Wyclef Guitar Apex 2

Multi-entertainer/entrepreneur Wyclef Jean, known famously in the music industry for being a member of the legendary hip-hop group The Fugees, is a collector of high-speed, exotic cars. Now he’s investing in the manufacturing of one.

The 53-year-old native of Haiti recently revealed his entrance into the automotive manufacturing market with the Attucks Apex AP0, a lightweight electric vehicle that has 650 horsepower. It is being promoted as the lightest-ever EV Supercar, capable of accelerating from 0-60 mph (100 kilometres per hour) in 2.3 seconds.

In an interview with Wheels.ca, Jean said the decision to become involved in the business is a natural one because he has been involved in buying exotic cars and now has a collection of almost 40.

“I have been investing in blue chip automotive assets since I bought the first ever McLaren F1 three-seater in the mid-1990s,” he said. “It is only natural that I invest in my own brand of Supercars with the electric age that is now upon us.

“I've owned very important cars like the Pagani Zonda C12, McLaren F1, Lamborghinis and Ferraris as well, but for me owning one of my own creations is by far the most important collector piece in my collection.”

He said Guy Colborne, formerly with McLaren, designed the car in the United Kingdom, and added it will be different from other Supercars because it is an extremely lightweight EV.

“Most EV cars in Supercars are very heavy due to batteries,” he said. “In the Apex AP0 instance, the batteries are more or less half the normal battery weight which makes it very agile and very maneuverable (creating) a very interactive driving experience.”

He said the decision to build one powered by electricity versus gas is part of the progressive state of the car manufacturing industry.

“We are looking at a very important time in history with the transition from internal combustion engines to EV is imminent,” he said. “With Tesla already far ahead, we've decided to make an EV company as we believe that our kids and our grandkids would only understand EV technology.”

He named the car in honor of Crispus Attucks, the first person to die in the American revolution fighting for independence from the British sovereignty.

“This resonates with the struggle for freedom from the traditional car manufacturers and conglomerate corporate business,” he said.

The car will come with a price tag of $350,000 U.S.

“Only 125 cars will be tested for the North American market, with 99 to be sold to the public,” he said. “The rest of the other cars are already spoken for by other peers of mine and also car collectors that have shown interest in purchasing the collectors series. Customers can, at this moment, put their name down to be considered as a potential buyer with a very small deposit after which they will be notified when production starts in early 2024. The first cars are due to roll out by early 2025.”

He said to be eligible to buy the car, customers will have to be verified by a system to make sure that they have both the passion for a car such as this.

“It is very important for us to understand our customers as the cars will be built within the next 12 months, so understanding the clients’ needs is very, very important,” he said.

The headquarters of the company will be in Little Haiti, Miami in a renovated building.

“We should have it opened by the summer so people can come in and see the car in person,” he said.

Musician Wyclef Jean’s Attucks Apex AP0 is a limited-production lightweight electric supercar

2023-01-06_Porsche-Canada-Portraits_John-Cappella_0654_Final

Porsche Canada is gearing up for some important milestones to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the German manufacturer and the 60th anniversary of its iconic 911.

While the 75th anniversary is June 8, Porsche has a series of events to celebrate both dates.

Porsche launched the anniversaries in January in Berlin with the launch of the Vision 357 Concept car. It’s a tribute to Porsche’s original sports car, the 356.

“It pays homage to Ferry Porsche’s dream of a sports car,” Porsche Cars Canada Ltd. President John Cappella said. “It’s a really cool-looking car based upon a GT4 RS. You’re going to see throughout the coming weeks and months a lot of different initiatives both globally and in Canada. We have quite a bit of time between now and June to do all sorts of celebrations.

“This is not a celebration of one day. This is much more of a big milestone where we want to do many things to celebrate. It will make up a big portion of the various activities we are doing throughout the year. Even some of the usual things we do, we’re trying to put a 75-year spin on it. The product lineup has grown tremendously from that 356.”

<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-174734" src="https://wordpress.wheels.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/autoexotica-13-of-14-scaled.jpg" alt="porsche 959" width="2560" height="1707" />

The 2023 Canadian International AutoShow (CIAS) will feature a special Porsche display assembled by Cobble Beach Classics. Cobble Beach normally has a display of various vintage brands at the show, but this year it’s done something new to celebrate Porsche’s 75th anniversary. Sixteen classic models will be on display, including a 1969 917 Long Tail that is a restoration of the 005 car that debuted at the 1,000-kilometre race at the Spa on May 11, 1969, and captured the pole. The car has been restored with most of its natural parts. The vehicle’s owner, race driver, and entrepreneur, David Seabrooke, is originally from Peterborough and now lives in California.

The other cars on display: 1952 356 Pre A; 1959 Roadster; 1962 356 Roadster Janis Joplin tribute car; 1964 904; 1970 911 ST lightweight; 1981 924 GTR; 1984 928S; 1987 959; 1988 911 Turbo Slantnose (930); 1996 993 Twin Turbo; 2004 996 GT3 RS; 2006 Carrera GT; 2015 918 Spyder; 2021 911 Targa Heritage design.

“With its smooth, flowing lines and distinctive ‘frog eye’ headlights, the Porsche brand is instantly recognizable,” said Rob McLeese, Founder and Show Chair of Cobble Beach Concours d’Elegance. “From the first Porsche that rolled off the assembly line in 1948, it is a car that has made a difference. We are excited to showcase a selection of some of the most important and rare Porsche’s ever produced.”

Cappella said the display was done in conjunction with Cobble Beach Classics to celebrate 75 years of Porsche rather than using a space to showcase its new vehicles.

