Auto Events

Fresh off winning the AJAC 2018 Utility of the Year award for its Chrysler Pacifica, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) Canada kept the momentum going during media preview day at the 2018 Canadian International AutoShow (Feb. 16-25) with the reveal of the all-new 2019 RAM 1500 Sport, a truck built exclusively for the Canadian market.

“The all-new 2019 Ram 1500 is the strongest, most technological and most capable light-duty truck we have ever built. But we didn’t stop there,” said Reid Bigland, President and CEO, FCA Canada. “We sold over 100,000 Ram products in Canada last year and we pride ourselves on knowing our customers and listening to their needs. That’s why the all-new 2019 Ram 1500 Sport is being built exclusively for the Canadian market and why we are confident our truck owners will embrace the unique style and capability it offers.”

Later in the day, Hyundai Canada took the wraps off the sporty Veloster and Veloster N, both of which are all-new for 2019. With an all-new design, the sporty Veloster also offers utility thanks to an additional passenger side rear door for easier rear-seat access. Available features include LED headlights, standard 18-inch wheels and, in the case of the Veloster N, a turbocharged 2.0-litre 275-horsepower engine.

Over at the Toyota stand, the i-TRIL Concept made its North American premiere. Developed by Toyota’s European Design Development Centre, ED2, the i-TRIL can operate autonomously, and communicate with the driver primarily through voice activation technology. It also employs Active Lean Technology seen on the Toyota i-road, which allows the vehicle body and front tires to lean while the motorized rear tires remain perpendicular to the road surface at all times.

Detroit, MI – The North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit truly kicks off the year's auto festivities. There's so much history, pride and production that has taken place in the 'Motor City' over the years, that it's one of the shows not to miss.

For 2018, a few off-site reveals lightened the media days of the show, but there was still plenty to see, and most of the buzz came down to American-made trucks. The big American three showed off plenty of muscle with major pickup reveals and that was complemented by a plethora of various production SUVs and sedans that will be hitting the market at some point this year.

Here's a small glimpse of what was shown off at this year's auto show in Detroit.

Pickup trucks

We start at pickups as they are the true volume sellers for Chevrolet, Ford and Ram, and neither of the big three were holding back in Detroit.

Chevrolet and Ram came to the show with all-new full-size pickups in the Silverado and Ram 1500. Ford on the other hand, talked a bit about an upcoming hybrid powertrain and addition of a diesel to its top-selling F-150, but re-entered the mid-size space at the show with the North American rebirth of the Ranger.

Let's start with the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado. It comes with six different engine/transmission combinations featuring a new 5.3-litre and 6.2-litre V8 engines that come with an industry-first Dynamic Fuel Management system that shuts off a certain amount of cylinders for better fuel efficiency. In addition, a new inline-six turbo-diesel enters the fray paired to a 10-speed automatic transmission. The fuel-efficient message was clear in the new Silverado highlighted by the loss of 450 lbs. from its outgoing model.

As for the 2019 Ram 1500, it too takes on a fuel-efficient tone with its 3.7-litre Pentastar V6 and 5.7-litre Hemi V8, both utilizing a 48-volt eTorque mild-hybrid system with stop-start technology. Having that hybrid system in place boost torque numbers to 90 lb-ft more in the V6 and 130 in the V8.

The 2019 Ford Ranger was teased at last year's NAIAS, so it was only fitting to come back for its production reveal. The new version gets upsized in order to compete with the likes of the Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon, Toyota Tacoma and Nissan Frontier. It's now re-entering a segment with slight growth and an opportunity for Ford to capitalize. Powering the new Ranger is a 2.3-litre EcoBoost turbo-four matched to a class-exclusive 10-speed automatic transmission with full numbers to be released shortly.

SUVs

For the most part, the crossover/SUV reveals were dominated by the luxury automakers.

Starting off with Acura, the luxury wing of Honda showed off one of its core vehicles, the 2019 Acura RDX Prototype. No longer does it resemble its mainstream brand with an exclusive all-new platform that takes on many stylings from the Precision Concept and Precision Cockpit shown off at previous auto shows. Its exterior is more bold and daring with cutting edge lines and a tight, more sleek grille. On the inside, a floating 10.2-inch display sets a clean and tech-centred tone that includes a new touchpad interface and operating system. It's powered by a 2.0-litre four-cylinder matched to a class-exclusive 10-speed automatic transmission.

Other big reveals were the 2018 BMW X2, 2019 Mercedes-Benz G-Class and the Lexus LF-1 Limitless Concept. Starting off with the BMW X2, the compact crossover will fill the only gap in BMW's X-division when it comes out in the spring. The G-Class gets fully re-done for the first time, even though it slightly resembles the same boxy, military-inspired look we've always loved with a lighter and tech-driven feel featuring a dual 12.3-inch widescreen display and driver safety assist systems. Rounding out the trio is the one crossover concept from Lexus. The LF-1 Limitless is one of the more beautiful vehicles at the show displaying the futuristic design language of the brand with a new take on its large spindle grille complemented by thin and sleek LED lights. In addition, fully autonomous features in 'Chauffeur Mode' allow the crossover to take over control of the vehicle.

