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CARSTAR ‘Soaps-it-Up!’ for Cystic Fibrosis |
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Written by Kaveh Khazra
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Friday, 30 May 2008 |
HAMILTON, ON -- May 30, 2008 -- The fifth annual CARSTAR Soaps it Up! For Cystic Fibrosis is just around the corner.
On Saturday June 14, CARSTAR, Canada’s largest network of collision repair centres, will be washing your wheels in support of the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to raise money for children and young adults suffering from the genetic disease.
More than 50 CARSTAR locations across Canada will be participating on National Car Wash Day. For only $5, you can buy a ticket and get your car washed with the proceeds going towards funding and supporting Cystic Fibrosis research.
You also have a chance to win one of three grand prizes, including an all-inclusive vacation to Holguin, Cuba.
To support this initiative, please visit www.carstar.ca, where tickets, donations and additional information are available.
Over the years, CARSTAR has generated over $1.5 million for the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation through this event and other fund raising initiatives.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 30 May 2008 )
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2010: According to DesRosiers |
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Written by Kaveh Khazra
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Friday, 30 May 2008 |
THORNHILL, ON -- May 30, 2008 -- Recent climate change fears, rising energy costs and mile-high Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards seem to be conspiring against automakers in North America.
Those predicting the grim outlook can see the industry become shell-shocked: lower volumes, higher prices, more potential job losses, and slower and smaller cars.
“GM, Ford and Chrysler are presently going through a comprehensive three-stage response to the market share losses they have endured over the past decades…In Canada, sales show record high levels of new product and record low levels of old-platform products,” says Dennis DesRosiers of DesRosiers Automotive Consultants. And according to recent studies, the Canadian auto industry is doing just that.
GM Vice President of Research & Development Larry Burns suggested that only General Motors and Toyota possess the broad engineering backgrounds, marketing experience, supplier clout, distribution system and available capital to develop, bring to market, and re-sell/license the relevant innovations that will support our future vehicles.
DesRosiers insists that the coming decade is going to be an exciting one for those in the supply chain. He says opportunities exist for all suppliers, including companies that have not traditionally been associated with original equipment automotive parts.
Anyone in the value chain stands to benefit from technological change, but investment and innovation are crucial for supplier success and will continue to separate the good from the great.
“The winners of the 2010s will be those companies that invest in research and leverage resources in other countries. One of the fundamental themes of this period is change. As automotive technology changes, so will the mix of companies supplying that technology,” says DesRosiers.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 30 May 2008 )
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Free Admission to Automechanika for Association Members |
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Written by CRM News
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Thursday, 29 May 2008 |
HAMILTON, ON -- May 29, 2008 -- Automechanika, Canada’s largest automotive aftermarket event, returns to the International Centre in Toronto, ON on June 19 and runs until June 21. Automechanika Canada will feature products and presentations from suppliers and groups from Canada and around the world.
Many Ontario trade association members can receive a free pass for the show by contacting CIIA 866-309-4272 or via email at
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This year there’s something for everyone, from parts and systems, through accessories and tuning, repair and maintenance, tires and wheels, IT and management and service stations and car washes.
Show hours are:
• Thursday, June 19, 2008
10 am to 6 pm
• Friday, June 20, 2008
10 am to 6 pm
• Saturday, June 21, 2008
10 am to 4 pm
For more information on Automechanika Canada, please click here.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 29 May 2008 )
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Strauss: We're Skirting a Recession |
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Thursday, 29 May 2008 |
CHICAGO, IL -- May 29,2008 -- At the start of this year’s Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium (GAAS), 60 per cent of attendees polled said they believed the economy is in the early stages of a recession.
William A. Strauss, senior economist and economic advisor in the economic research department of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, says a recession hasn’t yet hit because of employment, manufacturing and other rates.
Strauss describes recessions as being based on monthly indicators, not two back-to-back quarters of negative growth. Since the U.S. has been looking at whether the country is in a recession, Strauss says we have experienced multiple quarters of negative growth, just not consecutive.
If it’s not a good year for the consumer, it could translate into a inferior year for the aftermarket.
For the automotive sector, Strauss is not optimistic mainly due to the rise of gas prices.
Strauss highlighted vehicle sales as having sustained significant losses. Since 1999, only 16 million units have been sold each year, flattening out growth in the sector.
But manufacturing thus far is not slipping – just flat.
“If we are in a recession, manufacturing is a sector that usually falls early and falls hard,” Strauss says.
Capacity is still at a solid position. Production, which Strauss said was slowing the pervious year, has improved.
“In the end, the gross domestic product (GDP) outlook should improve in the second half, probably not to the average 2.5 percent level, but closer to 2 percent, while employment will continue to struggle. We’re probably skirting a recession at this point, but I personally don’t believe we’re in a recession,” Strauss says.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 30 May 2008 )
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