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In 2015, a WIRED reporter unraveled the tale of a life-threatening hack on a connected car. Although electric and connected vehicles have become more widely adopted, security concerns exist. Lately, there have been news stories of hacking, causing apprehension to current EV owners and unease for potential drivers. In 2020, researchers from the Southwest Research Institute in Texas successfully hacked North America's most popular charging system. Cyber vulnerabilities were found in six home EV chargers and a large public charging network. As electric cars populate more cities, the need for more charging stations has emerged. However, this brings vulnerabilities to hacking and security concerns, as charging stations are potential targets because they are connected to the internet and communicate with cars.As a pioneer and leading manufacturer of premium smart electric vehicles, we have listed our users' concerns and implemented infrastructure to reduce security risks in the vehicles t
iDEALER flips the script on automobile dealership last mile problems with its AIpowered rides management system. It is designed to streamline shuttle services for customers, valet services for vehicle pickup and return, and parts deliveries, making every mile smarter. Traditionally, dealerships coordinate courtesy rides manually using clipboards, shared spreadsheets or dispatcher phone calls. This leads to inefficient routing, drivers’ inefficiency and long customer wait times. Without routing automation, dealerships lose time, increase labor and fuel costs and risk customer dissatisfaction. "Our platform does the job of the dispatcher in the most efficient manner and delivers Uber-like customer experience” says Sergey Nekipelov, CEO. iDEALER eliminates inefficiencies by automating and optimizing ride management. By reducing idle time and unnecessary mileage, the platform helps dealerships lower operational costs while streamlining service delivery. The result is faster, more reliable transportation for customers, directly enhancing their overall experience. End-to-End Ride Management Built for Efficiency iDEALER takes all incoming ride requests and creates the most optimal routes for the available drivers on-duty based on their driver roles configuration. If a dealership has several customers needing rides in the morning, the system plans stops from the closest to the furthest and then bring the driver back. In the afternoon, it does the same in reverse, for pickups. It prioritizes customers who have waited longer and balances workloads across multiple drivers. iDEALER is particularly valuable for parts departments. Dealerships that deliver 40-60 parts per day often have drivers spend one-two hours in the morning just planning routes. It eliminates manual effort and increases productivity..
Tag Tracking is championing an advanced layered, customer-focused approach to auto theft prevention and recovery. A North American leader in Prevention, Electronic Identification/Etching, vehicle tracking and recovery of stolen vehicles, it has become synonymous with the excellence of risk management programs in Quebec and Ontario, and it has saved close to 200 million dollars for the damage insurance industry in the region. Leveraging its three decades of industry experience, Tag Tracking has developed a deep reservoir of insights into the complexities of vehicle theft to provide consumers and the damage insurance industry with a very affordable solution coupled with Prevention, Electronic Identification/Etching, vehicle tracking and recovery systems. Its expertise covers the entire spectrum, from the modus operandi of organized crime syndicates to the various methods used for vehicle exportation and Re-Vining. This ability has powered the company to significantly contribute to minimizing auto theft insurance claims and vehicle financial risk. “We’re constantly improving, studying habits, patterns and operations to hinder the auto thief’s ability to disable our product, making it very difficult for anyone to neutralize our multi-level system.” says Freddy Marcantonio, vice president of business development. Layered Protection for Total Security While car theft poses a significant challenge for many, it is no test for Tag Tracking. It employs a sophisticated, multi-level approach to vehicle protection, beginning with prevention. Permanently etching its logo onto vehicles on passenger and driver’s side windows is the first step. This serves as a visible yet discreet reminder of the vehicle’s enhanced security, effectively reducing its appeal to potential thieves. According to insurance industry statistics, vehicles protected by Tag Tracking's system experience a significantly lower incidence of theft of over 90%. Electronic identification forms the second layer of protection. This strategy involves installing a series of cutting-edge Nano-Tags throughout the vehicle. These are miniature, waterproof transponders the size of a grain of rice. The tiny RFID-enabled Nano-Tags are discreetly embedded in vehicle parts, which are highly sought after by thieves. Our miniature transponders each have their own unique serial number. The Nano Tag devices will easily identify the vehicle parts as stolen, making them harder to buy and sell. If the sale of a stolen vehicle part is attempted, these devices act as a warning label, exposing the parts as being obtained illegally. Tracking and recovery form the third layer; Tag Tracking’s trained technicians conceal a varied number of wireless transmitters throughout a vehicle, making it very challenging for thieves to locate and remove. The tracking transmitters are permanently entrenched throughout the interior or exterior of the vehicle. The installation process ensures that the removal of the transmitters (Tags) cannot be done without causing damage to the vehicle. These transmitters are programmed to emit signals that are received daily by the Tag Tracking security central via our encrypted antenna/ infrastructure. All transmissions via the multiple Tag kit units received by our security central are permanently recorded and kept in our protected database. In the event of a theft, these devices are activated in real-time and can be tracked at any time, anywhere in North America.
