All Electric Fiat 500 to See Production, USA Bound

At the Geneva Auto Show this year, Chrysler was showing off some models of its newest owner such as the little Fiat 500. There was also an electric version showcased, but Chrysler assured everyone that it was just a concept.
Well concept it ain’t no more as it has been officially announced that Fiat will indeed build the 500EV and it will see US showrooms via Chrylser dealerships.

There are very few details that are being released at the moment, but right now we know that the 500EV will be powered by an ‘advanced’ lithium-ion battery, a high power electric powertrain as well as an EV power control unit.

This new 500EV will surely be direct competition for BMW’s all-electric Mini Cooper E, which is currently undergoing the pilot phase in the States as you read this.

No word on whether or not the 500EV will see itself on our fine soil, but it’s pretty likely.

Volvo to Expand C30 series

Volvo has been fairly successful with its cool little hatch, the C30 as its job is to bust any myths about Volvos being ‘uncool’ and too expensive.

After realizing this success, Volvo has decided to add a few more models to the C30 range.

They are planning on introducing a 5 door C30. While the 3 door is pretty cool, this is desperately needed if Volvo wishes to truly take on the likes of the 5-door GTI, Audi A3 and Mercedes-Benz B-Class.

Also, Volvo plans on building on their apparent talent for making SUV’s. They are going to make a small size SUV to compete with BMW’s upcoming X1. Volvo’s version will likely be called the XC30,  making it the fourth installment of the XC range behind the XC90, XC70, and XC60.

With these new plans for expanding their model range, and Volvo’s latest success in the SUV department, it’s a wonder why Ford is still willing to part ways with the brand.

Thanks, Guys! BMW and Audi Show Canada Some Love

Audi and BMW, even though they are both rivals, apparently share the same love for Canada.

Audi has announced the the 335 horsepower TT-S will make a limited appearance on our great shores. 250 will be made available here, though Audi did not specify if that will be the coupe or roadster or a mix of both. The TT-S has been rumoured to go on sale in the States for some time now, but Audi hasn’t confirmed their market yet. We can’t wait for this one, the TTS is one impressive performance car. Score one for us!

The other great German car maker, BMW, is also giving Canadians an exclusive version of one of their models: the X1. We will be able to get our choice of either a Xdrive (AWD) or a rear wheel drive X1. The U.S doesn’t get that choice, they are only getting the Xdrive version. The RWD likely means a bit more of a performance advantage as it will weigh less than the AWD versions, but it is still an SUV so performance is relative.

This likely means that a base X1 will be less expensive than anticipated as AWD usually commands a premium. This isn’t the first time BMW has offered Canadians a cheaper version of one of their models. The 323i is exclusive to our market as well.

Kia Forte Koup Performance Package Brought to You By the Letter ‘R’

Kurrent Kia Koup owners kan now get an exclusive Kanada-only option!

Seriously, we’re not fan’s of changing the spelling of words. It’s spelled ‘Coupe’, Kia.

Anyway the new package will be called the ‘R’ package, which is also annoying since many manfacturers seem to overuse the letter. Think Acura’s Type-R, Volvo’s S60 R, or Volkswagen’s newly introduced Golf R.

The new package won’t give you any extra power, but it will add stiffer springs a strut tower brace, performance exhaust and a drop in performance air filter which should help in the handling department.

The appearance gets tweaked too with an added rear spoiler, side skirts, and 18 inch Europa wheels with Yokohama S-Drive tires.

If you already have a Forte Koup and want the R package, no worries, you are still able to add it on at your local Kia dealer. The R package will officially be made available in mid May.

Test Drive: 2010 Acura TL SH-AWD 6-Speed Manual

By Kevin Harrison

Isn’t it funny how things can sometimes grow on you? I once hated olives. So much so that the mere mention of the word made me cringe. Picking them off pizza or salads wasn’t good enough either. If olives were in the vicinity of any type of food I was to consume, I would have preferred to stay hungry. These days? Sure, put olives on my nachos,  put them in my martini, hell, you can put them in my bed for all I care. They’re great. I’m not sure why all of a sudden I have grown accustomed to them, but I have.

The same can be said for the new Acura TL. I absolutely loathed the redesign when it first came out, but I gave it the benefit of the doubt as pictures usually don’t do justice to most cars. I thought it had a disproportionate robotic like exterior that seemed like it belonged in an episode of ‘What Not To Wear’. Seeing it in person just reinforced my urge to regurgitate whenever I saw it.

