Recently, AMVIC inspectors have been noticing that automotive businesses are not advertising with vehicle stock numbers because they are advertising vehicles they do not have in their possession. This is frequently happening with vehicles that are “order-in only” and the automotive business is incorrectly advertising a specific price for the vehicle. When placing an advertisement for a specific vehicle available for sale from your inventory, ensure you comply with Sections 11(2)(l) and 11(2)(m) of the Automotive Business Regulation (ABR).
- ABR Section 11(2)(l) outlines all-in pricing. When an AMVIC-licensed seller advertises the price of a vehicle it must include all fees and charges the seller intends to charge. The only fee that can be added to the advertised price is GST and any costs associated with financing (if applicable).
- ABR Section 11(2)(m) states the advertisement must include the stock number of the specific vehicle that is advertised as being available for sale at the time the advertisement is placed. This means if a specific vehicle is being advertised, it must have a clearly stated and unique stock number.
Having the ability to order a vehicle does not mean the vehicle is in your possession and is available to the consumer. If you wish to place a general advertisement noting that consumers can order a type of vehicle, stock number and price don’t have to be included in the advertisement.
Use AMVIC’s advertising toolkit on amvic.org to help you place compliant advertisements.