Car FYI

Photo Credit: Chris Nagy/Car FYI Canada   Theme of the Show: The New Era The first Canadian International AutoShow I attended, the 2009 Toronto exhibition was an event that operated in an uncertain economic time for the industry.  The great recession ended the decade causing considerable reassessments on many fronts. With roughly 1,674,100 vehicles sold in Canadian during 2008 equating to a roughly 1 percent drop compared to the previous year, the data actually showed a radical increase in passenger car sales while truck sales fell to its deepest level in seven years. Smaller, economical cars were favoured among new vehicle buyers while traditional truck-like struggled as a hangover of high gas prices and over-saturation of the marketplace. The fickleness of the 2009 buyer would be highlighted when auto sales took a deeper plummet in Canada with 1,484,900 new vehicles sold. Besides the attitude of car buyers, the biggest change that would appear over the course of 2...

While most of the AJAC (Automobile Journalists Association of Canada) awards were handed out at the Canadian International AutoShow in Toronto, one special honour awaited a vehicle connected to an all-new category for this week's Vancouver International Auto Show. An appropriate prize handed out inside the environmentally-conscious province of British Columbia, the first Canadian Green Car of the Year would be bestowed on one vehicle. From a group of four finalists chosen for fuel efficiency, low emissions and reduced overall minimized impact on the environment. Becoming the first recipient for the new award, the Kia Soul EV prevailed as the choice for 2015. An all-electric equivalent to the gasoline-powered MPV (Multi-Purpose Vehicle) version of the Kia Soul, the Soul EV substitutes the fuel-burning powertrain for a 81.4-kw AC synchronous permanent magnet motor and 27-kWh lithium-ion battery pack. Capable of travel up to 105 miles (roughly...

European audiences have long accepted high-performance wagons from BMW and Audi. In fact, Audi has applied their RS moniker to their wagon Avant models for sale in Germany and other European Union countries over the years. With a few exceptions, North American enthusiasts have often sat at a distance only wondering how it will feel to drive a super powerful grocery-getter. At the Geneva Motor Show set to take place this month, Kia explores the sport wagon culture with their Sportspace Concept car. Preaching the desirable fusion of style and function, the Kia Sportspace Concept is an elegant shooting brake design with a long profile angling smartly at the rear. The styling of the rear portion of the concept car has been shaped to project a presence of a strong and athletic. At the front, Kia's tiger-nose grille features a Plexiglass insert that can be rotated operating as an active shutter for improved airflow. Ice...