“They’ve been great to work with and have done a great job,” Cappella said. “It’s probably one of the most extensive collections of classic Porsche’s that I’ve seen in one room. For us at Porsche Canada, the display at the Canadian International AutoShow is sort of our kickoff. We’re going to start releasing more and more information on the various activities we’re going to be partaking in Canada.”

Cappella said the collection will also feature the <a href="https://www.wheels.ca/reviews/2023-porsche-taycan-first-drive">Taycan GTS Sport Turismo</a>, the brand’s first fully-electric car, to show where Porsche began and where it has evolved.

It’s an exciting time for the 47-year-old, Toronto-born John Cappella, who was appointed as Porsche Cars Canada’s President in September. He has been with the company since May 2011, most recently in the U.S.

“I’ve been very fortunate with Porsche,” Cappella said. “I’ve had more than a 10-year career with Porsche and I’ve had a lot of great jobs. So being back in Canada when we’re about to kick of the 75-year anniversary and the 60-year anniversary for the 911, I’m a very lucky guy. There’s a lot of exciting things in the marketplace right now, in the industry, there’s a lot of developments and changes, so it’s absolutely exciting.”

Porsche Canada Boss John Cappella excited to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the iconic German brand

Netherlands The Rolling Stones Show Canceled

Halifax-based auto dealer Rob Steele has been a lifelong fan of the Rolling Stones and he’s found a way to incorporate the band’s travelling memorabilia exhibit, UNZIPPED, into an event space he built called <a href="https://steelewheels.ca/">Steele Wheels Motor Museum</a> located in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

And as any Stones’ fan knows, Steel Wheels is the name of one the Stones’ albums and a subsequent tour, so Steele Wheels is somewhat of a double entendre.

“It really is,” Steele said. “It’s funny you say that. Sally Woods (wife of Stones’ bassist Ron Woods) said the same thing. It’s totally a coincidence. We were trying to think of a name for what this place would be called and the marketing department came up with it. I’d been a Stones fan for a long time, so it’s sort of a play on words.”

Steele has purchased a few paintings by Woods and through his musician’s representatives, he brought the memorabilia exhibit to Steele Wheels for its first inaugural event which will run from December 17-March 19. The exhibit features more than 300 original objects from the band’s personal collection. Steele said he saw the exhibit five years ago in London, England. The exhibit has touched down in several international cities, including Canadian stops in Kitchener and Winnipeg.

“It’s quite a fascinating exhibit, even if you are not a Stones fan, and that’s a frequent comment we’ve heard because the costumes are there, the instruments, song sheets, an iron stage design from various tours, it’s interesting to see,” Steele said.

<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-174185" src="https://wordpress.wheels.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Unzipped-Fashion-CREDIT-Courtesy-of-The-Rolling-Stones-Unzipped-scaled.jpg" alt="UNZIPPED" width="2560" height="1656" />

The exhibit also includes rare auto fragments, video footage, personal diaries, costumes, posters and album covers. There are also works of art from the likes of Andy Warhol, Alexander McQueen, Prada, Dior and Martin Scorsese.

The museum is the product of a warehouse with a go-kart track that Steele bought and converted it into an event space. It is spread out across 32,000 square feet on the floor and an 11,000 square foot mezzanine. A state-of-the-art sound system and video walls are also part of it.

Steele said the original plan was to turn the building into a used car dealership selling 70-80 classic, exotic and speciality cars and make them available for purchase in person and through the internet. Following the UNZIPPED run, the building will be occupied by those types of cars.

“The market for that stuff is around the world, and as we got going I thought let’s make it like a nice-looking dealership,” Steele said. “I think it’s going to more of an event space than a dealership.”

Steele said he’s already stockpiled more than 100 cars.

<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-174187" src="https://wordpress.wheels.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Rob-Steele-head-shot.jpg" alt="" width="1604" height="1203" />

Steele, who is 61, became a fan of the Stones as a teenager and saw his first Stones concert as a 20-year-old in Buffalo, making an “arduous trek” from Newfoundland and Labrador where he was raised. He met the band in a brief meet-and-greet in 2004, in 2006 when the Stones played in Halifax, and 2018 in Coventry, England. He said he’s had a chance to get to know Wood and saw him and his wife three weeks ago in Los Angeles.

“I really enjoy the car business, but I also enjoy concerts, that’s kind of my passion,” Steele said.

The Steele Auto Group is Atlantic Canada’s largest dealer for new and used vehicles, service and parts. In July 2021, Steele Auto acquired All EV Canada, specialists in pre-owned Teslas and other electric vehicles. It is also a leader in EV education.

Steele has been involved in auto-related industries since 1990. His company has 59 automobile dealerships, nine collision centres and two Honda Powerhouse dealers. It expanded its footprint internationally by expanding into Texas in 2020. It has been designated as one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies.

Halifax auto dealer celebrates love for the Rolling Stones at Steele Wheels Motor Museum

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It’s been three years since the Ontario government launched Driving Prosperity, an auto strategy to position the province as a North American leader in developing and building the car of the future. And, despite some challenges caused by COVID-19, Vic Fedeli said the plan has exceeded expectations.

Ontario’s Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, Fedeli said the initiative, which was launched in February 2019, has resulted in $16 billion in foreign investments.

That includes a $4.9 billion electric vehicle battery plant in Windsor, a community that is undergoing a renaissance following some major financial struggles because of declining automotive manufacturing. The plant, which will be operational in 2024, is creating thousands of jobs in the city and represents the largest automotive investment in Canadian history.

Fedeli said that because of Ontario’s vast natural resources, manufacturers of electric vehicles are interested in investing in the province. As well, he said the major automobile manufacturers indicated a willingness to invest in the province if Premier Doug Ford helped reduce their manufacturing, labour and operating costs – something it has done since the Progress Conservatives came to power in 2018.