A paradigm shift is taking root in the world of automotive sales. According to recent reports, 62 percent of Canadian car buyers would choose an online purchase option over an in-person retail experience. Across Canada, shoppers express similar sentiments around wanting to spend less time in a dealership, a desire for more transparency, and a want for an easier shopping and purchasing process. Amid this backdrop, lenders, OEMs, and dealers are looking to adopt data-driven strategies and digital tools to address these pain points and ultimately modernize the customer buying experience. At the intersection of this revolutionary shift is taq Automotive Intelligence, a Canadian-owned organization that is reimagining the next generation of customer experience. taq’s forward-thinking approach, drawn from years of experience and a depth of industry knowledge, drives them to design and deliver fintech products to support the demands of the new tech-savvy automotive consumer and ultimately, enable its lender and OEM partners to deliver the optimal customer experience that aligns with their own strategies. “We aren’t a one-size fits all, cookie cutter solution,” says John Currado, president of taq. “What differentiates us is the way we work with our partners, creating customization with our products and services to create scalability for them. Ultimately, their success is our success.” From the Beginning Founded as a SaaS business in the mid-90s, the company, originally branded as SCI, pioneered one of the first lead management tool platforms that consolidated online leads and delivered them to automotive dealers and OEMs, a complementing suite of products to their existing agnostic lead delivery channel. In 2006, the company became the exclusive lead delivery and lead management provider for General Motors US, and in the subsequent years, established lead delivery partnerships with Mazda Canada as well Ford, GM, and Honda dealers. Over two decades of gathering valuable lead data, the company became well-versed in the shopping and buying habits of automotive consumers, continuously updating the platform to include key measurement tools to help dealers measure the efficacy of their engagement efforts. The company’s trajectory changed drastically in 2015 when they built a state-of-the-art credit portal to support SCI Lease Corp's efforts to deliver a new leasing product for all Stellantis (formally FCA) dealers/customers in conjuntion with subvented loans through Royal Bank of Canada and non-prime loans from iA Financial. This new competitive lease offering paved the way for Stellantis to reestablish a full financial suite of products to regain a competitive edge in the Canadian Market. By bolstering the credit portal with their data-rich lead delivery and lead management platform, taq had the distinction of bringing to market the first 360-degree dealer solution to manage the full end-to-end customer buying cycle. Agnostic in design, the platform’s interface helps dealers manage active leads effortlessly across multiple channels and allows them to connect with customers throughout their entire buying journey.
Robin Milavec, Executive Board Director, President, CTO, CSO, Nexteer Automotive
Sacha Porges, Global Director - Lead Customer Quality & New Programs, GKN Automotive
Nick Rumberger, Executive Director, Engineering & Sales, BILSTEIN
Mohsen Norouzi, Chief Operating Officer (COO), TÜV NORD Mobilität GmbH & Co. KG
Patrycja Kujawa, Vice President, Information Management, Auto Canada
Brandin Wilkinson, Director of Leadership Development, Bannister Automotive Group
Renata Mattos, Human Resources Director North America, Leggett & Platt Automotive
The adoption of autonomous vehicles in Canada is advancing through the integration of technology, supportive policies, and improved infrastructure, leading to safer and more efficient transportation.
Intelligent Ride Management Enhances Customer Service
As the automotive landscape becomes increasingly customer-centric, service innovation is no longer confined to the vehicle itself. Every interaction, from sales to aftercare, is being reimagined through the lens of experience. One area gaining renewed strategic importance is courtesy ride management. Once viewed as a peripheral convenience, it is now being transformed by artificial intelligence (AI) into a sophisticated and value-driven extension of mobility services. AI-powered courtesy ride management systems bring structure and intelligence to what was once a manually coordinated and often fragmented process. By automating scheduling, optimizing routes in real-time, and enabling seamless communication, these platforms significantly enhance operational efficiency while elevating the customer experience. Wait times are reduced, vehicle use is optimized, and service teams gain complete visibility and control over the entire process. What sets these systems apart is their ability to adapt and learn. By analyzing usage patterns, peak hours, and location data, AI continuously refines service delivery. Over time, businesses are equipped to anticipate and exceed expectations. The result is a ride experience that is timely, consistent, and aligned with the brand’s commitment to excellence. In the context of dealership operations, service centers, and mobility providers, this intelligent orchestration delivers more than operational benefits. It reinforces customer trust at a critical moment when convenience and reliability are most valued. Transparent updates, accurate estimated arrival times, and responsive coordination turn a routine ride into a moment that enhances brand perception. As digital transformation reshapes every aspect of the automotive value chain, courtesy ride programs offer a clear example of how AI can elevate ancillary services into strategic assets. The future of mobility is autonomous, connected, and intelligent in its approach to customer care. With AI guiding the process, courtesy ride management evolves from a logistical task into a curated experience. It is precise, proactive, and representative of the industry’s advancing standards of service. In this edition, we spotlight we feature companies that are driving this shift, redefining efficiency and elevating the service experience in the automotive space. We also present insights from expert CXOs like Scott Marcus, Process Engineering Manager, Flex-N-Gate and John O'Dowd, Vice President of Marketing, NAPA AUTO PARTS, who offer their opinions on the currently used business practices. We hope that the valuable insights from industry leaders and the solutions and services featured in this edition will assist you in making informed decisions for your business.
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