Mustangs everywhere

While much of your attention at the Ford stand may be diverted by the headline-grabbing 540-hp Mustang Shelby GT500KR (for "king of the road"), it was actually a couple of the less-extreme, less-expensive Mustang variants that really caught my interest. The 2008 Bullitt Mustang recreates the movie star car with a rorty exhaust, a clean exterior and a nicely upgraded cabin; it'd look great screeching around the streets of San Francisco. The second variation I liked a lot was the glass-roofed Mustang, which gives much of the feel of driving outside without ruffled hair - and without that awkward convertible roofline.

What's New?

The nicest thing about the Toronto Auto show?

It's a total car show. I know guys that don't think anything good was produced after 1965 (which bodes well for my older chassis) and for them, there is a spectacular display of classic  cars.  It's nice to see a history throughout the show, and it's also a great draw for the kids.

Interesting display for motorcycle fans, another thing missing from other shows. Speedracer is back, Porsche is here...I'm off to continue my trek.

Canadan Car/Utility Vehicle of the Year Awards

Well, as my Grade 11 history teacher used to say when we collectively got the wrong answers to his pop quizzes, "Another failure of democracy.''

Likewise the results of the 2008 Automobile Journalists Association of Canada Car/Utility Vehicle of the Year awards.

The Audi R8 is Car of the Year - a fabulous car by any standard, but a $150,000 sports car of which they'll maybe a hundred in Canada? Car of the Year?

Can't blame Audi. They don't make the rules, and they aren't going to hand the trophy back.

The R8 was also chosen Best New Design and, a couple of months ago, "Most Coveted'' by the journos at AJAC's Test Fest last fall.

The other finalists were the Saturn Astra and Audi S5.

Actually, the real Car of the Year didn't even make the final three. At least the Chevrolet Malibu won the North American award.

General Motors did win the Utility Vehicle award, although it was the wrong General Motors vehicle. The Buick Enclave should have been a slam-dunk, but the collective minds of AJAC gave it to the Silverado pick-up. A worthy winner, but nowhere near the breakthrough represented by the Enclave.

Nissan Rogue, another fine vehicle, was the other Utility finalist.

Ford's SYNC system, enabling connectivity of multiple media devices into a car and making it even easier for drivers to be distracted, won Best New Technology. Is there no hope?

Wait 'til next year. We'll probably get it wrong again.

 

 

BMW X6

BMW certainly likes its acronyms. When it first introduced the X5, it coined the term "sports activity vehicle" - feeling, perhaps, that "utility" was a little too downmarket. Now, with the X6, we've got what the company claims is the first "sports activity coupe" (SAC).

It is, maybe, a tacit acknowledgement that the X6 is more about style than anything else. While there are still rear doors, the sloping roofline cuts into rear headroom - and there are only two seats in the back anyway.

It's an interesting concept, the X6 - one that will probably find a small audience amongst performance enthusiasts who like being up high. What's more interesting is its engine, a twin-turbo 4.4-litre V8 that will likely show up in a lot of BMW's other model lines, replacing the current 4.8-litre naturally-aspirated V8.

For 2008 Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year the winner is ...

 

... the Chevrolet Silverado.

The Chevy was up against 25 competitors to earn this year's title.

 

(Performance) car of the year

A lot will no doubt be written over the next few days and weeks about the $140,000 Audi R8 winning the award for overall Canadian Car of the Year. About whether it's right that something so fast, so expensive and so hard to get should even be eligible for such an award. Shouldn't the Canadian Car of the Year be a car that is accessible to at least a large number of Canadians (even if you had the cash, you can't get an R8 right now)?

Putting aside any ideological considerations about the award, the R8 is a worthy winner. Never mind the way it looks; it's packed with technology that makes it a supercar you can drive all year. It's also, relative to its competitors, very well priced. Even though it's priced out of the reach of most of us.

More snow? Must be almost time for the AutoShow

How much more snow can Toronto handle? While car drivers are slip-sliding their way to work today, truck and SUV drivers with 4x4 get to show off their vehicle's capabilities ...

And if you're in the market for a new truck or SUV, or a family friendly crossover, here's what to expect at this year's Canadian International AutoShow (opening to the public on Friday until Feb. 24).

Today automakers will be making Canadian debuts of several crossovers and pickups.

