2020 Toyota Corolla SGraeme Fletcher / Driving When the Toyota Supra came out with an automatic-only transmission, every enthusiast on the planet cried Where’s the manual!? without thinking for a second about how hard it actually is to sell a car with a manual transmission these days. That’s especially true for Toyota; if you ask them, it’s next to impossible. In a dinner conversation with Toyota spokesperson Nancy Hubbell, CarBuzz got some exact numbers re: how many stickshifts the Japanese automaker actually moves off the lots in its various cars, so let’s take a look. Let’s start with the 86, which is Toyota’s sportiest car. Just 33 per cent of buyers opted for the manual transmission in the compact coupe, which means two-thirds of buyers still went for the six-speed automatic. The 86 is one of the most affordable sports cars you can buy today, and if 66 per cent of people buying one still go for the automatic, it paints a pretty bleak picture for the transmission as a whole. Toyota also offers a brand-new manual transmission on its redesigned Corolla hatchback; the six-speed unit makes for a fun little city car at a cheap price, but do you think that’s enough to get people to buy the three-pedal? Nope. The take rate for the manual Corolla hatch is just 15 percent. If you expand the sales to include the Corolla sedan, then the numbers drop to less than one per cent. Tacoma and Yaris buyers are also opting for the automatic 95 per cent of the time, which pushed Toyota to remove the manual as an option for the 2020 Yaris hatchback. So as usual, it’s not the problem of manufacturers not making manual transmission cars, it’s the consumer’s fault for not buying them in the first place. Although, we would argue that if more interesting cars were made with manuals, perhaps people would buy
Origin: This is how many manual transmission cars Toyota actually sells
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This app will help you if you crash your Volvo
Volvo Car Accident AdvisorVolvo Crashing your car isn’t fun, and the worst part about doing it is the uncertainty of what to do afterward. Luckily, Volvo is taking some of the guesswork out of car accidents with its new mobile app. The app is aptly called Car Accident Advisor, and is designed to guide you through the first steps you need to take following a minor fender-bender. First, you must confirm to Volvo Customer Care that you are uninjured and that emergency services are not needed; then you will receive a text with a link to the advisor. The app requires that you have a data or internet connection, and then it will guide you through the next steps. The app will prompt the driver to take photographs of the damaged areas and the scene around the vehicles, as well as record facts about the scene. The app can also compile a report to send to your insurance company, and search for repair shops. The whole system should amount to a less stressful experience, as well as a faster repair time for the vehicle and quicker claim response from the insurance company. Obviously, if you are in a larger accident, the app might not be the best thing to use, but for small accidents with other drivers or even with objects, the step-by-step instructions make the whole process less disorienting. The service is available for vehicles model year 2015-and-a-half and up automatically, and via the in-car SOS communications system in newer
Origin: This app will help you if you crash your Volvo
This Bentley tank is the most Russian thing since the AK-47
A YouTube channel from Russia has built a tank out of a Bentley Continental coupe—because why not? Popular Russian YouTuber AcademeG dreamed up the idea and chronicled the build on their channel. We must say, it looks awesome. They’ve managed to make it work with a lot of the vehicle’s original parts, minus the front steering and the frame. The original steering wheel has even been made to control brakes on either side of the tracks. It works in conjunction with the open rear differential to choose which side to send power to turn it. The truly incredible part of the build is the tubular frame that AcademeG built to hold the tracks themselves, as well as the body. It is entirely constructed of tubular steel and has been beautifully welded together. Although since this is in Russia, we wonder why they didn’t just take an existing tank and put the Bentley body on it, as we assume there are just tanks lying around everywhere out there. Right? Powering the silly thing is a V8 engine we think is from the original car, with an open exhaust that makes the machine sound truly angry. The first run of the tank seems to be a hoot, even though it experiences some teething problems with the tracks falling off a couple times. A homebuilt tank can’t run perfectly the first time, so we’ll forgive them. How can you get more Russian than this? Hmmm—AcademeG, do a MiG fighter jet with a Rolls-Royce body
