Car FYI

Photo Credit: CNW Group/Hyundai Auto Canada Corp Canadian motorists have been provided with some relief in the past few weeks as the correction of oil prices is bringing the prices at gas stations to a more tolerable level. While the immediate concerns for energy are being pacified by this drop, our future thoughts envision a world beyond the finite quantity of accessible oil. Hydrogen is seen as the most ambitious energy source. While dispelling safety and efficiency concerns with the plentiful gas, automakers are slowly spoon-feeding the driving public to hydrogen cars. Some vehicles burn hydrogen fuel in an internal combustion engine but a more active vision sees the gas sent through fuel cells creating electrical power. A handful of test vehicles over the past decade have been a prelude what is a limited production run. The hydrogen fuel cell powered Honda FCX Clarity was first sold in 2008 and Toyota is set to produce the Mirai for driving customers. For the time being, Ca

Entering the new year, General Motors of Canada will have a new President and Managing Director. Appointed to the job on November 20th, Woodstock, Ontario-born Stephen K. Carlisle will become the leading influence of the large automaker's Canadian arm. Carlisle's assignment in his birth country comes after a some high-ranking globetrotting with the company. A Canadian born and raised individual who earned an bachelor of applied science degree in systems design engineering from the University of Waterloo, Stephen Carlisle has also acquired a master's degree in business administration from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1999. Carlisle's work history with General Motors started in 1982 as a co-op student at the Oshawa Truck Assembly Centre. In 1986, Stephen Carlisle was assigned to advanced manufacturing engineering at the Oshawa operations during a time it underwent massive retooling for updated Chevrolet and GMC pickup trucks as well as the adoption of ne

At the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show, Chevrolet’s most recent concept vehicle meant have just claimed the title as the most outrageous design of the year. Honouring 45 years of their partnership with legendary Chaparral Racing, designers created a car characterizing a similar sense of ground-breaking practical style as what flourished with the 1960s race cars. Called the Chaparral 2X Vision Gran Turismo (VGT), the only more radical part of this concept car is that almost anyone with a Sony Playstation 3 will be able to drive it. Every aspect of the Chaparral 2X VGT can honestly be described as science fiction meets 21 st century motorsports. A lightweight design sculpted under what General Motors classified as a “No-rules environment“, the vehicle is constructed on a composite material chassis. Bearing a minor resemblance to the GM Autonomy, the Chaparral 2X VGT cannot really be compared to any active production or race car. Active driver-adjustable aerodynamic elements pro

Since the Cadillac ATS premiered, many of us have been awaiting the addition of one letter to the model nameplate. As Cadillac billed their latest vehicle as a BMW 3-Series fighter, we've eagerly wanted to see the American luxury brand attempt to match wits with the M3. Almost two years since the global introduction of the ATS, the 2016 Cadillac ATS-V appears on paper to be the compact performance car meant to give the BMW M3 a kick in lederhosen. To be offered in both the sedan and coupe body style, the 2016 ATS-V is Cadillac's first use of a twin-turbocharged V-6 engine in their V-Series performance line. A similar 3.6-liter displacement powerplant as the one offered on the CTS Vsport model , the  Cadillac Twin Turbo engine has been specially tailored for the ATS-V to produce 455 horsepower and 445 pound-feet of torque. Low-inertia turbochargers equipped with lightweight titanium-aluminide turbines that reduces the amount lost energy on the system. Each turbochar

At this time, the production first examples of the 2015 Ford Mustang just reaching showroom floors. Reporting the new Mustang is spending an average of only six days on United States dealership lots before being sold, Ford appears to have succeeded in creating an attractive refresh of their coveted vehicle. The Evos concept car inspired styling and the power up to 400 horsepower available from the Canadian-built 5.0-liter Coyote V-8 engine allowed the new Mustang to openly participate in many glamour shots since it went public light this past December. Fanfare for the latest generation version of the original pony car remained high throughout this year as the vehicle’s introduction coincided with the Ford Mustang’s 50 th anniversary. After almost a full year of the 2015 Mustang, Ford Motor Company’s selective breeding has now led to the latest iteration of the Shelby GT350 Mustang. Rolling up to the 50 th anniversary to the production of the first Shelby GT350s by Carroll S

During a year where automotive recalls attracted a great deal of general news related to the vehicle sector, leading automobile manufacturers are facing the growing potential of losing trust with Canadian motorists. Intent to curb the atmosphere of distrust in the new car market, some brands are having a more difficult time than other for restoring respect with customers. While not involved in any major recalls in 2014, Mazda does see a window of opportunity to potentially win over some customers by changing one major provision in their vehicle warranties. Starting with all 2015 model year Mazda vehicles, the Japanese-derived vehicle brand will give customers an  Unlimited Mileage Warranty  in Canada. Phasing out their limits for distance, almost all standard vehicle warranties issued by Mazda will operate on a timed basis. A policy guaranteed to benefit long-distance commuters, Mazda Canada's new unlimited distance warranty is being applied to a almost every component of th

Since its introduction in 2002, Toyota's Scion brand has been fighting to gain traction as a hip and popular youth-oriented spectacle. Scion has been devoted in selling small, affordable vehicles while the North American Toyota brand converged itself on the mid-range of the auto sector. However, despite Scion's creative marketing and promises for personalization, the brand has not entirely succeeded in winning over customers. Recent additions of the FR-S and the iQ microcar has made Scion showrooms a more entertaining destination but the novelty of those vehicles appears to be exhausting. Scion sales in Canada following October is down compared to 2013. Division sales in the first 10 months of 2014 is down 18.8 percent compared to the same time last year. In order to reinvigorate the young blood of the Scion brand, a new hatchback concept car will debut at the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show. The Scion iM Concept car is a five-door hatchback, the stylish compact car appears to

Realizing the automobile was originally created as a toy for the rich, it took a short time until some of the financially well-off individuals grew tired of driving themselves. For those wanting to be chauffeured, a pocket of super-luxury car companies emerged. Through the 1930s, American high society had  Duesenberg, tea-drinking aristocrats in the United Kingdom had Rolls-Royce and the well-connected in Germany had Maybach. After a brief recent hiatus from the ultra-luxury segment, Mercedes-Benz will give rear-seat riders the self-reward of an exclusive sedan wearing the Maybach name. Similar to the way Mercedes-AMG functions as a high-performance brand, peak-luxury wearing Germany's famous three-pointed star will be addressed as a Mercedes-Maybach. Operating as a sub-brand, the Mercedes-Maybach name is being used to accentuate existing Mercedes-Benz products. Inaugurating the Mercedes-Maybach branding will be a highly-exclusive version of the S-Class sedan. Teasing with th

Despite the changing automotive climate where electrified powertrains and crossover vehicles is part of a new 21 st century normal, the traditional products remains the main driving force for North America. A vehicle type renowned for toughness and versatility for serving a wide industry, pickup trucks exist as the bread and butter of major automakers. When it was time for Ford to reengineer their market-topping F-150 truck for the 2015 model year, it was accepted as the blue oval’s most important unveiling. Accounting for more than 30 percent of the Ford Motor Company’s total vehicle sales in the United States, the F-Series line-up, that includes the general duty F-150 half-ton, plays a pivotal part in the business’ financial health. On Tuesday, the first 2015 F-150 pickup truck rolled off the assembly line at the Ford Rouge Center. As the first 2015 Ford F-150 coasted along the production floor, the most radical redesign of the popular pickup truck transitioned from the show