First Drive: 2012 Volkswagen Up!

By John LeBlanc BERLIN, GERMANY—Alexandra liked my little red Up!. First, for its chunky, iPod-like looks, then for its tidy dimensions. “It looks good; and it looks like it would be easy to park,” she gushed, as I took photos of Volkswagen’s latest city car on the busy streets of Germany’s capital city. As an […]

2012 Detroit: Worst in Show

By John LeBlanc Despite what the local media were saying, this year’s Detroit auto show was a bit of a yawner. Okay, a real, big yawner. Not only were the number of true concepts at an all-time low, but most of the types of exotic brands car enthusiasts drool over (i.e. Lamborghinis and Rolls-Royces) didn’t […]

Top 10s: 2012 Montreal show must-sees

By John LeBlanc MONTREAL—The Detroit auto show gets all the attention this time of year. But for Canadian new car buyers, the Montréal International Auto Show is a more relevant event. First on the Canadian auto show calendar, automakers use the Québec show to prep for the spring selling season. Held over at the Palais […]

From the Fleet: 2012 Volkswagen Passat TDI

FROM THE FLEET are brief synopses of manufacturer-supplied rides that happen to end up in my laneway – John LeBlanc Myself and the der nue 2012 Volkswagen Passat didn’t quite hit it off during our first meeting at its debut at last January’s Detroit auto show. As per the new-generation VW Jetta, the “Americanization of […]

Top 10: New cars that should be canned

By John LeBlanc Instead of throwing good money after bad, tablet-maker Hewlett Packard made headlines recently when it canceled its TouchPad only a few weeks after launch due to poor sales in a segment dominated by Apple’s iPad. Analysts saw the news as a surprise. Most companies are afraid to admit mistakes. And the same […]

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