“Premier Ford and myself went back to the five auto OEMs and said, ‘We did what you asked, now what are you going to do?’ Together we wrote Driving Prosperity,” Fedeli said. “That was the plan, and it is rolling out almost picture perfect.”

Shortly after the unveiling of the Driving Prosperity plan, the world experienced COVID-19, which, among other things, crippled manufacturing and caused supply chain shortages. In the case of the automotive industry, it had to operate with stringent safety rules and a lack of new inventory – a problem which it is still dealing with.

Fedeli said once the pandemic restrictions lessened, representatives from various foreign companies met with the province, either in person or virtually, to do future deals.

“The pandemic did show us the liability of Ontario’s supply chain and how unreliable some of the world’s supply chains are, and showed us sometimes who we are friends with,” Fedeli said. “Each and every one, whether it was in Japan, South Korea, Germany and Austria, they feel the world is in a tumultuous state all around them, and they look at Ontario and see a sea of calm. That’s how they all describe Ontario.”

The Minister said the second thing he hears is that these companies feel Ontario is safe for their employees and their families.

“We turned around and told them, ‘You like what you see, now here’s why you need to be here,”’ he said. “The ecosystem that we have in Ontario they will not find anywhere else in the world. We are the number two automaker in North America and the number two IT cluster in North America.”

Building electric vehicles 

When it comes to electric and hybrid vehicles, Fedeli said the plan is to produce at least 400,000 of them in the province by 2030. He said this is centred on developing EVs through extracting and refining minerals in Ontario, and manufacturing and selling and recycling batteries.

He said Ontario has “carbon dioxide-free mobility” compared the United States, using more clean energy than in places like Kentucky or Indiana. “They burn coal, we don’t in Ontario, and we have a 94 per cent clean energy grid,” he said.

“You buy an electric vehicle built in Ontario, it’s assembled with 94 per cent clean energy,” he said. “The battery will be built with 100 per cent clean energy because they can buy the clean energy credits for the last bit. In the States, they think they are driving an electric vehicle and they are solving the problems of the world. They are not. They are burning coal to make their vehicle in the States.”

Fedeli said there is “lots in the pipeline” in terms of additional revenues from foreign investments and is optimistic the province’s 2030 EV goal can be realized. While it will be up to individual companies to decide how many they produce, he said the province threw some targets at them.

“We make some investments in them and now it’s up to them to deliver,” he said. “General Motors will be the first off the assembly line with their BrightDrop Zevo 600 Cargo Van for FedEx (produced in Ingersoll). It will be the first Canadian-made battery electric vehicle that rolls off an assembly line.

Supporting Project Arrow 

Fedeli said Project Arrow, developed by the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association (AMPA) to produce Canada’s first zero emission concept vehicle, is a good example of showcasing Canadian know-how.

Many of the suppliers being used by the association for Project Arrow – which will be unveiled at the Las Vegas Consumers Electronic Show in January – are based in Windsor. Ontario has committed about $2 million to the project.

“Certainly, APMA with Project Arrow has shown we can do it all here,” said Fedeli, who also offered praise for APMA President Flavio Volpe, who is heading up Project Arrow with Chief Technical Officer Colin Dhillon.

“There are 700 parts makers in Ontario. There are 500 tool and die mould makers. We can build every part, every piece. It’s kind of a watershed moment. We’ve got that ecosystem here,” he said. “The Premier and I have been to as many of these places as we can. They are in solid communities that are lined up street after street with companies that are producing parts.”

No rebates

While the Progressive Conservative government of Ontario is fully committed to building electric vehicles, Fedeli said there will be no rebates for consumers. He said the decision to end the up to $14,000 in subsidies toward the purchase of EV, which was enacted by the previous Liberal government and eliminated after the PCs were elected in 2018, will not change.

“We made the decision we were going to invest in the EV sector and where our investment would be is in the creation of jobs,” Fedeli said. “We want people to have an EV built in Ontario. We’re in for about $2.5 billion taxpayer dollars. We put our incentives in the companies to create tens of thousands new jobs.

Minister Vic Fedeli on Ontario auto industry: 'Lots in the pipeline'

wh-UkranianRef-Family-Nov5

If there is such a thing as the Canadian dream, Alexey Dukach said he is living it with his wife Hanna and their young daughters.

“In every moment we were lucky,” he said. “I think there is a destiny. Maybe God helps you. People see you are starving and how hard you are trying to do this. The full galaxy helps you.”

Originally from the Ukraine, Dukach and his family were forced to flee their home earlier this year because of the Russian invasion. Today, they are living in the Greater Toronto Area, where Dukach has been able to make a home for his family thanks in part to members of the local auto industry.

<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-172806" src="https://wordpress.wheels.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/wh-UkranianRef-Katya-Nov5-1.jpg" alt="ukranian refugee canada" width="960" height="720" />

“It was a dream for me to come here and now I can say I’m living the Canadian dream,” he said. “I am living in a house, I have a job, I have a car so we can travel with our kids. So, yes, coming to Canada on Sept. 12 changed my life and my family.

“I’ve talked two or three times about it with my wife. We are so unbelievably lucky. We’ve found opportunities and we’ve used it.”

Dukach and his wife, both 35, and their daughters Dasha, 8, and Polina, 5, lived a quiet life in Dnipro in central Ukraine. He owned and operated a business importing cars from elsewhere in Europe and the U.S., making small repairs and then selling them. She worked as a client manager for a building company. Life was good.

But their lives were literally rocked on Feb. 24 when Russia started to bomb Ukraine. He received a telephone call at 5:45 a.m. from a friend who worked at the airport and indicated it was being bombed.

