Top 10: Show cars for 2010

By John LeBlanc The wrapup of last week’s Chinese auto show in Beijing brings an unofficial close to the 2010 international car show season – a round-the-world tour that started with yours truly making stops starting last September in Frankfurt along with Los Angeles, Detroit, and New York. The 2011 season will kicks off this […]

The Crank: Is Toyota’s luxury hybrid strategy a flop?

By John LeBlanc When Lexus launched its HS 250h last year, I was a bit befuddled. Why parent Toyota went to the trouble of stuffing the hybrid Prius’s drivetrain into the chassis of the European Toyota Avensis compact sedan (which less rear legroom than a Corolla), style it like a Lexus RX SUV, and price […]

The Crank: April’s showers could mean Fall flowers for new car buyers

By John LeBlanc April’s Canadian new car sales numbers came in this week. And as is the continuing trend, new car customers are dividing up the automakers into roughly three groups: the Haves, the Have-nots and those Treading Water.

The Crank: New Nissan EV’s Canadian availability dependent on government incentives

By John LeBlanc If you haven’t heard, Nissan’s new Leaf electric vehicle is becoming a big deal. The five-passenger car will be the first fully electric car launched by a major automaker and could become a future collectible. It is designed to provide a 160 km range on a full charge. And it looks like […]

2010 Beijing: Is Fiat missing the boat in China?

[svgallery name=”09_Fiat_500″] By John LeBlanc One Western automaker that was noticeably absent from this year’s Beijing auto show was Chrysler’s new caretakers over at Fiat. This is the third time Fiat has skipped a major Chinese auto show, after taking a pass from the Shanghai show last April and the Guangzhou show in November. And […]

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