By Michael Hatch, Special to Wheelstalk.com - When consumers go shopping for a new car, there are lots of factors that play in the final purchase decision. What model suits my or my family’s needs? What can I afford? Increasingly, consumers are asking themselves which vehicle will go farthest on a tank of fuel. Other than price, fuel efficiency is now the most important variable in most consumers’ vehicle purchase decisions. And more … [Read more...]
By Michael Hatch, Special to Wheelstalk.com - I’ve just returned from the Toronto International Auto Show, Canada’s biggest annual showcase of the automotive industry and the exciting and innovative products it brings to market every year. Toronto is one of the biggest events in the annual mid-winter lineup of car shows across North America. This year’s slate of shows will showcase an industry thriving with new and innovative … [Read more...]
By Leo Nucci, Special to Wheelstalk.com - It’s an exciting time in the automotive industry and nowhere is this more evident than at this year’s Canadian International Auto Show (CIAS) held Feb. 15- 24 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. The list of helpful technologies presented in new vehicles at the auto show is plentiful. I would like to touch upon a few of these features from an automotive service technician’s … [Read more...]
by Michael Hatch, Special to Wheelstalk.com - With all manufacturers reporting final new vehicle sales for 2012, the results are in. Last year was a very good one for the retail automotive market in Canada, and new car demand came tantalizingly close to the all-time record set in 2002. Overall, sales were up a very strong 5.7 per cent in 2012 over the previous year, and every province and territory in the country posted positive sales … [Read more...]
By Michael Hatch, Special to Wheelstalk.com - It’s natural at this time of year to look back on how that past 12 months have played out and to wonder what a new year will bring. For the auto industry in particular and the economy in general, 2012 has been characterized by growth through fits and starts. There’s a feeling out there that we’ve had a good year, but that it could have been so much better. But set against what’s going on … [Read more...]
By Chris Klimek, Guest columnist - Many of us dislike police presence on the roads, especially our world-class multilane highways. Given the artificially low speed limit of 100 km/h when compared with many US states and, indeed, most industrialized countries, it’s no wonder, really. Most of us drive faster and break the law the moment we merge onto a highway. In fact, we typically hit our brakes when we see a police cruiser, and … [Read more...]
From the CADA, Special to Wheelstalk.com - Ottawa, November 15, 2012 Today, Michael Hatch, the Chief Economist for the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association (CADA) commented on the media attention that has brought focus to the issue of increasing personal debt levels in Canada. “The media has seized upon the increasing levels of personal debt as a ratio of income in Canada in recent months,” said Hatch, “and seems to have … [Read more...]
By Neil Moore, Metroland Media/Wheelstalk.com - Speed traps were a recent hot topic on Toronto talk radio, and it took a spokesman from the U.S.-based National Motorists Association to tell us that Ontario’s are the worst in North America. He continued, with a few well-considered points, to argue that speed traps are nothing but a cash grab and have little to do with safety. I couldn’t agree more. For example, if speed traps are … [Read more...]
By Michael Hatch, Special to Wheelstalk.com - As if not enough ink has been spilled on the personal debt problem in Canada in the past few years, I’d like to offer up some thoughts on the issue. First I will take issue with the very sentence at the top of this piece: the notion that there is a “personal debt problem” in Canada. If there is, it has been for the past two years blown out of all proportion by members of the media and … [Read more...]
by Michael Hatch, Special to Wheelstalk.com - President Obama – once again in the role of candidate as he fights to avoid joining the ranks of the unemployed in November – struck a defiant tone the other night in his speech at the Democratic National Convention. In defense of his record, Obama listed his signature automotive industry assistance package, delivered in conjunction with the governments of Canada and Ontario, as one of the … [Read more...]
Metroland Media/Wheelstalk.com - Whether you have gasoline in your veins, or … [More...]
by Jim Robinson, Metroland Media/Wheelstalk.com - At the recent Kia Canada press … [More...]
By Michael Hatch, Special to Wheelstalk.com - When consumers go shopping for a … [More...]
