Over 300 people attended the grand opening celebration of the Vickar Ford dealership, an event which was held on a beautiful summer evening on  July 11. The Vickar Ford dealership is located on the corner of Main Street and Templeton Avenue across from  scenic Kildonan Park. The site at 2000 Main Street was formally Parkside Ford and was renamed Vickar Ford when the Vickar Automotive Group acquired it early last year.

Stephen Vickar, President of Vickar Ford, who spoke at the grand opening celebration, and who has been in the auto business for over 20 years, told the Winnipeg Jewish Review that "Ford  is a great brand and there is a lot of opportunity to grow the dealership in terms of sales and service. It has tremendous growth potential."

Stephen is proud of the upgrades that have already been made at the newly branded dealership. The building has been extensively renovated, the showroom has been enlarged,and a quick lube express lane has been added. "We started with 74 employees and now have 92 employees," Stephen told the Winnipeg Jewish Review.

Stephen added, "We're known for providing high level customer satisfaction.We want to be number one for customer satisfaction, service and autobody."

Vickar Ford is a complete service, autobody and sales center, with a cafe on site, and the outlet is the only medium duty Ford truck dealer in Winnipeg. In addition to Ford Performance Parts, Vickar Ford is also a Roush Performance Products authorized dealer.

Domenic Sacco, Vice-President of Vickar Ford, who was the Master of Ceremonies at the grand opening celebration welcomed the attendees.  He  told the Winnipeg Jewish Review that the quick lube express line at Vickar Ford is open 6 days a week for all makes of cars and trucks. "There is no need to make an appointment. Customers can simply show up,"and three Ford technicians examine  the vehicle and "fix it and change the oil quickly and efficiently."

Larry Vickar, President of the Vickar Automotive Group, who spoke at the grand opening celebration noted that "The warm feeling on the show floor from staff, customers,  partners in supply, and dignitaries, towards the dealership was very evident." He added that there is no doubt that "Vickar Ford will be a dealership of choice in the north end of Winnipeg." In his remarks at the event, Larry spoke of  how the Vickar Automotive Group has made great efforts to provide its customers with the best overall vehicle-buying and after-sales experience.

At the event, Gerald Wood, Ford of Canada's western region general manager spoke of  Vickar Ford as a sales leader in Canada.The President and CEO of the Ford Motor Company of Canada Mark Buzzell also spoke, thanking everyone for their commitment and efforts, and commending the Vickar Automotive Group for its continuing record of philanthropy.

"In total, there were seven representatives of the Ford Motor Company of Canada present for the grand opening celebration. There were also a number of Members of the Legislative Assembly and City Councillors present," Sacco said. At the celebration, which went on from 6:30-9:30 p.m., guests were able to sample some tasty tidbits from the in-house chef, enjoy beverages, mingle and relax among  friends."We had a packed house," said Sacco.

Stephen Vickar is very impressed with the overall quality of the Ford brands, such as the  F150 , Escape , Explorer, Edge, Focus,and the iconic Mustang. He points out that  "In the next 5-7 years there will be 15-20 new versions of  electric vehicles that Ford will be offering for sale."

Stephen drives a Ford F250 'Super Duty' pick up truck."It has lots of power, lots of towing capacity, and has all the luxury features any ultra-luxury vehicle has," he says.

Sacco drives a Ford Expedition, which he chose because "it is comfortable, has great fuel economy and has ample space."

The best selling vehicle at the Vickar Ford dealership is the Ford F150 "which is North America's number one selling half ton truck," Sacco says. "Another best seller is the Ford Escape SUV, which has great fuel economy and all wheel drive capability."

The Vickar family has an excellent proven record of success, having been in the auto business for over 50 years.The Vickar Auto Group includes Vickar Communi