But something strange happened. The TL, it seems, isn’t so bad as I once thought. In fact, I’d even go so far as saying that it looks quite good from certain angles. Perhaps this is because Acura has decided to put its massive shield on the front grille of all its products so now the look seems somehow more modern and normal? All I know is, it is definitely a looker and I’m happy to say, for the right reasons.

But the TL needs a lot more than just edgy looks if it hopes to offer a different flavour of sports sedan from its rivals.

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This Man Is the King of Brand Loyalty

Dr. Keith Sisson is a retired doctor who is going to get the official Car Driven award for Most Loyal Customer. Dr. Sisson loves Chrylsers, and that is a big understatement. In his lifetime he has owned 50 Chryslers! And not only that, he purchased them all from the same dealership. Why did they not give this man a free Chrysler yet?!

Even though Dr. Sisson is an impressive 91 years of age, 50 cars to own in your lifetime is insane! Did Chrysler quality force him to buy two cars a year maybe? We kid, we kid.

Seriously though, a huge salute to Dr. Sisson – a true car nut that we would gladly have a beer with any time. We’re sure he’s got some great car stories! Check out his story above.

Honda CR-Z Doing Well In Japan

The supposed successor to the peppy CRX hatchback of the early 90′s is apparently doing well in its home country.

Honda has taken 8,000 orders of the new hybrid after only 3 weeks of it being available for order. Not bad.

What is bad is the lackluster efficiency the car gets considering its size and its hybrid set up. The CR-Z gets 6.5 l/100 kms city and 6.1 l/100 kms highway. Comparitively A Honda Fit can get 7.1 l/100 kms city and 5.5 l/100 kms highway with just a regular gasoline engine. It also has a much cheaper starting price.

Still, the CR-Z promises to be performance oriented as it is one of the few hybrids (perhaps only hybrid) to offer a 6-speed manual transmission. 40% of Japanese who ordered a CR-Z so far have checked the 6-speed manual box in the option list.

But then you look at the horsepower numbers: 122 horsepower and 128 pound foot of torque. Extremely weak numbers on paper for a so-called performance oriented vehicle, despite the hybrid technology. The CR-Z better be extremely light like its CRX predecesor if it wishes to retain any credibility.

Although if the 8,000 number of CR-Z’s already ordered is any indication, credibility won’t really even matter.

Mercedes-Benz Isn’t Fine With Paying Fines Anymore

Two years ago Mercedes-Benz was fined just under $30 million for being over the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards. CAFE standards are regulations made in the United States that require manufacturers’ fleet of cars to average a set fuel efficiency standard. These standards came into play after the 1973 Arabic oil embargo. Should a manufacturer not meet the standard, they are to pay a fine if they wish to continue to sell their models in Amurrica.

Since 1983, however, Mercedes-Benz has missed the CAFE standard and has paid over $200 million in fines as a result. But that won’t be a continuing trend according to product development chief Thomas Weber.

Says Weber “From 2010 on, we won’t pay anything, That’s clearly our goal”.

Uh. Should that not have been the goal from the get go?

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Lambo Limbo!

How low can you go?

Check out this Lamborghini Murcielago get low to purposely avoid a paying parking lot fee. One has to wonder though, if you can afford to buy  a Lamborghini Murcielago, then you can surely afford to pay a parking lot fee. Neat trick nevertheless!

Like the Porsche 918 Concept? Let Porsche Know!

The 918 concept stole the show at Geneva this year. A supercar that does 0-100 in only 3.2 seconds, all while being able to acheive 3 L/100 kms is nothing short of impressive. Porsche says it is likely faster than the old Carrera GT supercar. But it is just a concept afterall.

However Porsche says there’s a good possibility of them actually building the 918 thanks to all the positive feedback they have received so far.

“There is no one inside Porsche who doesn’t want to build the 918. The response has been marvelous; we will ask buyers to sign letters of intent,” said CEO Michael Macht.

If they get enough letters of intent, that will pretty much give the 918 the green light for production. So, if you have Porsche type money, start writing!

Oh Hi: 2011 BMW 5-Series Touring

And the wagon invasion continues!

BMW has officially released pics of the new 5-series wagon Touring which reaveals no surprises in terms of design. It is essentially the new sedan body style from the B pillar forward and a lot more room for your stuff in the back.

