Quebec Automobile Dealer Association Joins STAR Standards Body

MCLEAN, Va., Nov. 16, 2004 -- STAR (Standards for Technology in Automotive Retail), the IT standards body for the North American retail automotive industry, has announced that La Corporation des concessionnaires d'automobiles du Quebec (CCAQ), has joined its organization.

The CCAQ is a non-profit organization comprised of about 860 new car dealers in the province of Quebec (light vehicles and heavy trucks), which accounts for more than 90% of all new car dealers in Quebec.

STAR is a non-profit, auto industry-wide initiative to create voluntary IT standards for the data elements and transmission format used by manufacturers, dealers, and retail system providers to communicate with each other.

"It's with great pride that the CCAQ joins STAR," says Jacques Bechard, CEO of La Corporation des concessionnaires d'automobiles du Quebec. "I believe that our involvement in the STAR organization will benefit our members and help us remain leaders in our industry while giving us new tools to grab new opportunities."

By working with established industry standards, CCAQ expects to adopt all forms of data transfers that affect dealers in their day-to-day operations. As an added benefit, the standards encompass the needs of all industry manufacturers into one, reducing costly custom integration.

STAR's initiatives will result in a more efficient data exchange between dealers and manufacturers, with lower costs, more accurate and timely data, and increased levels of customer satisfaction.

"The CCAQ is constantly in communication with dealers and other automotive players who are at the forefront of the industry. This enables the CCAQ to stay at the cutting edge of industry trends. We believe we can effectively communicate what is happening in the industry at the dealership level, helping make the standards more effective and competitive in the marketplace," says Ghislain Parent, Director of Electronic Affairs for CCAQ.

  CCAQ is interested in utilizing STAR's XML standards in these areas:
  -- Vehicle Remarketing
  -- Warranty Reconciliation
  -- Vehicle History
  -- Sales Lead
  -- Parts Inventory

Since 1945, CCAQ has offered the widest range of services to its members: a comprehensive Extranet, Form Ordering, Software Tools, Training, Legal Counsel, Collection, Health and Safety Group, Taxation Advisory, Convention & Meetings, etc.

Currently, CCAQ's Extranet communicates used vehicle inventory data between its dealers and various OEMs in the Canadian market. All the manufacturers available in the Canadian automobile market from Kia to Maserati are represented in CCAQ, including about 50 heavy truck and RV dealers.

"It's rewarding to see CCAQ adopt STAR's philosophy and standards. The benefits are clear -- a more efficient data exchange and better OEM to dealer integration," says Tom Campisi, STAR Communications Chair.

CCAQ is renowned for being a leader in the Canadian automobile industry, especially in the areas of new technologies and the Internet.

  About STAR (http://www.starstandard.org/ )
  Source: STAR

The Standards for Technology in Automotive Retail (STAR) organization is the Information Technology (IT) standards organization for the retail automotive industry. The goal of the STAR organization is to use IT standards as a catalyst in fulfilling the business information needs of dealers and manufacturers while reducing the time and effort previously required to support this activity.

Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, STAR is a not-for-profit volunteer organization and its members include Dealers, Manufacturers and Retail System Providers (RSPs). As members, they are interested in developing, promoting, and administering voluntary IT standards in the retail automotive industry and improving the effectiveness, timeliness and competitiveness of the IT solutions needed within the retail automotive industry.

  STAR membership roster:

  Dealer Groups:  NADA

Retail System Providers: ADP, Advent Resources, Inc., AIAG, AFSA, Arkona, Auto/Mate Inc., Cyclone Commerce, CCAQ, DealerTrack, EDS, Motorcycle Industry Council, NAT, Inc., NeoSynergy, LLC, PBS Financial Systems Inc., OAGI, Oxlo, Procede Software, Reynolds & Reynolds, RouteOne, Sprint, Sun Microsystems, Tibco, UCS, 5Square Systems Corporation

Manufacturers: American Honda Motor Co., Inc., American Suzuki Motor Corp., BMW of North America, Inc., DaimlerChrysler, Ford Motor Company, General Motors Corp., Hyundai Motor America, Jaguar Cars, Kia Motors America, Land Rover, Mazda North American Operations, Mitsubishi Motor Sales of America, Inc., Nissan North America, Inc., Porsche Cars North America, Inc., Renault, Saab Cars USA, Subaru, Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Volkswagen of America

  About CCAQ (http://www.ccaq.com/ )
  Source: CCAQ

The Quebec Automobile Dealer Association (CCAQ) is a not-for-profit organization. The CCAQ encompasses more than 860 franchised car dealers in the province of Quebec. This represents more than 90% of all franchised dealers in the province.

The mission of the CCAQ is to collectively uphold dealers' rights and to defend their interests. The CCAQ is also concerned with customer service, safety and security issues and consumer rights in the province. Since 1945, the CCAQ is constantly looking after the needs of its members. Its reputation is now established: the CCAQ is renowned for its state-of-the-art vision and leadership in the Quebec automotive marketplace.

The CCAQ is managed by Jacques Bechard who acts as President and General Manager. He oversees a team of twenty-five full-time employees.