2012 Chevy Volt

Well, that day has now come as the 2012 Volt is available in wide release across both Canada and the USA.

An electric car with a range extending (gas) engine, you can plug in the Volt and drive locally using only electric power, but you can also drive as long as you like with the gas engine kicking once electric power is depleted. So, as opposed to ‘battery powered’ cars, those who have driven the Volt claim that it actually feels like a real car.

Chevy expects owners to plug their Volts in to 110- or 220-Volt power to recharge their lithium-ion battery packs, most likely overnight at home. That gives the car 25 to 40 miles of electric range using that stored energy.

You’ll be seeing Volts with much more regularity on Canadian roads. Maybe you’ll even try one…

Will we see a diesel version of the Cruze in 2013?

In a continued bid to push the limits of fuel economy it is interesting to hear talk that General Motors is looking to release a version of it`s wildly successful Cruze in a diesel version in 2013.

Details are yet to be released but word is that markets will receive a 163 hp and 265 lb-ft of torque, while others get a version (Canada perhaps) with 148 hp and 236 lb-ft.

We`ll watch with interest.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.