“I remember this very clear,” Dukach said. “I had my birthday earlier in the month, but I didn’t celebrate it because we understood something bad would happen in the near future.”

After hanging up. He woke up his wife and they turned on the television to see scenes of the capital, Kyiv, being bombed. “It was very hard to believe,” he said. Emergency sirens soon started wailing in his city, warning of possible attacks. Each time they heard the warnings, the family huddled in an area of the apartment that provided the best shelter.

“It was so hard to explain to the kids what was happening,” Dukach said. “We tried to prepare some games so they would not worry (about the emergency signals). They could happen at any time of the day. They could last for about an hour or two hours. You have to just sit and wait.”

After a week, they decided to leave their home and headed to western Ukraine. For about six weeks, they lived in different cities, but with no indication the bombing would stop, the decision was made to now leave Ukraine.

<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-172807" src="https://wordpress.wheels.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/wh-UkranianRef-Work-Nov5-1.jpg" alt="ukranian refugee" width="1632" height="1224" />

In early April, Dukach bought three bus tickets and sent his wife and two children to live in Germany. Every day he would try to contact his family through the Internet. “That time changed my life because it is so hard to live when you understand that your family is taken care of, but you are not with them,” he said. “A lot of men in Ukraine thought the same thing.”

At the end of June, Dukach was able leave Ukraine and join them. With no desire to stay in Germany, the couple thought about immigrating to Canada or the United States. Dukach had lived around New York and New Jersey on a student exchange while in university 15 years earlier.

Monitoring the Internet, he saw that Canada had begun a program allowing Ukrainians to apply for a 10-year visa and three-year work permit with a chance for permanent residence. The family found a Canadian site that helped Ukrainians and immediately began filling out the necessary government documentation.

They chose the Greater Toronto Area because they knew someone living in Oakville. However, the cost of living there was too much, so they settled on Milton. They received a one-time payment of $9,000 through the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel.

Dukach bought plane tickets and arrived in September. An organization called Nova Ukraine paid for their lodging for two weeks at an Airbnb until they found a rental property. “Even now I don’t understand clearly that I am here in Canada,” he said.

After arriving in Canada, he reached out to Russian immigrant Katya Sundukova, who, along with her husband, Jason Campbell, have been helping Ukrainian refugees arriving in Canada. Sundukova worked with Dukach on his resume, and she contacted people in the automotive industry that might be looking for help.

She phoned Sandy Liguori, who owns Woodchester Nissan and Woodchester Collision in Mississauga. Liguori, who is a former President of the Trillium Automobile Dealers Association and former president of the Canadian International AutoShow, agreed to meet Dukach.

During their conversation, Liguori told to Dukach that he had come to Canada more than 50 years ago when his own father decided to leave Italy for a better life. As an immigrant, he knew the challenges that a newcomer to the country faced.

“It’s almost like it was my duty to help,” Liguori said. “The thing that impressed me the most about him was exactly what we had when we came here – the enthusiasm of being in a new land where there were opportunities for the family to get better. That’s the thing that drew me to him. That he was looking for a better life for his family.”

Liguori set up a meeting with his nephew, who runs the collision centre, and they hired Dukach to start working in the parts department with plans to have him learn more about the business. “I’m thankful to the Liguori family,” Dukach said. “I don’t know what I’d do without them. I love this place and it has opportunities.”

Now settled in their new home, he and his family have visited some popular tourist attractions such as Niagara Falls and Toronto City Hall. He said if someone had told him six months ago that he’d be living and working in Canada, he would have told them they were crazy.

“I just look back and can’t believe how it happened,” he said. “My life has changed upside down, absolutely, but it was a very big lesson for all my family. I think every father should do something for their kids.

“Right now, I understand I am lucky to be here, and I am doing the best for my kids. They can live safely and have a better life here and a good education.”

A Ukrainian refugee finds a new life in the GTA with the help of the local auto industry

wh-GasGuru-Oct8

Nothing fuels Dan McTeague quite like talking about gas.

Well known among Canadians as the go-to guy for gas price updates the country, McTeague has a website, GasWizard.ca, and a twitter account, @GasPriceWizard, where he predicts what gas prices will be like two or three days in advance.

A former Liberal member of parliament – he represented Pickering-Scarborough East from 1993 to 2011 – he is also president of Canadians For Affordable Energy, which believes keeping energy services affordable must be an ongoing public policy priority for all levels of government. The organization is committed to speaking out on this issue so there is an informed debate, and the interests of all Canadians are heard.

We caught up with McTeague to find out what spurred his interest in gas prices, the best times to purchase gas, running your vehicle on a low tank and whether he’s getting paid to produce his content.

What made you so interested in the price of gas? 

I was concerned about fuel prices, which was a constant issue in the early 1990s. Some independent gas retailers in my riding had gone under and I couldn’t figure it out. I thought maybe the best way to help protect consumers was by providing some kind of notice before impending prices were increased so people wouldn’t be caught off guard.

How much time day do you spent answering calls from the media seeking gas updates? 

It depends, usually 15 to 20 a day. When it was $2 a litre (earlier this summer), which I predicted about a year and a half ago, it was 60 to 70. I couldn’t do them all. It really depends on the circumstances. It’s not just Toronto-centric, it’s also French-language media. There’s also a lot of gas stations who call me up and say, “What’s happening or what does the market indicate?” On the Twitter side, I don’t hold back. I have fun with it. There’s a lot of disinformation out there, much of it is political.

Is there an optimal time to fill up your car? 

You tend to have more of an advantage buying gasoline in the evening than you do in the morning. That’s also true on the weekend. Gas stations need to cover a certain amount – they have an eight-cent retail margin in the GTA. If they exceed that margin or are near it, and their volumes are still strong, there’s an advantage in lowering the price in the evening.

