Last week members from the Automobile Journalist Association of Canada (AJAC) and Sean Donnelly, president and CEO of ArcelorMittal Dofasco and chairman of the CEO group for the Steel Market Development Institute (SMDI), met to discuss the impact of the Canadian steel industry on the North American automotive market. The discussion took place during AJAC’s annual TestFest, held on Oct. 25 – 26 at the Canadian Tire Motorsports Park in Bowmanville, Ontario.

In a discussion led by David Taylor, automotive journalist, member of AJAC and the Canadian Car and Truck of the Year Management Committee, Donnelly talked about the challenges facing the steel and automotive industry, how well-positioned steel is to overcome those challenges and what the future holds for both industries.

“The combination of weight reduction and safety improvements have led to a revolution of the steels available today,” said Donnelly. “The latest grades are higher-strength and provide increased formability and durability. This leads to the best performance for the automaker and the highest value to the consumer.”

AJAC’s TestFest is an annual event bringing more than 80 journalists from throughout Canada to test drive vehicle contenders as part of the Canadian Car and Utility Vehicle of the Year awards, which are presented each at year at the Canadian International Auto Show.

The Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) is an association of professional journalists, writers and photographers whose focus is the automobile and the automotive industry. The majority of our journalists test-drive, and report on, new vehicles on an on-going basis in various media across the country.