Car FYI

On a daily basis, Canadian roads and streets are relied upon to provide an artery for our general transportation. Our dependence on the connections from place to place leads many of us to For years in Ontario, CAA has been asking drivers in regions across the country to name streets and roads that has tried vehicles as well as patience of motorists. The 2015 edition of the CAA's Worst Roads list showed how much Ontarian drivers wanted to make their opinions count. Overall voting for the 2015 campaign was 26 percent higher across Ontario compared to the previous year. This year’s Worst Road voting results saw a different name replacing the three-year reign of Toronto. Timmins has grabbed the top two spots on this year’s CAA vote. Algonquin Boulevard West and Algonquin Boulevard East has been highlighted as Ontario’s worst stretch of travel on wheels. Timmins’ appearance on the list was the result of a community campaign on the residents of the area. Timmin Mayor Steve Black wa...

  Photo source: IndyCar 　 Individuals born in 10 countries have claimed the great 500-mile open wheel race. In the 98 previous editions of the Indianapolis 500, the majority of winning drivers were American born (consisting of 72 in total). At least two Indianapolis 500 winners can be linked indirectly to Canada. The 1946 race winner George Robson was born in England but resided in Canada for years before again moving to the United States. Robson became an American citizen in adulthood but some Canadian auto racing historians would still consider his Brickyard victory important for our country. Last year’s Indy 500 winner Ryan Hunter-Reay also shares a connection with Canada through his mother. However, on the May 28 th , 1995 running of the Indianapolis 500, an epic race officially added the nation of Canada’s name to the event’s prestigious history book. “It was such a big race win. It was the way we won it as a team”, said 1995 Indianapolis 500 winner Jacques Vil...

With the all-new Volvo XC90, the Swedish auto company will introduce the option of the world's first seven-passenger plug-in hybrid later this year. The 2016 XC90 T8 Plug-in Hybrid (also called the Twin Engine by Volvo) can be driven up to 43 kilometers on an electrical battery charge. Once the 9.2 kWh lithium-ion battery pack's charge is depleted, the 2016 Volvo XC90 T8 Plug-in Hybrid's 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbocharged and supercharged engine provides a confident 320 horsepower. All models of the large premium crossovers are propelled through an all-wheel drive and equipped with an eight-speed automatic transmission. For its introduction, the 2016 XC90 T8 Plug-in Hybrid crossover vehicle will come with a special standard technology making faster battery charging possible. The Volvo XC90 T8 Twin Engine is billed as the first plug-in hybrid to include a standard 240-volt charger with the portable TurboCord dual charger system. TurboCord featu...

Photo Credit: Jim Haines Being a glorious motorsport locale that his tested many of the world's greatest challengers of speed, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway also bears the reputation for placing individuals on the borderline of blazing fast records and shear danger. Over time and through the injury and loss of so many legends behind the wheel, the efforts for improved safety has been granted a similar devotion as the passion to push a vehicle to faster feats. Early Monday afternoon, one of the most serious incidents resulted in a case where one of IndyCar's most popular drivers James Hinchcliffe became trapped within the undesired, worrisome zone that always haunts motorsports. Silence came to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as a result of a massive, high-impact into the turn 3 SAFER barrier wall. At 1:21 p.m. local time, the #5 car of Schmidt Peterson Motorsports piloted by Oakville's James Hinchcliffe struck the wall after a quick puff of smoke appeared ...

Photo Credit: Chris Jones The Indianapolis 500 is set to take place for the 99th time as a Memorial Day weekend classic. Prior to racing for 500 miles on the famed 2.5-mile oval track, Verizon IndyCar drivers need to qualify for the event. To earn their starting positions, Honda and Chevrolet supported race machines would be set loose for a four-lap qualifying run with the pole position being the most coveted spot. For 2015, the qualifying format at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's most prestigious event underwent a forced restructuring. Persistent rain soaking the bricks Saturday prevented the planned qualifying format for the Indianapolis 500. After rescheduling all qualifying activity for Sunday, Ed Carpenter's crash in a morning practice caused another revision to the Indy 500 time trials. While Carpenter did not suffer injury from the accident, a late decision was made to amend the technical guidelines for the qualifying. Te...