If it’s half as good as the 550i GT is, then consider us to be very excited. It will get the same twin turbo V8, but unlike the 550i GT, it will not be available at launch. A 535i variant is expected to hold down the fort until the 550i version arrives. The 535i will get 300 horsepower from BMW’s new 3.0 twin-scroll turbo inline six. We’re betting that Europe will get a diesel version, but we probably won’t get it here.

So the big question is: which would you rather? A 5 series GT or a 5-series Touring? We think the wagon design definitely looks cleaner.

Check out the new 5 wagon in action after the jump

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Don’t Worry, No Sticking Pedals For Roll-Up RAV’s

Generally, we are not huge fans of Tim Horton’s coffee, but the chance to win a new car is enticing enough to make us buy it.

Roll Up The Rim To Win is back on for another year and for the past five years, a brand new Toyota has been the top prize. This was a pretty smart decision five years ago when Toyota was quickly climbing the latter to become the number one car company in the world.

With all the latest recall hoopla at Toyota however, aligning themselves with the brand this year may have been a bit of a risky move, especially since the RAV4 available to be won was indeed affected by sticking gas pedals. But Tim’s is sticking by Toyota despite the numerous recalls, kind of like how Elin is sticking by Tiger, despite the numerous mistresses.

Both Toyota and Tim’s are quick to relieve any anxiety you may have and are assuring that the 40 RAV’s have already had modifications done as a part of the recall.

We don’t care if they had sticking pedals are not because, frankly, if we win, we’re just going to sell it to buy something better anyway. Might be a nice down payment on a BMW M3.

Let’s Try This Again: Next Lexus IS to Spawn Wagon

We called it just a few posts down, and Lexus is helping to prove us right. We said to expect to see more wagons coming in the near future.

You may be forgiven if you’ve forgotten all about the IS 300 SportCross you see pictured above. But it did indeed exist from 2001 to 2005  and it sold badly. So badly that Lexus had decided it was wasting its valuable time and money on it and the SportCross swiftly got the axe.

But AutoCar is reporting that the next generation IS will see the return of the wagon. Whether or not they’ll call it SportCross again is anyone’s guess, but we’re going to go on record as saying they won’t call it the IS wagon. Wagon is such a taboo word for some reason.  Also, the next IS is rumoured to receive a hybrid variant.

So, let’s take a look at the wagon list. BMW has the 3 series wagon, Audi has their A4 Avant, Volvo has their V60 coming, Acura has just announced a TSX wagon will debut this year, and now we have Lexus. Expect Mercedes-Benz to re-examine their decision not to sell the new C-Class wagon here very soon.

Porsche vs. Porsche

Which company do you think is the biggest competitor for sales for Porsches? Would you believe it’s Porsche themselves?

You see, Porsche Canada is having a bit of trouble getting customers because us Canucks tend to go down south to by our brand new Porsche, making Porsche USA a real competitor for Porsche Canada. The reason why we flock down south to get our German sports car fix is due to the never ending issue of exchange rates. It’s just plain cheaper to buy in the States, period.

To combat this, Porsche Canada is offering incentives for those with the means to buy “local”.  They’re calling it ‘Cash Currency Credit’ which will see discounts up to $7500 to prevent buyers from buying Amurrican.

This means a brand new Porsche Boxter will now start at $57,100 thanks to a $2500 credit. It’s still 8 grand more than a Yankee Boxter, but it’s still better than nothing we suppose.

Oh Hi: 2012 Ford Police Interceptor

Get used to that face, because you will now have to be on the lookout for Tauruses hiding behind bends and bushes waiting to nab you with their radar gun.

As expected, the Taurus will take over patrolling duties from the Crown Victoria, which can now fully enjoy its retirement. Ford officially stopped selling Crown Vic’s to the public, but continued on producing them for various police forces across the continent.

There are no specific details out yet, but there’s a good chance that a tuned version of the Taurus SHO could make its way under the hood. Ecoboost technology would likely be included as well.

Dodge has been producing interceptor versions of the Charger for a while now, and GM hopes to get a piece of the pie when it introduces a Chevrolet Caprice interceptor in the very near future. The Caprice will essentially be a Pontiac G8 badged as a Chevy, and there are no plans to sell it to the public.

Who knew there was such stiff competition to be the unofficial supplier to the police? To all the police officers that frequent Car Driven, what would be your interceptor of choice? Charger, Caprice or Taurus?

A few more pics after the jump.

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