A leaner, more profitable retail network on this side of the border means Chrysler Group LLC’s Canadian dealerships will be shut out of about US$500 million the automaker plans to spend on bolstering its stores in the United States, company officials and dealers say.
“The situation in Canada is a lot different,” said Bob Clark, president of AutoCanada, which owns 22 dealerships across the country, including 11 Chrysler outlets. “The distribution channel in Canada already has Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep under one roof. So, the Canadian dealer network became that much more efficient years ago.”