Sedans

There was a time when sedans would kick this list off, but times are changing. The biggest splash came from a muscle car in the Ford Mustang GT. But it wasn't any GT, it was the limited edition 2019 Ford Mustang Bullitt, inspired by the 1968 classic movie starring Steve McQueen that came out 50 years ago. The Dark Highland Green colour featured in the movie was on display (it also comes in Shadow Black) and it can only be had with a six-speed manual gearbox with a white cue-ball shifter. Other features include a big dual exhaust, black five spokes and a Bullitt gas cap instead of any Ford badging. Under the hood is a 5.0-litre V8 that ups power to 475 hp and 420 lb-ft of torque.

The other more practical sedan choices were the 2019 Kia Forte and 2019 Volkswagen Jetta. The Forte and Jetta both increase in size and add some necessary design flair that had been lacking in both. The Forte takes on more of a coupe-like finish; while the Jetta, now in its seventh-generation, adopts more pronounced, sharper cues for that sportier touch.

New York, NY – Recently, Volvo has been on a sales tear, rejuvenating its luxury brand in the process. The sale surge has been stimulated by two new platforms: Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) and Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) that has assisted in creating a path to design success best exemplified by the Volvo XC90 – the 2016 North American Truck & Utility Vehicle of the Year. 

At the 2017 New York International Auto Show (NYIAS), Volvo's new design language continued with two North American unveils: its refreshed 2018 S90 mid-size sedan and all-new XC60 compact crossover. 

The S90 – formerly known as the S80 – is the flagship four-door sedan for the Swedish brand that was newly named and re-made in 2016. For the new model year version, the S90 retains its SPA-built stunning exterior – most noteworthy being its increased long wheelbase by 12 cm, sleek coupe-like silhouette, bold metallic grille and stunning "Thor's hammer" LED headlights - with changes coming in the form of additional powertrains and segment-leading rear legroom. 

As planned in its roll-out, Volvo has added a T5 and T8 powertrain on top of its already offered supercharged and turbocharged, 2.0-litre four-cylinder T6 that produces 316 hp and 295 lb.-ft. of torque. 

The T5 will become its base option coming with a turbocharged, 2.0-litre four-cylinder pumping out 250 horses; while the T8 adds some electrification to the mix with use of the same 2.0-litre engine coupled with an electric motor for a range-topping 400 hp. In Canada, all of the engines will work exclusively with an eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel-drive capabilities.

As for the interior, Volvo adds a panoramic sunroof as standard equipment and increases rear seat legroom by 115 mm to a total of 1,026 mm. The expansion in legroom instantly becomes segment-leading with help from a 12 cm wheelbase increase. 

Another North American first, was the reveal of the all-new 2018 Volvo XC60, marking it as the first vehicle in the new 60 series lineup. As aforementioned, the compact SUV takes on similar design cues from the XC90, S90 and its variant wagon, the V90. 

Just like the S90, the XC60 will offer three powertrains with the same horsepower numbers coming from its 2.0-litre engine: the T5, T6 and T8. They will all be matched to an eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel-drive will be standard in Canada. 

Three vehicle trims will be available at launch: Momentum (T5, T6); R-Design (T6, T8) and Inscription (T6, T8). No breakdown of features were discussed, but two new safety technologies have been added: Steer Assist and Oncoming Lane Mitigation. Steer Assist mitigates head-on collisions; while Oncoming Lane Mitigation reduces the risk of lane-changing collisions through the use of Steer Assist and Blind Spot Information System. 

The 2018 Volvo XC60 will arrive in showrooms in the fall with a Canadian starting price of $45,900. The 2018 S90 will be available at some point in the second half of the year with pricing to be determined closer to that date. That leaves the XC40 - to be released in 2018 - as the last vehicle to be renewed, completing Volvo's product-led transformation. 

We check out the all new 2017 KIA Niro Hybrid at the 2017 Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto. The Niro is KIA's first dedicated hybrid in the North American market.

We check out the all new 2018 Ford Mustang. The Mustang's closest competitors are:

- Dodge Challenger
- Chevrolet Camaro

We check out the all new 2018 Ford Expedition at the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto. This full-size SUV exchanges its heavy duty image for a more crossover-like appearance. The Expedition's closest competitors include:

- Chevrolet Tahoe
- GMC Yukon
- Nissan Armada

We check out the all new 2018 Ford EcoSport at the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto. Popular in other markets, Ford has decided to bring this subcompact SUV to the North American market. The Ecosport's closest competitors are:

- Mazda CX3
- Honda HR-V
- Nissan Qashqai
- Toyota C-HR

We check out the 2018 Hyundai Accent and Accent GT at the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto. The Accent is Hyundai's smallest offering in the North American market and competes with the following:

- Ford Fiesta
- Toyota Yaris
- KIA Rio