In this file photo, a lot attendant does his best to help park thousands of cars doing last-minute Christmas shopping at Chinook Centre in southwest Calgary.Stuart Dryden / Calgary Sun Welcome to our weekly round-up of the biggest breaking stories on Driving 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. Vancouver Island’s machete-wielding parking lot bully wanted by police Shoppers brave the cold and packed parking lot at West Edmonton Mall to finish up their Christmas shopping in Edmonton. Jordan Verlage / Edmonton Sun A B.C. woman went full Danny Trejo over a parking spot at a Costco on Vancouver Island last week, threatening a fellow shopper with a machete. Geez, there are plenty of churros in the food court! Chill! The dispute began when a woman pulled into the spot, cutting off a driver who had the right of way. After a brief argument, the spot-stealer reached into her car and withdrew a machete, which she brandished “in a threatening manner,” according to local police. The woman has since been identified and is being sought by police. Smart bids adieu to Canada and the U.S. 2018 Smart Fortwo EQ Cabrio Clayton Seams / Driving Mercedes-Benz Canada has confirmed that Smart will be letting the axe fall on sales of its tiny car in the U.S. and Canada. In a statement, the brand attributes the pull back to “a number of factors, including a declining microcar market in the U.S. and Canada, combined with high homologation costs for a low-volume model.” The Smart car was introduced to the North American market in 2008, but never really managed to take root. By 2017, just 368 Smarts were sold in Canada, followed by just 345 in 2018 when the brand switched to an all-electric model. The clever little car apparently wasn’t smart enough for us. Or was it too smart? We may never know. Why running your gas tank right down to empty is potentially bad for you, your wallet and your car Ever wonder how far you can drive when the fuel needle reaches E? It’s not worth the risk. Handout / Fotolia With gas prices soaring, it’s understandable that we all want to get the most out of each tank. But while seeing just how far you can drive after that empty warning light has come on may seem like a logical way to get the most bang for your buck, it’s actually not. In Lorraine Sommerfeld’s recent column, she explains why letting your tank run on or near empty is silly, financially and mechanically irresponsible, and even dangerous. Things you need to consider before playing a game of chicken with your fuel gauge include but are not limited to: the fact that your car’s fuel pump will last longer if you keep the tank topped up, whether or not you have CAA, whether your car will lose brakes and power steering when the engine cuts from lack of fuel, and whether inclines or declines on the road ahead will make the last dredges of fuel inaccessible to the engine. Virginia man shoots girlfriend and her son after Ford vs Chevrolet argument Ford Mustang GT vs. Chevrolet Camaro SS Nick Tragianis / Driving A Virginia man decided words weren’t getting through to his girlfriend or her adult son during an argument over which brand makes better vehicles: Ford or Chevrolet. So, he pulled out a knife, stabbed her, then pulled out a gun and shot her five times and her son once — from machetes in Canada to guns in the U.S. The two victims were seriously but not critically injured. Then, after barricading himself in his house while police surrounded tried to coax him out, the 56-year-old shooter was eventually arrested and given multiple charges, including possessing a firearm as a felon. Listen, America, you’re going to have to admit one of two things here: either you have a car problem, or a gun problem. I think you know which one it is Here are some basic low-tech mechanical elements automakers still can’t seem to get right You’d think as technology advances, automakers would figure out the simple stuff in our cars — like power window switches and motors. Nick Tragianis / Driving The more things change, the more they stay the same. That’s the sentiment in this week’s Your Corner Wrench column with Brian Turner, who argues that, despite the technical leaps and bounds within the auto industry, there are still a handful of simple things that continue to give drivers and mechanics grief. HVAC blower motor resistors, alternators or generators, and window mechanisms are proof that, even with the future already here, the past hasn’t parted just yet. Here’s hoping Toyota brings the 2.0-litre turbo Supra to Canada 2020 Toyota Supra Derek McNaughton / Driving Emissions files submitted by Toyota suggest that the U.S. (California, specifically) will be receiving the 2.0-litre turbo-four version of the 2020 Supra that has previously only been available in markets overseas. Whether the smaller
