We take on some of Atlantic Canada’s worst roads in a new Cadillac

In most parts of the country, carping about the state of this nations roads is an art form. New expletives have been crafted solely for use when ones brand-new set of winter tires slam into an unexpected pothole. Fillings have been jarred loose by washboard road surfaces. Alignment mechanics rejoice the former, dentists do brisk business with the latter. Hey, at least someone is making bank off our rough roads.Yelling into a vacuum yields little, so CAA holds an annual campaign in which Canadian road users including cyclists, pedestrians, motorists, and users of public transit are encouraged to cast a vote for what they feel is the worst road in their region. Every road is eligible, regardless of surface type or length.Across Canada, wild temperature swings and an abundance of road salt conspire to scupper even the best paving job. Jagged lines cut every surface like a botched episiotomy, with macadam crumbling like day-old sponge cake. Armed with CAA’s list of Ten Worst Roads in the Maritimes and the keys to a 2020 Cadillac XT6 crossover, we decided to seek out these potholed pavements in an effort to gauge the state of our roads.Would the Cadillac provide a comfortable journey? Will this infrastructure hammer our spines into oblivion? Did I make a theme-based playlist filled with The Stones and the score from Rocky?The answers to those questions were yes, no and an emphatic yes.Our pothole-tamer: the Cadillac XT6First, the Cadillac. The luxury arm of General Motors has been fiddling with their Standard of the World for a few years now, rolling out two new sedans and three new crossovers in quick succession.The XT6 is the largest of these, acting as a draw for customers seeking a snazzy three-row machine with all-wheel-drive. Cadillac already has a three-row SUV in its quiver of course, but the large-and-in-charge Escalade scares away some customers thanks to its bulk and truck-based roots. For anyone trading out of an Acura MDX or Volvo XC90, the XT6 will be much more approachable.Outside, the Cadillac certainly looks the part, with our Sport-trimmed tester dipped in $900 worth of inky Stellar Black Metallic paint. Unlike the Premium Luxury models, the Sport eschews all exterior brightwork save for a spear along its lower flanks and one edging the perimeter of its front grille. A completely blacked-out grille, bookended with headlights narrowed like the eyes of a stern headmaster, is a dealer-installed accessory and should be fitted to every XT6 regardless of colour.Pine Glen RoadPointing the long XT6 nose containing a 3.6-litre V6 engine making 310 horsepower towards New Brunswick, we set off in search of what CAA has deemed to be some of Atlantic Canadas worst roads. Plugging the street of Pine Glen Road just outside of Moncton into the Cadillacs satnav is easy thanks to recent changes. Now deploying a rotary dial incorporating jog functions into the system, CUE is no longer an exercise in frustration.The drive to Pine Glen Road is an exercise in cutting through early morning fog on the Cobequid Pass, a stretch of road notorious for its pristine pavement but reliably horrid weather. With no sinkhole (yet) consuming the Trans-Canada Highway near Oxford, we carried on to Moncton, the land of St. Hubert and Jean Coutu pharmacies.Turning on to Pine Glen Road, a long stretch connecting far flung communities with the city of Moncton, we find pristine pavement. A quick check of the satnav confirms we are indeed on the correct path, even if the macadam were traversing looks as far from a Worst Road contender as your author looks like a Chippendale model. What happened?Councils take the CAA Worst Roads lists seriously, is what happened. A few clicks down Pine Glen Road we happen upon a large road crew, feverishly laying new tar atop the old crumbled surface. Stopping to chat with the site foreman, he explained theyve been on the job since August, upgrading a road thats heavily travelled by woods trucks and the general public alike.Using heavily calloused hands to adjust his white hard hat, the man looked proud to be working on the project. If the sign posted by a local church is anything to go by, locals are pretty proud as well.All good things must come to an end, of course, and the new pavement disappears as one drives deeper into Pine Glen Road. By the time were out of the residential areas and into the wooded areas, its easy to see why this road made CAAs top ten. Its most heavily travelled section, however, is now billiard-table smooth thanks in no small part to The List and a crew of hard-working pavers.Working the lozenge-shaped shifter to handle a three-point turn in a roadside cutout was more frustrating than strictly necessary, given the button-and-lever dance one has to do in order to engage reverse gear. GM is not likely to change its design anytime soon, since the thing has popped up in everything from this Cadillac to Buicks to the Chevy Bolt. Electronic shifters are tremendous,
Origin: We take on some of Atlantic Canada’s worst roads in a new Cadillac

Western Canada’s biggest automotive street party is in Saskatoon this weekend

If youre planning to be anywhere this weekend, make it the capital of cool on the South Saskatchewan River.Saskatoons classic rock outdoor concert series and car-show extravaganza returns for its 37th edition this Friday through Sunday. Tickets for Rock the River 2019 have long since sold out, as they do every year. But owners of pre-1999 vehicles in show-ready condition still have time to join the more than 40,000 locals and tourists wholl take over 14 downtown blocks, where up to 1,000 classic cars, trucks and motorcycles will park for the car-show portion of the Rock 102 Show and Shine Western Canadas largest auto-themed street party.It started from very humble beginnings and has just blossomed into this massive event, says Brent Loucks, morning man at Rock 102s sister station CKOM since 1984.Not only because of everyones love for these cars, but because of the timing: were wrapping up another summer, so this a great social event tying in music and cars that everyone in the community can relate to. Were all getting together to celebrate here in one of the greatest cities in Canada. Whereas the AW, Burger Baron and Dog and Suds were once the prime car-spotting locations on Saskatoon’s Cruise Night, now, it’s the Dairy Queen. Or wherever you can park a lawn chair. Sarah Staples Loucks was at the first edition of the Show and Shine, in 1982, when owners of a dozen classic cars decided to get together by the AW on 8th Street East, Saskatoons major east-west thoroughfare. It started relatively innocently as a radio station promotion, Loucks continues.Wed play old music, there was a hula-hoop contest, people were dressing in 50s and 60s outfits, listening to retro music, and it was just a fun thing to do in the evening; then, more car clubs joined in and the classic car side kept growing every year. 1965 Corvette Stingray of Leonard Mazzei, of Eston, SK, at the city’s 2018 Show and Shine Sarah Staples This Saturday evening, vintage cars will again head to 8th Street East to loop around the long, wide boulevard, over and over. Some owners park and make it a tailgate party, opening their hoods to spectators of all ages who line the impromptu parade route.Parking lots are full all up and down the street, people are sitting on bus benches, lawn chairs, bleachers that are set up, says Neil Schneider, marketing manager at Wyant Group Raceway, which has organized its own events over the weekend for the past decade.8th Street was the original home of Saskatoons stock-car paved motordrome, the 8th Street Racing Oval, before it moved north of the city in 2006 and was renamed Wyant Group Raceway. Its one of only two tracks in Western Canada to host Pintys NASCAR Canada racing and is Canadas only volunteer-run racetrack, managed and staffed entirely by members of the Saskatoon Stock Car Racing Association Ltd. (SSCRA).This weekend there will be local Pro Trucks, Bandaleros (kids 8-16) and Mini Stocks (compact cars) competing, along with Baby Grands and Mini Cups series hosted from Alberta. And over at the Saskatchewan International Raceway, the citys drag strip will host Jet Cars racing.Every year, from the public and from the club, the response is getting bigger and bigger, says Schneider. Theres non-race fans, race-fans, families, just anyone curious to see these cars. (Tourist tip: for four Sundays every year, the track opens to anyone who’s keen to get behind the wheel of a stock car; the next Dakota Dunes Race Experience, monitored by qualified pro drivers, is Sept 8.)The radio station also organizes a Poker Run: participants drive classic cars to five different spots around Saskatoon, drawing a single card at each location, then meet up to determine who has the prize-winning poker hand.Theres a definite vintage feel to the entire weekend. It reminds me of the movie American Graffiti. You get really nostalgic seeing the old muscle cars, hearing the squeal of tires, explains Schneider. Its a feeling of parents being able to be kids again.Rock the Rivers concert series spotlights many classic Canadian bands, too. Loverboy, Platinum Blonde, The Headpins and Chilliwack will take to the main stage this weekend, by The Delta Bessborough hotel. Motorcycles are welcome at Saskatoon’s biggest car show. Sarah Staples Last year, I ran into Kim Mitchell sauntering out of an elevator at The Bessborough. His trademark blond mane had gone the way of those MTV-era pink pants, but bald or no, Mitchell still had it that recognizably Canadian, indescribably Rush-era something special. The iconic rocker disappeared from the iconic Canadian National Railway hotel before I could say, Hell yeah, go for that soda, Kim.While youre at it, Rock on, Saskatoon. You see families where grandparents used to cruise 8th Street 30 years ago, and now its their children or grandchildren bringing that same car that theyve inherited, or building their own, Loucks says. It goes to show how many people in this world love cars and
Origin: Western Canada’s biggest automotive street party is in Saskatoon this weekend

Canada’s getting VW’s Mk. 8 Golf and ID.4 — even if the U.S. might not

Canada is getting the new base model Volkswagen Mk. 8 Golf after all, as well as VWs new ID.4 electric car but not for a while.During the new generation’s debut last month, it seemed uncertain whether dealerships in the U.S. and Canada would see any trims of the Golf besides the high-performance GTI and R versions.Now, VW Canada has confirmed other, lower-spec trims of the Mk. 8 Golf will come to our shores, along with the high performance GTI and Golf R, though whether they hit the U.S., too, is still up in the air. The Mk. 8 Golf as well as the GTI and Golf R variants will start to arrive some time in 2021 as 2022 models, Thomas Tetzlaff, Volkswagen Canadas public relations manager, recently told The Car Guide.That means well see a small gap between the sale of the last Mk. 7 and the first Mk. 8 for some Golf variants, such as the Golf R, SportWagen and Alltrack, none of which will return for the 2020 model year.In other news, the new fully-electric ID.4 will replace the eGolf as the brands small-EV option, and will lead the way in introducing the ID lineup to Canadian showrooms. The ID.4 is a four-door crossover, with a low roofline and a small footprint.The first ID model in Canada will be the production version of the I.D. Crozz concept. This one is planned for early 2021, said Tetzlaff.Next year, Europeans will get the even-smaller ID.3, which was unveiled at the Frankfurt motor show. Whether that vehicle will make it to Canada remains to be
Origin: Canada’s getting VW’s Mk. 8 Golf and ID.4 — even if the U.S. might not

News Roundup: Ford’s 7.3-litre V8, a drop-top Challenger and Canada’s EV uptick

2018 Ford F-250 Super DutyDerek McNaughton / Driving Welcome to our weekly round-up of the biggest breaking stories on Driving.ca from this past week. Get caught up and ready to get on with the weekend, because it’s hard keeping pace in a digital traffic jam.Here’s what you missed while you were away.Ford’s 7.3-litre V8 looks like a beaut’ of a bruteWhile Ford continues to move toward smaller, turbocharged solutions like its EcoBoost engine, it must also keep in mind the needs of those for whom economy comes second to pure brute force and durability in tough conditions: the Super Duty drivers. It’s with them in mind that the Blue Oval put together a new 7.3-litre V8 that this week we learned is good for 435 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and 475 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,000 rpm. Is this a return to form for Ford, or just another gas-guzzling beast? There’s a conversation happening in the comments on this story. Join in. Ontario driver shot in face for giving the middle fingerInvestigators in London, Ontario are offering $10,000 for information leading to the arrest of a suspect of a shooting that took place in broad daylight following what they believe to be an incident of road rage. A 21-year-old local man who’d just left work for the afternoon was shot in the face in his Volkswagen after giving the finger to an aggressive driver in a Chevrolet Cruze. The incident involving the two strangers took place in the vicinity of Royal Crescent and Wexford Avenue around 4 p.m. on May 11. It works — sort of? Canada’s $5,000 EV rebate program is seeing resultsCanadian buyers are starting to come round to the electric vehicle market thanks to the $5,000 national rebate program initiated by the federal government, according to sales numbers analyzed by an expert at the website Canada EV Sales. The numbers may be coming mostly from two provinces – B.C. and Quebec – and they may be small – EVs accounted for four per cent of all vehicle sales in May and June – but they’re growing nonetheless. Transport Canada confirms that some 14,000 EVs have been purchased in Canada since May 1. Chevy is taking chrome wheels off the menu for the Corvette C8Decades from now, when we look back on the elements of automotive style and design that defined the era that was the early 21st century, we will see chrome. Lots and lots of shiny chrome. But that era is over as of right now, according to Chevrolet, which has deliberately neglected to include an option for chrome wheels on its upcoming mid-engined Corvette C8. Apparently the brand doesn’t think the next generation of Corvette drivers wants to wear the same pair of shoes as the last. There’s still a “polished” rim option, but no outright shiny chrome. Sorry, Vin, you had a good run. This dealership built an open-top Challenger The car world is tipping its hat this week to a North Carolina dealer that took the initiative to build the Challenger that Dodge didn’t have the guts to. It commissioned a Florida shop to take a little off the top of three Challenger models, now each listed for sale from US$56,300 to $US64,000 with their retractable soft tops. Both of the automaker’s main U.S. competitors already had convertible versions of their ponies, but Dodge never got around to making the chop. Well, Dodge, don’t bother now, because Keffer Dodge, Chrysler, Ram and Jeep in Charlotte, N.C. has us
Origin: News Roundup: Ford’s 7.3-litre V8, a drop-top Challenger and Canada’s EV uptick

Canada’s 5 best-selling auto brands in the first half of 2019

Canadian auto sales volume remained high by historical standards in the first half of 2019. Yet compared to more recent results, the industry decline that began in March 2018 continued unabated in each of 2019s first six months.Year-over-year, auto sales volume tumbled by nearly 60,000 units in the first half of the year, according to Desrosiers Automotive Reports. That 5-per-cent drop produced a four-year low in combined first and second quarter sales.There are two ways to view the markets 2019 decline. First, passenger cars are, for the most part, the culprit. While SUV/crossover popularity expands, the car sectors loss of market share is staggering; down 3 percentage points to 27 per cent in the span of just the last year, and down by nearly half over the last decade.The second perspective requires, incidentally, a look at the automakers presumed to be least affected by a car decline: Detroits homegrown brands. Combined, the traditional three domestic manufacturers combined for a 9-per-cent drop in first-half sales, a decrease valued at nearly 47,000 sales. The cause? In part, its the pickup trucks that power the Detroit marques. Full-size pickups arent matching the otherworldly pace generated back when the industry exited the last great recession with a boom.Nevertheless, a truck-heavy brand remains Canadas most popular auto brand in 2019, and Japanese brands that dominate whats left of the passenger car market position themselves high in the rankings, as well.These are Canadas 5 best-selling auto brands in the first half of 2019.5. Nissan: 65,959, down 7 per centWith Hyundai hot on Nissans heels thanks to the huge success of the Kona subcompact crossover, its Nissans Kona competitor the Qashqai thats allowing Nissan to maintain its position in the upper echelon. Qashqai volume is up 10 percent in 2019 with 10,294 sales year-to-date, its Nissans No. 2 seller while sales of 14 other Nissan nameplates are in decline. That includes every member of Nissans car lineup, which is collectively down by a third, year-over-year.4. Chevrolet: 74,868, down 18 per centAs the Cruze and Sonic disappear, one would hope that Chevrolets lacklustre car effort would be offset by traditionally strong pickup truck sales and rising utility vehicle volume. Yet compared with the first-half of 2018, Chevrolets pickups even with a new Silverado on the market are down 9 per cent. (Combined, the new Silverado and its corporate GMC Sierra twin have lost more than 5,000 sales already this year.) Meanwhile, Chevrolets SUV/crossover performance has been a let-down this year. The Equinox, Suburban, Traverse, and Trax are all in decline.3. Honda: 87,298, down 4 per centHonda is by no means late to the SUV party, nor does the brand enter the crossover gun fight with a dull knife. The CR-V is hugely popular in fact, its consistently one of Canadas two top-selling utility vehicles. But CR-V sales are slowing of late as a new RAV4 exerts control. Plus the once subcompact-segment-dominating HR-V is now distinctly less popular than rivals from Hyundai and Nissan.Then theres Hondas insistence on a distinctly premium price point for the Passport, which will keep the newest Hondas volume low. These shortcomings become more noticeable when the Civic, Canadas most popular car in 21 consecutive years and Hondas top seller, suffers a 9-per-cent decrease during a period in which the brands utility vehicles cant make up the difference.2. Toyota: 108,047, up 3 per centRare among auto brands in 2019, Toyota volume is on the rise. In fact, Toyotas current pace could result in record calendar year performance for the brand. It helps that Toyotas car sales arent falling, but rather are slightly-better-than-flat so far this year. And it also helps that, while numerous Toyota utilities and both Toyota pickup lines report decreased volume in 2019, an all-new RAV4 is absolutely tearing up the sales charts.After a record sales year in 2018 (which succeeded record years in each of the previous six years) RAV4 volume is up a staggering 20 per cent so far this year. With 31,933 sales already in 2019, its Toyotas top-seller; accounting for three out of every 10 Toyotas sold in Canada.1. Ford: 155,570, down 3 per centLet there be no doubt: with 74,905 sales so far this year, Fords F-Series truck lineup is of paramount importance to the Blue Oval. Virtually half of the buyers who walk into a Ford showroom drive away in an F-150 or Super Duty truck. But the F-Series, on its own, isnt going to instantly cancel out a shrinking car lineup thats down by more than a fifth this year. Nor is the F-Series able to overcome a transitioning SUV/crossover lineup that reported nearly 4,000 fewer sales in the first half of 2019 than in the same period one year
Origin: Canada’s 5 best-selling auto brands in the first half of 2019

Canada’s 5 best-selling vehicles in the first half of 2019

2018 Honda Civic Si SedanHandout / Hyundai Pickups arent selling at the scarcely believable rate of recent years, but 2019s list of best-selling vehicles continues to be dominated by full-size trucks.Through the first half of 2019, pickup trucks are by no means the only category of vehicle failing to match last years pace. After five consecutive years of record auto sales in Canada, 2018 volume dipped, with a total 10 consecutive months of decline.In 2019, the year began the same way, and after six consecutive months of decreased volume, much of the blame lies at the feet or the tires of passenger cars.Rewind to 2009 and passenger cars accounted for slightly more than half of all new vehicle sales in Canada. The sectors market share has collapsed to barely more than a quarter. In fact, compared with the first half of 2018, passenger car market share is down by three percentage points. The traditionally dominant category now produces roughly one in every four new vehicle sales.Canadas most popular passenger car still holds a firm grip on the No.1 position in the category. A safe bet puts the top car, which is Canadas No.3 vehicle overall, on top of the sales charts for a 22nd consecutive year.Streaks are common among the top sellers. Canadas top-selling line of vehicles will almost certainly end 2019 as the No. 1 vehicle for an 11th consecutive year. Canadas top-selling utility vehicle, meanwhile, appears ever more destined to top that category for a fourth consecutive year.The list of Canadas five best-selling vehicles through the first half of 2019 says a lot about the entire market. For one thing, the quintet accounts for so much of the Canadian markets new vehicle demand 22 percent of it. But it also reflects the popularity of Canadian-made products, a distinct appetite for change, and an obvious predilection for that which is most well-known.With figures from the manufacturers, these are Canadas five most popular vehicles.5. Honda CR-V: 27,581, down 2 percentNot since 2009 has Honda Canada reported anything but CR-V sales improvement. But after a sharp June slowdown in which CR-V volume tumbled 19 percent, CR-V sales are actually down, albeit only slightly, through the first half of 2019.With the fifth-generation CR-V in its third model year and its main rival hot off the press, Honda is under pressure to maintain market share with its No. 2 seller. Its evidently not an easy task, particularly with availability a persistent challenge.4. Toyota RAV4: 31,933, up 20 percentGiven the fact the now-departed fourth-generation Toyota RAV4 probably wasnt Toyotas best effort, that it was rather outdated by the date of departure, and that it still sold progressively more often year after year after year, should we be surprised that a new RAV4 fares even better?Thoroughly revamped and wholeheartedly restyled, the Canadian-built Toyota RAV4 is pulling away from the (also Canadian-built) Honda CR-V in the race to end 2019 as Canadas top-selling utility vehicle. Its a title the RAV4 stole from the Ford Escape in 2016.3. Honda Civic: 32,398, down 9 percentOn track for an eight-year Canadian sales low, the Honda Civics control over the car market nevertheless remains as strong as ever. The Canadian-built Civics 32,398 sales in 2019s first half translates to a staggering 12 percent of all car sales in Canada, on par with a year ago, as the Civics rate of decline matches the overall passenger car sectors slide.The Civics first-half output is greater than what all but a couple of cars will manage by years end. It outsells its nearest rival, the Toyota Corolla, by a 32-percent margin.2. Ram P/U: 46,715, down 4 percentIts not an ideal scenario, the decreased volume produced by Fiat Chryslers top-selling product. Thats particularly true when you consider the newness of the fifth-generation Ram. Moreover, 2019s first-half decline follows a 2018 in which Ram truck sales tumbled 14 percent.Fortunately for FCA, the current pace still puts the Ram on track for an easy No. 2 finish and, quite likely, the lineups sixth-best year on record. It could be much worse. A decade ago, only 31,000 Rams were sold in Canada.1. Ford F-Series: 74,905, up 4 percentThough still some ways off Ford Canadas record 2017 pace, the Ford F-Series ever-present ability for drumming up vast quantities of sales across the country, across a vast price spectrum, and across demographics is a sight to behold.A full eight percent of all vehicles sold in Canada are F-Series pickups. Nearly half of the vehicles sold at Canadas top-selling brand are F-Series pickups, too. Full-size pickup truck demand has slowed somewhat, which serves to shine an even brighter light on 2019s rising F-Series
Origin: Canada’s 5 best-selling vehicles in the first half of 2019

News Roundup: Corvette buyers press cancel, Canada’s terrible fuel economy and the great drive-thru phone debate

2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1Derek McNaughton Welcome to our weekly round-up of the biggest breaking stories on Driving.ca from this past week. Get caught up and ready to get on with the weekend, because it’s hard keeping pace in a digital traffic jam. Here’s what you missed while you were away. Corvette buyers are cancelling orders as hype for new-gen model builds The mid-engine Corvette is finally coming. Handout / Chevrolet With the promise of drastic changes in the upcoming Corvette, Chevrolet dealers are struggling to move stock of 2018 models. We’ve entered the calm before the mid-engine storm, and the numbers prove it. In 2018, dealers sold 44 per cent fewer Corvettes than they did in 2015, and reports of customers cancelling orders for 2019 models are coming in. Seems like people don’t want the last of the front-engined Corvettes when they could have the first of the mids if they wait just a bit longer. Guess how many manual transmission cars Toyota actually sells 2019 Toyota 86 Clayton Seams / Driving Car writers love to lament the decline of the manual transmission, but it’s not that automakers don’t care about the enthusiasts, it’s that they know what sells. Carbuzz got the inside scoop about manual sales at a dinner meeting with a Toyota exec, reporting that even in the 86, one of the brand’s sportiest models, only one-third of buyers chose the manual transmission over the six-speed automatic. In the also pretty sporty Corolla hatchback, those numbers fall to 15 per cent. If any of these automatic transmission supports is on our staff, we hereby pledge to root them out and address the situation appropriately. Canadian cars get terrible fuel economy: report When it comes to fuel economy, Canada is basically the worst in the world. According to a new report by the International Energy Agency, vehicles on Canadian roads are bigger, heavier and guzzle more gas on average than those of any other country. Some of the factors contributing to this environmentally unfriendly statistic include North America’s enduring belief that bigger is better, lax fuel economy standards, and low fuel prices relative to the rest of the world. Click here to learn more about how our nation’s vehicles stack up against those of other countries. Police warn BC driver for using cell phone in McDonald’s drive-thru Vehicles in two separate drive-up lanes place orders at a McDonald’s drive-thru location January 17, 2006 in Rosemont, Illinois. Tim Boyle / Getty Images Is it distracted driving if you’re using your cell phone while in a McDonald’s drive-thru? News 1130 reports that a driver on his phone in a McDonald’s drive-thru was issued a warning by a B.C. police officer, so it would appear the answer to that question is yes, technically. The reminder from officials that driveways and drive-thrus are considered part of the roadway and therefore subject to its laws has prompted our Judgy-Pants columnist Lorraine Sommerfeld to explore the moral grey area and ask the logical follow-up questions, like “how are you supposed to use an app to pay for your food if you can’t have your phone out?” It’s a first-rate first-world problem and we need your input—answer the poll in the link above. Montreal’s war on cars heats up amid driver frustration over Mount Royal Closure Cars cross Mount Royal in Montreal Thursday May 2, 2019. John Mahoney / Montreal Gazette Water-cooler talk in Montreal remains focused on one thing: traffic. For the last several years the city has been the site of a massive infrastructure update, rendering over 600 km of roads temporarily off limits. One particularly contentious route closure was that of the Camillien-Houde Way. Automotive journalist and Montreal resident Benjamin Hunting makes no bones about it: the Valerie Plante government’s Mount Royal closure frustrated everyone and served no one. And according to new information compiled by the OPCM, the majority of some 13,000 citizens share his views. We take the 2019 Mustang Shelby GT350 to the track The 2019 Mustang Shelby GT 350 has arrived, and Driving’s managing editor Jonathan Yarkony drew the long straw and earned the right to be the first of our squad to spend some considerable time with his hands on the rambunctious pony’s reins, including for a few laps of the M1 Concourse racetrack in Detroit. Live vicariously through him in our First Drive review. With aerodynamic upgrades, and a healthy 526 horsepower and 429 lb-ft. of torque on tap, it’s easily the most track-ready Mustang to date. New science suggests rideshare back seats are bacterial cesspools Man’s hand in rubber protective glove with finger pointing to dirty textile back seat. Car’s interior problem and solution. Cleaning concept. Next time you book an Uber or Lyft, you might want to bring some hand sanitizer, because apparently the back seats of the popular ridesharing vehicles are legitimately more bacteria-ridden than your toilet. Tests
Origin: News Roundup: Corvette buyers press cancel, Canada’s terrible fuel economy and the great drive-thru phone debate

