Car FYI

Pictured here, the opulent multi-colour interior of the 1955 Packard Caribbean Convertible included a dazzling chrome column shift lever. (Photo Credit: Chris Nagy/Car FYI Canada)  The important role of a transmission paired with an internal combustion engine has been established for more than 100 years in facilitating the efficient flow of power through the drive wheels. Eventually through the evolution of automobile design, the familiar placement for a gearshift lever was mounted on the floor. However, for a time, it was also popular to find a gear shifter behind the steering wheel attached to the steering column. The Birth of Three on the Tree Although column shifters would become synonymous with automatic transmissions, the first appearance of the gear shift behind the steering wheel came with a manual gearbox. Referred to in brochures as remote control shifting, the 1939 Plymouth introduced the shifter positioning behind the steering wheel. The novel remote control shifting ...

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...

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: 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: General Motors Part of General Motors’ christening for their new electric vehicle lineup supported by new Ultium battery technology is being parted by two high-performance, high-style sport utility models. The Cadillac LYRIQ was unwrapped this summer but a second vehicle was teased since the beginning of 2020. Introduced in disguise in a commercial during the 2020 Super Bowl, the GMC brand would reintroduce a name equally famous for extreme off-roading prowess as it was for high fuel consumption. Although revived as a highly-capable modern off-roader, the 2022 GMC HUMMER EV will shed the gas-guzzling image of its ancestors.       An all-electric super truck measuring 216.8 inches (5,507 millimeters) in total length, the GMC HUMMER EV is a radical four-door multi-terrain vehicle reaching peaks gasoline-powered vehicles will observe with awe. Operating on a three-motor e4WD drive system, the HUMMER EV’s maximum collective propulsion output is 1,000 horse...

Photo Credit: Ford Motor Company Since Ford’s presence in Canada starting in 1904, vehicles with internal combustion engines have been prominently sold and reliably produced in the country. Since 1953, Ford of Canada’s dominating production hub has been based in Oakville, Ontario. Over the course of decades, products turned out by the Oakville Assembly plant included vehicles from Ford Motor Company’s short-lived Edsel brand, the F-Series pickup truck, the compact Escort as well as the Windstar/Freestar minivan. At the start of 2020, Ford’s Oakville Assembly plant and its workforce of roughly 3,600 members has been producing the Edge mid-sized crossover vehicle as well as the Lincoln Nautilus premium crossover. With a reputation for building dependable, sought-after automobiles, a flourishing future of Ford’s Oakville Assembly Complex is secured by plans to convert vehicle output to battery electric vehicles. Following a successful negotiation with the union representing 5,400 emplo...

Photo Credit: Cadillac/General Motors  Luxury automobile brand Cadillac launched in 1902 when the motor vehicle industry was still in its infancy. Some of the most basic details of the automobile were still coming into form including what would be the preferred manner of propulsion for the new machines. Gasoline vehicles including Cadillac’s offerings competed against steam as well as a very solid challenger being the electric car. Although electricity lost the early days of the industry, the ongoing second century for the automobile is falling into the favour of electric vehicles. Building its reputation of American prestige and elegance with gasoline engines, Cadillac plans to embark on their first vehicle powered through the propulsion they once defeated. Cadillac’s new LYRIQ is designed to allow the luxury marque to explore the uncharted fully electric vehicle future. A stylish premium crossover utility vehicle, the show car representation of the Cadillac LYRIQ exhibits new dep...

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 Source: Walmart Canada/Tesla Operating 410 stores and directly employing 85,000, Walmart’s presence in Canada went from virtually nothing to being one of the country’s largest, most-influential retail businesses over the course of nearly 25 years. While there are varying positive and negative views of Walmart Canada by the population in general, there is no deputing in the fact that the company is currently the go-to physical destination for Canadians. Understandably, moving goods from coast to coast requires a great deal of energy. Even if dealing with e-commerce, large quantities of items need to flow often through the use of transport trucks. Walmart Canada maintains a massive logistical network that includes 8.75 millions square feet of total distribution space. Despite importance for moving goods across Canada, the retailer is now focused in reducing the amount of energy consumed and emitted for daily distribution. In a bold 10-year plan, Walmart Canada will convert t...

Photo Credit: Chris Nagy At the 2015 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, General Motors' volume-leading division Chevrolet made a bold presentation of a concept representing the notion of the bowtie brand's first serious production vehicle not to be powered by an internal combustion engine. Besides the existence of the all-electric Bolt EV Concept, Chevrolet made a bold-looking pledge of an affordable battery-powered vehicle that can be driven to a range beyond 200 miles (320 kilometers). The original Bolt EV Concept quickly morphed into the production-ready all-electric concept car preserving a surprisingly hefty account of the design features touted on the auto show floor almost two years ago. A subcompact hatchback with a share of economy and technology, the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV will soon need to face the test of persuading a mass market to realistically consider an option to gasoline power. As the early 2017 arrival of the all-electric Chevy is being...