Automotive News Articles
Redesigned, refreshed Fusion a winner
New sedan named Motor Trend's 2010 Car of the Year
DETROIT -- The Ford Fusion midsize car has been selected as Motor Trend magazine's 2010 Car of the Year, beating nearly two dozen contenders. The award is among the most prestigious in the automotive industry, and it will provide Ford Motor Co. with an additional marketing tool to promote the sedan, which is the 10th best-selling...
November 20, 2009
Ford, Subaru, VW tops in U.S. insurance safety awards
WASHINGTON -- Ford, Subaru and Volkswagen sit atop the U.S. insurance industry's annual list of the safest new vehicles, according to a closely watched assessment used by car companies to lure safety-conscious consumers to showrooms. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety awarded its "top safety pick" on Wednesday to 19 passenger cars and eight sport utility...
November 20, 2009
The best of the fest
The year's best eco-friendly technologies
An important part of AJAC's annual TestFest is recognizing the Best New and Best New Green technologies. This year, the entries ran the gamut. Here are the top three in each category, and my picks: Best New Technology 1. Given that 25 per cent of all serious highway crashes are a result of drowsy drivers, Mercedes-Benz's Attention...
November 20, 2009
R.I.P. (Rust in peace):
Eight cars that died for 2010
THESE eight cars will disappear with the new model year, but they merit more than a footnote for what they say about the auto industry and its buyers. â Bentley Arnage (1966-2009): With a design dating back more than 40 years, the ancient Arnage is the last Bentley engineered by Rolls-Royce, which owned Bentley at one...
November 20, 2009
Talk about staying power
Hybrids popular even after gas prices fall
HEATHROW, Fla. -- A year ago, the average price of a gallon of gasoline was US$3.45. Now it hovers around US$2.39. Why would anyone feel compelled to buy a hybrid? Having a hybrid isn't just about saving money on fuel. The gas-sipping vehicles are good for the environment, fun to drive, maintain their value and can...
November 20, 2009
Ford introducing inflatable seatbelts
DETROIT -- Ford Motor Co. said Thursday that its new inflatable seatbelts will provide additional safety for rear seat passengers, especially children and the elderly, who more frequently sit in the back rows of cars and trucks. "This really is about improving family safety," said Sue Cischke, Ford group vice president of sustainability, environmental and safety...
November 20, 2009
In Gear
Parrot's new Rki8400 Bluetooth car stereo POLLY doesn't want a CD player: While many car stereo manufacturers have migrated to providing Bluetooth capability built into their products, Parrot has gone in reverse as one of the few Bluetooth manufacturers that has shifted to the car stereo sector. This rare feat is even more improbable by nature...
November 20, 2009
MYRON LOVE: Mercedes sedan sports hand-built engines
Mercedes-Benz's new E 63 AMG arrived in the first week of November at Mercedes-Benz Winnipeg but, if you want to see one of the models, you better move fast. They have just one -- and two more on the way have been pre-sold. On a walkaround of the E 63 AMG, Mercedes-Benz Winnipeg president Brian Lowes...
November 20, 2009
Dealer's Choice
Sales Rep: Vince Holowatuik Dealership: River City Ford Experience: 15 years Favourite vehicle: The 2010 Ford Taurus Why: "The new Taurus has the very latest in contemporary style and technology," Holowatuik says. "I like its sleek and sculpted look, both inside and...
November 20, 2009
The mighty Mini ---- a little car that had a major impact
Little car, major impact
It was a different world 50 years ago: American cars were king of the road. Layered in chrome, boasting enormous size, V8 engines and rear-wheel drive, their style was copied in miniature by other automakers. That changed on Aug. 29, 1959, when the British Motor Corp., or BMC, unveiled the Austin Seven and Morris Mini-Minor,...
November 20, 2009
Time for a Canadian autobahn
Transport expert calls for a transcontinental alignment built to motorway standards
Until last week a pedestrian on Calgary's 16 Avenue could control traffic on the Trans-Canada Highway. My Canadian political science professor at what was then Mount Royal College used to joke about that fact. He'd laugh about how someone wanting to cross the busy strip could stop traffic on the Trans-Canada Highway by simply pressing a...
November 20, 2009
Construction zone limits need common sense
A few weeks ago, I covered the 650 km between Whistler and Prince George here in British Columbia to be one of the speakers at a conference called Crossroads. The subtext was Road Health, or how to improve safety on both northern highways and forest service roads. Almost every speaker had realistic goals and solutions for...
November 20, 2009
Get a grip
SOME friends who just bought a Toyota RAV4 asked me whether they should buy winter tires for it. My response, as always, was "regardless of what you drive, you should put winter tires on your vehicle." It's obvious that right out of the box, the RAV4 is better equipped to handle winter than any two-wheel drive...
November 13, 2009
How Chrysler plans to turn it around
Automaker's goal: to double sales in five years
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Chrysler hopes to make billions of dollars to repay government loans and revamp all of its cars and trucks with an ambitious plan that hinges on doubling sales in five years. The plan, which includes spending US$23 billion to overhaul or replace all its Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram models by 2014,...
November 13, 2009
Revamp of 300 sedan doesn't please boss
TORONTO -- It's one decision Sergio Marchionne probably wishes he could undo. Chrysler Group LLC is planning to build a completely revamped version of its once-popular 300 full-sized sedan at its Brampton, Ont., factory next year. But if the company's new chief executive had his way, the replacement likely never would have seen the light of day. "I...
November 13, 2009
