Car FYI

Photo Credit: Chris Nagy/Car FYI Canada   Theme of the Show: The Vision- Explore New Directions. Experience Innovation. Though the effects of the great global recession were nearing an end with the arrival of 2010, Canadian auto sales from the recently concluded year of 2009 made it clear that the auto industry had a hole to climb out of. Only 1,484,000 new cars and trucks sold in Canada represented a 11.36 percent drop over the 2008 calendar year as instability with money caused many to temporarily forego many expensive purchase and expenditures.   Although this was only the second year I attended the event, I could tell there was truly a lower key tone to the 2010 Canadian International AutoShow compared to the previous year. The show’s footprint decreased as the floors of the Skydome (Rogers Centre) was no longer part of the display space. Since 2009, none of the subsequent auto shows in Toronto would use the popular retractable roof sports and entertainment buil...

Photo Credit: Infiniti Motor Company Ltd. How many of us have envisioned ourselves in a different time or place. To see or relive a moment in history in a manner you would not think possible or perhaps to be present with those we admire or love is to many the ultimate form of exploration. While time travelling is yet to be realized, many of us find ways to capture the essence of the past. This can be quite a difficult feat for those birth came after a time period. Automotive design has been no stranger to recompile their past for a future creation. At the 2017 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, one corporate attendee chose to show up in a mid-20th century costume. A youngish brand born in 1989, Infiniti introduced a 1940s-1950s inspired concept car melding the past, present and future. Photo Credit: Infiniti Motor Company Ltd. Classical in appearance, the Infiniti Prototype 9 is a vehicle that adapts its own image to a historical era of motor racing. The Prototype 9...

Photo Credit: General Motors 2014 is coming to a close providing what has been a year's worth of memories. As a follower of automotive culture, I have been highs and lows shaping what has been the past 12 months. The auto sector for 2014 consisted of exciting new designs, evolutions in technology and visions of a thrilling future. Conversely, some high-profile fails have also left a negative impression. With the conclusion of 2014, I want to some automotive-related highlights for this year. The following is Car FYI's first grouping of Most Spectacular Vehicle Launch of 2014: (Tie) 2015 Ford Mustang and 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata For 2014, despite all the movements in the realm of electric-powered driving and autonomous driving technology, the human driver has been rewarded handsomely. A new crop of gasoline-fuelled sports cars and high-performance vehicles has explored new heights in design as well as horsepower. Arriving ahead of the Ford Must...

Next month, the 2014 Paris Auto Show will start a period known as the auto show season. A season that typically starts in North America with the LA Auto Show in November, European audiences receive the first exhibition of all-new production vehicle premieres and the presentation of mind-wondering concept cars. A show where the likes of Italian designer Pininfarina first appeared on the world stage, the show often motivates the debut of classy styling studies. At Infiniti, you can say the luxury car brand has received inspiration from competitors as well as from their individual designers in the latest concept car. An interpretation of the four-door fastback premise demonstrated by the Audi A7 Sportback , Aston Martin Rapide and Porsche Panamera , the Infiniti Q80 Inspiration concept car doesn't appear to be following luxury car rivals when it comes to their image of a vehicle. Sweeping forward and backwards, the bodywork...

Years ago, there used to be general expectations for luxury cars with big and expensive garnering the most attention in high-society. However, in this new age of motoring, premium vehicles are judged with a much broader, more complicated scope where size no longer (in fact rarely) justifies a car's claim to fame. Seeing concept as well as production examples of small car luxury supplied by Lexus, Cadillac and Lincoln, the Infiniti Etherea design study debuting at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show furnishes other enlightening presentation to luxury vehicles. Formulated through a simple brush profile which Infiniti released ahead of the vehicle's unveiling, the Etherea is indeed created with a small but enchantingly shape. Only about 168 inches long, the Etherea take a car form but echoes styling cues found on the Infiniti FX crossover platform. Given a tall roof line that helps maximizes cabin comfort, Infiniti clearly states that the Etherea is not a crossover vehicle. As a matte...