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TORONTO - Canadian auto sales hit a record pace last month as they jumped 6.5 per cent compared with last year, according to data compiled by DesRosiers Automotive Consultants.

Total light vehicle sales amounted to 159,004 for the month, up from 149,301 and besting the previous record for August of 158,400 set in 2007.

"Building on strong sales over the year's first seven months, Canadian consumers drove the light vehicle market to its best August result ever," DesRosiers said in a report.

The record came as car sales jumped 7.2 per cent from a year ago to 70,836, while light truck sales climbed 5.9 per cent to 88,168.

For the year to date, sales totalled 1.2 million, up from 1.16 million at the same point last year.

Canada's Big Three automakers all reported increases in light vehicle retail sales for August as General Motors, Ford and Chrylser combined for a 4.7 per cent increase.

Import nameplates gained a combined total of 7.9 per cent.

Ford Canada said it sold 27,268 cars and trucks last month, while Chrysler put its light-vehicle sales at 21,932 for the month — both up seven per cent.

Meanwhile, General Motors said Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac dealers delivered 21,091 vehicles in August, an increase of 0.1 per cent compared to last August.

Retail sales were up five per cent overall, as the Chevrolet Cruze posted a 16 per cent increase in sales for the month, Buick sales increased 18 per cent thanks to the Verano and the Buick Encore, and Cadillac sales increased by 54 per cent in August.

Chrysler said its sales figures mark the 45th consecutive month of growth year-over-year, as passenger car sales saw an increase of 20 per cent, with sales of 36,761 in the calendar year-to-date.

The Ford Fiesta saw sales climb 84 per cent year-over year, and Fusion had sales jump 57 per cent in August, led the increase for Ford.

The company also reported healthy increases for a number of other models, including the Ford Focus, Mustang and Taurus, up 16, 13 and 40 per cent respectively.

Several other auto makers reported their August sales figures Wednesday, with Honda logging combined sales of 16,208 vehicles by their Honda and Acura divisions in Canada, a 19 per cent increase over last year's sales.

Toyota sales were down slightly at 16,077 compared with 16,125 a year ago, while Lexus sales were up nearly 10 per cent at 1,570 compared with 1,431 in August 2012.

Nissan sales were up almost a third at 7,279 compared with 5,549. Infiniti sales totalled 913, up from 780 a year ago.

Subaru Canada also posted increases, marking six consecutive months of growth as it sold 3,339 units in August, a 24.6 per cent increase over the same period last year.

Kia Canada Inc., meanwhile, said it sold 7,502 cars and trucks in August, a decline of 2.3 per cent compared with the same month last year.

The Porsche Macan has been spotted yet again – this time though almost with no disguise. This image from Carscoops.com, pretty much sums up what the Cayenne’s baby brother would look like. Only the headlights and taillights are still in disguise. These elements will be revealed when the Macan hits the runway at the 2013 Los Angeles International Auto Show in November.

The Macan is expected to sell as a 2015 model, so its on-road launch can be expected in the summer of 2014. The spotted vehicle is the Macan’s Turbo variant that’s expected to have a 3.0-litre V-6 engine –similar to the one found in the Q5 from its sister company Audi.

Like other Porsche models, expect a Turbo S variant to be released shortly after – possibly with a price tag closer to the Cayenne. The base model is expected to come with a 220hp 2.0-litre TFSI engine, also found in the Q5.

The Macan might have similar components to the Q5, but like any Porsche product, expect an inflated price tag. We speculate the Macan will be priced at $45,000 upon its launch. That puts it in the same price bracket as the Range Rover Evoque. That being said, it will still be the cheapest brand new Porsche on the showroom floor.

Expected launch: Summer 2014

Expected price: $45,000 (CAN)

Expected variants:

-Porsche Macan (base) 

-Porsche Macan Turbo

-Porsche Macan Turbo S

-Porsche Macan Diesel

By now if you live in Toronto, Calgary or Vancouver you can't have helped but have noticed the tiny odd-looking white and blue two-person cars seemingly breeding like rabbits in downtown areas. The two-person Daimler AG Smart Fortwo cars are part of the car2go car share scheme – the latest of its kind to sweep Canada and seemingly unstoppable. Originally launched via pilot program in Germany in 2008, the program is now present in three Canadian cities as part of its remarkable growth across the globe. Daimler, which builds the smart cars and runs the program, expects it could have as many as 15 million customers in Europe alone by 2020 and it’s aiming to surpass revenue of €100 million by early 2015. Make no mistake; Canada is a large part of this aggressive growth plan with Vancouver being one of the company's best markets. And car2go is not alone, similar North American car share program Zipcar – which operates in Vancouver and Toronto – was recently sold to car hire giant Avis for half billion dollars, growing from a $75,000 investment 12 years ago.

A New Type of Car Hire

These new breeds of car share schemes differ from traditional car hire businesses in prices and availability. While traditionally people would need to attend an outlet, hire a car for at least a day and return the car to the same outlet – car share schemes allow users to hire cars on the go for as little as a minute and drop it off on the other side of town. Most car share programs use a subscription model where users pay joining or annual fees, and then pay per use. For example, car2go users often pay a registration fee and are then simply charged by the minute ($0.38 plus tax in Canada), hour or day for use. The company reports that the majority of trips in Canada are under half an hour. Meanwhile, Zipcar offers plans with a variety of joining and annual fees, and then charges by the hour ($8.25/hr for Vancouver or $9.25/hr for Toronto) or the day. Zipcar president Mark Norman recently said the wide variety of vehicles they offered combined with reserved parking spots and an advanced reservation system meant they were a flexible and reliable option for those looking for an alternative to car ownership. A similar pricing model is used by most car shares, with Communauto out of Quebec, charging through a combination of hours and kilometres.

