VSA BULLETIN
January 9, 2009
Issue #1 - 2009

The VSA website as an industry resource: Important new studies available to all

How big is the motor vehicle sales industry of B.C.? What is the economic impact? How many people are employed? How many units are sold each year by new vehicle and independent dealers? How many are private sales? How big a slice do “curbers” represent? What percentage of consumers are generally pleased by their experience and how many feel less satisfied or even cheated?

When this independent authority was founded in 2004, we sought answers to these and many more questions. We started using widely accepted numbers such as "a $15 billion annual industry" and approximate annual sales of  550,000 (2006) of which 200,000 were new vehicles. We further quoted the assumption that about 40 per cent of all sales are private and that about half of these are by curbers - unlicensed, illegal dealers.

While we used these numbers, we were quick to qualify that they were just "generally accepted estimates" without authoritative data sources to ensure credibility.

Part of the VSA mandate to help evolve a more professional industry is to ensure that our current and future decisions are built upon a foundation of knowledge, and, in the process, to become a resource for anyone looking for factual, credible data.

Two recent VSA-commissioned reports are steps in that direction and they are available for you to read or download from our web site, www.vehiclesalesauthority.com

Ipsos Reid - Consumer Survey

The internationally-respected research firm Ipsos-Reid surveyed B.C. consumers to learn how they felt they were treated when they purchased a vehicle, the type of vehicles they bought and their impressions of the industry.

Among the findings was that nine-in-ten people who either bought or leased a motor vehicle during the past 12 months or are very likely to do so in the next 12 months say they feel confident (87%) and informed (89%) when buying/leasing a vehicle, but the poll suggests they might not know as much as they think they do.

Environmental Scan

A VSA commissioned report by Malatest Program Evaluation and Research tracks demographic and economic trends in BC, provides automotive retail industry data, identifies market trends, presents VSA licence data, VSA consumer enquiry and compliance data and much more.

The Malatest study not only presents numbers with respect to most aspects of vehicle sales and their economic impact in B.C., it provides a smorgasbord of useful observations such as the fact that B.C. vehicle buyers are the most Internet savvy in Canada. The report states: "Among late-model used vehicle buyers, the Internet has surpassed all other shopping methods as the source for locating the vehicle a buyer ultimately purchases."

www.vehiclesalesauthority.com

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