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Vehicle undercarriages and door seals aren't the only items that you should prepare for cold weather; it's just as important to winterize the interior of your car. Unfortunately, many people don't know how to go about this, especially when their vehicles have leather seats.

Why Winterization is Important?

Remember, the biological processes that once kept your seat leather flexible and soft are no longer active. In the freezing cold, the molecular bonds that hold the material together can't rely on cell growth to repair damage. It's essential to offset degradation by replicating the natural way of things. 

As an organic substance, leather is susceptible to far more damage from temperature fluctuations and air quality changes than its synthetic counterparts. Vehicles that employ this expensive material require extra protection in order to maintain their value and appearance, and it all starts with how well you treat your seats and trim surfaces. Follow these basic tips on caring for your leather in order to prevent cracking, drying, fading and other forms of winter-induced damage:

1) Don't Rely on the Manufacturer's Treatment

Many drivers believe that their vehicles will be fine in cold weather because they came complete with some form of leather coating. This treatment, however, generally breaks down over time, after being subjected to UV radiation, heat and other environmental factors. 

Once that happens—or if your seats never had a protective coating in the first place—it's essential to supplement the manufacturer coating on your leather with leather conditioner as the original barrier breaks down. This ensures your seats are never directly exposed to degradation.

2) Keeping Leather Clean

Another critical aspect of being organic is that leather can undergo chemical reactions with dirt, moisture, oils, salts and other common substances. These agents naturally collect on seats as people get in and out of cars and touch surfaces with their hands. 

When leather is penetrated by salts, oils or even water, it can lose its suppleness, change color and crack. Winter weather only makes things worse; by inducing thermal contraction, the cold stresses weak spots and exacerbates the effects of these chemical reactions even further.

Using leather cleaner on a regular basis is the easiest way to prevent such problems. Removing the surface dirt before it can penetrate the material ensures that it doesn't have a chance to cause deep, irreversible damage. 

3) Don't Make More Work for Yourself

One important thing to remember about cleaners is that some might actually leave unwanted chemicals behind. Synthetic solvents and harsh cleaners that do a good job of making dirt disappear commonly build up on natural leather. Eventually, these residues have the same effects as the dirt you're trying to eliminate.

Make sure to use all-natural leather cleaner, as it allows you to actually get the leather clean without leaving harmful substances behind in the process. They're also easier on your skin, so you're not as likely to come down with a rash simply from sitting in your freshly cleaned seats.

4) Always Condition after Cleaning

The one downside of all cleaners that remove dirt is that they can also strip oils from the leather. Like the other problems we've covered, this increases brittleness and leads to cracking. 

Natural conditioners are designed to reverse such phenomena and return your seats to a more organic state. In the process, they infuse leather with much-needed moisture and create water-repellant barriers that help preserve their new, pristine condition. 

5) Doing Things Properly

Never rush through the process of winterizing your leather seating. For best results, you want to allow the conditioners to soak into the surfaces and penetrate them with natural moisture. 

Be certain to take your time cleaning as well. Tough dirt won't always come off right away, and it's better to gently reapply cleaner than to scrub so hard that you cause damage. 

About the author:

Jim McGowen is the founder of Leather Honey Leather Conditioner, the #1 selling leather conditioner on Amazon.com. Jim has been in the leather care & maintenance industry for over 40 years. Learn more about how to winterize your car's interior with leather conditioner for cars by checking us out online. If you're in Canada, visit our Amazon Canada store to keep your vehicle interior in top condition.

The Toyota FT-1 has been quite a hit after it made its debut in Detroit with talk that it will be dubbed the next Supra. Although Toyota has not officially come out and said that it will be made, the constant hints and publicity show good signs for the FT-1’s future.

The automaker’s original trademark for Supra was originally established in 1979, and expired in 2006, four years after the last car left the assembly line. Just last week, on Feb. 10, Toyota filed for a new application with the United States Patent and Trademark office to register the name Supra again. Although these are good signs for the resurrection of the sports car, Toyota has not made any confirmations about it.

If everything goes well, the FT-1 could be hitting production as early as 2016, and the FT-1 will be comparable to the Acura NSX and the Nissan GT-R. Rumours suggest that the FT-1 base model will have a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine, and an upgraded version offering a 2.5-litre turbocharged V6 hybrid good for about 400 horsepower.

Ssangyong is getting ready to join the North American scene, but will do so under a different name. After claiming bankruptcy in 1999, Ssangyong has created itself a market for SUVs and the Korean auto company is looking forward to bringing the product to North America. Ssangyong was saved when Indian automaker Mahindra & Mahindra stepped forward and acquired a 70 per cent lot in February of 2011. Since then, that initial stake has risen to 73 per cent.

Just last year, Ssangyong racked up its highest sales since 2002, moving about 145,649 vehicles and noticing a 20.7 per cent increase year-after-year. From the total deliveries, around 81,679 were made overseas and up 11.9 per cent.

A product portfolio for the North American market is in the works and the auto company has hired a consultant to help them find a more desirable name for the journey to North America. The aim is to cut the imagery of the old company and have a product of quality and a long future.

The all-new 2015 Acura TLX Prototype performance-luxury sedan made its Canadian debut today at the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto. Developed around the theme of a “Red Carpet Athlete”, the TLX will deliver a compelling blend of luxury refinement and sports-sedan athleticism, with exhilarating performance enhanced by next-generation Acura powertrain and dynamic handling technologies. Available across Canada this summer, the TLX will join the ILX compact luxury sedan and the RLX luxury performance sedan as the third vehicle in Acura’s sedan lineup.