Is Drake Canada’s coolest car collector?

As Canadian rapper Drake so eloquently explained in his hit single ‘God’s Plan’, he only loves his mom and his bed (and he’s sorry to the lovers in his life that don’t make the cut). But Drake has another love that he should’ve added to that list: cars. Likely, the word “car” did sound good in the lyrics, though based on the photos we’ve seen of the 32-year-old’s ever-growing automotive collection, it’s the truth. Really, it’s probably only a matter of time before he opens up a supercar museum of his own in the heart of Toronto. Here are 10 of the more famous cars in Drake’s car collection. Bentley Continental GTC V8 Drake has been spotted in his Bentley Continental GTC V8 around Toronto, but the car is most famous for its appearance in his music video for ‘Started from the Bottom’ in 2013. Devel Sixteen Tony Bet, CEO of Toronto-based Driving Emotions, has helped Drake customize a slew of his machines. Bet even helped Drake import the first Devel Sixteen from Dubai to Toronto, so the musician could feature it in his video for the single ‘I’m Upset’. While the vehicle isn’t yet solidly in production, some reports indicate that Drake has already bought #001 of this very exclusive hypercar. View this post on Instagram June 2018 with @champagnepapi on set for “I’m upset” video shoot in Toronto, Canada. I wonder what we were talking about LOL #facts A post shared by Tony Bet (@tonybet) on Feb 18, 2019 at 5:58am PST Ferrari LaFerrari Drake’s is yellow. The vehicle can also be spotted alongside the Devel Sixteen in last year’s ‘I’m Upset’ video. View this post on Instagram Paths cross for a reason . 🙏 @champagnepapi A post shared by Tony Bet (@tonybet) on Sep 26, 2018 at 2:24pm PDT He also had this Ferrari hoisted up inside of the ACC during one of his concerts in August 2018. View this post on Instagram Solar eclipse by @champagnepapi last night at @scotiabankarena A post shared by Tony Bet (@tonybet) on Aug 23, 2018 at 6:00am PDT Lamborghini Aventador Roadster Even Drake himself joked that he felt like Batman sitting inside the matte grey machine. Can you blame him? View this post on Instagram Like Im Christian Bale. A post shared by champagnepapi (@champagnepapi) on May 24, 2016 at 4:49pm PDT Bugatti Veyron Sang Noir Before the Aventador, Drake’s Batmobile was the Bugatti Veyron Sang Noir, one of the most exclusive special editions of one of the most insane hypercars ever conceived. Come to think of it, isn’t it about time he moved on to a Chiron? McLaren 675LT Drake was one of the first to buy the rare 2016 McLaren 675LT, and although it is not in the same price range as some of the above, the McLaren is a true driver’s car that we can fully appreciate. View this post on Instagram And the Mclaren 675LT 🙏@champagnepapi One day till Views! @drivingemotionstoronto #champagnepapi #drivingemotionstoronto #carsoftoronto #toronto #mclaren #675lt #carswithoutlimits #photooftheday #6ix #thesix #levels #views #ovo A post shared by Tony Bet (@tonybet) on Apr 28, 2016 at 6:10pm PDT 62S Maybach Landaulet His 62S Maybach Landaulet seems to be another favourite for cruising through the streets of the GTA. One lucky car spotter captured Drake getting out of the car in Toronto’s Yorkville neighbourhood. Drake also uploaded a video of him riding alongside his mom in the convertible. Mercedes-Maybach G 650 Landaulet Another recent treasure that Tony Bet brought in for Champagne Papi? A Mercedes-Maybach G 650 Landaulet, which was celebrated with “Papi” balloons. Wow, Drake really likes his Landaulets, eh. View this post on Instagram 7AM in Germany 🎶.. 🦉 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I’m just going to leave this here ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Congratulations to @champagnepapi ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ #drivingemotionstoronto #champagnepapi #ovo #g650L #maybach #canada #carsoftoronto #toronto #landaulet #brabus #mercedesbenz #1of99 A post shared by Tony Bet (@tonybet) on Feb 22, 2019 at 5:00am PST Rolls-Royce Phantom The Phantom is expensive, sure, but it’s far from rare. Unless you’re Drake. Then your Phantom features the Starlight headliner that twinkles. Obviously. View this post on Instagram Work ting we dey pon A post shared by champagnepapi (@champagnepapi) on Aug 7, 2013 at 9:01pm PDT Rolls-Royce Wraith Like his Phantom, Drake’s Wraith is one-of-a-kind, too. The matte black 2015 Rolls-Royce Wraith Tony Bet Edition was gifted to the rapper from, yup, you guessed it, Tony Bet. View this post on Instagram Drake with his Rolls-Royce Wraith photo: @champagnepapi A post shared by DUB Magazine (@dubmagazine) on Oct 23, 2015 at 5:01pm
Origin: Is Drake Canada’s coolest car collector?