Origin: News Roundup: Crazy Costco parking shenanigans, and Ford vs Chevy shootout
Roundup:
News Roundup: B.C. woman pulls out machete to defend Costco parking spot
In this file photo, a lot attendant does his best to help park thousands of cars doing last-minute Christmas shopping at Chinook Centre in southwest Calgary.Stuart Dryden / Calgary Sun Welcome to our weekly round-up of the biggest breaking stories on Driving 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. Vancouver Island’s machete-wielding parking lot bully wanted by police Shoppers brave the cold and packed parking lot at West Edmonton Mall to finish up their Christmas shopping in Edmonton. Jordan Verlage / Edmonton Sun A B.C. woman went full Danny Trejo over a parking spot at a Costco on Vancouver Island last week, threatening a fellow shopper with a machete. Geez, there are plenty of churros in the food court! Chill! The dispute began when a woman pulled into the spot, cutting off a driver who had the right of way. After a brief argument, the spot-stealer reached into her car and withdrew a machete, which she brandished “in a threatening manner,” according to local police. The woman has since been identified and is being sought by police. Smart bids adieu to Canada and the U.S. 2018 Smart Fortwo EQ Cabrio Clayton Seams / Driving Mercedes-Benz Canada has confirmed that Smart will be letting the axe fall on sales of its tiny car in the U.S. and Canada. In a statement, the brand attributes the pull back to “a number of factors, including a declining microcar market in the U.S. and Canada, combined with high homologation costs for a low-volume model.” The Smart car was introduced to the North American market in 2008, but never really managed to take root. By 2017, just 368 Smarts were sold in Canada, followed by just 345 in 2018 when the brand switched to an all-electric model. The clever little car apparently wasn’t smart enough for us. Or was it too smart? We may never know. Why running your gas tank right down to empty is potentially bad for you, your wallet and your car Ever wonder how far you can drive when the fuel needle reaches E? It’s not worth the risk. Handout / Fotolia With gas prices soaring, it’s understandable that we all want to get the most out of each tank. But while seeing just how far you can drive after that empty warning light has come on may seem like a logical way to get the most bang for your buck, it’s actually not. In Lorraine Sommerfeld’s recent column, she explains why letting your tank run on or near empty is silly, financially and mechanically irresponsible, and even dangerous. Things you need to consider before playing a game of chicken with your fuel gauge include but are not limited to: the fact that your car’s fuel pump will last longer if you keep the tank topped up, whether or not you have CAA, whether your car will lose brakes and power steering when the engine cuts from lack of fuel, and whether inclines or declines on the road ahead will make the last dredges of fuel inaccessible to the engine. Virginia man shoots girlfriend and her son after Ford vs Chevrolet argument Ford Mustang GT vs. Chevrolet Camaro SS Nick Tragianis / Driving A Virginia man decided words weren’t getting through to his girlfriend or her adult son during an argument over which brand makes better vehicles: Ford or Chevrolet. So, he pulled out a knife, stabbed her, then pulled out a gun and shot her five times and her son once — from machetes in Canada to guns in the U.S. The two victims were seriously but not critically injured. Then, after barricading himself in his house while police surrounded tried to coax him out, the 56-year-old shooter was eventually arrested and given multiple charges, including possessing a firearm as a felon. Listen, America, you’re going to have to admit one of two things here: either you have a car problem, or a gun problem. I think you know which one it is Here are some basic low-tech mechanical elements automakers still can’t seem to get right You’d think as technology advances, automakers would figure out the simple stuff in our cars — like power window switches and motors. Nick Tragianis / Driving The more things change, the more they stay the same. That’s the sentiment in this week’s Your Corner Wrench column with Brian Turner, who argues that, despite the technical leaps and bounds within the auto industry, there are still a handful of simple things that continue to give drivers and mechanics grief. HVAC blower motor resistors, alternators or generators, and window mechanisms are proof that, even with the future already here, the past hasn’t parted just yet. Here’s hoping Toyota brings the 2.0-litre turbo Supra to Canada 2020 Toyota Supra Derek McNaughton / Driving Emissions files submitted by Toyota suggest that the U.S. (California, specifically) will be receiving the 2.0-litre turbo-four version of the 2020 Supra that has previously only been available in markets overseas. Whether the smaller
