Editorials by Susan Gubasta

TADA President 2018 - 2019

• 08/11/2018
  Putting the dealership job spotlight on business development co-ordinator, product adviser
  Whenever I am asked about job opportunities in the dealership world, most people think we have two positions: salespeople and technicians. Our industry is so much more than that.
• 08/03/2018
  Buying a car? Take time to research financing options
  For most car buyers, paying for a new or pre-owned vehicle involves a financial arrangement with a dealership or a banking institution. Both options are popular; it depends on your personal preferences.
• 07/27/2018
  Technology is the deciding factor in most car purchases, report says
  You would think make, model, colour and body style would be the deciding factors when buying a car. Those features are important, but not as important as technology, according to a 2017 study by Autotrader. The study revealed that car buyers research the technology they want before they visit a dealership.
• 07/20/2018
  Curbsiders a scourge of private vehicle sales
  In 2017, following an investigation by the Ontario Motor Vehicle Industry Council (OMVIC), an Ottawa man was convicted of illegally selling motor vehicles. In this case, the man sold vehicles that had been written off by insurance companies to unsuspecting buyers. According to OMVIC, many of these vehicles’ airbags had been deployed and the seller did not replace them, nor did he inform the buyers that their airbag needed replacing.
• 07/14/2018
  Susan Gubasta answers questions about her career as the first-ever president of TADA.
  Whenever I speak publicly, I enjoy receiving feedback from audiences and answering questions about my career. Here are some of the questions that I have received over the past year:
• 07/07/2018
  Customer surveys help dealers and manufacturers improve performance at all levels
  It is hard to believe that before the 1980s, car dealerships and auto manufacturers had no reliable way of knowing how customers felt about their products and services. As a business practice, customer feedback was practically non-existent. If a customer purchased more than one vehicle, or was a regular service customer, dealerships assumed that they were loyal, happy customers.
• 06/23/2018
  How the hunt for a new car has changed over the past few years
  When I began working in the retail car industry, I would meet customers who had been to seven, eight or more dealerships before visiting our Toyota store. Car buyers managed the bulk of their car shopping by visiting multiple dealerships, talking face-to-face to multiple salespeople, collecting multiple printed brochures and test driving multiple vehicles.
• 06/16/2018
  Don’t underestimate what your owner’s manual can do
  When it comes to riveting reading, car owner’s manuals would not make any short list, and for good reason. Owner’s manuals are dry and filled with technical jargon, and most car owners have neither the time nor the patience to read them.
• 06/09/2018
  Let’s salute Ontario’s retail automobile industry
  Now that the 2018 Ontario election is over, the Trillium Automobile Dealers Association is looking forward to working with the new government and all MPPs on issues vital to the retail auto sector. One of those issues is the importance of the retail automobile sector. For decades, the retail automobile industry has been a major contributor to the Ontario economy, and it shows no signs of slowing down.
• 06/02/2018
  Everyone should be concerned about high gas prices in Ontario
  
• 06/02/2018
  The automobile plays a key role in Canada’s success
  Trains, telephones, postal systems, radio and the internet have contributed much to uniting our great country, but the birth of automobiles has brought us closer together as a nation than any single invention or development.
• 05/26/2018
  Students are behind Canada’s largest outdoor auto show
  When I visit high schools and post-secondary schools, I am inspired by the energy and enthusiasm of the students I meet. One group of students, who attend the Automotive Business School of Canada at Georgian College in Barrie, have never failed to impress me.
• 05/05/2018
  Retail automobile industry is brimming with opportunities
  By SUSAN GUBASTATADA President Fri., May 4, 2018 One of my goals as president of the Trillium Automobile Dealers Association (TADA) is to promote education and career opportunities in the retail automobile industry. As past chair of the TADA’s Education Committee, I have had the privilege of participating in the planning and strategizing about many education initiatives to promote our industry to youth and millennials.
• 04/28/2018
  Key trends have influenced the retail auto industry
  By SUSAN GUBASTA TADA PRESIDENT Fri., April 27, 2018 My involvement with the Trillium Automobile Dealers Association (first as a board member and now as president) has allowed me to meet people who work in all aspects of the retail automobile industry. One point of discussion that comes up frequently among my peers and colleagues is the profound changes taking place in our industry, and the pace of those changes.
• 04/21/2018
  Shining a spotlight on automobile technicians
  By SUSAN GUBASTATADA President Fri., April 20, 2018 Although automotive technicians work mostly behind the scenes, their work is highly skilled and valued. At my Toyota dealership in Mississauga, one of our senior automotive technicians, Brian Davidson, has been a licensed automotive technician for close to 50 years.
• 04/14/2018
  Meet the new president of the Trillium Automobile Dealers Association
  By SUSAN GUBASTATADA President Fri., April 13, 2018 My name is Susan Gubasta, and I am the newly appointed President of the Trillium Automobile Dealers Association, representing over 1,100 new car dealers across Ontario. It is an honour to serve Canada’s largest provincial automotive association in this capacity, and being the first woman to hold this title in the association’s 110-year history is an added honour.