Car FYI

Photo Credit: Stellantis Product Lineup: 500e, 500x Overall Brand Impression:  When Fiat reentered North American in 2011, there were high hopes that the Italian car make’s small yet stylish products would establish a healthy niche. Although the distinctive design of the Fiat 500 can still attract admiring stares, the brand has amounted to a very tiny share of the market with the 500x crossover being the only product available in recent years. The Fiat 500 subcompact’s reintroduction to the United States and Canada in 2024 as an entirely electric model line could allow this Stellantis brand to gain new relevance among motorists. What’s New for 2024:  The subcompact Fiat 500 returns to the United States and Canada for 2024 exclusively as a battery electric vehicle. Assembled within a tidy, elegant Italian-styled package, the 2024 Fiat 500e features a powertrain consisting of a 42-kWh battery pack as well as an electric motor generating 118 horsepower and 162 lb.-ft. of torque. ...

Photo Credit: Genesis Motor North America untitled Launched in late 2015 as a luxury branch connected to South Korea’s Hyundai Motor, the Genesis brand has made impressive inroads to the premium vehicle marketplace in a short time. Today, Genesis constructs a brand lineup tailored under the design philosophy of ‘Athletic Elegance’ promoting well-appointed sedans and sport utility crossover vehicles. While finding the ability to compete against the longer-established luxury automobile marques such as Mercedes-Benz, Cadillac and Lexus, the not-even six-year-old marque is also in an enviable position of being able to quickly define their image of premium motoring as electrification grows. Genesis’ first fully-electric vehicle, the GV60, lends itself to adapting modern and even-more modern luxury touches. The Genesis GV60 is based on the Hyundai’s E-GMP (Electric-Global Modular Platform) that is also being used with the IONIQ 5 set for a 2022 ...

Photo Credit: Ford Motor Company untitled One of many returning traditions in 2021 is the EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin is a celebration of the past, present and future of aviation going beyond many air shows. This exhibition running from July 26 to August 1 st provides something for everyone enamoured by creations that draws humanity airborne. Displays of vintage warplanes, ultra-light and home-built flying machines, air demonstrations, radio-controlled aircraft, aviation-related exhibitors as well as various workshops are part of this massive gathering insuring lots of fun and entertainment throughout the event. On Thursday, July 29 th the festivities in Oshkosh will include an auction for a one-of-a-kind piece of machinery by the Ford Motor Company. Although a four-wheeled automobile limited to traversing land, a very special Ford Mustang Mach-E is crafted as a high-flying tribute to brave pilots. Created specifically for the EAA AirVenture auction to bene...

Photo Credit: CNW Group/The Lion Electric Co. In the rapidly growing marketplace for larger battery-electric vehicles, Canadians can take place pride in the efforts of a thriving Quebec-based company. Adopting their current name Lion Electric Company in 2017, the manufacturer was founded in 2008 as a producer of school and commercial buses in a suburb of Montreal called Saint-Jerome. Lion Electric’s current product portfolio has expanded to include a Class 6 and a Class 8 battery-electric truck suited for a variety of urban-oriented roles. Based around a similar front end and cab design, the Lion6 and Lion8 lineups are specifically developed as a fully electric platform. Lion Electric boasts lower maintenance and energy costs as advantages for their vehicles over diesel-powered trucks in addition to zero tailpipe emissions. With a 26,000-pound GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating), the Class 6 Lion6 model range is offered on 195-inch and 212-inch wheelbase length. T...

Photo Credit: Tesla Inc. Having already achieved fame for inspiring the modern fully electric vehicle renaissance this century with passenger cars, Tesla Motors has set sights on converting their success into the commercial vehicle industry. First introduced in 2017, the Tesla Semi’s bold design and ingenuity makes the truck more than just a fully electrified transporter.   Being offered in versions with a range of 475 kilometers or 800 kilometers, the Tesla Semi boasts the credentials for being a one of the smartest, safest and comfortable Class 8 commercial trucks on the road. With the four electric motors mounted at the two rear axles of the vehicle, the Semi’s lack of the traditional engine compartment ahead of the driver helped Tesla conceive a front design resembling a cab over truck layout or a modern passenger train. With a 0.36 drag coefficient, the battery electric hauler’s unique shape is aided by an imaginative cabin layout.  Photo Credit: Tesla Inc. Placing t...

Photo Credit: Volvo Trucks North America Since 1999, Volvo Group and its passenger car brand that operated under the same name and logo have functioned as separate entities. While the Volvo car brand (now owned by China’s Geely auto company) has made a recent pledge to shift towards a fully electric lineup by 2030, their former Swedish parent has concocted their own electrified plans for the heavy truck market.  An extension of Volvo’s VNR lineup developed for the North American market, a fully electric version of the Class 8 transport truck. Retaining the modern, purposeful appearance of existing diesel-powered machines, the Volvo VNR Electric model range is created as short range hauler. For Canada, the truck is available in three configurations consisting of a 4x2 straight truck, 4x2 Tractor and 6x2 Tractor.  Paired with a two-speed I-Shift automated transmission, a potent electric drive system is installed in the VNR Electric line generating 455 horsepower and 4,051 lb-ft ...

Photo Credit: GMC/General Motors untitled   The announcement and unveiling of the GMC HUMMER EV last year sparked a great deal of curiosity towards how a macho electric truck will be embraced going against the grain of the traditional fuel-burning vehicles. A muscular style revisiting the military-derived aesthetic of the original Hummer models and marketing performance numbers such as 1,000 horsepower and 11,500 lb-ft of torque seems to have successfully drawn attention to the upcoming vehicle’s capacities. Ahead of the release of GMC HUMMER EV Supertruck with early models arriving in the United States later this year, a companion model with a sport utility body style is announced for early 2023. Boasting the same athleticism and tough design as the previously-unveiled truck variant, the 2024 GMC HUMMER EV SUV’s inclusion of an enclosed cargo compartment will provide owners access to as much as 81.8 cubic feet of cargo space. Integrated load floor s...

Photo Credit: Ford Motor Company If there is one thing to know about the Ford Motor Company, the automaker certainly does not tolerate a competitor’s attempt to best their F-Series pickup truck (and for good reason). Ford’s light duty F-150 as well as the tougher F-Series Super Duty products combine to become the best-selling vehicles in North America. Along with 42 consecutive years leading the American truck sales charts, the Ford F-Series brand in Canada is actively working on extending its moniker of being the country’s top-selling pickup truck to 54 years in 2019. To keep their position as a leader in the market, Ford is dedicated to providing a configuration to please almost any potential customer. In recent years, Ford’s truck line has showcased engineering and innovation meant to outshine the competition from General Motors and Ram as well as to a lesser degree Nissan and Toyota. With the anticipation that Tesla Motors is planning to enter the pickup truck market with an...

Photo Credit: Sam Bloxham/LAT/Formula E Since 1978, the City of Montreal has been known for showing hospitality to the global open wheel racing stars of the Formula 1 championship. A month and half later Lewis Hamilton won the 50th year anniversary edition Canadian Grand Prix, a new world auto racing tour prepares to put on a show unlike any other seen at such a scale in this country. Formula E makes its debut in Canada for what is the season three finale with the Montreal ePrix. Consisting of all-electric open wheel race cars fielded by well-rated teams and some established professional drivers, FIA's Formula E first became a spectacle in 2014 when the series debuted in Beijing.  Competing with an identical chassis designed by Dallara and built by Spark Racing Technology, Formula E teams have been permitted to develop their own electric power units since the second season. Electric powertrain options have opened the door to major automakers such as Jaguar and BMW currently i...