Origin: This Bentley tank is the most Russian thing since the AK-47
Car shows and competitions in B.C. this weekend
Driving.ca Collector Classics columnist Alyn Edwards rolls into the DW Poppy high school show in his sweet Avanti last weekend.Cam Hutchins By Cam Hutchins VANCOUVER—Last Friday evening started with a bit of a history lesson out here on the West Coast. Fifteen ounces of history to be exact. The ’15 oz. Fuel Coupe’ is a 1934 5-window Ford coupe that was first built as a hot rod in the Fifites and then very successfully raced in the Sixties before going into hibernation. And last weekend it turned up here in the Lower Mainland with it’s latest caretaker, Ross Galitzky. The nitro-burning Hemi was the highlight of cruise night at the Tim Hortons on 192nd Street in Surrey. This treasured piece of hot-rodding history showed up on a trailer, and despite being parked on a side street, with it’s severely chopped roof and buckets of patina, it was still the belle of the show.’ Another cool ride delegated to the side street was a white 1967 Impala owned by Todd Leslie for decades. The side streets were packed and the main lot was stuffed with tons of cool old tin of all types and it was good to see lots of families walking around with the kids checking in the cars. There were also lots of kids at the DW Poppy high school show on Sunday. Also there was my favourite father-and-son team with their 1949 Ford Anglia dubbed The Rising Sun.’ Doug Cockburn bought it in 1965 and by 1973 the finished car was racing at the old Mission Raceway Drag strip. When that track closed he converted it to a street rod that today is regularly driven by son Dave Pick. The Poppy field was packed by the time I got there around 7:15 a.m., and all told there were over 700 vehicles to take in. One cool 1968 Camaro was painted gold with white stripes and features all the modern drivetrain goodies. That paint job is a tribute to owner Marsha Seekins’ alma mater, Georgia Tech and the Yellow Jackets.’ Carl Jamieson showed up in his 1963 Nova convertible that has always been one of my favourite cars since I first saw it more than 15 years ago. It was dwarfed by another cool ride parked nearby; a 1966 Ford Galaxie 7-litre owned by John Hood. Ford’s use of “Litre” size in the Sixties must have been a form of bragging as the European cars often used their engine size in the names of their cars. Alfa Romeo 2000 Spider’s 2.0-litre seems a bit wimpy compared to seven litres. Another of the Litre’ cars was a Cougar 6.5 Litre. But as always at Poppy it was cubic inches. For instance, Bill Ronalds’ 1969 Cougar with the 428 Cobra jet. A silver Impala with blue insert also caught my attention. Turns out owner Bob Mundie found this 1961 Chevy Impala in Alberta a few years a go, and after a few upgrades he drives it everywhere. One car I did not recognize was the little red Model T with the Scallop’ paint job. Previously it had been shown in white primer and was just recently painted by it’s owner Mario Raymond. Not only did he paint it at home; he built this little non-chopped T himself with help of his family. Sunday is Mother’s Day and the Kennedy Pub is stepping up to continue the Mother’s Day Car Show Tom the Tire Guy hosted for decades. On Saturday there are a couple of events worth checking out, including an open house at the Richmond works yard. If you’re in the valley, check out the kart races in the afternoon and then head out to Agassiz Speedway for the evening oval track racing. Cars and Crafts Langley is hosting a car show with all sorts of great stuff to buy for your Mom, and if you are in the Interior the White Post Auto Museum’s swap meet sounds like a winner of a place to find a gift for Mom too. So wherever you go this weekend take Mom along, so you can be the kid at a car show. SHOWS SATURDAY, MAY 11 What: Cars and Crafts Langley Where: Vanguard Secondary School, 3825 244th St., Langley When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission: Free Registration: 8:30 a.m. Info: 604-856-9193 or carsandcraftslangley@gmail.com What: Richmond CUPE 394 Car Show Where: Richmond Public Works Yard, 5599 Lynas Lane, Richmond When: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission: Free Registration: No registration is required. Arrive between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. at Dover Park (across the street from the Works Yard) if you would like to show your car. Space is limited Info: 604-786-2258 or pwopenhouse@richmond.ca Website: richmond.ca/pwopenhouse What: Classic Car Parts, Antique Collectibles Swap Meet Where: White Post Auto Museum, 4439A Trans Canada Hwy., Tappen When: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission: $2 Registration: Indoor and outdoor booths $25 Info: 250-835-2224, wpam@hotmail.ca or info@whitepostautomuseum.ca Website: whitepostautomuseum.ca SUNDAY, MAY 12 What: Kennedy’s Pub Mother’s Day Car Show Where: Kennedy’s Pub 11906 88 Ave, Delta When: 9 a.m. onward Admission: Free Registration: Starts at 8:30 a.m. $20 (includes meal and a beer). Proceeds to Christmas FundraiseR Info: 604-590-2366 or kennpub@shaw.ca COMPETITION SATURDAY, MAY 11 What: NHRA Summit Night Race #1 Where:
Origin: Car shows and competitions in B.C. this weekend
This cute autonomous robot doles out car parts at a Ford plant
Survival, the autonomous parts-distributing robot roaming around a Spanish Ford plantFord Robots have been at the center of auto manufacturing for ages, often handling tasks which would otherwise be too tough or time-consuming for humans. Some automakers have even been playing around with robotic exoskeletons, assisting workers in keeping their arms raised for hours at a time. Factory robots, then, are not uncommon. This one, however – ominously called “Survival” – is a bit different. Developed entirely in-house by Ford, it’s a run-around bot tasked with delivering spare parts and welding material to factory workers at a Ford body and stamping plant in Valencia, Spain. Here’s the rub: this thing learned itself how to navigate the building, and can figure out new routes if its chosen path is blocked or unavailable. Its designers programmed Survival to learn the whole floor, which means, when paired with a network of sensors, the robot doesn’t need external guides such as GPS. A quick video posted to the company’s YouTube page reveals a machine that looks not unlike a battered filing cabinet with a searchlight mounted on top of it. Painted a jaunty orange and lined with caution tape, the unit is shown zipping through the factory on its way to dutifully deliver items. Survival has 17 different slots for parts and is smart enough to allow access to only the slot designated for the delivery it is currently handling. It won’t allow a person who needs a rivet to take a ball-peen hammer, for instance, since it knows the worker at Station #2 only needs access to the rivets. This cuts down on erroneous deliveries and other headaches caused by humans not using stuff correctly, as is their wont. Reports from the plant say Survival has been on trial for almost a year and has worked “flawlessly” to date. The gearheads here at Driving would like to welcome out new robot
Origin: This cute autonomous robot doles out car parts at a Ford plant
This Nova Scotia sinkhole could swallow up part of the Trans-Canada Highway
In this file photo, construction continues on the Connecting Link section of Highway 101 in northern Ontario.Len Gillis / Postmedia Network As a gearhead, most of us have had experience with sinkholes of the automotive variety. Your author has witnessed sinkholes in the form of a Jeep CJ-7 and Chevy Camaro, for example. Maybe it’s more apt to call those financial sinkholes, however. This one that has cropped up in Nova Scotia recently is decidedly more of the physical sort, and has the potential to swallow up some critical roadwork, and perhaps even the Trans-Canada Highway. The sinkhole first appeared last summer in a park near the entrance of Oxford, Nova Scotia, not too far from the Lion’s Club. When first spotted by locals, it was about the size of a good dinner plate. Now it’s grown to the diameter of an Olympic-sized swimming pool, making the ground near the park quite unstable, while also eating into a parking lot. Locals will tell you there are plenty of sinkholes in the area already, some of which are now considered lakes and ponds which can be clearly seen on Google Earth. The red