Made Possible by Technology

While petrol prices, environmental concerns and a rocky economic climate all likely played their part in the car sharing boom – it’s technology that made it all possible. For example, car2go uses state-of-the-art technology including a swipe card, mobile phone app and GPS to facilitate 24-hour, curb-side hiring and one-way trips. Basically this means if you need a car and are within an allocated zone you can jump on your mobile phone, find the closest one, book it for up to half an hour, find it and swipe your card for access. Once that’s all done, you’re free to drive off. 

When you're done simply park it on the side of the road in any free designated area. Zipcar and Modo offer similar services to Vancouver residents, essentially giving users the chance to rent vehicles on the spur of the moment. While car2go is limited to the miniature two-seater Daimler smart cars, Zipcar and Modo offer a range of vehicles including sedans, vans and pick-up trucks. In Montreal, a pilot for a purely electric car share program was launched in June by Communauto with 20 vehicles.

car2go's Canadian Boom

Canadians have flocked to car share schemes since they started popping up in the 1990s, with business at car2go especially booming. The company last year described growth in Vancouver as “exponential” and more recently dubbed Calgary the “fastest growing market across the world”. Its Vancouver launch in mid-2011 had 225 cars for 2,000 paying members. By early 2013 there were more than 23,000 members and 450 vehicles, making Vancouver one of the company's few break-even markets. In Calgary, a launch fleet of 150 vehicles ballooned to 400 in just over a year, with membership growing to 18,000 within months. A Toronto service was launched on June 30 with 250 cars, where car2go will compete against Zipcar and AutoShare. The CarSharing Association estimates that in North America alone more than one million people now belong to car sharing programs.

Is it Right for You?

Just because it's popular doesn't mean it works for everyone. Car share schemes may work well for the casual commuter living in the city, but if you live in the suburbs it could be cheaper to own a car. Most schemes operate within designated zones, take the car out of this zone and you're on the clock until you return. This can quickly add up. 

Zones are generally centralised around cities, where the largest pockets of population reside. Live in the suburbs or commute out of town a lot and car share schemes quickly have dwindling appeal. It’s good to remember these days that while car ownership can be expensive there are tools to help you minimize costs. The Canadian Automobile Association's driving costs calculator can help you manage your vehicle's cost and your own expectations. Comparison sites are perfect tools to ensure you're getting the best possible deals on everything needed to keep your car on the road, from insurance to breakdown cover. Location, price and convenience are the big factors to consider when deciding whether a car share program is right or wrong for you. Also remember, giving up your own car in lieu of a car share membership will make impromptu road trips almost impossible or at least expensive.

A Future Fuelled on Young Drivers

Car share schemes are growing because they offer increasing convenience and savings to users. An increasing number of North Americans living in the right place are taking advantage of this and saving themselves money without sacrificing too much freedom. Zipcar launched in two new US cities (San Diego and Denver) this month and car2go shows no signs of slowing its aggressive expansion plans. Targeted predominantly at casual, inner-city, 20-something drivers, the cars have a ripe, rich and growing market – so expect to see more of those distinctive blue and white smart cars coming to a down town street near you.

It’s going to be a good decade for Jaguar. The British car manufacturer recently unveiled that it will be releasing six new cars by 2017. These six cars will be a combination of both new versions of existing models and new cars altogether.

What Jaguar is trying to do is fill in the existing gaps in their product line-up. Here’s a glimpse into their expected line-up over the next four years:

F-Type coupe: 

This is a non-convertible coupe version of the currently sold F-Type. Rumoured to have a stiffer suspension, this race-inspired two-seater will help the brand sell more cars in weather-sensitive countries like Canada.

Expected release time: 2014

Expected price: $70,000

XS or Q-type (no name yet):

With an increasing focus on sales volume, this 3-series competitor will help the brand sell more cars, while making the Jaguar brand more attainable. Just like its rival, the car is expected to come standard in a rear-wheel drive configuration and use Jaguar’s existing 2.0-litre inline four-cylinder engine from the existing low-end XF. Upon its release, the XS or Q-type will be one of the most affordable British cars sold in North America – along with all MINI products, of course.

Expected release time: 2015

Expected price: $39,000

XQ (unofficial name):

Artist rendering based on current design language.

This crossover concept is expected to be unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show this September. Although currently the brand shares very little in common with its off-roading sister company, the XQ is rumoured to have a powertrain similar to the Range Rover Evoque. The top-of-the-line XQ is expected to have a supercharged 3.0-liter V-6 – currently found in the Jaguar XF and XJ.

Expected release time: 2015

Expected price: $47,000

XJ (next generation):

The next generation Jaguar XJ will be unveiled with its new Premium Lightweight Architecture (PLA) floor and crash structure. Expect the design to change quite a bit as well (maybe a mid-cycle refresh?), as the current one has been selling for about five years now.

Expected release time: 2014

Expected price: $89,000

Aside from these listed releases, design changes are expected to be made to both the XF and the XK.