeptics view it as a disingenuous styling homage to a classic.

Using the storied Mustang name has brought an avalanche of attention and comparisons to what could have been just another new vehicle.

As Polestar introduced itself to Canada, Volvo’s high-performance EV brand said it would debut with three Canadian outlets, in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. They will be small retail “spaces” in high-traffic downtown locations with room for two or three vehicles.