Fan faves hit stage
The Canadian International Auto Show, which opens to the public at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on Feb. 12 and runs till Feb. 21, is featuring audience participation this year.
Car fans were invited to enter their prized autos in a competition to make them part of this year’s show and of the 75 who applied, five were selected.
The lucky winners will now have their vehicles on display at the show and the grand champion will be awarded a top prize of $5,000. As well, a feature article about the vehicle will be published on wheels.ca.
“We wanted to add a fresh, interactive component to this year’s show and give our audience a chance to get involved in a unique and fun way,” said show general manager Jason Campbell.
“Through our Your Auto contest, we were able to uncover some of the most interesting vehicles and car stories that don’t often get the exposure or recognition they deserve.”
The five finalists are Les Toker, 2015 Corvette Z06; Mike Livia, 1936 Ford Pickup “Copperhead;” Sebastien Lagourgue, 1974 Citroen 2CV; Sagi Marisi, 1971 Ford Mustang Mach 1, and Daniella Sementilli, 2011 Ford Mustang GT.
For tickets and more information on the 2016 Canadian International Auto Show, visit autoshow.ca. Cadillac, Toyota receive Best New Tech Awards
Last week at the Montreal International Auto Show, the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) announced the winners of the Canadian Car of the Year Awards Best New Technology Awards.
General Motors scored the Best New Safety Technology award for its rearcamera mirror, which is offered in the new Cadillac CT6.
The innovative device displays an image on the rear-view mirror that is four times the size of what is seen on a regular mirror.
The Best New Innovation Technology award went to Toyota for the six-cylinder Atkinson cycle 3.5-L engine, which is found in the new Tacoma pickup. The engine combines port and direct fuel injection with Atkinson Cycle technology to improve real-world fuel economy by 15 per cent and power by 14 per cent from the previous model. Three finalists named for Canadian Car of Year
At the Montreal show, AJAC announced the three finalists in the race for the Canadian Car of the Year and Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year awards.
On the automotive side, the three finalists are the built-in-Ontario Honda Civic, the Golf Sportwagon and the Golf R. It is interesting to note these are three very different vehicles, with a two-door hatchback, a four-door sedan and a station wagon being represented.
Perhaps even more significant in today’s market is the utility vehicle category, where the finalists are the Kia Sorento, the Mazda CX-3 and the Volvo XC90.
The media preview day at the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto on Feb. 11 will be the stage on which yours truly and my fellow co-chairman of the program, Justin Pritchard, will announce the winners. GM’s 2016 Chevrolet Spark is Canada’s cheapest car
First-time car buyers on a budget now have another choice, as Chevrolet has announced that the new 2016 Chevrolet Spark is the lowest-priced car in Canada.
Priced at $9,995, the Spark beats the closest competitor, the Nissan Micra, by a token $3. It isn’t much, but hey, three bucks is three bucks.
While Chevrolet has undercut Nissan on price, it has raised the bar with extra features that are important to young car buyers. The Spark comes standard with a seven-inch touchscreen display that allows users to access Android Auto and Apple CarPlay music services.
Also standard are the company’s popular OnStar service and a 4GLTE Wi-Fi hot spot. Like the Micra, the base model Spark goes old school with manual transmission, windows and door locks.