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By David Arnouts, AutoWeek
Nissan has lifted the cover off the redesigned 2013 Sentra sedan—it's third product reveal within the past six months. The new Sentra arrives in dealer showrooms this fall.
Nissan says the new Sentra is lighter by 150 pounds and more fuel efficient, returning a class-leading fuel-economy average of 5.8 L/100 km.
By John LeBlanc for MSN Autos Canada
Despite the lack of praise that sometimes deviated to outright derision, the Volkswagen Group’s ultra-luxury Bentley brand is moving ahead to put its EXP 9F SUV into production. The question is, should it?
By Mark Atkinson for MSN Autos
Norris McDonald from the Toronto Star Wheels uncovered what's probably one of the most head-slapping stories of the year, if not the past several. It all has to do with the modified Ferrari Enzo driven - and pitched into the ocean - by a guy from Calgary named Zahir Rana at last year's Targa Newfoundland. That iconic photo of Rana casually surveying his water-logged Ferrari is one of the most iconic images I can remember.
However, did you notice, perhaps, that he was wearing a firesuit with the Marlboro logo on the back? Turns out someone at Health Canada has, and promptly sent a note off to Targa organizer Bob Giannou, warning him of Canada's current tobacco advertising policy (i.e. there can't be any, and hasn't been for nearly a decade.)
Well, the problem is that Rana isn't sponsored by Marlboro; he was wearing one of Rubens Barichello's old suits from his days at Ferrari when tobacco sponsorship was allowed. You know, nice piece of memorabilia that go well with 800-horsepower rallying Ferraris...
I guess we'll have to see what happens if other historic race and rally cars of the days when tobacco sponsorship drove most of the budgets come to Canada. And Rana, who last we heard planned to return to this year's Targa may need to choose another firesuit from his collection.
Photo courtesy Toronto Star Wheels
By David Menzies for MSN Autos
Freedom of speech is something to cherish and defend. And when it comes to this specific freedom, I’m pretty much an absolutist. If someone is uttering speech that is “offensive” or “insensitive”, well, deal with it, cupcake. Yes there is indeed a line to freedom of speech, and I would argue the line in the proverbial sand is when someone advocates harm or death to an individual or an identifiable group. But in the meantime, freedom of speech does indeed guarantee the right for someone to be, well, downright rude.
The latest battleground for the free speech debate can be found in a most unlikely place: the rear-end of an ’86 Chevy pickup truck.
That’s because a U.S. army veteran in Wisconsin, Dennis Hamm, has painted “Obama FUK Off” in large letters on his pickup’s tailgate – much to the chagrin, I presume, of those who are still supporting the belegured President... or those who believe the second word in the phrase is one “C” away from transforming the word into a bona fide F-bomb and that’s simply too vulgar to display publicly.
In any event, Hamm found himself questioned by Recine County cops recently after police dispatchers received a complaint that a truck was driving around with a profane message deemed to be inappropriate “for kids in the area.”
But after being contacted by deputies, the 55-year-old Hamm reportedly said he didn’t care if bystanders were offended about his message.
By AutoWeek
The Ford GT is one of the best American sports cars in ages, and also one of the most desirable.
No, the Ford GT didn't make the list of “most stolen vehicles,” but that doesn't make it immune from theft, as this report from U-T San Diego makes painfully clear.
Case in point: These remains of a 2005 Ford GT that was stolen in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.
The 800-mile example was bought in 2004 and was supposed to be a family heirloom. But someone had other plans.
By Mark Atkinson for MSN Autos
The legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans has traditionally been limited to 55 teams that pre-qualify through performances in previous races and championships or are invited by the organizing body, the ACO. A few years ago, though, the ACO decided that Le Mans should also be a test bed and demonstration area for the newest technologies in racing. Its Garage 56 - i.e. one extra entry than usual - has been historically filled with impressive efforts, most recently with the radical Nissan Delta Wing this past June.
CarBuzz got a closer look at the vehicle that'll be taking the space in 2013, a hydrogen-powered prototype that uses two electric motors that provide a combined 537 horsepower. Torque is reportedly capped - capped! - at 3,000 lb-ft, which sounds super-impressive, but we have our doubts it's really twice as much as a Bugatti Veyron as CarBuzz claims. When Audi initially revealed the numbers on its R8 e-tron electric car back in 2009, it was quoted as having over 3,300 lb-ft of torque but that was quietly revised to 604 lb-ft. Our guess is that the closest measure of the Green GT H2 racer's 'real' number is around 550 lb-ft.
No matter. We're picking nits at this point.