Some areas in the GTA and surrounding areas have lower prices than others. Why? 

Areas outside of Toronto tend to be very good at all times. Prices are always a little less. Prices of fuel tend to be a little more competitive in markets like London, Peterborough and Kitchener to a certain extent. Average prices will be two to three cents a litre cheaper than in the GTA. There are exceptions within the GTA, in places where you would least expect it. You will see gas stations anywhere near a Costco station lowering their prices.

Are you ever surprised by the prices after you’ve made your predictions?

My predictions are based on wholesale prices and average retail margins. I can’t predict what retailers are going to do to drop prices, how they are going to apply their eight-cent retail margin, or if they are going to do that at all. I’d be better at picking a lottery for $70 million than I would be figuring out whether, and at what time, a gas station will do that. Gas stations have control over the last eight cents (in the cost of) a litre of gasoline. That’s all the control they have, and they often exercise that to the benefit of consumers.

Some people drive their car and won’t fill up until there’s less than a quarter of a tank or less. What’s your thoughts about that?

I don’t think you want to let it go right to empty, especially taking into consideration the age of your vehicle because deposits and impurities can clog up your filter and effect the fuel system. That’s not to suggest gas stations sell dirty fuel, but over time you do accumulate things. Near empty is fine, but don’t push your luck. It’s also not great for your fuel pump. I have run out of gasoline many, many times.

Wait, the guru of gas has run out of gas?

About eight years ago I took my daughters to a soccer game and after dropping them off and heading to the gas station I ran out of fuel. I had to walk a block, purchase a Jerry can and, embarrassingly, get $8 worth. I vividly recall the guy at the counter relishing in my ordeal and exclaiming, “You’re the gas guy and you ran out of gas?”

Have you ever gone to the gas station when it’s been jammed with people trying to fill up? 

I think that happens more often than I realize. Maybe after doing this for 30 years, I realize there’s no need to be (waiting in line) or for panic buying because I know what the prices will be over the next few days. But you can’t help but wonder why people would take the time to line up. I have a membership at Costco and it’s the same thing there. For five cents a litre less (than at other gas stations) people are willing to wait in line half an hour.

One final question, do you get paid for your information? 

I am self-funded. Years of work prior and after my stint in politics have been rewarding and I have a good pension from being a member of parliament. People will call it the gold-plated pension, and that’s what I have.

But my work doesn’t require a lot of resources, especially in the digital age where websites and social media allow things to be done without a lot of money. It’s a compliment to my work and pioneering that other people are doing this now. Toronto’s 680 News, for example, has a person doing the same thing, albeit just the day before. Imitation is the best form of flattery. I don’t see myself doing this when I’m 80.

So, you love what you are doing? 

I do, and I hope it helps people save money. My tombstone will no doubt have a gas pump This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Why price at the pumps sparks a passion in Gas Guru Dan McTeague

wh-GrahamMcGregorOption2-Oct1

Ask Graham McGregor about being a politician and he’ll tell you it’s like selling cars. The member of provincial parliament for Brampton North said working in a dealership gave him with an understanding of people and taught him about communication.

The auto industry, said the first time Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario MPP, is less about cars and more about people. “It’s so much more important to be a good listener than a good speaker,” he said.

“The solution isn’t always more tax dollars, or a bigger engine, or more horsepower, or fancy features. Sometimes it’s getting the car that fits in someone’s driveway. Or finding a solution to a regulation that’s in somebody’s way that will help make their life better.”

McGregor’s career in the auto industry started in April 2016 after a friend suggested he sell cars, something he had never considered before. Up to that point, the Carleton University political science graduate had worked for Conservative Member of Parliament Parm Gill and – after Gill was unseated in the 2015 election – delivered pizza.

Thanks to a mutual connection, McGregor was hired by Mazda of Brampton. He read up on the history of the automaker and its brands and learned about the dealership and how the sales process worked.

“You don’t get paid for knowing about the cars, you get paid for selling cars,” said McGregor, who noted he struggled during his first three months. “I was 22 years old, the youngest guy at the dealership, and spent a lot of time learning about Mazda’s vehicles. When I would try to sell one to a customer, I would spend a lot of time talking about it, and it didn’t go very well.”

He averaged only about a deal a week compared to his fellow salespeople, who were closing around three sales over the same period. The manager who hired him eventually gave him a little advice. While McGregor had the skills and new about the vehicles, he was making the mistake of talking too much.

Selling cars, McGregor said he was told, is like being a barber. You spend a few moments talking to the customer about what kind of cut they want, then talk to them casually about something they are interested in while you get the job done. The customer will leave satisfied and come back again.

“I still remember that to this day,” McGregor said. “Outside of buying a home, buying a car is the most important purchase a person will make. It’s a very emotional experience.

“You’re not going to be thinking about how big the engine is two weeks after you buy it, or if it is 5.7 litres per 100 kilometres or whatever. You’re going to be thinking about how you feel driving it. We wanted to do everything we could to make the car purchase a good experience emotionally.”

The advice worked, and he went on a tear, selling 11 cars in a month. As well as learning to listen to customers, he also discovered the importance of working the phones during slower periods.

“We worked about 50 hours a week at the dealership but only deal with customers for 15 or 20 hours, so you’d see some salespeople hanging around cracking jokes,” he said. “But some of the other ones would spend the time hammering out phone calls.

“The ones that were doing that were consistently putting up bigger and bigger sale numbers and you’d really see those results,” he said. “The tenacity of salespeople I got to work with showed. The reality is you’re not going to sell to every customer. If you are batting 30 per cent that’s pretty good.”

