Quick Spin: 2012 Chevrolet Orlando

Story and photos by John LeBlanc Canadian-exclusive Orlando a practical family hauler What is it? The Orlando is a three-row, seven-passenger people hauler based on General Motors’ global compact-car platform. With conventional opening rear doors, please, don’t call it a minivan. And in a departure from the norm, the Korean-built Orlando is only sold in […]

2011 Montréal: Top 10 Must Sees

[svgallery name=”2011_BMW_X1_2″] By John LeBlanc While the North American International Auto Show received all the attention last week in Detroit, more relevant to Canadian new car buyers is the 43rd Montréal International Auto Show. First on the Canadian auto show calendar, automakers use the Québec show to prep for the spring selling season. Amidst the […]

The Crank: The General’s naming games

By John LeBlanc As part of Chevrolet’s recent small car religion— that includes the 2011 compact Cruze, next year’s Orlando compact tall wagon and a future Spark city car—an all-new subcompact  2011 Aveo, left and below, is on the way as well. We saw the production version last month in Paris, initially, next spring it […]

Paris 2010: Is it the end of the car, as we know it?

Story and photos by John LeBlanc PARIS — Woe be the modern automaker. With a lingering economic recession, ever-tightening fuel economy and emissions regulations and a younger population that is more interested in their next cell phone than their next set of four wheels, the global auto industry is seemingly under attack from all sides.

2010 Detroit: Chevy gets small

By John LeBlanc DETROIT – Like Ford’s presentation at this year’s show, General Motors’ mainstream Chevrolet has got small car religion—bad.