From "Olsen on Your Side" (Originally Aired November 21, 2007)

Canadians have been tearing up the highways, importing thousands of American cars - purchased with our strong dollar. But the border will be closing to several models of new cars -- and the reason might surprise you

Trevor Kramer imports luxury vehicles from the US.

"The Canadian consumer has been gouged for a while and it's only now that the consumer can see it," he says.

Across the country in October, 28,500 American vehicles were imported into Canada. But you may be interested in knowing who decides whether a vehicle can be modified to meet Canadian safety standards. Turns out it's not the government: it's the car companies.

"If they don't give their consent the car doesn't get registered in Canada," he explains. "It's been said that that's a kin to putting the fox in charge of the hen house.”

For example, Honda has decided it's most popular models the 2008 Honda Fit, Civic, Accord, Odyssey, Element, Pilot and Ridgeline are “inadmissible” to Canada.

When we asked why, Honda blamed a new federal regulation requiring immobilizers as of September 1st 2007. American cars don't have them. In an e-mail response to our questions Honda says:

"Attempting to certify every modification from a safety standpoint is neither practical nor prudent." And: "Our initial research shows that making the required changes to some vehicles could cost the consumer up to several thousand dollars, although cost is not at issue."

Thousands of dollars for an after market immobilizer? We asked Rolando Angeles who has ten years experience installing immobilizers.

"They generally start at one hundred and seventy-nine dollars installed."

Not thousands?"

“At the high end you are probably looking at four hundred to five hundred dollars in all honesty," he insists.

The Insurance Bureau of Canada lists four after market immobilizers, which would meet the standard. Transport Canada could remove this hurdle by simply approving that list, allowing buyers to import 2008 vehicles from the u-s and install the immobilizer here. A simple solution.

Right now if the manufacturer says a vehicle can't be modified to meet Canadian safety standards-- Transport Canada takes their word on it. Transport Canada does not conduct any independent tests. But when we pointed out that could result in keeping car prices artificially high in Canada by preventing cheaper imports, Transport Canada told us—quote: "we are aware of the situation, we are looking at this closely, and we are committed to finding a solution."

A First for Vancouver, Two Auto Retailers Collaborate to be a Powerhouse in the Industry,

$35 Million in Sales Revenues Projected for 2008

It is with great pleasure that Affinity Auto announces that it is slated to move in next door to Clutch, North America’s first female-focused car dealership, and its parent company, auto/ONE Lease Inc., at their West 3^rd and Burrard showroom located at 1755 West 3^rd Avenue. Effective Friday, September 28^th, Affinity Auto’s existing showroom at Burrard and West 2^nd will close permanently.

Affinity Auto is committed to provide a smooth transition to the new showroom while it is under construction—during this transitional period, Affinity Auto’s inventory and administration offices will be housed by auto/ONE, ensuring minimal impact to our valued clients. Affinity Auto will continue to conduct business as usual during this time. We invite all of our clients to visit us at auto/ONE, which is located just fifty paces to the east of Affinity Auto’s original location.

The grand opening of Affinity Auto’s all new showroom at 1767 West 3^rd Avenue, side-by-side with Clutch and auto/ONE, is scheduled for November 1^st, 2007. Affinity Auto, auto/ONE, and Clutch will each remain independently owned and operated and affiliated with a common goal of providing clients with a higher level of service based on a common no-pressure sales philosophy. Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns.  

As a result of the tremendous growth that we have experienced over the past two years, Affinity Auto is proud to announce its intention to move to larger showroom facilities in the near future.

Although we have benefited enormously from the prominent location of our showroom at the corner of Burrard Street and West 2^nd Avenue, our retail operations have been greatly limited by our aging 1,800 square foot showroom. We have therefore decided that the time has come to seek a larger and more modern facility that will enable us to better showcase our ever growing inventory of vehicles while providing our clients with a more comfortable environment.

