Steve Mertl

Vancouver

Vancouver Correspondent at Automotive News Canada

Retired wire service hack, freelance journalist, cars and not cars. Vintage watch geek. Knee-jerk moderate. Indifferent tweetist.

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Articles

How Penticton Toyota survived, rebuilt after fire

Nov 22, 2024 | autonews.com | Steve Mertl

The May 2022 fire that destroyed the showroom and service centre of Penticton Toyota was devastating to the dealership. But the response of the Pidperyhora family “was really inspiring,” said Toyota Zone Manager Alec Markin.
Canada’s best dealerships go ‘above and beyond’ for their employees

Nov 4, 2024 | autonews.com | Steve Mertl

Lexus of Edmonton has a play and relaxation area, “designed to offer a balance between work and downtime."
GM workers drive the EV conversation

Aug 22, 2024 | canada.autonews.com | Steve Mertl

“We are an engineering powerhouse that is pushing this EV evolution,” said Ng, who works on the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems of GM vehicles. So he jumped at the chance when GM Canada organized an event for its staff at the McLaughlin Advanced Technology Track in Oshawa, Ont., to sample the company’s EVs.“This is the first time that I can experience the entire lineup,” Ng said.
Artificial intelligence meets 3D printing meets Martinrea

Jun 26, 2024 | canada.autonews.com | Steve Mertl

How did one of Canada’s largest auto suppliers end up investing in a startup that 3D-prints parts out of aluminum? Look no further than the high-tech practices adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic, said Martinrea Inc. Executive Chairman Rob Wildeboer. Like the rest of the auto sector, Martinrea shut down production as pandemic lockdowns took hold.
How this dealership makes Lincoln stand out to gain above-average market share

Apr 16, 2024 | canada.autonews.com | Steve Mertl

The upswing coincided with Ruffilli’s return from the NADA Dealer Academy in 2015. The academy is an online program designed to help dealership leaders operate successful businesses. Her father assigned her to boost the Lincoln side of the business. “What I did was establish a separate brand and franchise under the dual rooftop,” Ruffilli said.
2024 Vancouver International Auto Show sets attendance record

Mar 27, 2024 | canada.autonews.com | Steve Mertl

After a pandemic-induced hiatus, the Vancouver International Auto Show came back with a bang for 2024, setting an attendance record of 129,034 over the five-day event, according to organizers. The previous record of 120,547 was set in 2018, followed by a dip to 115,192 in 2019, the last year before COVID-19 forced the show’s cancellation. The show, which ran March 20-24 at Vancouver’s waterfront convention centre, also set a single-day record of 39,823 on Saturday, besting 2018’s 31,596.
ElectraMeccanica and Britain’s Tevva Motors find 'amicable resolution' to lawsuits

Nov 30, 2023 | canada.autonews.com | Steve Mertl

B.C.-based ElectraMeccanica Vehicles Corp. and Britain’s Tevva Motors Ltd. have agreed to drop legal actions against each other spurring from an aborted merger. In a Nov. 28 news release, ElectraMeccanica (EM) said the two firms agreed to an “amicable resolution” to the dispute, which began when EM abruptly pulled out of the merger citing unspecified breaches of their agreement.
New B.C. ZEV laws will cause ‘severe economic damage,' industry warns

Nov 28, 2023 | canada.autonews.com | Steve Mertl

British Columbia’s plan to accelerate its zero-emission-vehicle (ZEV) transition has alarmed the auto industry and brought calls for more flexibility. The NDP government’s revised sales mandates, announced Oct. 24, call for 100 per cent of sales of new light-duty vehicles to be ZEVs by 2035, five years ahead of the original date but now the same as the federal ZEV mandate. Interim targets of 26 per cent by 2026 and 90 per cent by 2030 are also tougher.
VW Canada CEO Pierre Boutin leaving for new post in Europe

Nov 7, 2023 | canada.autonews.com | Steve Mertl

No details on his new posting or on any potential replacements are available, Volkswagen Canada spokesman Thomas Tetzlaff said in an email. In his farewell posting on LinkedIn, Boutin noted a number of accomplishments, including renewed dealer relations and “their $1-billion investment in facilities” and progress towards 100-per-cent electric mobility.
For Canada's top dealerships, ROI starts with TLC

Oct 31, 2023 | canada.autonews.com | Steve Mertl

When Michael Norris started his career in automotive sales three decades ago, he vowed right away to find better ways to build a thriving workplace culture. “My first manager said when [customers] walk into a showroom you should see a $300 bill on their forehead, and you want to get it. “I thought, ‘My God, can you think of anything worse to train people?’ ”“We have no religious symbols at the dealership at all,” said Norris, who employs 58 people. “We all say we work for the big boss.