Top speed is 300 km/h, but chances are the car will be spending plenty of time in the pits since it can only enough hydrogen in its pair of tanks for around 40 minutes worth of racing. That means over the 24 Hour distance, even if everything goes perfectly according to plan, it'll need to refuel at least 36 times. Last year's winning team from Audi were only forced to pit 33 times.
Here's hoping it doesn't get taken out like the Delta Wing...
By David Menzies for MSN Autos
With sales nowhere near the predicted 45,000/year mark, General Motors plans to suspend production of the Chevrolet Volt from September 17 to October 15, idling 1,500 workers in the process.
Now, before any GM diehards accuse me of dumping on the General again, please believe me: I take no glee in reporting the temporary (and perhaps even permanent) demise of the next big thing that wasn’t.
Even so, news of the Volt’s suspension does not come as a shock given that only about 11,000 have been sold so far this year.
Pity. Your correspondent was able to get around town behind the wheel of a 2012 Chevrolet Volt for nearly a week last December. And you know what? I took an instant liking to this car.
Unquestionably, this plug-in E-car is a glimpse into the future of automobiles – even the whiz-bang dashboard alone conveys a Starship Enterprise kind of vibe.
But despite its fuel-saving pedigree, the Volt is selling about as well as itching powder at a nudist resort. And those sluggish sales have nothing to do with so-called “range anxiety” (the Volt’s old school extended range gas tank takes care of that potential trauma.)
By Jake Lingeman, AutoWeek
The 2014 Mazda 6 sedan will be unveiled at the Moscow auto show this week, but you don’t have to fly to the Motherland to get details on the new model. We have them right here.
As we expected, the new mid-sized sedan will make use of Mazda’s SkyActiv technologies, including either a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine making 147 hp and 154 lb-ft of torque, or a 2.5-liter four making 189 hp and 188 lb-ft of torque. The six-speed SkyActiv-Drive automatic transmission will be offered, as well as a six-speed manual.
The new 6 features Mazda’s Kodo design language, which we’ve seen at the last few auto shows. From the front, the new Mazda looks more muscular with character lines running up the hood. The headlights are reshaped and house LEDs. Mazda’s “signature wing” sits in the grille. The profile looks very similar to the outgoing model, though the hood has less of a rake, making for a more upright front end. The character line above the front wheel well now extends into the front doors. At the back, the taillights are narrower, and a chrome strip now runs along the trunk lid. Press photos also show dual exhaust pipes. Mazda reminded us that these are Russian-spec cars, though we expect the U.S. versions to be nearly identical.
By Mark Atkinson for MSN Autos
The Pfaff group of dealerships in the Greater Toronto Area have recently used some unique marketing campaigns to push German metal. Its newest effort is designed to use social media - namely Twitter - to help build some buzz. The Pfaff Tweet Race is simple in its goal: the first 10 people registered for the contest to gain 2,500 new Twitter followers will get the chance to win an Audi A4.
The Tweet Race started on August 27 and either finishes when 10 contestants garner over 2,500 followers or on October 28 and the top-10 will move along to the final, regardless of numbers.
Amazingly, there's no requirement to mention or hashtag Pfaff or the Tweet Race during your recruitment drive, but we'd guess people will use them anyway in to help convince people to follow them...
The grand prize is actually a year-long lease on the A4, although it will come with $5,000 worth of Pfaff Tuning parts like 19-inch wheels, H&R lowering springs, tinted windows and taillights. No word on whether the winner will be given a sweet deal on the buyout afterwards.
Seems like a straight-up deal to us, although it is only open to residents in Ontario.
By John LeBlanc for MSN Autos Canada
The last long-weekend of the summer is upon us. Then it’s back to work or school for most Canadians, as yet another summer has come to an end. For new car dealers, it’s time to start stocking up on the new 2013 model-year inventories. But some new cars won’t be returning.
Here’s a list of new vehicles that are being canned for 2013. Let us know which—if any—you’ll miss as they drive off into the sunset:
Justin Couture
Reportedly, the first word to come out of his mouth was "car," and since then it's evolved into a life-long passion. Justin is a fan of passionately engineered vehicles, but in general, loves the industry as much as the cars it produces. Justin is the Assistant Editor of MSN Autos, and manages The Passing Lane.
Mark Atkinson
Mark has a decade’s experience driving and writing about thousands of vehicles, and two decades before as an inveterate car nut and race fan. He’s also a first-time father, so you’ll need to excuse the occasional half-awake daddy rant about how his daughter’s car-seat won’t fit.
John LeBlanc
After a career in advertising and marketing, John decided to turn his jaundiced eye towards the world of cars. Since then, he's become one of Canada's most vociferous critics of the industry, delivering objective analysis of the new car scene.
