Canada
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Weird examples of badge engineering and license-building always warm my heart. The Iran Khodro Paykan, for example, or perhaps the IKA-Renault Torino. The Big Three Detroit automakers got into some strange mirror-world marques when they crossed the border into Canada, where you could buy Mercury Econoline vans or Chevy IIs badged as Acadian Invaders, and--of course--it becomes impossible for a Guilty Pleasure addict to resist the allure of one of the most obscure Detroito-Canadian marques of all: Asüna! The Asüna name (don't forget the umlaut!) was slapped on a hodgepodgian trio of...
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Urbee 3D Printed Car Makes First Appearance In Canada
It may not be fast and it may not even be pretty, but the Urbee car is important for other reasons. The potential for 166 mpg is clearly a number to raise eyebrows. Using a combination of electric motors and a small, single cylinder, 8 horsepower engine running on ethanol, high economy was never...
Antony Ingram -
Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix Preview
This weekend the Formula 1 circus heads to Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal for the 2011 Canadian Grand Prix, and coming as no surprise the odds are already favoring Red Bull Racing champ Sebastian Vettel to take the checkered flag at the conclusion of Sunday’s race. The race is the only...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Canadian Engineer Develops Cheaper Collision Detection Tech
Nobody, save for perhaps stunt drivers, likes to crash. Even if you're lucky enough to escape injury, accidents invariably mean months of insurance nightmare, dozens of phone calls to people you dislike conversing with, considerable expense and almost certainly time off the road. General consensus...
Antony Ingram -
Exclusive: 2012 Hyundai Accent: First U.S. Pics, First Look
The 2012 Hyundai Accent looks poised to elevate Hyundai to the same high water mark for small cars that it's claimed in other sedan segments this past year with its compact Elantra and mid-size Sonata. The Accent will be offered in four-door sedan and five-door hatchback variants this time, and the...
Bengt Halvorson -
Switzerland Serves Google Street View Its Biggest Smackdown To Date
Here in America, we think Google Street View is great -- all unicorns and double-rainbows -- but elsewhere in the world, folks have been significantly less enthralled. Germany ordered Google to let citizens opt-out of having their homes included on the service. England and Canada found Google...
Richard Read -
We first heard about the De Macross GT1 project in August of last year, back when the car was still in the concept phase with only a quarter-scale model to show off its design. Since then, Canada’s De Macross Motors Corp (DMMC) has managed to build up a working prototype and will soon be ready to start testing the car. With the financial support of company founder, South Korean Korean businessman Jahong Hur, the De Macross GT1 project combines the styling of race cars from yesteryear with the modern technology of today. Working closely with Multimatic Engineering, a motorsports...
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Very Last Mercury, A Grand Marquis, Rolls Off The Line
Ford may have announced the demise of Mercury back in June--although the brand was effectively dead long before then--but the very last car to wear a Mercury badge finally rolled off the production line today. The particular model was a Mercury Grand Marquis, which sailed off into the sunset at...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Video: HTT Plethore LC-750 Supercar Stars In Mentos Commercial
You’re chances of actually seeing a HTT Plethore LC-750 out on the roads are next to nil but you can see the Canadian supercar in this latest advertisement for Mentos’ Fruity Fresh 3 chewing gum, which was recently launched in Europe. The creation of HTT Technologies and the brainchild...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
De Macross GT1 Supercar Taking Shape In Canada
Another supercar project is brewing up north; the De Macross GT1, which is being developed by Canada’s De Macross Motors Corp (DMMC) and is set to go on sale next year. You may recall that we reported on fellow Canadian supercar project, HTT’s Plèthore LC-750 last year, and now...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Oshawa Plant Picked For 2011 Buick Regal Production
First sales of the 2011 Buick Regal will start in the second quarter of 2010.
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Canada’s HTT Plèthore LC-750 Supercar En Route To Frankfurt
Following its 2009 Frankfurt auto show debut, the HTT Plèthore LC-750 Supercar will go on display at the SEMA auto show in Las Vegas.
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
General Motors' recent bankruptcy proceedings have seen the company transformed as it leaves behind failing assets, and according to the company these changes have also been reflected through a restructured board of directors. Five new members have been added to the board following the bankruptcy, with major stakeholders being given discretion to hire new board members depending on the size of their stake. For the U.S. Treasury, which now owns roughly 68% of GM, the government department was able to select 4 of the new 5 board members. The Treasury appointed Daniel F. Akerson, David...
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Lexus wants to build RX 450h hybrid in Canada?
The RX line of SUVs has been Lexus' best-selling luxury utility vehicle since its launch in 1998, and the new generation takes the vehicle into a larger, more powerful realm, while at the same time adding new efficiency-enhancing measures in the hybrid model. Currently, the RX SUV range is...
James Martinez -
GM to close 42% of Canadian dealer network
The symptoms of America's ailing carmakers don't recognize borders, and no nation is more keenly aware of that fact than Canada. That's doubly true after today's announcement of General Motors' planned closure of 42% of the company's Canadian dealerships. In all about 300 dealers will be shuttered...
Nelson Ireson -
Foreign car dealer's association angry with Obama's 'buy American' message
Toyota, Nissan and Honda all build cars in the U.S. General Motors, Chrysler and Ford all build cars in Mexico and Canada in addition to within the U.S. It's hard to know which car is built where as a consumer, and the American International Automobile Dealer's Association (AIADA) is upset over...
Nelson Ireson -
Canada follows U.S. lead and rejects GM and Chrysler viability plans
Canada has followed the lead of the U.S. and rejected the respective viability plans of General Motors and Chrysler, claiming the plans do not go far enough in their current form. This means the carmakers may miss out on the initial $3.2 billion in loans pledged in December, though a small portion...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Chrysler threatens to pull out of Canada
General Motors and Chrysler have told authorities in Canada they need as much as $8 billion in aid to stay afloat, more than double the original amount requested just three months ago, and in the latest twist Chrysler has threatened to pull out its operations if it does not receive the funds. The...
Ralph Hanson -
General Motors and Chrysler have told authorities in Canada that they need as much as $8 billion in aid to stay afloat, more than double the original amount requested just three months ago. The latest request is in addition to the $26 billion the two Detroit carmakers are seeking from the U.S. government as revealed in their recent viability plans. While no specific figure has been given for the Canadian aid request, GM and Chrysler said they expect amounts proportional to the loans they are seeking back in the States. Unfortunately for the Canadian government, it has little to no bargaining...
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Report: Video games helping to influence new car buyers
Carmakers are increasingly becoming aware of the influence video games are starting to have on the buying habits of new car buyers. In fact, according to a new report, video games have become as culturally pervasive as movies. More importantly, the report also claims that being able to race with a...
Ralph Hanson -
Detroit carmakers approach Canada for $6.8B in loans
A decision on the U.S. government's loan package is expected to come from Congress sometime today, but already carmakers are approaching the Canadian government, seeking more aid. The $6.8 billion sought from Canada would still fall short of the $25 billion originally asked for from Congress, even...
Nelson Ireson -
Scion confirms 2010 Canadian launch
Scion has been on sale in the United States since 2003 but only now has Toyota confirmed the youth brand for the Canadian market. Set to launch north of the border in 2010, three models will initially be available: the tC compact sports coupe, the boxy xB and the xD five-door hatchback. The cars...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran