Toyota rolls out Gas Pedal solution 
No Comments »
A tumultuous few days for Toyota corporation came to an apex today as they rolled out a solution to the issue of the accelerating gas pedals that had spawned a worldwide recall of over 2 million vehicles.
From Globe Drive:
Toyota Canada announced Monday that it will begin fixing faulty accelerator pedals by the end of this week.
The repair involves installing a steel reinforcement bar into the gas pedal assembly which will reduce tension that has caused pedals to stick.
The company is preparing a written notice for owners of affected Toyota vehicles that will include information about the condition, the remedy and what customers should do. It will be sent by first-class mail as required under Transport Canada’s recall rules.
“By the end of this week, we’ll begin the mailings for customers with affected vehicles,” said Sandy Di Fellice, director of external affairs.
Ms. Di Fellice said customers should contact their local Toyota dealership to schedule appointments to install the replacement part. They can also call Toyota’s customer help line at 1-888-869-6828.
The auto maker recalled 2.3 million vehicles in North America, 270,000 of them in Canada. Toyota announced last week that it was halting sales and production of its most popular models in the United States and Canada to focus on the recall.
The vehicles affected are:
Certain RAV4, 2009-2010
Corolla, 2009-2010
Matrix, 2009-2010
Avalon, 2005-2010
Certain Camry, 2007-2010
Highlander, 2010
Tundra, 2007-2010
Sequoia, 2008-2010
Hopefully this fix fix will provide safety for Toyota drivers across Canada.
Will be interesting what, if any, effect this has on Toyota sales moving forward.
2008 Toronto International Auto Show kicks-off
1 Comment »
It’s big, it’s bad and it’s back.
make sure you make your way down to the Metro Convention Centre over the next couple weeks to check out what is new in domestics, imports, concept cars and much more.
2008 Mazda 5 incorporates some changes
No Comments »
There are a few changes in store for the stylish Mazda 5 SUV, including:
- Redesigned grille, front and rear bumpers, 16- and 17-inch alloy wheels, and gauges
- Standard side and curtain airbags
- New five-speed sport mode automatic transmission replaces four-speed automatic
- New LED taillights on GT model
- Front mud guards standard on GS model
- Side sill extensions deleted from GS model
- Automatic climate control and outside temperature gauge standard on GT
- New second-row cool air vents with fan speed control (with a/c)
- Front passenger seat includes inner armrest; second-row seats include outer armrests
- Standard auxiliary audio input
- Bluetooth hands-free phone system standard on GT model
- Integrated navigation system with touch screen and six-CD changer available on GT model
- Interior colours: Sand and Black added, Espresso Brown leather deleted
For 2008, the Mazda5 enjoys a mild facelift, with new exterior styling cues, new instrument gauges and trim changes.
Strong dollar leads to lower prices on Porches in Canada
No Comments »
The resurgence of the Canadian dollar has led to a price break for Canadians interested in purchasing a Porsche.
Porsche Cars North America is the first automaker to announce that it will be sharply reducing the prices of its vehicles sold in Canada. Overall, the price of a 2007 Porsche model compared to a 2008 will go down a full 10%, so a 2007 Cayman that cost $69,600 in Canada last year will cost $63,500 today. Unfortunately, a 2008 Cayman in the U.S. still only starts at $49,400, but at least it’s something.
Peter Schwarzenbauer, President and CEO of Porsche Cars North America, Inc., said yesterday in a press release:
“We cannot ignore our customers and dealers in Canada who can look to the U.S. and recognize a substantial price difference.”
With the Canadian dollar currently sitting around $1.02, it should quite interesting when, and if other carmakers follow suit.
The DeLorean isn’t dead
No Comments »
Interesting to see that a Texas based company is reviving the once super-cool DeLorean.
Mechanic and businessman Stephen Wynne has begun brining the classic car back in limited production in a warehouse facility outside of Houston.
The creation of renowned automotive engineer John DeLorean, DMC eventually made fewer than 9,000 cars, distinctive for their gull-wing doors, stainless-steel exterior and rear-engine design. An estimated 6,500 remain on the road.
Wynne has experience working with DeLoreans and that fueled his interest in brining it back.
Wynne formed the company in 1995, when the bulk of his business was working on original DeLoreans at a Houston garage. Still, he needed a name, and because there was nothing legally preventing him from using the original, he decided to give it a shot. He even called John DeLorean, who wished him luck.
Check out the full article here.
Review: Porsche 911 GT3
No Comments »
Here is a quirky car review I found for the dashing Porsche 911 GT3. The review was released by British show ‘Fifth Gear’, check it out:
Mirror, mirror on the wall – who’s the greenest of them all (really)?
2 Comments »
If I told you that a GM Hummer, Ford F-Series Pickup or even a cadillac CTS is a ‘greener’ car than the Toyota Prius you’d think I was nuts! But an article by Neil Reynolds in this morning’s Globe and Mail highlights a recent study that says just that.
Oregon-based CNW Marketing Research Inc. has conducted the world’s most comprehensive analysis of the “life cycle” energy requirements of more than 100 makes and models of cars and trucks. Given the thousands of parts and processes in the manufacturing and operation of cars, it was a complex task and took the company two years to complete. Volvo once tried to do it – and gave up in frustration (though it does publish “life cycle” analysis for its own makes).
CNW identified 4,000 “data points” for each car, ranging from the energy consumed in research and development to energy consumed in junkyard disposal. It calculated the electrical energy needed to produce each pound of parts. It calculated greenhouse gas emissions. It calculated mileage, too – adjusting for the differences between rush-hour Tokyo and rural America.
But to a lay-person what does that really mean?
To keep it relatively free of technical jargon, the company expresses energy requirement as the dollar cost of energy for every mile across a vehicle’s anticipated years of use – “U.S. dollars per lifetime mile.” Thus it reports the lifetime energy requirement of a Hummer as $1.90 a mile; the lifetime energy requirement of a Prius as $2.86 a mile.
It reports by model name and by category. For 22 models of economy cars, the average lifetime energy cost is $0.85. For six models of pickup trucks, it’s $2.58. For 14 models of smaller-sized sports utility vehicles, it’s $2.07; for nine models of larger-sized SUVs, it’s $3.98. For 10 models of gas-electric hybrids, it’s $3.65.
Could it really be that SUVs are really greener than hybrids? This study says so.
Compare the SUVs against the hybrids and you get a sweep in favour of conventional technology. The best-rated smaller SUVs are more than twice as eco-friendly as the hybrids: Dodge’s Durango, $1.57; Ford’s Explorer, $1.61; Chevrolet’s TrailBlazer, $1.61; Jeep’s Grand Cherokee, $1.80.
Interesting stuff – and in some ways its hard to beleieve. But it does make a lot of sense to take EVERYTHING into account when evaluating the ‘green factor’ of a vehicle and it looks like this research firm has done just that.
For the full blow-by-blow of this study you can check out all the info at CNW’s website.
Will Ford unload Volvo?
1 Comment »
That is the question as rumours swirl about Ford putting Volvo on the block.
The Sunday Times, citing unnamed sources in London, said the decision to sell Volvo was made in the past two weeks, but that the timing of the sale had yet to be decided.
Volvo certainly has been an expensive piece of Ford’s puzzle the past few years, it will be interesting to see if this really may mean a sale.
Hybrid Vehicles: Pie in the sky?
No Comments »
Much has been made of the (potential) impact of hybrid vehicles and the actual impact they are having here in Canada – both from the perspective of the environment and from the perspective of the automotive industry.
An interesting article in the Globe and Mail recently examined the launch of Ford’s provocative Edge HySeries fuel cell plug-in hybrid. While the premise is sound – much of the talk coming from Ford and others as far as Hybrid vehicles may be more for public relations purposes than it is for everyday production. From the article:
Okay, now let’s be clear: Ford has no plans to put the HySeries into production. This $2-million (U.S.) prototype exists for two reasons.
First, it is a useful showcase for the state-of-the-art in alternative-fuel vehicles. Second, this Ford is a pure public relations tool. It exists to demonstrate that auto makers such as Ford are hard at work trying to create the cleanest, greenest cars possible.
You’re right – I’m sure it reads well in the press release.
Make no mistake, the HySeries is clean. It uses no petroleum-fuelled power and it can, in fact, be plugged into an ordinary household outlet to recharge.
Here in British Columbia, that power comes from clean hydroelectric power. However, if we were in Alberta, where most electricity comes from coal-fired plants, generating that electricity would create pollution. So let’s not forget that electric cars aren’t always clean cars — just cars whose “tailpipe” emissions have been moved to somewhere else.
The hybrid vehicles that Ford, Toyota and others currently have on the road are certainly a great step towards a more sustainable automotive fleet for Canadians – but it will prove very interesting to see if the next generation of hybrid vehicles can actually make it into production and make a real difference to the environment.
We’ll be watching…
General Motors goes electric
3 Comments »
Struggling auto giant General Motors today revived its once-failed idea of a mass-market electric car, unveiling a new “concept” car called the Volt designed to use little or no gasoline. Introduced at the North American International Auto Show here, the Chevrolet Volt will draw power exclusively from a next-generation battery pack recharged by a small onboard engine – if the technology is ready in two or three years.
“We have a thoroughly studied concept, but further battery development will define the critical path to start of production,” said Jon Lauckner, a GM vice president for product development. The Volt is designed to run for 40 miles on pure electric power, making it marketable for everyday family use. For the average American driver who drives 40 miles a day, or 15 000 miles a year, the Volt will require no fuel and lead to an annual savings of 500 gallons of gasoline, GM said.
GM has been stung by criticism that it conspired to kill the EV1, an experimental electric vehicle program it launched in 1996 and killed by 2003. The documentary film “Who Killed the Electric Car?” released last year criticized GM for first developing but then abandoning electric vehicles.
GM said the Volt will have advantages over the defunct EV1, including smaller batteries, faster recharging, more room for passengers, and a faster maximum highway speed.
“For most drivers, the Volt will use little or no gasoline,” GM chief engineer Nick Zielinski told reporters.
Plug-in hybrids, a favorite among many environmentalists, are capable of being charged with a standard electric outlet, a feature GM said it would build into the Volt.
“We commend GM for being the first out of the starting gate in the great plug-in car race of 2007,” said Felix Kramer, who founded the non-profit group CalCars to spur automakers and regulators to push for mass-market electric car production.
Battery technology is key to the next generation of hybrid vehicles as automakers seek ways to lower the cost of batteries and increase their power and storage capacity.