Car FYI

Photo Credit: Fisker Inc. Product Lineup: Ocean Overall Brand Impression:  The second iteration of an electrified auto company that his worn Henrik Fisker’s last name, the California-based Fisker Inc. is hoping to establish a healthy niche in a crowded marketplace. Officially entering business in Canada towards the end of 2023, Fisker has an ambitious product plan starting with the Ocean premium crossover vehicle. What’s New for 2024:  The Fisker Ocean is the latest entrant in the exploding premium-grade, battery electric crossover vehicle genre. Debuting as the One first edition model last year, the Ocean is available in three trim levels; Sport, Ultra and Extreme. Ahead of the 2024 model year, Fisker has rebalanced the pricing for their Ocean trim lineup. The high-end Ocean Extreme trimmed model receives a sizable price reduction of $10,200 Canadian (from $89,999 in 2023 to $79,799 in 2024). Buyers who had already committed to purchasing a Fisker Ocean Extreme model prior...

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: Audi AG 2024 Product Lineup: A3, A4, A5, A5 Sportback, A6, A6, allroad, A7, A8, e-Tron GT, Q3, Q4, Q4 Sportback, Q4 e-tron, Q4 Sportback e-tron, Q5, Q6, Q7, Q8, R8, RS 3, RS 5, RS 6 Avant, RS 7, RS e-tron GT, S3, S4, S5, S5, Sportback, S6, S7, SQ5, SQ7, SQ8  Overall Brand Impression: Steering into the realm of bold German luxury for more than two decades, Audi boasts a sizable assortment of premium automobiles catering to a wide range of motoring personalities. Entry-level luxury for 2024 can be obtained with the A3, the expansive Q line of crossover vehicles presents premium practicality, RS models reveal Audi’s racing heritage and the growing count of e-Tron models show off an electric future for the brand including the Q8 e-tron crossover vehicle line. Despite possessing an expressive 2024 model year lineup, Audi had bid verabschiedung to both the TT and R8 that had both had meritorious roles in shaping the modern perception of the brand. What’s New for 2024: ...

GMC 8000-Pound Electric Truck Taken from 1914 Advertisement in The Saturday Evening Post   Last year, General Motors’ truck division literally generated a buzz of electricity in the air by the announcement of the HUMMER EV . The GMC brand’s trucks and vans have been typically propelled to internal combustion engines running on gasoline or diesel fuel but the changing tides of modern transportation is resulting in the introduction of the high-profile battery electric vehicle with up to 11,500 lb-ft of torque on tap. The GMC HUMMER EV is on track to be a very important product for realigning the public’s attitude of what a tough truck could be in a world in a transition away from fuel-burning engines. However, while the HUMMER EV will make an impact on altering the way we’ll see GMC when initial models end up on driveways in 2022, the sale will not be the first time the truck marque sold fully electric vehicles. Interestingly enough, electric powe...

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: Toyota Motor Corporation Occurring after a one-year delay under unprecedented circumstances, the Tokyo Olympic Summer Games opened on July 23 rd as a much-needed opportunity to see the globe’s most diverse, dedicated collection of human athleticism in full force. The competitors of this year’s games have spent a before part of an entire lifetime perfecting their performance potential for the chance to be the lucky few to be eligible in their choice sport. With more than11,000 athletics arriving from 206 countries vying for the rare opportunity to one of three medals in each event. With all the practice and preparation put forth by every individual competitor to make it to Tokyo, Japan, the final leg of the journey towards attempting to make Olympic dreams come true receives some support by a sizable staff in the Olympic Village as well as at athletic venues. Serving to support athletes and the workers at the games, Japanese automotive giant Toyo...

Photo Credit: Daimler AG Nearing 80 years as a constructor of commercial trucks, Freightliner has a history for being an innovative name in the industry for heavy, work-duty vehicles. Starting with the creation of their first truck incorporating an all-aluminum cab, the brand is linked to pioneering the use of liquefied propane, the four-wheel drive Mountaineer tractor and more recently vehicle connectivity through factory-installed telematics. Freightliner’s Cascadia class 8 truck lineup has reflected much of the company’s current commitment to contemporary hauling since its introduction in 2007 featuring a lightweight, aerodynamic design as well as various cost-saving maintenance characteristics. Following the large vehicle’s debut, the Cascadia has been a frequent recipient of enterprising updates such as an optional in-cab exercise system and a technological productivity suite called Detroit Connect. In a project first seeing the light of day in 2018...

Photo Credit: Mack Trucks In 1900, brothers Augustus and John Mack would set up a company that would immortalize their name as the generic slang for a heavy truck. One of the oldest-running brands in the commercial truck industry in North America, Mack’s popularity has been based around the production of gasoline and diesel vehicles that were instrumental in supporting our everyday lives. While Mack Trucks have served an integral role in working class life, the brand is also defined for its participation in vital yet unsung jobs including the chore of waste collection. The coldest truth is that many of us may not truly appreciate the mechanics of a machine used for the purposes of removing refuse. However, Mack’s latest LR Electric model may give us reason to admire the vehicle we ineloquently refer to as a garbage truck.  With pre-production models currently being demonstrated in New York City and by North Carolina-based Republic Services, the Mack LR Electric is a battery-powered...

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 ...