Car FYI

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...

Photo Credit: Foto Studio Columbo Per Pirelli Media By many people, by many respects, the 2016 year will be remembered in an oddly unpleasant way. As there have been so many bad events in history in previous years, we have found this recently completed one being a period of collective sadness, mourning and a time where unforseen occurrences were far too common. In auto racing, 2016 was not immune to perceived wackiest the year apparently brought. Ahead of a 2017 year of memorable and potentially shocking racing moments (a year that has already included the hiatus of Carl Edwards in NASCAR), there’s time to reflect on some most astoundingly wacky 2016 events. No Tea Party For IndyCar in Boston Photo Credit: Chris Nagy If you are a fan of IndyCar racing, you would be aware of the surrealistic sight of seeing everyday city streets or urban areas converted into high-speed thrill zones. For those who also pay attention to the frequency of new venues being added while ...

Photo Credit: Automobili Lamborghini Although 2016 resided in the ‘Year of the Monkey”, one major Italian automaker was lifted by a year of the bull according to sales numbers. A year where Lamborghini spent time to commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Miura, a car that arguably gave relevance to the term ‘supercar’, the exotic vehicle constructor also left 2016 on a joyful note. Lamborghini achieved historic record sales globally through the past 12-month period by sending 3,457 of their latest high-performance vehicles into elite hands of the wealthy and socially affluent. This recent all-time achievement for Lamborghini follows up last year’s successful run of 3,245 vehicles. The 2016 year’s 7 percent increase over the previous year is also the sixth consecutive time where the sports car builder posted growth. According for the majority of 2016 Lamborghini models was the V-10 powered Huracan. Lamborghini Huracan and Spyder variants totalled to 2,353 of the 3,457 vehic...

Photo Credit: Screenshot Via Real Racing 3/EA In an ironic move, cars introduced to the Real Racing 3 app share a power source similar to that maintained in electronic devices running the popular game. As the holiday season started, the developers behind Real Racing 3 announced access to updated content made possible through a new partnership in the motorsport world. For the first time on the app, the all-electric race vehicles belonging to the FIA Formula E championship can now be wheeled by an accelerometer and touchscreen pad. The addition of FIA Formula E comprises of three race vehicles as well as the introduction of a new Hong Kong street course. Digital representations of the 2016/2017 Formula E championship batter-powered race cars are based on the SRT_01E vehicle created by a collaborative effort of companies including Spark Racing Technology, Renault and Dallara. For Real Racing 3, cars included is the Renault e.dams team's Z.E.16, NextEV NIO's TCR Formula 002 ...

Photo Credit: Real Racing 3/EA Earlier this month, there was an uproar over the virtual racing app Real Racing 3 as the publisher made some controversial changes during a recent update. Many users complained on social media that aspects relating to the vehicle handling has been altered drastically. As someone who plays Real Racing 3, I concur with the comments there were noticeable changes to the driving dynamics in the game namely more aggressive brake assist and more contentious AI of competitors. Last week, a video link was added to Real Racing 3 related to what is called the R3 Version 4.7 McLaren update.  In the message, a producer for Real Racing 3 described the changes to the game as unintentional saying it was meant to be limited to a specific component of the racing experience that leaked into updated game. Although the producer's comment on the vehicle controls has not been consistent with what is currently experienced, he did acknowledge a change in the AI. Within...

Photo Credit: Audi AG It's been more than two years when the beam of some vehicle headlights gained intensity in Europe. In 2014, the first use of laser lighting technology debuted on a pair of niche vehicles (the European BMW i8 and a limited 99-car run of the special edition Audi R8 LMX. Generating a powerful white illumination using an indirect shine of a laser (a laser is projected through a mirror into a phosphorous lens), laser automotive lights may represent the next progression beyond LEDs as a high-beam source. As this lighting concept is slowly becoming a potentially bright opportunity for greater driver visibility during the nighttime, North America has not been involved in the efforts to highlight the use of laser lights. The prohibition on laser lights served as a reminder towards decades where the North American standards for vehicle lighting tends to lag behind European rules. Uncertainty with the technology has prevented its availability at the initial release...

Photo Credit: Volkswagen of America 1935 was defined by two milestone events in automotive history. In Germany, the first two prototypes of the 'People's Car" were  constructed with guidance of Ferdinand Porsche. These vehicles quickly emerged as the precursor of the Volkswagen Beetle serving as an influential design ranked alongside the Ford Model T in significance. In the United States on a massive bed of salt in Utah, British speed record setter Sir Malcolm Campbell bettered an effort from a previous outing on Daytona Beach. On September 3rd of 1935, Campbell piloting his Rolls-Royce engined Blue Bird sailed to a 301.129-mile per hour land speed that stood for two years. 80 years after both moments, Volkswagen and the Bonneville Salt Flats combine for a new historic achievement. The stage for land speed records since the early part of the 20th century, the Bonneville Salt Flats, the sight of a yellow compact car exceeding the performance threshold defining most s...