“The Acura TLX Prototype is an exciting new addition to our luxury sedan lineup,” said Jerry Chenkin, President and CEO, Honda Canada. “Combining sporty nimbleness with innovative and adaptive technologies, we aimed to create a personal and more connected driving experience for our customers.”

The TLX Prototype presents a lithe exterior form, taut body surfaces and sports-sedan proportions. Its sporting character is further highlighted by its low and wide stance, shortened front and rear overhangs, dynamically sculpted fender arches, and purposeful character lines. Acura’s signature Jewel Eye™ LED headlights imbue the TLX Prototype with an advanced and bright-eyed appearance while producing superior down-the-road illumination. Another prototype-exclusive feature is the tailor-made side mirrors. Keying off of the Jewel Eye LED headlights, each mirror has a row of LED lights fused into its base. Click on the turn indicator, and the LEDs come to life, spreading a moving glow around the bottom of the mirror for a high-tech, 3D appearance.

Dimensionally, the TLX Prototype is positioned neatly in between the smaller ILX and larger RLX sedans. The 2015 TLX sedan is 97 mm shorter in overall length (4831 mm) than the current TL, yet rides on the same 2775 mm wheelbase as the TL. Despite its more compact exterior footprint, the TLX design targets the most spacious interior in the midsize luxury sedan class with an open and airy greenhouse, commanding sight lines, ample cargo capacity and comfortable seating for five adults.

With its low and wide stance, rigid yet lightweight body, and nimble and responsive chassis, the TLX is designed to deliver confident, precise and refined ride and handling performance in almost any driving situation. It pairs power and efficiency with deft agility and is designed to be an intuitive and confidence-inspiring driving partner; a vehicle that epitomizes Acura’s dynamic concept of “performance at the will of the driver.”

The 2015 TLX Prototype also communicates the diverse range of advanced technologies and performance options that will be available to Acura TLX customers – including two-wheel and all-wheel drive configurations; two high-revving, highly fuel-efficient new i-VTEC® engines; new 8-speed and 9-speed electronic transmissions; and the next generation of Acura Super Handling All-Wheel Drive™ (SH-AWD®) and Precision All Wheel Steer™ (P-AWS™) dynamic performance and handling technologies.

The 2015 TLX will offer advanced new powertrains that will deliver highly responsive, refined and efficient power delivery. An all-new 2.4-litre 16-valve inline 4-cylinder engine employs direct-injection and Acura’s i-VTEC® valvetrain, and is significantly lighter than previous Acura engines of similar configuration and displacement. The new engine is mated to an all-new 8-speed dual clutch transmission (DCT) with torque converter. This new 8-speed DCT takes full advantage of the 2.4-litre engine’s broad power band, delivering incredibly quick and smooth gear changes, expertly matching engine revs on down shifts, and putting the power down in a responsive and intuitive way.

For even greater power and performance, there is a 3.5-litre SOHC V-6 that also employs direct injection and i-VTEC variable valve control and cam timing along with fuel-saving Variable Cylinder Management™ (VCM™) cylinder deactivation technology. The 3.5-litre V-6 is mated to a new 9-speed automatic transmission with closely spaced gear ratios and a wide overall ratio range to further extend engine performance and fuel efficiency. Both the 2.4-litre and 3.5-litre TLX models will target fuel economy ratings at the top of the midsize luxury sedan class.

Two-wheel-drive models with either the 2.4- or 3.5-litre powerplant will utilize the next generation of Acura Precision All-Wheel Steer™ (P-AWS) technology with independent left and right rear wheel toe control. As four-wheel steering becomes an increasingly popular technology on high-performance automobiles, Acura continues to evolve and improve the capabilities of its cutting-edge P-AWS system, first launched on the RLX sedan in 2013, to deliver even more responsive handling, precise steering control and high-speed stability.

The TLX SH-AWD™, available exclusively with the 3.5-litre V6 engine and 9-speed transmission, employs a new generation of Acura’s signature Super-Handling All Wheel Drive™ technology that is 25 per cent lighter and incorporates new torque-vectoring control logic.

Understanding that customization is a key component of luxury, the TLX will feature an Integrated Dynamics System (IDS) to allow for further personalization and a sportier driving experience. The four driving modes – ECON (Economy), Normal, Sport, and a new Sport+ mode – take full advantage of the TLX’s high-performance capabilities. Depending on which mode the driver selects, the Integrated Dynamics System will adjust Electric Power Steering (EPS), throttle response, SH-AWD and P-AWS control logic, transmission shift mapping, Active Noise Control settings and HVAC control in accordance with the preferences of the driver.

Also in keeping with its luxury sedan status, the TLX was designed to deliver vault-like quietness in all driving conditions, with major improvements in noise reduction through enhancements to body stiffness, body sealing and sound insulation, and the application of electronic Active Noise Control.

The TLX utilizes Acura’s next-generation Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure and is expected to achieve the highest available safety ratings – a five-star Overall Vehicle Score from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and a TOP SAFETY PICK+ rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The TLX will be available with Acura’s most advanced safety and driver-assistive technologies including Collision Mitigation Braking System™ (CMBS™), Forward Collision Warning (FCW), Lane Departure Warning (LDW), Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS), Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with Low-Speed Follow and Blind Spot Indicator (BSI).