arrows on the image below point toward bodies of water which occurred thanks to sinkhole activity, one of which is adjacent to Route 104. The green arrow indicates the approximate location of this story’s subject. Is the new sinkhole super-close to the Trans Canada Highway? Well, it’s about half a kilometer from the nearest TCH infrastructure, including an off-ramp for Exit 6 of Highway 104. Left unchecked, and given the historical instability of the area’s geography, it could happen. It’ll not escape your notice that it is extremely close, within just a stone’s throw, to the main road leading into town. Fortunately, the federal government is helping out local residents to the tune of about $68,000, hiring a geology team to perform electrical and then seismic testing to map the earth around and underneath the sinkhole. Dan Parker, the team lead, told CBC News that the two sets of data will provide “a good image as to what’s going on in the vicinity of the active sinkhole.” The geological team will be on-site for the next couple of
Origin: This Nova Scotia sinkhole could swallow up part of the Trans-Canada Highway
This new out-of-this-world Land Rover is for astronauts only
Land Rover’s most recently unveiled new model is a Range Rover Autobiography you can only buy if you’ve been to space. Sort of. The Astronaut Edition is based on a regular Range Rover Autobiography and mostly offers the same comfort and convenience features, but there are also a few touches to let everybody know you’ve seen the upper atmosphere—or at least, that you will, as a member of Virgin Galactic’s Future Astronaut Community. The community is made up of people who have signed on to be among the first space tourists on the suborbital spaceflights that Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic plans to offer in the next few years—yes, space tourism. It’s a thing now. Prime among the special features on the Land Rover are the Zero Gravity Blue paint, inspired by the beautiful effects of the night sky; aluminum door handles with the Future Astronaut Community constellation design; and a ‘DNA of Flight’ graphic on the seats, headrest and console. The puddle lamp when you open the door is even in the shape of the Virgin Galactic spaceship—how cute. The vehicle even has a custom-crafted cupholder that features pieces from the front landing skid of Virgin Spaceship Unity’s first space flight on December 2018. Land Rover vehicles have been part of daily life for the Virgin Galactic team since the launch of the partnership in 2014, says Gerry McGovern, chief design officer of Land Rover. The Astronaut Edition Range Rover is the next step on this journey and the chance for the Future Astronaut Community to celebrate our two brands’ shared values of pioneering spirit and true sense of adventure. This vehicle really will take them Above and Beyond. Two versions of the vehicle will be available, a 400e plug-in hybrid powertrain model; or a model with a supercharged 5.0-litre V8 that makes 525 horsepower. Astronauts with the Virgin Galactic Future Astronaut community can also choose to have their initials stitched onto the
Origin: This new out-of-this-world Land Rover is for astronauts only
This video made ‘Tesla’ the top search term on PornHub overnight
Despite its size, this Model X P90D can go from a standstill to 100 km/h in just 3.2 seconds. Now that’s ludicrous.Andrew McCredie/Postmedia It didn’t take long for people to make liberal use of Tesla’s semi-autonomous Autopilot mode in all sorts of creative ways, with reports popping up everywhere of people behind the wheel taking naps, using their phones and generally ignoring everything Elon Musk told them not to do. We knew, too, it was just a matter of time before the Model S, 3 and X’s hands-free capabilities would let people start having sex on the road, too. We were just caught a bit off-guard to see the act consummated in a porno film. Yes, a video uploaded to website PornHub shows adult actress Taylor Jackson going on a Tinder date with a man driving what appears to be a Tesla Model X; less than a minute after entering the vehicle, things turn very Model X-rated indeed. After some affectionate events, the driver turns on the Autopilot to allow Jackson to sit on his lap. Obviously, we can’t post the video here, but suffice it to say, uh—they had sex. The video was uploaded just before the end of April, and according to Jackson, it at least briefly hit number one on the most-searched-for terms on the entire website. While she seems quite proud, as any artist would, this could have ended much worse than it did. Because while Tesla’s Model lineup does spell S-3-X-Y, we’re not sure this is exactly what Elon intended. (Or maybe he did. Who knows?) At any rate, this should never be attempted; in an emergency situation, it would be very hard for the driver to react properly when, well, otherwise engaged. According to The Next Web, Autopilot crashes are much less likely than those caused by humans, but Autopilot still isn’t a fully autonomous system. It still requires human input—and this doesn’t