Origin: News Roundup: B.C. woman pulls out machete to defend Costco parking spot
News Roundup: Tesla sales stall, a Model S catches fire, and what to make of Rivian
A Tesla car arrives at a service center in Los Angeles, California on March 4, 2019.Mark Ralston / Getty via AP Dismal Q1 earnings and explosion reports from Tesla, the saga of John Cena’s GT and more fiery auto news from around the world 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. The first quarter of 2019 has not been kind to Tesla The Tesla Model 3 Performance Handout / Tesla Tesla is reporting net losses of US$702 million in the first three months of 2019, which is almost six times the profits earned in Q4 of 2018. Ouch! This despite Elon Musk doing what CEOs are wont to do and calling for profits throughout the year. The source of the leaking funds? Delivery woes that have seen a 31 per cent decline in cars actually getting to their owners. Now reports are surfacing that Tesla is trying to stop the bleeding by shuttering stores, cutting staff and shifting sales online. What if the value of a used car depends not on brand but on its owners? Does maintenance trump brand? Handout / Fotolia Driving’s Justin Pritchard has been asked the question, “So what’s the best used car to buy?” many times over his years as an auto journalist. Today, his answer has nothing to do with brand. Instead, he encourages used car shoppers to look for responsible owners with good maintenance rather than nameplates. Finding an owner who was religious in his execution of the vehicle’s ‘maintenance schedule’ is arguably more important than mileage, interior condition or any of the other metrics by which we often measure used cars. As Pritchard puts it, “It’s all about how well you take care of things.” Watch as a Tesla spontaneously combusts in a parking garage in China When will videos of Teslas going up in flames get old? Maybe after this one, but certainly not before. The clip shows the Model S quickly going from smoky to fully engulfed in the crowded parking garage. Video was pulled from the lot’s closed-circuit feed and Tweeted out by @ShanghaiJayin, some sort of self-appointed watchdog to the Chinese EV market who went on to share another video, this time of a NIO ES8 going up in flames at a repair centre in Xi’an, China. Environmentally unfriendly: These are the biggest gas guzzlers of all time Lamborghini Countach Brendan McAleer / Driving As governments and automakers alike set their sites on the electric future, we’re looking back at those vehicles that make gas station owners smile and environmental advocates shudder. Using the Environmental Protection Agency’s records dating back to 1984, we’ve rounded up the most gas-guzzling vehicles of all time, featuring such thirsty beasts as the 7-mpg 1986 Lamborghini Countach, the small but insatiable 1995 Saab 9000 sedan, and the 1,000-horsepower Bugatti Veyron. Rivian’s proposed electric pickup’s numbers don’t really add up Rivian R1T There were many highlights at the recent New York Auto Show, but perhaps none shone brighter than the Rivian R1T electric pickup truck. As one of the main belles at the ball, it also raised a lot of questions. This week, Motor Mouth David Booth pulled out his calculator and green accounting visor to see if he could make sense of the promised 640-km range, advertised weight and what we already know about how EVs function. In short. He couldn’t, saying that “dissecting the numbers, the battery-powered R1T makes a great case for a hydrogen fuel cell.” Slip inside the 10 finest car interiors of 2019 Jeep Gladiator Jeep People make a lot of fuss about tires and engines and paint colours, but the majority of the time spent in cars is spent, well, in them. That’s why ranking their interiors, as WardsAuto recently did, is a worthwhile exercise. The Michigan-based brand tested 32 nominated vehicles, scoring them on design, comfort, ergonomics, materials, fit and finish, and user-friendliness. The top ten includes the Bentley Continental GT, Genesis G70, Hyundai Santa Fe, Jeep Gladiator and Toyota Rav 4. Check