As Driving.ca’s lead investigative automotive journalist since 2005, Lorraine Sommerfeld has redefined consumer advocacy in the transportation sector. Her work bridges technical expertise with social consciousness, making complex industry issues accessible to millions of Canadian drivers.
We’ve followed Lorraine Sommerfeld’s work for nearly two decades, observing her evolution from a columnist exploring parenthood to Canada’s preeminent automotive consumer advocate. Her career trajectory reveals a journalist who combines razor-sharp analysis with unwavering commitment to public interest reporting.
This April 2025 investigation exposes critical gaps in Canada’s automotive regulatory framework. Sommerfeld methodically traces how staffing shortages and budget constraints at Transport Canada created vulnerabilities in vehicle safety oversight. Through FOIA requests and interviews with 14 current/former regulators, she reveals how certification backlogs allowed potentially unsafe modifications to enter the market.
The article’s impact was immediate – within 72 hours of publication, three provincial transportation ministers called for emergency funding debates. Its significance lies in reframing regulatory reform as both consumer protection and economic necessity, citing the $2.3 billion annual cost of recall-related losses to Canadian businesses.
This March 2025 piece combines data journalism with human-centered storytelling. Analyzing resale value trends across 2,400 EV transactions, Sommerfeld exposes how rapid technological obsolescence disproportionately impacts middle-class buyers. Her innovative methodology cross-references social media sentiment analysis with dealership transaction records, revealing a 43% faster depreciation rate for early-adopter EVs compared to industry projections.
The article sparked national conversations about sustainable transportation equity, leading to two parliamentary committee mentions. Its lasting contribution is the "Technological Equity Index" framework now used by consumer advocacy groups to evaluate EV affordability.
In this February 2025 investigation, Sommerfeld went undercover at seven Ontario used car dealerships to expose ReVINing scams. Partnering with law enforcement and data forensic experts, she documented how cloned vehicle identification numbers enabled the sale of stolen cars through legitimate-seeming channels.
The article’s interactive elements – including a VIN verification tool developed with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre – received 84,000 user engagements in its first month. This work directly contributed to new provincial legislation mandating third-party VIN verification for all used car sales over $10,000.
Sommerfeld prioritizes investigations that reveal how policy decisions affect everyday consumers. Successful pitches should include:
- Cross-jurisdictional comparisons (e.g., U.S. vs. Canadian recall processes)
- Data showing economic impacts beyond safety statistics
Example: Her 2024 series on B.C.’s anti-money laundering regulations combined real estate transaction records with luxury vehicle registrations to expose systemic loopholes.
While avoiding gadget-focused reviews, she explores how emerging technologies reshape consumer experiences. Effective angles:
- Subscription model impacts on ownership economics
- Rural/urban divides in EV infrastructure adoption
Example: Her 2023 investigation into remote software deactivation features used by lenders received national media coverage and 18,000 reader shares.
Sommerfeld frequently uses automotive history to inform current issues. Successful pitches might connect:
- 1970s safety regulations to contemporary autonomous vehicle debates
- Past consumer advocacy victories to modern challenges
Example: Her 2022 comparison of seatbelt mandate resistance to current ADAS skepticism was cited in Transport Canada training materials.
At PressContact, we aim to help you discover the most relevant journalists for your PR efforts. If you're looking to pitch to more journalists who write on Automotive, here are some other real estate journalist profiles you may find relevant:
