Car FYI

Photo Credit: Chris Nagy/Car FYI Canada 2024 Product Lineup: Grand Caravan, Pacifica  Overall Brand Impression:  The namesake brand founded by Walter P. Chrysler approaches its centennial in a rather depressing state. With the departure of the Chrysler 300 sedan after 2023, the marque has lost a lasting(though somewhat tired) image-shaping automobile. Due to apparent neglect for the upscale American marque by parent Stellantis as they prefer promoting Alfa Romeo and Jeep as premium choices, Chrysler is represented by only a pair of minivans for 2024.  What’s New for 2024:  The final Chrysler 300C was produced at the Brampton Assembly Plant on December 9th of 2023 with the last vehicle finished in Velvet Red and powered by a HEMI V8 engine. As Chrysler enters 2024 officially closing a major chapter the auto brand has not immediately opened a new story.  Chrysler’s 2024 model year in Canada includes the Pacifica, Pacifica Hybrid and Grand Caravan. 2024 Chrys...

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...

Photo Credit: FCA North America Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) is seen as a slower adopter to electrified motoring compared to many other major automakers. Through much of the 2010s, the vehicle builder was mainly focused on bolstering the Jeep as well as the young Ram brand emphasizing more traditional propulsion. From 2020 until 2017, the only vehicle publicly sold by FCA to employ an electric drivetrain in North America was the Fiat 500e (a fully electric version of the stylish subcompact limited to sales in only select American states and was not available in Canada). Contrasting FCA’s barren electric or hybrid vehicle offerings through much of the past decade were production plans announced in the late 2000s.  At the 2009 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, the corporate entity that would become FCA existed as Chrysler LLC. Recently splitting from its turbulent marriage with Daimler-Benz, the auto company operated under a private equity group eager to impress...

Photo Credit: Chris Nagy On Wednesday, April 20th, Transport Canada has informed the public as well as Fiat Chrysler Automobiles of a safety issue the organization has identified on certain Dodge and Chrysler vehicles. The issue affecting Chrysler 200, Chrysler Sebring, Dodge Avenger and Dodge Journey manufactured collectively between 2007 and 2016 relates to a power steering return hose. An investigation in response to over 100 consumer complaints by Transport Canada uncovered there is a potential the hose can fail causing the loss of power steering as well as a risk of fire. Chrysler Sebring/200 and Dodge Avenger vehicles related to the investigation were produced from 2007 to the 2013 model year. Affected Dodge Journey crossover vehicles have been produced since 2009 spanning up to the current 2016 models. The information provided by Transport Canada on the vehicles of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles are part of a new tool in the arsenal of the government safety and regulatory bo...

Through video gaming, car enthusiasts have entered an era where our automotive indulgence is achieved without being in physical connection with the actual vehicle. The realistic appearance of video game automobiles and careful emphasis on mimicking real world performance in the virtual world. Recently, popular racing game franchises provided users the opportunity to pilot new cars such as the 2015 Ford Mustang , Chevrolet Corvette Stingray and the BMW M4 even before they appeared in dealerships. While video games had often coveted presenting real, licensed vehicles in their pixelated experiences, developers' cooperation with the auto companies has transitioned. Instead of real world automobiles from popular auto makes being installed into video games, the gamer world has provided a new environment for providing life to concept cars. Since 2013, the Gran Turismo 6 game for the Sony Playstation 3 has opened the door to the designers of severa...

Photo Credit: FCA US In a matter of hours, a host of new, elaborate commercials will air during one of the most-watched annual events on the globe. For Super Bowl XLIX (the 2015 edition of the football classic), 30-second spots selling for 4.5-million dollars will be competing for our attention with snappy visuals and celebrities. The following are some past automotive advertisements illustrating to how companies attempted to lure motorists in the past: 1969: Chrysler Scuba Diver In 1969, the Super Bowl was being held for only its third time. The big game was beginning to attract the attention needed to elevate American professional football to a thriving enterprise. However, it would wouldn't be until the mid-1980s when a 30-second spot in the Super Bowl would start selling for over a million dollars. Understandably, most ads televised during the game were not massive productions. 15 years before Apple reinvented the...

Some believe that companies are living entities similar to other creatures on this planet. Certainly businesses can be fostered into valuable members of human society when properly encouraged. Like individuals, companies are also required to pay taxes in a fair civilization (although many elect to declare their residence in a civilization that results in the smallest tax bill). Businesses can even be adored to an extent as brands and products can assemble a strong following. The automotive sector contains some of the deepest connections where people have grown all attached to a product name. The Chevrolet Corvette is envied for being a sports car embodying American performance while the Jeep Wrangler epitomizes classic utility. Even the Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic enjoy a fondness among North American motorists as trusted transportation. These types of associations are highly valued to the point even a minor change has the potential of completely ostracizing audi...

Photo Credit: Chris Nagy Members within a group that now totals hundreds of thousands of Canadians, auto workers are receiving a well-earned day off for Canada Day. Numerous automobile production facilities in Canada are recognized on a global scale for building solid vehicles. In 2014, Canada has entered its 115th year of major automobile production. Ford Motor Company is the longest, continuous foreign partner for manufacturing vehicles north of the 49th parallel closing in on 110 years. Besides the major auto companies, this country contains a bundle of hardworking suppliers. After 115 years, the presence of major auto companies in Canada has been a source of pride but also a threatened occupation. There has been some sources of optimism For reflection this Canada Day, I have decided to show off the major auto companies' existence in our great country. Just one quick thing I would like to make clear...