A formal announcement about the details of our new location will be made in the coming weeks. Affinity Auto is committed to provide a smooth transition to our new premises with minimal impact to our valued clients.

Affinity Auto Principals, Trevor Kramer and Cornelis Bobeldijk will be featured on several upcoming episodes of Global Television's hit automotive series, Driving Television.

Driving Television host, Zack Spencer, interviewed Trevor and Cornelis as experts on importing U.S. vehicles for an upcoming series of episodes on the topic. Although the majority of Affinity Auto's vehicles are of Canadian origin, we have become very familiar with the process of importing cars by importing certain vehicles on a selective basis. Driving Television has received an uprecedented number of enquiries from viewers on importing U.S. cars. As a result, the upcoming episodes dealing with the topic are expected to be among the most viewed in the show's history. Driving Television airs nationally on Global.

Driving to Success in 2007
Members hit the ground running afer a red hot year
By Tashon Ziara
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The decision to open their first showroom in the spring of 2006, in the heart of Vancouver’s luxury auto district, turned out to be just the thing to put the company that Trevor Kramer founded five years ago on the map. It has also taken their web site from virtual non-existence to several thousand hits per day and garnered Affinity Auto, which specializes in luxury and performance vehicles, a great deal of media attention.

“We were a small but consistent company,” says Kramer of what started out as a two-man operation. “But we had reached a crossroads where we had to ask ourselves, do we keep pedaling the bike, going in the same direction or do we take a risk, bring in some partners and move up to the next level?”

Kramer and his associate, Martin Spencer decided to go for it and today the company boasts eight staff, strong financial performance and a growing reputation with people who appreciate nice cars.

"A lot of companies sell pre-owned cars,” says Kramer. “Our whole approach is focused on winning a customer’s business for life. One way we do that is by having the nicest pre-owned cars in the city, fully reconditioned, polished and documented. Another is to provide a level of service that they can’t find anywhere else.”

Kramer also emphasizes the importance of giving back to the community and getting involved with organization like The Board of Trade.

“We joined The Board of Trade because we recognized that a huge proportion of our business comes from the local community,” says Kramer. “Eighteen months ago, if I went to a business event and handed someone my card, they would say, ‘Oh, that’s interesting.’ Now, the majority of people I meet know who we are and that’s very exciting.”

For more information, please visit the Sounding Board Website, the official Newspaper of The Vancouver Board of Trade.

Affinity Auto is proud to announce that it has become a member of the Vancouver Board of Trade and World Trade Centre Vancouver.

For more than 100 years, The Vancouver Board of Trade has helped businesses of all sizes to grow and prosper. The Board's mission is to promote, enhance and facilitate the development of the region as a Pacific centre for trade, commerce and travel. The Board strives to enable and empower its members to succeed, grow and prosper in the global economy.

Affinity Auto is committed to its role as a contributing member of Vancouver's vibrant business community and we recognize that a large proportion of our clients are business people. We look forward to expanding our business community involvement through our affiliation with the Vancouver Board of Trade.

Affinity Auto is proud to share the exciting news of the nomination of Finance VP, Martin Spencer, to the coveted 16th Annual Business in Vancouver "40 Under 40" Award. The awards honour BC's outstanding entrepreneurs, executives, managers and professionals in public or private business, or in non-profit sectors. Winners are chosen based on such values as achievement, experience and innovation, vision, leadership, and community involvement.

Martin has played an instrumental role in the establishment and building of Affinity Auto’s luxury and performance vehicle business and the nomination is a well-deserved achievement that is the result of Martin's dedication and hard work both within our business and in the community.

Affinity Auto is pleased to announce that the Motor Dealer Council of British Columbia (MDC) has approved an amendment to our Motor Dealer License to allow the sale of vehicles on consignment.

This important change will enable Affinity Auto to better serve clients by enabling the company to carry client-owned vehicles in inventory.

For further information, please Contact Us.

