FRANK STRONACH COMPANY WANTS TO PILOT ITS MINI ELECTRIC VEHICLES IN TORONTO

While battling sexual assault charges, billionaire Frank Stronach continues to promote his business interests, most recently with a lobbying effort to push small electric vehicles in Toronto.

Stronach International updated a Toronto lobbying registration on Feb. 18 to promote its SARIT vehicles as an innovative transportation option for the city’s gridlocked streets. 

Stronach International was founded in 2018 by Stronach, the Austrian-Canadian billionaire founder of auto parts manufacturer Magna International. 

Lately, the magnate has made headlines related to an ongoing sexual assault trial which began at a Toronto courthouse earlier this month.  

The 93-year-old was arrested in June 2024, and now faces more than a dozen charges spanning nearly 50 years, with some events allegedly taking place as recently as 2024. Stronach pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Prior to his arrest, Stronach worked alongside the Ontario government and partnered with local universities while developing his “safe affordable reliable transit,” or SARIT, vehicle.

Designed as a fully electric transportation option for cities, the SARIT is a cross between an e-bike and a small car. It is enclosed to protect drivers from the elements, but compact enough that four can fit in one parking spot. 

According to Stronach International's Toronto lobbying registration, the vehicles “reduce greenhouse gases, alleviate traffic jams,” and make “efficient use of parking space.” 

The company wants to “create a pilot project with the City whereby the vehicle could be driven on the streets.”

Prior to the recent update, company lobbyist and chief technology officer Daniel LaJeunesse met with multiple city councillors in 2021, and a senior project manager with the city’s Transportation Services, Strategic Policy and Innovation department in 2023. 

The company has also applied pressure provincially, hiring former Progressive Conservative transport minister Frank Klees as a consultant lobbyist to “engage in discussions with [Ministry of Transportation] on the regulations related to Urban Mobility Vehicles being considered.” 

In May, the City of Toronto approved a pilot project allowing SARIT-like autonomous delivery robots created by Magna International — another Stronach-founded company — on city streets.

Stronach stepped down as Magna chairman in 2011, and left the board in 2012. 

Corporate records show Stronach is still listed a director of Stronach International as of the most recent update in July 2025. 

Stronach International did not respond to a request for comment. 

City of Toronto spokesperson Kate Lear said the city “is committed to creating and enhancing spaces that improve safety and mobility for all road users. The safety of everyone on our streets and trails is our top priority as micromobility increases in popularity.”

But, she said, the province is responsible for authorizing the vehicles, not the city. “Should the provincial framework evolve in the future, the City would review the change and evaluate whether and how these vehicles could be safely integrated into Toronto’s transportation network.”

2026-02-26T05:16:30Z