Photo Credit: Mitsubishi Motors North America At noontime eastern time on September 15th, a 1600th and final vehicle in Mitsubishi Motor's performance lineage in North America was sold. For a week, a 303-horsepower 2015 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution Final Edition was the focus of a monumental event capping the 11-year history of the car in North America. Through an Ebay charity auction aiding  Feeding America Riverside & San Bernardino Counties and Second Harvest Food Back of Orange Country,  bidding for the last 2015 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution sport sedan resulted in a victory for the party that agreed to pay $76,400 US ($100,412.56 Canadian). Over $30,000 US above the retail sticker assigned to the Lancer Evolution Final Edition, the 60 bids used within the Ebay auction were devoted to a well-dressed Diamond White Pearl coloured car wearing significant US1600 numbering on an interior plaque.  Speaking in regards to the active contest for the last of the la...

Photo Credit: Chris Nagy At the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, the most advanced formation of Italian sports car technology and design of its time was unveiled to the world . Called the LaFerrari, the spiritual successor to the Enzo supercar exhibited active aerodynamics and a hybrid powertrain system called HY-KERS. Besides causing a great deal of confusion on how to properly pronounce the vehicle's name (would we refer to it as Ferrari LaFerrari or just the LaFerrari), the hypercar's factory quoted 949-horsepower generated collectively between a gasoline-fueled 6.3-liter V-12 engine and a pair of electric motors was channeled into the rear wheels for spectacular launches to a top speed up to 217 miles per hour. After the 499 planned LaFerrari models were produced, strong demand paved the way to the open-top version. The 2017 LaFerrari Aperta will be officially unveiled at the Paris Motor Show at the beginning of October. Every essence of the ultra-performance machine represe...

Photo Credit: Jack Webster Trois-Rivieres (or sometimes translated to 'Three Rivers' in the United States) has been a rich and beloved French-Canadian contribution to motorsports for almost five decades. Often depending upon smaller racing series, the event has provided the opportunity for rising stars of motorsports to claim limelight. Races within the  Grand Prix Trois-Rivieres have been contested by many auto racing legends in the making with past victors including Michael Andretti, Helio Castroneves, Tony Kanaan, Ron Fellows and Patrick Tambay. A great deal of other drivers have been deprived a win at the tricky, street race  In recent years, racing has taken place during two weeks as the FIA World Rallycross and Formula Drift Canada compete on a paved/dirt track on the first weekend while a more traditional event on the all-paved street course takes place on the second weekend. Fact #1: The Grand Prix Trois-Rivieres was first held on September 8th and 9th of 196...

Photo Credit: Nissan Not even five years since being revealed to the public, one of the most profoundly distinct designs to have emerged for modern auto racing has become the subject of innovation, envy and contention. This month, Don Panoz, CEO of DeltaWing Technology Group and Japanese automaker Nissan have reignited a dispute over the ownership of a breakthrough engineering philosophy for modern automobiles on the race track as well as on the street. When the IndyCar Series welcomed proposals to visions of American open wheel racing for the 2012 season, a jet plane-like concept premiered generating an instant sensation. The radical DeltaWing presented an ultra-aerodynamic shape and lightweight construction boasting high-speed potential with less horsepower. A narrow front wheel track and the lack of downforce enhancing devices such as the conventional rear wing found on most modern race cars created a thought-provoking possibility to IndyCar competition that resulted in b...

This summer, thanks to the popular blending of the real world and virtual world, there has been a new method of captivation for many smartphone-enabled individuals. Called Pokemon GO, the popular augmented reality app turns the surrounding world into a scavenger hunting ground for characters based on a 20-year-old Japanese franchise co-managed by Nintendo. Since its release on July 6th in North America and Australia (before being offered in Europe and Japan at later dates), the app has been downloaded 4.2 million times on just Android devices and is also available on Apple iOS. In total, more than 80 million people are now engaged in the technological phenomenon of Pokemon GO worldwide. Since the runaway success of the Pokemon GO app, a number of recorded incidents have occurred where virtual hunters have been operating in ways that functioned outside of courtesy and even in a dangerous manner. In some of the more dangerous cases, some mobile users has chosen to combine automobil...

Photo Credit: Chris Nagy Due to various reasons, I have not had the time I needed to properly share my experience at the 2016 Honda Indy Toronto. It is really quite a shame on my part because the day I attended the event was perhaps the most lively events I have been to. The reconfigured track resulting from moving pit to the outside portion of the front stretch, positioning the IndyCar paddock inside the Enercare Centre, the return of NASCAR stock cars belonging to the Canadian Pinty's Series as well as the overall ambiance of the 2016 Honda Indy Toronto provided a memorable time at the races. The Verizon IndyCar Series paddock located inside for 2016 served as an interesting change. Providing a fresh change of scenery to watch the crews prepare race cars, it wasn't without a minor discomfort. Though the area was shaded from the hot July sun and any potential precipitation, I found it to be actually warmer inside than outside since a breeze was present through much of...

Photo Credit: Joe Skibinski For the 30th occasion, the City of Toronto has welcomed a majestic show of competitive technology alongside the waterfront within the Exhibition Place grounds. Since 1986, open wheel Indy-style cars have been the highlight to major auto racing held on a temporary street course. With exception to 2008, the racing activities has been an yearly occasion that attracted some of the largest crowds for an annual sporting event in Ontario and ranks high within the country of Canada. As the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series arrived in Toronto for the longstanding engagement of thrilling Canadian fans, this year's race demonstrated a revamped flavour compared to the 29 races that preceded this year's race. Not immune to the hotel/condo construction fever that Toronto has been weathering for the past decade, the 30th anniversary of the Honda Indy Toronto was marked by some key changes. The movement of the pit road to the left side of the track was noted for th...