Affinity Auto has officially launched its entirely new Website and Inventory Section, which allows users to view detailed specifications and photographs of all of Affinity Auto's current and soon-to-arrive vehicle inventory 24 hours a day from the comfort their homes or offices.

The new Website is the result of extensive planning which included consultation with existing clients and members of the public, resulting in a highly functional and user-friendly format. Please explore the site and contact us with any comments or suggestions.

This weekend, Affinity Auto celebrated the grand opening of its new Burrard Street showroom in style with a two day event that welcomed clients, family and friends, media and local industry professionals

The grand opening culminated in a Gala evening, where guests were treated to a festive and lively atmosphere, featuring an assortment of locally inspired food and cocktails with live entertainment performed by the Jack Stafford Trio. Guests had the opportunity to speak directly with Affinity Auto’s Partners to learn more about the latest addition to Vancouver’s luxury and performance vehicle neighbourhood. Guests also took an up-close look at some of Vancouver’s rarest and most sought after luxury and performance vehicles, including a dark blue Ferrari 612 Scaglietti – one of only a handful in Canada.

The grand opening has already received extensive media attention and was featured on Vancouver’s CTV News at 6 in addition to receiving prominent coverage in Vancouver Sun columnist Malcolm Parry’s Trade Talk business column. “Affinity Auto has worked very hard over the past five years to establish itself as Western Canada’s premier choice for new and pre-owned vehicles,” stated Trevor Kramer, Principal responsible for Business Development and Leasing Operations for Affinity Auto. “With the opening of our showroom, we are looking forward to reaching new heights in this industry with our continued commitment to giving our clients extraordinary customer service experiences.”

Affinity Auto is not only committed to leading Vancouver’s luxury automobile market, but it is also committed to its local community. One day after its grand opening celebration, Affinity Auto showed its local pride by displaying a huge banner congratulating Vancouver Sun Run participants. The showroom is located at 1820 Burrard Street – a major intersection along the run’s route.

Affinity Auto is proud to announce that it is now an authorized retailer for the full line of Escort Radar and Laser Detectors and Accessories, in cooperation with DLC Distributors Inc.

Affinity Auto reminds you to always drive safely. When used in conjunction with safe and prudent driving, the use of high quality radar and laser detection equipment can greatly reduce the risk of getting costly speeding tickets. Escort has been consistently rated as the number one maker of precision radar and laser detectors and shifters.Please visit our showroom to view the full selection or click here to visit our Accessories section.

Affinity Auto is proud to announce that is now an authorized retailer for Autoglym, makers of the world's finest waxes, polishes, leather care products, and care care accessories. Please visit our showroom to view the full selection or click here to visit our Accessories section.

In a joint statement today, Affinity Auto Group Inc. and Affinity Leasing Group Inc. announced that, effective January 1, 2006, all business operations of Affinity Leasing will be conducted under the name of Affinity Auto.

Affinity Auto was created out of a desire to provide a higher level of service in the automotive business than existed previously. "By combining Affinity Leasing's existing business and brand equity with Affinity Auto, we hope to offer Vancouver's luxury and performance car market an entirely new way of buying a car," stated Cornelis Bobeldijk, Affinity Auto's Principal responsible for Sales and Vehicle Procurement . Affinity Auto has announced plans to open a luxury and performance vehicle showroom on the Burrard Street corridor in January 2006.

"Affinity Leasing began in Vancouver in 2001 and has grown steadily to the point that a strong retail presence has become the natural next step in our company's growth," said Trevor Kramer, President of Affinity Leasing and Affinity Auto. "Under the name Affinity Auto, we believe that we will be in a position to grow at a sustainable pace that will enable us to stay competitive in Vancouver's changing luxury vehicle market," Kramer continued.

A new corporate brand identity is currently under development for Affinity Auto. The design of the new logo will draw from the existing Affinity Leasing branding, while remaining unique. The name Affinity Leasing will be phased out over the coming months. Clients of Affinity Leasing can continue to contact the company through any of the existing telephone numbers and email addresses.