Only six times in the past 48 years has an American performance icon undergone a massive image and mechanical makeover . It was September 12, 1966 when the press were first introduced to Chevrolet’s production pony car. Developed under the name Panther , the Camaro was born. On a Saturday afternoon at Detroit’s Belle Isle Park, the sixth iteration of the Chevrolet Camaro was brought to warm daylight. Despite being a cloudy day, the 2016 Camaro made a radiant debut. The generational shift for the 2016 Chevrolet Camaro exterior design is arguably not as substantial of a leap we have seen in previous reinventions of the Camaro. From the first-generation coupe and convertible, the Chevrolet Camaro’s appearance had evolved into a European-inspired sports car for the 1970s, a wedge-shaped 1980s darling, an aerodynamic space-age 1990s shape before assuming the modern back-in-time interpretation for the fifth-generation model. The 2016 model is focused more on magnifying the...

At the beginning of this month, I was captivated by the announcement of a new app worth my attention as a Canadian car enthusiast. May 1st, Ford introduced a revised version of the Mustang Customizer app providing an interactive experience relating to the sixth-generation model of the pony car started the wild rush in the vehicle segment. Having previously dribbled in the desktop version of an earlier version of the Mustang Customizer , I was stoked to try out the latest program. At the time I entered the Google Play, my glee was quickly deflated as I eventually found out the new Mustang Customizer app was not available in my country. The app was released on Android and Apple IOS devices. Since I run an Android tablet, I am not aware if the regional restriction applies to Apple devices. As a Canadian, I don't know how I am supposed to feel after finding out I can't even download the Mustang Customizer app. I recall Canada is the first international market where...

     First sold in late 1966, the Camaro was introduced as Chevrolet's countermeasure to the popular Ford Mustang in the pony car category. The bowtie's answer to the blue oval brought a long-running rivalry that has competed on the track as well as for the attention of drivers on the road. As the Camaro brand approaches its 50th anniversary, there will always be the stain on its legacy of a poorly-conceived General Motors decision that dropped Chevrolet's pony car. Between 2003 and 2009 model years, Chevrolet was forced to atone for their error. The reinstatement of the Chevrolet Camaro 2010 brought a valuable sense of new life to a brand and company requiring a personality. With the emotion and place of the Camaro now recognized, Chevrolet will debut the sixth-generation Chevrolet Camaro version of their pony car at the end of this week. Holding back the full vehicle, ...

Photo Credit: Jerry Markland/Getty Images After three weeks consisting of two short tracks and a 2.66-mile superspeedway, the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returned to the intermediate-sized oval in the shape of Kansas Speedway. Despite the lengthy delay in the Saturday night race due to a downpour, the full 267-lap distance around the 1.5-mile Kansas Speedway was accomplished in a thrilling conclusion. The Spongebob Squarepants 400 was scheduled ahead of Mother's Day (traditionally a non-active Sunday for the Sprint Cup Series). A pre-Mother's Day race, the Kansas Speedway event was shaped by the intervention of mother nature. Due to an anticipated rainfall that ultimately drenched the Spongebob Squarepants 400, a 2-hour, 16-minute, red flag meant the race wrapped-up early Sunday morning. Not only did the rain lengthen the duration of the race Kansas, the interruption changed the complexion of t...

One of the last auto shows of the North American auto show circuit before spring driving weather invites us outdoors, the 2015 New York International Auto Show indicated automakers saved a few choice offerings after months of premieres and debuts. Taking a bite of the ‘Big Apple’ this year was the unveiling of Cadillac’s CT6 sedan , the new Nissan Maxima, the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu and the McLaren 570S . Observers of the show in New York were also treated to a vision of the returning Lincoln Continental in concept form . With an impression could be on the road in the near future, simply look at the current roadways in Canada to gauge what was likely the most important introduction at the 2015 New York International Auto Show. The Honda Civic has earned our respect for decades in Canada just as it has across the globe. With Alliston, Ontario accounting as part of the Civic’s supply chain since the 1988 model year, the Canadian driving public has shown its appreciation by making i...