F6 â€" FORD â€" Wednesday, March 23, 1994 # By GORD KOLLE | ~miniâ€"van or car owner‘s mind, but «4. if you stop and think about it, how did all those brand new autos get on the lot anyway? Well, that‘s where a company like Auto Haulaway comes in. As Ford‘s priâ€" mary automobile carrier, Auto E t‘s probably the last thing on a new Haulaway (now in Burlington, formerly in Oakville) is presently preparing for the nationâ€"wide launch of the Windstar, Ford‘s new miniâ€"van which is poised to set the miniâ€"van market on its ear. Auto Haulaway can handle the job because it operates more than 800 tracâ€" tor trailers and 32 terminals Canadaâ€" wide. The firm maintains releasing, rail The Region of Halton Congratulates Ford Motor Company of Canada on the launch of the â€" WINDSTAR! loading and unloading, and convoy facilities at various automotive plants throughout the country, including Ford‘s three manufacturing plants (Oakville and two in St. Thomas). Auto Haulaway also sends its tractorsâ€"trailers to pick up vehicles from trains, ships, and planes. It takes the product a step further by delivâ€" ering it to the auto dealer. Auto Haulaway has been delivering Fords for 40 years and has been the sole hauler of Ford products in Canada for six years, and the fact it was chosen to ferry Windstars to the auto giant‘s car franchises across the country is someâ€" thing the auto carrier is proud of. Senior viceâ€"president, George McIntosh, says the firm has trained hard in preparing to move the Windstar to more than 650 Ford dealerships across Canada for the national kickoff March 24th. The firm built special van trailers to accommodate Windstar; it took 15 test loads and more than a year to get the right configuration for the trucks to haul the vans comfortably. Each tractor trailer will ferry eight vans and with 800 trucks in the fleet, MciIntosh says there has been no problem making the deliveries. "We‘ll be monitoring and tracking every single tractor trailer to ensure that Ford‘s needs are met," says Mcintosh. We have a good working relationship with Ford. They have a slogan â€" Quality is Job One. Well, that‘s our slogan, too." Viceâ€"president Dennis Jones is in charge of Auto Haulaway‘s "transportaâ€" tion excellence" program, which make sure the product will be delivered on time and undamaged through a compreâ€" hensive plan involving transit times and safety and monitoring systems. This includes inspecting and checking loadâ€" ing docks and bridge height restrictions for every route the trucks travel. Jones agrees with Maclntosh; the customer must be confident that the job will be done to expectation. ‘"The way it works is that we have to do a good job or we lose business," says Jones. Auto Haulaway has operations in the United States, which consists of crossâ€" border and local shuttles from various assembly plants. With more than 1,600 employees, Auto Haulaway has become Canada‘s number one auto carrier. Not only is it Canada‘s biggest car carrier, it‘s third largest in North America. Auto Haulaway was a fixture in Oakville for 40 years. The Oakville George Mcintosh THE OAKVILLE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Wishes to recognize the contribution FORD MOTOR COMPANY OF CANADA LIMITED is making towards Ontario‘s economic recovery with the launch of the WINDSTAR in Oakville Working hand in hand for over 40 years, building the business community in Oakville CONGRATULATIONS ON THE INTRODUCTION OF THE WINDSTAR 40 YEARS OF SERVICE DEDICATED TO QUALITY. AUTO HAULAWAY eler S1p location was headquarters for the entird operation and, of course, the place grey to the point where it had to find bigger digs. To that end, Auto Haulaway moved to Burlington just three months ago. It now has 500,000 square feet to work with in its Harvester Road locaâ€" tion. All its services, including repair, maintenance, and monitoring systems, are located under one roof. The firm h. 14 service bays in its building; seven 0 them are setâ€"up to convert and test load| vehicles; the rest are for repair and mai tenance. For more information on Autd Haulaway, call (905) 637â€"6666. Dealership anticipates big demand for Windstar «* Continued from page 3 Ford Windstar miniâ€"van, set to be revealed to the public March 24th. Until the Oakville Assembly Plant can reach its production target of 1,20( Windstars a day by the end of 1994, the miniâ€"van‘s market numbers will bd small to start with, but will then grow. As of the launch date March 24th, Ford will have distributed a number of Windstars to its more than 600 dealerâ€" ships across Canada. The Windstars are being awarded sparingly; those franchises with the best sales records last year will be given the most to sell. As one of Ford‘s premier dealerâ€" ships, with a proven sales record of excellence, Kennedy is expecting to have six Windstars on hand, but has already preâ€"sold two of them. The sleek â€" carâ€"like Windstar seats seven comfortably â€"â€" is a horse for extra luggage and is retailing at a startâ€" ing price of $22,000. Grainger and his staff are confiden the Windstar will more than hold its own with its chief competition, the Dodge Caravan. "Until you have sat behind the wheel of a Windstar, you have no idea what it‘s like," says Grainger, who has enjoyed that opportunity. In Grainger‘s opinion, the $22,000 starting price is more than worth it because the Windstar is a completely different class of miniâ€"van. "This is as close to a car as a miniâ€" van can come. It is very deceptive in that it has a lot of cargo room,â€"as much as the other guy. But you just don‘t see that box shape. It looks like a car," he says. Grainger, 32, has been through three Ford product launches (and one GM launch) during 11 years in car sales. In his experiente, the Windstar is a bonafide contender. "It‘s already been decided. It‘s a winner already," says Grainger, "Not only did we sell two cars the day the Windstars arrived here, I have a list longer than my arm of people wanting to test drive it." Kennedy Ford opened 1962 in the old Lakeshore Road warehouse where, Dr. Chase used to concoct his famous patent medicines. Business prospered for the dealership. But over the years, Oakville grew and the population shiftâ€" ed north, so Kennedy Ford president, Malcolm Nourse, moved the franchise to its present Dorval Drive/QEW . locaâ€" tion two years ago, and its lengthy string of repeat clients followed suit. Kennedy Ford also provides the Service Bay diagnostic computer System (SBS) â€" an ultraâ€"modern, high . technology analysis system that lets mechanics spot trouble before they even start taking the vehicle apart. And there‘s something else the dealership does well; it doesn‘t dicker around with prices. In 1992, they startâ€" ed a noâ€"hassle pricing concept that is simple in application, says Grainger. We maintain an honest approach. If you select a vehicle in our inventory, you‘re given a price and the actual value of a tradeâ€"in. Nothing is second guessed," says Grainger. Kennedy Ford‘s reputation for excellence has earned it Time Magazine‘s 1992 Quality Dealer Award. It has also won the Distinguished Dealer Award, is a twoâ€" time recipient of the Chairman‘s Award, and was top Ford dealer in Halton in 1990. The sales department is open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Thursday; 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday; and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. The service department is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Tuesday and Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. For more information, call (905) 845â€"1646.