out the full piece to see if your car made the cut. We built a visual timeline of the saga of John Cena’s 2017 Ford GT John Cena’s 2017 Ford GT crossing the Mecum Auctions block in Dallas in October 2018 Mecum Auctions When John Cena was hand selected to take order of a liquid blue 2017 Ford GT back in fall of 2017, he was instructed by the brand not to sell it for two years, or until late 2019. And considering that said GT was auctioned in February, changing hands for the fifth time, it’s safe to say the big guy didn’t follow the rules. In fact, since Cena sold it just a month after he’d received it, the GT has been the centre of an ongoing scandal. Then there’s the silver GT that’s also being sold against Ford’s wishes. Confused? Our timeline of the Ford-defying GTs should clear things
Origin: News Roundup: Tesla sales stall, a Model S catches fire, and what to make of Rivian
News Roundup: The proper way to hit a moose, Keanu Reeve’s bike collection and more super Canadian news
Moose on the shores of a river in Alberta.Vince Crichton 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. A guide to hitting animals with your car to avoid injury Crash victim Michelle Higgins’ car is seen May 23, 2012, at the local bodyshop in Gander, Newfoundland, following a visit to the crash site where she hit a moose. Doctors told Higgins she went into shock, explaining why she continued to drive to work oblivious of the damage. Victoria Higgins / Supplied In Canada, motorists don’t just share the road with other drivers, but also often with wildlife. Obviously precaution is the best strategy here, but when a collision is inevitable, there are some things you can do to improve your chances of avoiding injury. Considering some 236 Canadians were killed following collisions with moose between 2000 and 2014, it’s probably worth taking the crash course, no pun intended. Tips include limiting speed, avoiding swerving and releasing the brakes at the last second. Can you be a distracted driver if your phone is dead? This week the Driving staff got into a heated but always civil debate over a recent conviction of a B.C. man who was booked for distracted driving because he had earphones in that were connected to a dead iPhone. Now, it’s not illegal to drive with two earphones in in B.C. like it is in the rest of Canada, but according to the justice deciding the case, the phone was “in a position in which it may be used.” A real puzzler, mainly because, as Lorraine Sommerfeld points out, “Why would anyone have two earbuds in to listen to nothing?” These are Canada’s new federal EV incentives An EV electric vehicle charging parking spot in a parking lot at UBC, Vancouver, February 20 2019. Gerry Kahrmann / Postmedia It’s no secret that the Canadian government wants people to think about the environment when choosing what car to buy. This week, the feds outlined the details of its EV perks plan, including a list of 27 models and trims that qualify for the $2,500 incentive for “shorter-range plug-in hybrid vehicles” or the $5,000 incentive for “battery electric, hydrogen fuel cell, or longer range plug-in hybrid vehicles.” The update comes as the federal government moves toward its goal of having 100 per cent of new vehicle sales to be zero-emission cars by 2040. Ontario’s licence plates get a new look A new look and a new catchphrase! “A Place to Grow.” That’s the slogan that will appear on the new Ontario license plates slated to arrive once existing stock runs out. The plates feature the line from the old Canadian tune written to celebrate Ontario at the ‘67 Expo, with flattened white lettering on a blue background, and the crown in the corner. Commercial vehicle plates will also be updated to read “Open for Business,” a phrase borrowed from the Ford government’s favourites. Why you need to be careful when fuelling up your classic A detailed view of the rear gas cap on a Austin Healey 100M during the 40th Antwerp Classic Salon on March 3, 2017 in Antwerpen, Belgium. Dean Mouhtaropoulos / Getty Images Owning and caring for a vintage vehicle is a big responsibility. Often special care is needed, sometimes even at the pump. Because as Jil McIntosh details, modern fuel can be hard on old vehicles. Potential issues include the presence of the corrosive, rubber-eating chemical ethanol in modern fuel, and the absence of lead, which helped raise octane levels and protected valve seats. Take a read and make sure you’re parking at the right pump next time you’re out with your classic. Chevrolet finally put a date on the mid-engined Corvette Chevrolet has announced that its much anticipated mid-engined