Look for the:

*2009 Dodge Ram

*2009 Ford F-150

*2008 Ford Foose F-150

*2009 Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid

And for crossovers, the ...

*2009 Chevrolet Traverse

*2009 Ford Flex

*2009 Kia Borrego

*2009 Subaru Forester

*2009 Dodge Journey

*2008 Porsche Cayenne GTS

Live blogging throughout the day from the floor of the Canadian International AutoShow.

Check back often for highlights ...

Searching for speed at the Toronto Autoshow

For a good number of the media - especially the Wheels reporters - trudging around the show floor during the autoshow's two media days, the Toronto show can feel a bit like deja vu. Didn't I see that concept car in Detroit a few weeks ago? Wasn't that production car shown in Chicago recently? We are both lucky and spoiled to be so blase about the hundreds of cars packed into the two convention centre halves and the Rogers Centre. For the Toronto Autoshow is, in fact, bigger than Detroit and for showgoers, offers plenty of new metal to see, touch and dream about.

This is particularly true if you're a fan of fast cars like I am. Hot new production models making their debuts here include GM's awesome new Corvette ZR1 and Cadillac CTS-V, both packing supercharged V8 engines; the latest version of Maserati's sporty Quattroporte luxury sedan; Nissan's world-beating GT-R supercar and Porsche's road-biased Cayenne GTS.

But the production cars are, of course, just the start of it. In addition to the concept cars you'll find on almost everybody's show stand, don't forget to check out the 100 level of the Rogers Centre, where performance aftermarket companies will be showcasing their wares, or the area just outside the main South building exhibit halls, where companies like Pfaff tuning will be showing off complete high-performance tuned cars. It'll be a feast for the eyes - and if you're lucky enough to hear one of those big engines fire up, your ears as well.

T.O. or bust!

First things first.

Only newspaper editors, show organizers, and sign makers who charge by the letter, call the Toronto auto show the “Canadian International Auto Show.”

Whatever.

My first trip to the “Toronto show”, 15 years ago, was a random act of car enthusiasm.

Me and three car buddies, up at 4 a.m. to make the four hour drive from Ottawa to the Skydome. Once there, for the next eight hours we walked, gawked, fought the car geek crowds, and ate bad hot dogs and drank flat Labatts.

After taking in all the latest and greatest on four wheels, our quartet of car nuts then piled into that paragon of highway transportation, a Ford Tempo (NOT MINE!), and made the drive back to the Nation’s Capital. As is the norm, a late winter storm doubled our drive home.

By the time I crawled into bed, it was 2 a.m.

This year’s Toronto show opens to the public next Friday, February 15 at 10:30 am.

Whether your commitment to get there involves a ride on the TTC, or a Tim Bit and double-double-fueled marathon from Ottawa, the Toronto show is always worth the trip.

This year, I’ll be back, but this time as part of this Wednesday’s media herd. Check back here then for on-the-floor industry news updates.

And don’t worry.

I’m sure the hot dogs have improved. But I’d load up on the onions anyway.

I *heart* Bob Lutz

It was just a few years ago when the industry was biting its nails over whether or not General Motors would make it ... if it it would stop all of its assembly lines, and end an era for one of the Big Three.

That was before Bob Lutz, GM's vice chair, waved a magic wand (well, though it seems that way it was really a long, hard road of paring down the company, consolidating, creating individual images for each of GM's brands and turning the ship around).

Last year GM unveiled the Chevy Volt -- the front-page story from the Detroit show -- and this year it created another flurry of excitement with a plug-in hybrid Saturn Vue, and one of the best kept secrets of the show, the unveiling of the (hot!) Cadillac CTS coupe.

Yesterday a small group of Canadian journalists met with Mr. Lutz, and as always, most of us could have sat there for hours listening. Why? He's real. He'll answer any question (a rarity in this business), there's never a "no comment" from Lutz. He's genuine. He wants GM to succeed (he's in his 70s AND he's rich -- he's reportedly got two fighter jets that he's converted into personal aircraft, flying is a passion ... he really doesn't have to work). He uses both sides of his brain. He's a business person first and foremost, but he understands that good designs (the new Malibu and Cadillac CTS are both sold out -- yes, a U.S. automaker really does have a waiting list) sell vehicles.

Now, if we could just clone Mr. Lutz and send him over to Ford ... and to Chrysler ...