In 2018, McGregor was offered the opportunity to manage the campaign of Progressive Conservative candidate Amarjot Sandhu, who was running for the seat of Brampton West in the provincial election.  While he enjoyed selling cars, he decided to quit his job.

“I can honestly say I was so happy at the dealership,” McGregor said. “We had a great management team, a great service department, things were working really well.” He was told he’d be welcomed back if politics didn’t work out.

He spent the next four years working as a political staffer, where many of the lessons he learned at Mazda of Brampton – the importance of listening and providing solutions – applied to his new role. He also found that working the phones and calling constituents, campaign volunteers or government departments when the provincial assembly was not in session was like following up with customers during slow sales periods.

“Your job as an MPP is to make sure your neighborhood is made a priority at the Ontario level and you only do that by working the phones and following up and being a squeaky wheel to make sure you are getting the attention you need,” McGregor said.

In 2022, McGregor ran in the provincial election as the Progressive Conservative candidate in the riding of Brampton North. He said that a month before the election, he was talking to a member of a local community group who needed some guidance on properly structuring a non-profit.

McGregor said put forward some suggestions and was told that it was the first time a politician had listened to him and given him exact guidance. It reminded him of when he was 22 years old and learned the importance of listening to customers at the dealership.

“That was the moment I thought I could actually be really good at being a politician,” he said. “I always thought I could do a good job, don’t get me wrong, but it energized me to win (the election).”

Building Highway 413

Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario MPP Graham McGregor said a major priority for the current Ontario government is moving forward on the proposal to build Highway 413. In September he introduced a private member’s motion on the project

In it, he called Highway 413 “a critical piece of key public infrastructure that will save drivers up to five hours a week by alleviating traffic in the most heavily-congested corridor in North America, and will support up to 3,500 jobs and generate up to $350 million annually in gross domestic product.”

The 52-kilometre route would be built between highways 401, 407 and 400. There would also be extensions to highways 410 and 427. While the highway is supported by Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who made it one of the Progressive Conservative’s campaign promises, its building met with resistance because of the impact it will have on the environment, including the Greenbelt.

“God bless them, but we’ve got to make sure that we’re rallying to make sure it gets done,” McGregor said about the highway. “We’ve got a clear mandate to do it.”

Rookie MPP Graham McGregor sees similarities between selling cars and working for his constituents

wh-CarLady-Option1-Sept3

Christine Mitchell is known as The Car Lady. For 25 years, she’s been the connection between consumers and dealers, with an approach that is unlike anyone else in Canada – maybe even the world.

The Port Elgin resident holds events, called Know Your Car Night, at dealerships across the country. Their aim is to help dealerships retain customers, and, in turn, for customers to learn more about their new vehicles and regular maintenance.

While some might call her an influencer, Mitchell prefers to be known as an educator.

“I think I’ve certainly influenced a lot of people in the way they’ve felt about their car, their confidence level with their own vehicle and their relationship with their dealership,” said Mitchell. “I’ve certainly educated a lot of people. I see myself more as a teacher.”

The road that led to Mitchell’s unique business began with a love of cars when she was growing up in Peterborough, Ont.

“I wanted to be Steve McQueen my entire life,” Mitchell said. “I wanted to drive fast. I wanted to look good. I wanted it all.”

As soon as she got her drivers license when she turned 16 years old, Mitchell applied for a job at a local dealership. She started out as a receptionist and transitioned into working in the lube lanes. She soon decided to become a technician and enrolled in school to learn how to do it. She was the only woman among the 64 students in her program.

“I just loved the car business,” said Mitchell. “I was so enamoured by the whole process of working in a dealership and changing people’s lives through transportation. I don’t know why.

“I was the only girl, and I was blonde, and I was young,” she said. “The Car Lady became a manufacture of that because, when I was working in service, they trotted me out for every photo opp because they wanted some diversity.”

She subsequently became a salesperson but decided to make a career switch so she would have more flexibility after giving birth to her daughter in 1997. Taking stock of her skills – a great voice, good presence and knowledge about cars – she started running informative clinics for women at General Motors dealerships. She started with six dealerships, but her business kept expanding. She was soon offering the Know Your Car Night events.

“Every time I’d go into a dealership, somebody would say, ‘Hey, there’s that car lady, there’s that car lady.’ So, I said, ‘Okay, I’ll be The Car Lady,’” she said. “If you get one store in a dealer group, typically the whole group comes on board. That can be 10 dealers. I can’t be everywhere, so I had to clone myself.”

In 2011, she hired staff to help with the events. Her recruits were women with experience working in a dealership or had a full-time job and wanted to work part-time at night. “I know a ‘Car Lady’ as soon as I meet her,” Mitchell said. “I don’t care if she doesn’t know anything about cars, I’ll teach her what she needs to know.”

Her Know Your Car Night events soon expanded to about 30 per month, including several on the same night. One even attracted 220 car owners. “That’s bigger than the average wedding, it was like car ‘Oprah,’” she said.

Maria Soklis, executive vice president at Dealer Solutions Mergers and Acquisitions – which specializes in helping to buy and sell automotive, truck, marine and heavy equipment retail dealerships – and a former an executive with Kia Canada, got to know Mitchell.

“She has worked relentlessly in an industry that has been both tough on women and for women,” said Soklis. “She rolled with the punches, seized the opportunities, surrounded herself with good people and always strived to be the best she could be.”

As with many entrepreneurs, Mitchell’s business was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. She had to lay off some of her staff and switch to holding virtual rather then in-person events.

“Even now we’re just getting going again,” she said. “But I’ve got to be honest, I’m in a very fortunate position because I saved all the money I’ve ever earned. I have no debt. When COVID hit, I was in a good position financially. Here’s the thing, the stores I’ve called, every one of them said they’d have me back.