C8 Corvette will debut on July 18th and will head for production later this year. We’re still learning more, but the engine that’s to sit in the middle of the new ‘Vette is expected to be a version of the outgoing model’s 6.2-litre V8, tweaked to the tune of about 500 horsepower. Chevy is expected to introduce it in Stingray format and then follow that up with a Z06, ZR1 and some 1,000-horsepower line-topping trim allegedly named Zora. Basically all good news except that there’s no option for a manual transmission. Keanu Reeves give GQ a tour of his bikes At 54 years old, Keanu Reeves is aging like a fine wine. He’s still rocking the same haircut and t-shirt-suit-jacket combo he had in the ’90s, but it somehow looks super-stylish and current on the John Wick-era Keanu, as it did the Bill and Ted-era Keanu. Speaking of stylish, the man owns some seriously sweet bikes, which he showed off to GQ in this recent YouTube video. There’s the Matrix Ducati special, a 1973 Norton Commando 850 MK2A (the second bike he ever owned) and a selection from his own company Arch Motorcycles. Keanu takes
Origin: News Roundup: The proper way to hit a moose, Keanu Reeve’s bike collection and more super Canadian news
News Roundup Auto Show Edition: The most popular reveals from New York
2020 Toyota HighlanderDerek McNaughton / Driving The 2019 New York International Auto Show hasn’t been a record event in terms of bombastic reveals. There’s the Shanghai Motor Show happening at the same time; Genesis revealed its tiny, futuristic EV in NYC before the auto show for some reason; and BMW didn’t even bother attending at all this year. Well who needs BMW anyway?! Not only did our editors find plenty of new rides to nerd out on (and some to make fun of) down in the Big Apple, they also picked up on a handful of new vehicles that are, for one reason or another, considerably important in the grand scheme of things. Here are five of the most significant reveals from the 2019 NY Auto Show. VW forays into small-truck territory with the Tarok Concept The Tarok Concept is part SUV, part small truck and all gamble for Volkswagen. And as a concept, it’s a gamble they’ve yet to fully make, but we’re kind of hoping they do, because this functional unit with a reconfigurable cargo bed with more capacity than the Toyota Tacoma, Ford Ranger or Jeep Gladiator, is bound to have its share of use cases. The powerplant is the same 147-hp turbo’d 1.4-litre 4-cylinder the Golf uses, and a solid rear axle is an unlikelihood at this point, but if you’re looking for a way to ease into a pickup truck, this segment-defying concept from VW could show you the way. The 2020 Toyota Highlander takes the high road with a full redesign Picking up on what the newly restyled RAV4 recently put down in terms of design language, the fully redone 2020 Toyota Highlander debuted in NYC looking fresh and ready to carry the next generation of North American middle class families wherever it is they need to go. The Highlander is riding on Toyota’s New Global Architecture Platform (TNGA-K), and contains a 295-horsepower V6 that’s paired to smooth 8-speed automatic. The new hybrid variant is more efficient than ever; 17 per cent more efficient than its predecessor, in fact, and it comes with the option for AWD or FWD. The 2020 Subaru Outback takes centre stage Subaru displayed its new 2020 Outback in a sort of terrarium it set up within the Javits Centre, showing off the car’s new style, new engines, and updated platform and tech. It may not be the main breadwinner, but the Outback epitomizes Subaru in many ways, and is an important vehicle for the brand in that sense. Power for the sixth-gen Outback comes from either the new direct-injected 2.5-litre Boxer four-cylinder, or a 2.4-litre turbo-four, the latter of which makes 260 horsepower and 277 lb.-ft. of torque. Other new tricks in the Subaru bag include its ability to send power to side-to-side with its new active torque-vectoring system; new modes for Snow/Dirt and Deep Snow/Mud; and Subaru’s DriverFocus Distraction Mitigation System that searches driver facial cues for signs of fatigue. Mercedes brought a rare and noteworthy product: a hot sedan 2019 Mercedes-AMG A35 Derek McNaughton / Driving The 2019 Mercedes-AMG A35 is a sedan. Remember those? But its rarity as a four-door car is just the hook here. It’s also something of a limited edition, and pretty speedy too. Inspired by its 2.0-litre turbo-four making 302 horsepower and 29295 lb.