Canada’s 10 most popular luxury vehicles in 2019’s first quarter – it’s an SUV game

2018 Mercedes-Benz GLC 350ePeter Bleakney / Driving It has not proven to be the kind of start many premium auto brands desired. After years of record-breaking performances, some of the most popular luxury brands kicked off 2019 with a whimper. Granted, auto sales on the whole are falling. After five consecutive record years, 2018 volume dipped marginally. Through 2019’s first three months, total industry volume has declined by more than 4 per cent. Plunging car sales and slowing pickup truck momentum deserve some of the blame, but decreased demand for many of Canada’s favourite premium-badged vehicles plays a significant role, as well. Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi – Canada’s three top-selling premium auto brands – combined to lose 3,750 sales in 2019’s first quarter, a year-over-year drop worsened by decreases at Acura, Alfa Romeo, Lincoln, Jaguar, Land Rover, and Maserati. In total, premium brand auto sales are down by nearly 7 per cent. With no manufacturer-supplied monthly reports from Tesla, it’s difficult to obtain firm figures for the Model 3. Based on data from Canada EV Sales, Model 3 demand plummeted following Ontario’s rebate removal, from a high of 1,540 Ontario sales alone to merely 49 in January. For the time being then, there’s no Model 3 on this list of Canada’s 10 top-selling luxury vehicles in 2019’s first-quarter. With sales reports from the Global Automakers of Canada, these are Canada’s luxury leaders so far this year. 10. Infiniti QX60: 1,159, up 41 per cent No vehicle on this list has gone longer without a major redesign than the QX60, which debuted as the JX35 in early 2012. The QX60 has consistently been Canada’s favourite Infiniti despite the fact that it only partially veils its proletarian Pathfinder underpinnings. Yet having never topped 5,000 sales in the past, Infiniti is on track for over 6,100 QX60 sales in 2019. Infiniti’s other utility vehicles combined for a 16-percent uptick in Q1. 9. BMW X1: 1,283, up 2 per cent There’s no shortage of competition for the X1 right inside BMW’s showroom, but X1 sales continue to rise. Including the X1 and its X2 offshoot, sales of BMW’s two smallest utility vehicles are up 28 per cent so far this year. The duo combines to produce more than one-fifth of the brand’s Canadian volume. Gone are the days when BMW’s 3 Series was Canada’s top-selling premium automobile – the 3er only ranks fourth in BMW’s own lineup. 8. Acura RDX: 1,518, down 3 per cent Not likely to remain in the red, the new third-generation Acura RDX is just exiting the transition phase and is likely to soon see positive forward sales momentum. The RDX is hugely important to Acura, which has seen its car sales slow to a trickle (the RDX outsells Acura’s entire car lineup by a wide margin) and suffered meaningful MDX decline, as well. 7. BMW X5: 1,521, up 25 per cent On track for a huge year of more than 8,000 sales, the X5 is the most costly vehicle on this list of best sellers. Pricing begins above $70,000 – none of the others even start above $60,000. Yet the X5 is now producing significantly more sales than similarly sized mainstream SUVs like the Nissan Pathfinder, GMC Acadia, and Subaru Ascent. X5 demand was not slowed by the arrival of the larger X7 in March. BMW Canada reported its first 180 X7 sales while X5 volume jumped 30 per cent to 504 units. 6. Lexus NX: 1,544, down 2 per cent Anyone who thought the NX’s face was too controversial for mainstream success was, evidently, wrong. So common is the NX half a decade into its tenure that its divisive face is now almost normal. Nearly 30,000 NXs have found their way into Canadian driveways since 2014. Even if the current pace of modest decline continues in 2019, Lexus will still likely add over 5,500 more NXs to the tally by year’s end. 5. Lexus RX: 1,635, down 0.2 per cent Perennially a U.S. luxury sales leader, the Lexus RX remains popular in Canada despite a recent loss of momentum. The RX was long Lexus’ most affordable utility vehicle. Now, two nameplates – the NX and new UX – sit beneath the RX. Lexus has nevertheless expanded the RX lineup to include a three-row RX L, and that vehicle could swing the tide in the RX’s favour. March volume, for example, was up 20 per cent. 4. Mercedes-Benz C-Class: 1,640, down 35 per cent There is but one passenger car on this list of Canada’s 10 top-selling luxury vehicles. This is it. You won’t find the BMW 3 Series here, nor the Audi A4. Meanwhile, C-Class sales are plunging along with sales of its traditional rivals. A4 volume is down 40 per cent this year; 3 Series sales are down 38 per cent. The C-Class is outselling both, combined. 3. BMW X3: 1,653, down 14 per cent Although BMW is currently producing over 200 monthly Canadian sales with its specialty utility vehicles – the X2, X4, and X6 – the brand’s first forays into the luxury SUV market remain the most popular. With its X3, now in its third generation, BMW builds Canada’s third-best-selling premium
Origin: Canada’s 10 most popular luxury vehicles in 2019’s first quarter – it’s an SUV game

