PREMIERES

Auto Show hosts 40 Canadian

This year’s Canadian International AutoShow, taking place Fri. Feb. 16 to Sun. Feb. 25 in Toronto, will feature no less than 40 Canadian debuts.

One of them will be the awesome Koenigsegg Agera RS being seen for the first time in a large public exhibition in North America.

Among the other vehicles this year to be launched are:

AUDI A8:

The fourth-generation Audi A8 is the first production automobile in the world to have been developed specifically for conditional automated driving at Level 3.

The Audi AI traffic jam pilot takes charge of driving in slow-moving traffic at up to 60 km/h on highways and freeways where a physical barrier separates the two carriageways. The system is activated using the AI button on the centre console.

The A8 is powered by a 3.0 TFSI engine that produces 340 hp. Power is transferred via an eight-speed tiptronic transmission that delivers fast and smooth gearshifts. The electronically controlled automatic transmission is paired with quattro permanent all-wheel drive.

MINI ELECTRIC CONCEPT:

Designed for use in urban areas, the MINI Electric Concept vehicle offers a window into how pure-electric day-to-day mobility might look in the years ahead.

The concept vehicle brings the iconic design, city-dwelling heritage and customary go-kart feeling of the MINI brand into the electric mobility age. MINI will then present an all-electric series-production model in 2019.

CHEVROLET CORVETTE ZR1:

The 2019 ZR1 (pictured above) is the ultimate Corvette in terms of design and execution, and it all adds up to the fastest production Corvette ever.

It all starts under the hood with a supercharged 6.2-litre LT5 V8 engine. The LT5 delivers the highest output ever for a Chevrolet production vehicle, thanks in part to a new, more-efficient intercooled supercharger system that offers 52 per cent more displacement than the Z06’s LT4 supercharger.

Top speed of the ZR1 is over 337 km/h. Sevenspeed manual and eight-speed paddle-shift automatic transmissions are available with the LT5. It’s the first time an automatic transmission has been offered in a ZR1.

CHEVROLET SILVERADO 2019:

One hundred years after its first trucks were delivered to customers, Chevrolet commemorates a century of Chevy Trucks with the all-new 2019 Silverado.

In terms of features, the Silverado offers claimed best-in-class cargo volume across every bed length, a higher-strength steel bed floor, more and stronger tie-downs and an available power tailgate that can be operated with the key fob.

In terms of powertrains, the 2019 Silverado will be available with six engines, including new 5.3-litre and 6.2-litre V8s and a 3.0-litre turbo diesel.

Among the transmission options is an all-new 10-speed automatic. Production is slated to begin later this year with customer deliveries beginning this fall.

FORD MUSTANG BULLITT:

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of iconic movie “Bullitt” and its fan-favorite

San Francisco car chase, Ford introduces the new cool and powerful 2019

Mustang Bullitt. The Bullitt is equipped with an upgraded 5.0-litre V8 engine that will deliver at least 475 hp and 420 lb/ft of torque, pushing the new Bullitt to a top speed of 262 km/h – a 13 km/h increase versus the latest Mustang GT.

As a special-edition model due out this summer – the all-new Mustang Bullitt is equipped with a manual transmission, and the gear shifter features a white cue ball shift knob as a nod to the original.

The vehicle packages all Mustang GT Premium and Performance Package content into a vehicle that maintains the original Bullitt’s understated persona.

RAM 1500 AND 1500 SPORT PICKUPS 2019:

The all-new 2019 Ram 1500 becomes the benchmark for durability, technology, efficiency and convenience with features never before offered in a pickup. Overall weight for the Ram 1500 has been reduced by 225 lb.

Ram claims 12,750 lb of towing capability and 2,300 lb of payload.

An all-new eTorque system delivers improved fuel efficiency in both V6 and V8 configurations.

Every 2019 Ram 1500 is equipped with a fully electronic TorqueFlite eight-speed automatic transmission with a wide spread of gear ratios that keeps engine rpm in the right range for the task – whether putting in a full day of off-road work or highway cruising.

VOLKSWAGEN ARTEON:

The new VW Arteon is a sleek full-size sedan that features frameless side windows, a wraparound hood and finely detailed dynamic lines in the style of a GT.

The wide-opening rear hatch that is hinged at the top gives easy access to the 563-litre luggage compartment. The long wheelbase of 2,841 mm enables a remarkably generous interior architecture for this body form that creates a spacious feeling with lots of headroom and legroom at all five seat positions.

The latest generation driver assistance systems are celebrating their premiere in the Arteon, such as the further developed Emergency Assist and the further developed Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) which controls the car’s speed while taking route data and speed limits into account.