“I believe in The Car Lady. I believe in what we’re doing. People need to be educated on service. Service is essential. I’m the voice of service. I’m your second chance at a first impression.”

Mitchell said she feels grateful for the opportunity to have worked with thousands of customers and been able to educate them on their second-largest investment next to buying a home.

“My favourite customer on the Know Your Car Night is always the first-time buyer because they are looking at me to make great decisions going forward about their service and to keep that car looking its best,” she said. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to have taught those people something.”

Three tips from The Car Lady

As far as Christine Mitchell is concerned, there are three key considerations to consider when deciding on a vehicle.
<ul>
 	<li>Cost. “How are you going to pay for it and what is your monthly budget? That would determine what kind of car you get,” Mitchell said.</li>
 	<li>Purpose. “What are you going to do with it?” she said. “Are you go to tow something? Do you haul things to the dump? How many people do you have in your family? Are you urban or rural? Hardly anybody where I live in Port Elgin buys an electric car. We don’t have any charging stations here.”</li>
 	<li> How long you will keep it. “That will determine whether you buy extended warranty or rust protection,” she said.</li>
</ul>

As The Car Lady, Christine Mitchell is educating both car owners and dealerships

2023 Honda Civic Type R

When Justin Toolsie heard rumours that Honda would stop production of the Civic Type R in early 2020, he began searching for one. The 36-year-old Mississauga resident has owned four Civics during the two decades since he got his driver’s license.

“It’s got guts, it’s peppy, it’s incredibly reliable, hands down the most reliable car I’ve ever driven,” said Toolsie. “They’re incredibly good on gas.”

Knowing there was only a limited 110,000 Type Rs in the worldwide marketplace at the time, as soon as he located one in Chatham, Ont., with 30,000 kilometres on it and replaced front brakes, he bought it.

“They were hard to come buy, grossly overpriced and, back then, the average sale price for a 2018 or 2019, based on my research, was about $42,000 to $45,000,” said Toolsie. He bought his 2018 model for $35,000 more than it cost when it was brand new.

“It was hard to justify the cost, but I was able to convince my wife and say it had four doors and a pretty decent trunk and it’s fun,” he said. “It’s really my grocery getter, but for those times I go to a track it’s something I put more fun into and drive for more sport purposes.”

Toolsie is not alone in his appreciation for the Honda Civic. For a car that debuted with little fanfare in the United States in 1972, and a year later in Canada, it has remained true to its original purpose of being a small, affordable automobile that gets great mileage and handles well. It has also evolved over the last 50 years, only increasing in popularity because of its speed, sleek design and ability for owners to easily modify.

<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-170637" src="https://wordpress.wheels.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/wh-CivicFifty-Jason-Aug13.jpg" alt="Honda Civic" width="1024" height="636" />

“The Civic has remained true to its roots as a reliable, affordable and attractive people mover throughout its 50 years and 11 generations, while consistently staying at the top of its class and remaining popular with Canadians from a variety of lifestyles right across the country,” said Honda Canada Inc. President and CEO Jean Marc Leclerc.

“It remains one of the most well-engineered and fun cars to drive and it panders to so many different demographics and lifestyles.”

Jason Richmond, known as HondaProJason on the YouTube channel he started 10 years ago, said the Civic has endured in the marketplace because it has stayed true to many of the features it first debuted with, and then added more that appealed to sportier motorists.

“I think the car was a very basic car for a very long time,” said Richmond. “It did what it was engineered to do: last a long time, be great on gas mileage, be very reliable and very dependable for many years.

Richmond said when Honda first unveiled the Civic it gained traction in North America thanks to the fuel savings from its four-cylinder engine. Its first few years on the market coincided with the 1973 oil crisis and the passing of the U.S. Energy Policy Conservation Act in 1975, which set the first fuel economy goals, ushered in unleaded gas and set emission levels.

“The gas crunch was happening at that same time, and all the big manufacturer such as GM, Ford and Chrysler had these big engines and they were trying to figure out how to meet the standards of emissions,” Richmond said. “Honda said it could do it and without a catalytic converter, and the result was the Honda Civic.”

Honda established a Canadian manufacturing plant in Alliston, Ont., in 1988. It has been operating longer than any other Honda plant in the world currently producing the model, and more than 2.5 million units have been manufactured there.

“In the last few generations, Honda has started adding a lot more toys and features and comfort. For a while, the Civic was the base car for Honda. When they introduced the Honda Fit in 2007, it had something under it so the Civic could get a little bit larger and get some extra features. I also think the enthusiasts had a lot to do with it,” said Richmond.

<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-170638" src="https://wordpress.wheels.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/wh-CivicFifty-Toolsie-Aug13-rotated.jpg" alt="Honda Civic" width="1632" height="2176" />

Enthusiasts like Toolsie. “It’s a legend in the tuner market,” he said about owners who modify their Civics to increase their performance. While he uses his Type R for some day-to-day activities, he also races at speed ovals such as Toronto Motorsports Park and Cayuga Speedway. He’s only added 10,000 kilometres since he bought it and has added an exhaust intake.

“The idea at some point is to make it more of a track car,” Toolsie said. “You could spend $200,000 for a super sports car, and I’ll spend $30,000, including tuning it, and still mop the floor with it.

“It brings a lot of joy into my life driving this. I’ve always got a smile when I’m driving this car. It’s purely fun and passion. I’ll probably never sell this car.”

As it turned out, the rumour Honda planned to stop production of the Type R turned out not to be true, and – with tremendous hype – the 2023 model will arrive this fall, with around 569 coming to Canada. Leclerc said Honda is also planning to do something special next year to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Civic in Canada. “Stay tuned,” he said.