Canada’s 10 Worst-Selling Vehicles In 2019’s First Quarter

2019 Fiat 500 1957 EditionHandout / Fiat In part due to massive marketing campaigns, many Canadians know the Ford F-Series has been Canada’s best-selling truck line for 53 years, and that the Honda Civic has been Canada’s best-selling car for 21 consecutive years. Fewer will know that the Fiat 500L is on track to end 2019 as Canada’s worst-selling vehicle. Such a statement doesn’t lend itself to a radio jingle or high-energy television commercial. Canada’s most popular vehicles are ascendant. In a declining pickup truck market, F-Series sales are rising, driving Ford’s share of the full-size pickup market beyond 40 per cent. Despite a marginal downturn, the Honda Civic’s share of Canada’s car market is now above 13 per cent, up from 8 per cent a decade ago. Then there’s this group of Canada’s worst-selling vehicles, 13 nameplates that attracted 240 buyers in the first three months of 2019, or roughly the number of Civics sold by Honda Canada every day in March. It’s not just by the standards of Canada’s leading automobiles that these vehicles are embarrassingly uncommon. The Audi Q8, a decidedly premium SUV that is only in its launch phase, is twice as popular as these 13 vehicles combined. Canada’s top-selling premium vehicle, the Mercedes-Benz GLC, has a base price near $50,000, yet it generates 10 times the volume of these worst sellers. All of these worst sellers combined don’t produce as much volume as the Porsche 911, or Kia Stinger, or the $110,300 Lexus LX570. To determine the worst-selling vehicles in Canada in the first quarter of 2019, we narrowed the list of qualified vehicles to include nameplates with base prices under $100,000, excluded vehicles that weren’t on sale at the beginning of 2019, excluded two-seaters, and removed vehicles that had received their official cancellation papers. Vehicles that haven’t found a single buyer are deemed dead in the water, even if only temporarily, and are also given a reprieve. On the whole, these rules eliminate most vehicles that are automatically destined to be low-volume products in Canada. With figures from the Global Automakers of Canada, these are Canada’s 10 worst-selling vehicles in 2019’s first three months. T10. Fiat 500, Volvo S90, Jaguar XF What do a stoic Swede, a forgotten Brit, and a formerly beloved Italian have in common? Their level of Canadian unpopularity is identical, and sufficient to place them on this list of Canada’s worst-selling vehicles in 2019’s first quarter. The Fiat 500 is down 56 per cent, year-over-year, but that tells only a part of the story – Canadians initially snapped up 700+ Cinquecentos per month. The Volvo S90 is lost in a sea of tailgated Volvos – the company’s SUVs and wagons generate 85 per cent of its Canadian sales. The XF is par for the course at Jaguar these days: a sedan that never fared well now struggling to maintain any semblance of desirability in a market gone mad for luxury SUVs. T8. Maserati Ghibli: 29, down 24 per cent The Ghibli was initially Maserati’s route into the mainstream of Canada’s luxury market. While the Quattroporte and GranTurismo stuck to the very high-end clientele, the Ghibli would begin to reach downmarket. Relatively speaking, of course. That job is now the job of an SUV, the Levante. Just as the Ghibli found it a challenge, so too does the Levante. Sales of every Maserati are nosediving in 2019, from the Quattroporte’s 57-percent drop to the 91-percent GranTurismo decline, the Ghibli’s 24-percent decrease, and the Levante’s 25-percent downturn. T8. Jaguar XJ: 29, down 69 per cent Jaguar is now not so different from its Land Rover partner brand. Land Rover produces all of its sales from SUVs. Jaguar, a brand that only launched its first utility vehicle three years ago, is already at 82 per cent. The XJ is Jaguar’s longest-running nameplate and Jaguar’s flagship, but it’s also the brand’s least popular model. It’s part of a Jaguar car lineup that’s lost nearly two-thirds of its volume, year-over-year, in 2019. 7. BMW 6 Series: 27, down 69 per cent To be fair, two of the three 6 Series body styles hit the market with MSRPs well beyond our $100,000 maximum. But the 6 Series Gran Turismo is a sub-$80K car, and a scarcely seen one at that. BMW brought back the 6 moniker in 2012. Despite its challenging design statement, it proved to be a relatively successful venture for such a high-end coupe/cabriolet. BMW Canada averaged nearly 500 annual sales for the first half-decade. 6. Infiniti Q70: 18, up 13 per cent In 2019, it’s not easy to sell an upmarket sedan even if it’s a known entity; a once-beloved premium statement maker such as the Mercedes-Benz E-Class or BMW 5 Series. Imagine then what it’s like to try to sell an Infiniti Q70, a car that’s largely been ignored – and hence unknown – since it operated as the Infiniti M. Fewer than 2,400 have been in Canada sold over the last decade. 5. Lincoln MKT: 16, down 45 per cent The Canadian-built, Ford Flex-related,
Origin: Canada’s 10 Worst-Selling Vehicles In 2019’s First Quarter