Parade of debuts at Montreal car show
Brave wintry Hwy. 401 to see 2016s, race-ready Micra, 610-hp Lamborghini
MONTREAL— If you don’t mind the 550-km drive, you can get your first glimpse in Canada of several upcoming 2015 and 2016 cars at the 47th edition of the Montreal International Auto Show, taking place for10 days beginning Jan. 16 at the Palais des Congrès in the city’s centre.
This year, the show will feature three North American and 41 Canadian debuts. Among the 2016 modelyear Canadian debuts you’ll find the mildly refreshed Audi A7 and S6 sedans, the all-new A3 e-Tron plug-in hybrid, the Fiat 500X and Honda HR-V crossovers, the Kia Sorento and the Mazda CX3.
Making its North American debut will be the Mazda2, the latest car from Mazda to receive a Skyactiv drive train.
Ahandful of supercars will make an appearance this year, among them the all-wheel-drive, 610-hp Lamborghini Huracan. More significantly, perhaps, is the Canadian-made Magnum MK5.
Designed by former racer Bruno St-Jacques, the MK5 is powered by a 250-hp four-cylinder engine and weighs just 545 kg. It’s currently in limited production, and although it is street legal, it is designed primarily as a track-day car, with features like a carbon fibre body, a removable steering wheel, and a zero to 100 km/h time in under four seconds.
Alfa Romeo will show the 4C, a 237hp rear-drive two seater that will be available in only four dealerships across Canada, including one in Vaughan.
A number of concept cars will get their North American debuts in Montreal, including the Hyundai Intrado fuel-cell crossover, which was revealed in Geneva last year, and the Subaru Viziv 2 diesel hybrid crossover. Volkswagen is looking to expand its SUV line up and will present the T-Roc crossover concept, which also premiered in Geneva. Although the concept is a three-door model, more likely to see production is a five-door model, which features a shorter wheelbase than the current Tiguan.
On the car show circuit since 2013 but making its first Canadian appearance will be the Cadillac Emiraj, and Toyota will have on hand the FT-1 concept, a super sporty coupe featured in the Gran Turismo video game, and that many are speculating will be the next Supra.
Nissan will display the BladeGlider concept, an odd-looking EV whose wing-shaped body was inspired by Nissan’s aerodynamic DeltaWing race car.
Perhaps more accessible than the BladeGlider, Nissan’s Micra will also be at the show, but in full racing guise. The Micra, with its sub$10,000 starting price, has been a popular choice among budget-conscious drivers, and Nissan wants to offer a similar low-budget car to aspiring race drivers by creating the Nissan Micra Cup, a 10-race spec series that for now is limited to Quebec race tracks.
A fully kitted Micra Cup race car costs $19,998, and includes modified brakes and suspension, race wheels and tires, as well as all the necessary safety equipment.
More than 200,000 visitors attended the Montreal show last year.
The Canadian International Auto Show will be held next month at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre Feb. 13-22. Based in Montreal, Costa Mouzouris is a frequent contributor to Toronto Star Wheels. For more Toronto Star automotive coverage, go to thestar.com/autos. To reach Wheels editor Norris McDonald: nmcdonald@thestar.ca