-ft. at just 3,000 rpm, the AMG A35 will do 0 to 100 in 4.8 seconds with Race Start launch activated, which is a tenth of a second quicker than the hatchback variant for some reason. Coming early 2020, but there’s no price yet, so maybe wait to place your order. Nissan honours the 240Z with the 370Z 50th Anniversary Edition Nissan 370Z 50th Anniversary Edition Fifty years ago the Datsun 240Z debuted in New York. This year Nissan is celebrating the anniversary with a limited edition coupe featuring retro racing stripes a la BRE (Brock Racing Enterprises), a 332-horsepower 3.7-litre V6 engine, a 6-speed manual or 7-speed auto, and a bunch of unique badging and suede-trimmed details. We’re the Nissan 370Z 50th Anniversary Edition a bonafide future collectible right off the bat, especially with only 50 destined to arrive in Canada. And finally, here is our take on the best and worst of the New York Auto Show from our Editors:
Origin: News Roundup Auto Show Edition: The most popular reveals from New York
News Roundup: Ford entry-level Mustang coming, new Brubaker Box in the works and more
2018 Ford Mustang GTNick Tragianis / 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 announces an ‘entry-level’ Mustang 2018 Ford Mustang Graeme Fletcher / Driving The new Ford Mustang’s base model is slated to have a V8 engine under the hood, but now it seems the car will be presented with a more approachable power plant as well. A promised ‘entry-level’ Mustang may put the 2.3-litre EcoBoost four-cylinder in the current model to use—that engine makes 350 horsepower in the Focus RS, so it’s tune-able enough. The other potential power source is the 3.7-litre V6 EcoBoost, which the brand hasn’t fit into its Mustang since 2015. Expect more details on the entry-level all-American sports car later this month. Woman leads police on high-speed chase because she’s ‘late for work’ There really aren’t that many legitimate reasons for engaging authorities in a high-speed vehicular chase. A passenger bleeding out in the back seat or a bomb-on-bus Speed type scenario may be the only two that will actually get you out of trouble. The excuse one woman recently gave Ohio highway patrol officers after leading them on a dangerous, life-threatening pursuit was less compelling. The pursuit began when they tried to pull her over for having tinted windows and ended only when her vehicle was sandwiched between a cruiser and a pole. When the vehicle finally stopped moving, the driver told authorities she hadn’t pulled over because she didn’t want to be late for work. How’s that for employee dedication? Cali company plans to bring back the Brubaker Box A Brubaker Box fibreglass kit car Brubaker Box Fans The Brubaker Box was created in the 1970s to give surfers something to take their boards to the beach in, and maybe a place to get changed out of their wetsuits afterward. Unfortunately, due to liability issues expressed by VW, which was providing the chassis, the chunky minivan-esque vehicle was never fully realized, though it was sold in kit form. Now, however, a duo of Cali-based entrepreneurs are lining up the Box’s comeback, with its original creator onboard and planning to recreate the vehicles from the ground up, complete with the sole sliding door and removable roof panel. Here’s hoping that comeback is swift and glorious. Future Toyota Tundra and Tacoma to share platform Toyota’s Tacoma and Tundra TRD Pro Derek McNaughton / Driving Word on the street is that Toyota is planning to underpin its two popular pickup products, the Tacoma and Tundra, with the same modular global platform. Despite the difference in stature between full-sized Tundra and mid-sized Tacoma, the so-called “F1” platform will allegedly be at the base of both. Toyota still has it in the workshop, but it’s expected to be used in the 2021 Tundra, so we’ll likely see it in some form later this year. Mercedes-Benz unveils the 2020 AMG CLA 35 The 2020 Mercedes-AMG CLA 35 4MATIC Handout / Mercedes-Benz Following hot on the heels of the announcement of the new Mercedes-AMG A 35, Mercedes-Benz has confirmed the impending arrival of a similar beast, the 2020 AMG CLA 35. Changes have been made to the car’s performance as well as its appearance. The new AMG-class CLA 35 will be powered by a 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder making 302 horsepower and 295 lb.-ft. of torque, shooting the sedan to 96 km/h in 4.6 seconds. The front end, meanwhile, gets a modified grille with chrome trim and a pair of horizontal bars connecting to the brand logo in the centre, while the rear gets a diffuser and round exhaust outlets. The AMG CLA 35 will debut in full on April 16 in New
Origin: News Roundup: Ford entry-level Mustang coming, new Brubaker Box in the works and more