The Past President of the Manitoba Motor Dealers Association says the state of the auto industry in Steinbach is right now very good.

Kent Ledingham of Steinbach says there are currently six auto dealerships representing new vehicle manufacturers, supporting a workforce of more than two hundred people.

"Several of the dealerships have made big investments in their facilities just recently," adds Ledingham. "So I think that shows things are pretty strong here in Steinbach still."

Ledingham says the industry in the province as a whole is very, very strong. He notes 2015 has been a good year for auto sales with a rise in sales of both new and used cars. He notes auto sales made up about 17% of all retail sales in the province going back to 2012 and recent data suggests that percentage will continue to rise. Ledingham says it is estimated that over 10,000 jobs in this province are related to the auto industry.

But Ledingham says a big part of what automobile dealerships do, is give back to their communities.

"I know every dealer in town is heavily involved in supporting local community groups, charities, sporting groups," says Ledingham, referring to the Steinbach market.

According to a study by the Manitoba Motor Dealers Association, its members generated $750 million of Gross Domestic Product in Manitoba in the 2013/2014 fiscal year. This includes direct expenditures of goods and services, employment of employees and generation of tax revenues for local, provincial and federal governments. This compares to the Manitoba poultry and egg industries $212 million contributed to provincial GDP and the Manitoba music industry and Screen Manitoba's $71 million each.

In 1906, Manitoba opened its first automobile dealership in Winnipeg. Built by Thomas Maw one hundred and nine years ago, Maw's Garage housed 145 cars indoors. This building now forms the west part of the Old Spaghetti Factory at the Forks. Today, there are 107 automotive dealerships across the province.