Origin: This video made ‘Tesla’ the top search term on PornHub overnight
MG ZS EV electric SUV to make UK debut this month
MG’s first ever electric car, the ZS EV, will be on display for the first time in the UK this month ahead of sales beginning in September. The brand will use the London motor show, which opens its doors on 16 May, as the venue for the model’s debut. The brand also claims it has had 800 “expressions of interest” from buyers, the most it’s ever had in Britain. The Kia Soul EV rival was first revealed at the Guangzhou motor show in China last year, and will be sold alongside the existing petrol versions of the ZS. While specifications have yet to be confirmed, the UK-bound ZS EV is expected to use the same front-mounted 148bhp electric motor as the model sold in China. The car’s lithium ion battery will reportedly be good for a 268-mile range on the old NEDC test cycle, and MG says it can achieve an 80% charge in as little as 30 minutes. As a guide, the WLTP range of the Nissan Leaf is 28.5% lower than its NEDC range, and the same reduction would put the ZS EV at 192 miles. “We’re delighted to be entering the electric car market at such an exciting time,” said Daniel Gregorious, MG’s head of sales and marketing. “With MG’s trademark value-for-money approach, we’re confident that we can help more and more new car buyers to go electric.” UK sales weren’t confirmed at the ZS EV’s global debut last year, but they were considered likely as part of the slow but steady growth of the MG brand worldwide and its transition to being a maker of SUVs. MG is enjoying sales success in China, under the ownership of SAIC. Last year, it sold 134,786 cars, a significant increase over the 80,389 sold in 2016. That success accelerated in 2018; MG had already surpassed its 2017 total by the end of August, having sold 179,109 cars. China is the world’s largest market for electric cars, and ranges in excess of 250 miles are now the norm there, rather than the exception. The ZS EV first made its debut alongside the new HS SUV, which is understood to be lined up to replace the GS in MG’s UK range later this
Origin: MG ZS EV electric SUV to make UK debut this month
Put on Your Judgy-Pants: Yes, you could call this an ‘unsafe’ load
This is not how you carry wide loads in a car.David Fafinski / Facebook On a recent Thursday afternoon near Burlington, Ont., a driver decided to start his do-it-yourself project a little early. Police received several reports of an unsafe load, and of course, there is a picture. There is also video posted, but it’s disappointing. If you’re gonna have a dashcam people, have it pointed in the right direction. Oh, what great times we live in. It appears to be an older Chevrolet Lumina sedan. I’m pretty sure there are four doors, because the rear two are open, with lumber occupying the back seat. Wouldn’t be much to get excited about here, except the length of the wood spans the width of the car seat, plus another metre or two. It totally takes your eye away from the large cabinet perched awkwardly in the trunk — not a tie-down or bungee cord in sight. It’s important to note this car isn’t on the shoulder. It’s driving in a live lane of traffic, with both doors and the trunk open. This vehicle appears to have just come down off the Skyway Bridge in Burlington, a towering and lengthy span featuring crazy crosswinds and eight lanes of thundering traffic. It was up on this bridge that the dump truck with a raised box smashed into the infrastructure back in 2014, causing $1 million in damage. With 80,000 cars a day whistling through here, this place is dangerous enough without freelancing yahoos. Time to put on your judgy-pants. Take Our
Origin: Put on Your Judgy-Pants: Yes, you could call this an ‘unsafe’ load
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