A Civic world

Larry Lantz, president of Hanover Honda, said the Civic debuted in the 1970s when consumers were used to huge vehicles. “When it first came out it wasn’t all that interesting until it got some traction with gas prices,” he said, adding that once Honda had a few years perfecting it, the Civic became better and more desirable in North America.

For the last 24 years, the Civic has ranked among the top-selling vehicles in Canada and the best in its class. It was voted Canada’s 2002 Car of the Year by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada, the 2022 Best Overall Car in Canada by AutoTrader Canada, and the 2022 North American Car of the Year – an honour it also received in 2006 and 2016. The Civic is also Honda’s best-selling automobile, with global sales exceeding 30 million vehicles.

“Some cars look good and are good on gas and they’ve got decent resale value, but don’t handle well,” Lantz said. “The Civic has everything built into it.”

50 years of the Honda Civic, a sporty fuel-efficient car that remains popular

wh-JimJiwani-July23

For someone who grew up in modest means in Uganda and came to Canada almost 50 years ago with nothing, Jim Jiwani now owns several car dealerships – including one in Canada’s biggest shopping centre.

It’s been an incredible journey for the 68-year-old, highlighted by last fall’s opening of West Edmonton Mall Toyota. The sprawling 150,000-square-foot dealership includes a showroom, lounge, detailing centre and service area. The dealership fits in with the atmosphere at the Edmonton mall, which is also home to a massive wave pool, theme park, aquarium, hotel and casino.

“I didn’t think Toyota would agree to (the location) because it’s never been done in the world with a full-size dealership,” said Jiwani, who owns two dealerships in Edmonton, two in Calgary and three in the Greater Toronto Area under the Prestige Auto Group banner.

“We put everything on paper looking at all the pros and cons and felt this might be the way to go,” he said. “It would be a good challenge for us as well because this is a very unique mall, not like other malls because of (all the attractions).”

Facing challenges in something Jiwani knows well. He has overcome prejudice in his automotive career, which began as a mechanic, and doubts about some of his business plans.

“I love cars and coming to work and working with people,” said Jiwani, who also holds business interests in hotels and airport parking lots. “There’s always something new and exciting happening with car dealerships.”

Jiwani’s parents immigrated to Uganda from India to take advantage of business opportunities in Africa. Growing up, Jiwani was enthusiastic about rally cars and aircrafts. Following high school, he moved to the U.K., where he hoped to join the Royal Air Force. While Uganda was a British colony, Jiwani was not considered a citizen so he couldn’t enlist.

Instead, he attended a technical college about an hour outside off London where he studied auto mechanics. As part of his course, he had to complete a work placement, but was always rejected.

“I felt it was because I was a foreigner from Africa and ‘What does he know about car,’” Jiwani said. He finally found a place that would take him, but only after he offered to work for free. He rented a room in a house but didn’t have enough money to pay for heat or hot water. He often didn’t have money to pay for public transportation and would walk to work.

As difficult as life was in England, there was no turning back. In 1972, a year after he left home, Ugandan dictator Idi Amin ordered all Asians out of the country and gave them only 90 days notice. His family moved to Canada and settled in Vancouver.

Jiwani followed them to British Columbia two years later after he finished school. He found work at a small Fiat dealership where he had to repair cars outside, before finding a better job in Abbotsford. When his family moved to Winnipeg in 1976, he followed them and worked at a Honda dealership.

He married during this time and moved with his wife to Calgary. After 12 years working at a Honda dealership there, Jiwani and his brother-in-law decided to buy the business. He didn’t have the money, but he liquidated his assets, borrowed from family members and received backing from a venture capital group in the Muslim community.

The business became so successful that Toyota approached them with the opportunity to own another dealership. Located in Edmonton, it also became so success, and was expanded twice. Jiwani and his brother-in-law eventually decided to divide the dealerships.

About three years ago, Jiwani – who kept the Edmonton Toyota dealership – and David Friesen, its general manger and managing partner, needed to decide whether to renovate the business or move it to a new location. After considering various sites, they became interested in the West Edmonton Mall.

<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-170147" src="https://wordpress.wheels.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/wh-JimJiwani-Service-July23-scaled.jpg" alt="Jim Jiwani" width="1920" height="2560" />

“When we came up with the concept of moving, it was Jim that was either going to kill it or love it,” Friesen said. “Ultimately it was Jim that said, ‘Yes, let’s go with this idea and see if we can make it work.’”

Still, the idea required the consent of Larry Hutchinson, the president and CEO of Toyota Canada.

“Jim bounced the idea off me relatively early in the process and it led to some interesting discussions,” Hutchinson said. “The deeper they got into it, the more the opportunity at that location became obvious.

“At the time there was a lot of discussion about shopping malls and the future of them, but the West Edmonton Mall is a unique thing. It’s an entertainment place as much as anything,” he said.

Opening the new location took three years, including the mall moving some existing tenants to create additional space for the dealership. The COVID-19 pandemic also slowed the process.

“It put a damper in the whole process, but we were able to get it all done,” Jiwani said. “People see the cars (in the mall’s atrium) and then they walk into the dealership. Most of these people had no intention of coming into it in the first place.

“Most of the people are curious about cars because they like them,” he said. “A lot of them want to see the service department and all that, and then they are completely blown away at how massive and big and clean it is.”

Hutchinson said the West Edmonton Mall Toyota is a good example of why Jiwani has become successful. “I think it encapsulates a lot of what he’s done,” he said. “I think this is just an example of his method of success; well thought out with a pretty organized approach but entrepreneurial. Don’t get me wrong. He’s a lot of fun to be around, too.”

Perry Lefko

Articles by Perry Lefko