Unrequited love: Audi releases another Euro-only jewel

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You’ve been warned: Like the current Audi S3/RS 3 Sportback, Q3, A5 Sportback, A6 Avant, and RS 6, this here new A1 Quattro, above, is strictly a “look but don’t touch” proposition only for Canadian new car buyers.

Can Cadillac’s latest really challenge the Germans?

 

Ten years after the debut of its first real sports sedan, the 2003 CTS, Cadillac is once again going BMW 3 Series hunting, this time with its all-new 2013 ATS sedan, set to debut at next month at the Detroit show, and go on sale later in 2012.

1976 VW Golf GTI: Back to the future

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WOLFSBURG, Germany – Well, this was certainly a surprise. While in Germany trying out Volkswagen’s new Up! city car (full review in Wheels forthcoming), a visit to the epicentre of all things VW had us in a non-descript grey building with a sign above its garage door marked “Volkswagen Classic”, in the shadow of the German brand’s original factory here in Wolfsburg that builds Golfs, Tourans and Tiguans.

Fiat’s 500 crashes out when it comes to safety

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Go ahead and whine about modern cars. They’re too complicated, too expensive, and too heavy (take your pick!) compared to the vehicles from our rose-coloured past. But at least they’re much safer. In fact, modern cars have become so much better at protecting their occupants, safety’s become a commodity in new car showrooms, like rust protection and reliability. The assumption is, all cars are equal when it comes to crunch time.

BMW enters the oxymoronic “four-door coupé” class

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Seven years late to the party, Germany's BMW released a bunch of photos this week of its new 6 Series Gran Coupé, yet another knock-off of the original 2005 Mercedes-Benz CLS “four-door coupé”.

Can a new Acura NSX super car resurrect Honda’s premium brand?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Things are seemingly looking up these days if you’re in the business of selling Acuras. After a few years in the wilderness with a muddled product strategy and confusing styling, its parents at Japan’s Honda are looking to relaunch the brand with a raft of new cars and new technological flagship sports car.

From the Fleet: 2012 Volkswagen Passat TDI

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FROM THE FLEET are brief synopses of manufacturer-supplied rides that happen to end up in my laneway – John LeBlanc

Myself and the der nue 2012 Volkswagen Passat didn’t quite hit it off during our first meeting at its debut at last January’s Detroit auto show. As per the new-generation VW Jetta, the “Americanization of VW” continues with the new U.S.-made Passat. And VW’s Camry/Impala/Accord-fighting sedan isn’t pretty if you’re a fan of highbrow, German engineering, as I admittedly am.

Toyota needs more than sports cars to regain its credibility

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Arguably, the Toyota/Subaru sports car was the unmitigated hit of last week’s Tokyo Motor Show. Praise flowed freely from usually grumpy media types (yours truly included), for Toyota’s “back to basics” approach and general all-around courage for putting a car out there that is not primarily about making money. And, already, Toyota is looking at taking the momentum created by its GT 86 2+2 (to be sold in Canada as the Scion FR-S) and expanding its sports car offerings. The GT 86’s head engineer, Tetsuya Tada , told the Sydney Morning Herald there’s a future possibility of two more Toyota sports cars: one bigger than the compact GT 86, and one smaller.

Even before safety scare, Chevy Volt sales not exactly on fire

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The old adage, “Even bad publicity is good publicity” may be the only good news stemming from the safety concerns surrounding Chevrolet Volts catching on fire. You see, even before the Volt started making headlines over its questionable safety, the technologically groundbreaking General Motors car wasn’t exactly setting the sales charts on fire.

Your next Porsche may be half as special as you had hoped

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In a sea of U.S. of Japanese cars, seeing a European car in Canada in the 1970s was something rare. Seeing a Porsche was even more special. But if the Volkswagen Group brand meets its sales goals, seeing a Porsche on the road won’t be so special in the future, by about half.