Car FYI

Photo Credit: Wakefield Canada/Copyright: The Decal Source When 40 engines ignite on the pit lane ahead of the 2017 Daytona 500, one competitor has already achieved a feat no Canadian racer had accomplished in 29 years. Cracking the field for the 59th edition of the Great American Race in an aggressive hustle from turn four to the finish line in Thursday night’s Can-Am Duel, DJ Kennington will start in the 28th place position for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series extravagant season opener with a #96 entry. A shining stock car racing personality in Canada since racing at Delaware Speedway during the 1990s, St Thomas, Ontario native DJ Kennington was a mainstay on the CASCAR Super Series and has since been a regular with the NASCAR Pinty’s Series. Kennington has amassed 2010 and 2012 championships in the Canadian-based NASCAR tour as well as recorded 26 wins piloting a #17 Dodge with Castrol sponsorship. Acknowledging a 23-year long partnership with Kennington, Castrol’s paren

Photo Credit: Chris Nagy All the pretty motorized horses are rolling into the City of Toronto this weekend. Drawing what should be guaranteed to be another stellar collection of new and collectible automobiles, the 2017 edition of the Canadian International AutoShow has opened with a new sense of new while what was new in 2016 begins an unfortunate transition to being outdated. Although one year is not a drastic distance back in time, consider the fact the generational life of an automobile is roughly 6-10 years. As the 2017 Canadian International AutoShow is now underway, let's take some time to reflect what transpired at the 2016 gathering of motoring excellence in Toronto Civic Responsibilities: 2016 Honda Civic Wins Big Photo Credit: Chris Nagy The 9th generation version of the Honda Civic released in 2011 was an example where a devotion to a proven formula almost proved poisonous. Although the 9th generation Civic did not deviate from its solid build qualit

Photo Credit: General Motors Every automaker wants to amass a distinct personality with their vehicles. Often involving a flagship or halo car that defines assembles the full extent of a brand's design and engineering. Other times, the process of establishing a strong brand impression is extended across the broader lineup of vehicles. With Chevrolet in the 2000s, the SS performance moniker was used in an expansive manner across to convey the best of the bow tie badge. Some analysts would argue the SS branding was was perhaps used too liberally, the result did end up in multiple range-topping models exhibiting ample sport attitude to otherwise humdrum products such as the Chevrolet Cobalt. Photo Credit: General Motors Revealed at the 2015 SEMA Show, Chevrolet unveiled a new mindset claiming to allow buyers to define elements of their vehicle's personality with customized accessories. Classified by Chevy as the Redline special edition, black nameplates outlined with

Photo Credit: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles US The rise of the sport utility/crossover vehicle vehicle over the past two decades has been driven primarily by one aspect; versatility. Elevated viewpoint for the driver, high ground clearance for better all-weather driving and optimized cabin space are practical characteristics for sport utility vehicles. Also, there are some less practical reasons why individuals choose these particular vehicles is to achieve a unique sense of performance. With many large, three-row crossover vehicles relying on powerful V-6 powerplants, the Dodge Durango is a remaining source for scarcer V-8 engine power. The 5.7-liter HEMI V-8 has served as the soul for the Dodge sport utility vehicle since the 2004 model year. A grunt from an eight-cylinder engine underneath the Durango's hood will be a little more forceful heading into 2018 as SRT hands have tuned-up the 7-passenger vehicle. Photo Credit: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles US For the first tim

Photo Credit: General Motors of Canada It was almost two years ago when the Chevrolet Bolt EV Concept car made an electrifying appearance at the 2015 Canadian International AutoShow . Coinciding with the vehicle’s presence at the auto show was the official news Chevrolet would sell a production version of the all-electric compact. After a short development from car show to showroom, the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV is ready for the challenging climate of Canada. At the beginning of February, a trio of electric vehicle enthusiasts has become the first 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV owners. Dean Myers Chevrolet and City Chevrolet of Toronto, Ontario as well as Bourgeois Chevrolet in Rawdon, Quebec (located roughly 60 kilometers north of Montreal) have the distinction of delivering the long-range compact electric car to their customers. Director at Scotiabank Samantha Mesrobian, former president of RenoDepot Claude Michaud and I.T. Executive Joe Winkfein are named as the first members of the Ch

Photo Credit: Chris Nagy The province of Quebec has been one of the most aggressive regions in Canada implementing an electric vehicle culture. In 2015, Quebec’s provincial Liberal government pushed forth a $420-million plan to greatly electrify the roadways that target the presence of 100,000 electric-propelled vehicles in the province by 2020. Along with extending incentives that result to an amount as high as $8,000, plans also take into account a need for a significant increase of publicly-accessible charging apparatuses for promoting electric vehicle travel. In the first full year since Quebec’s transportation ambitious push for battery-powered vehicles, the province's major power station provider unveils encouraging signs that a large-scale adoption of electric cars is on a path of progression. During 2016, the use of Electric Circuit charging stations was recorded to be 146% higher than the previous year. In total, 114,261 charges took place over the 12 months of la