TORONTO, CANADA–The 2011 Canadian International AutoShow is on at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, and it is open to the public from Feb. 18 to Feb. 27. On Media Day morning just before the public days, the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) presented its award for various categories, including the coveted Canadian Car of the Year (COTY) award. This year GM takes the COTY honour with its Chevrolet Cruze.
All three of the Detroit Big Three were singing rebound songs this year, celebrating 2010 as a year of recovery and getting back on track. Hot on the heels of winning the AJAC COTY award, GM launched an aggressive assault across the segments with the compact Sonic and the seven-passenger Orlando utility vehicle under the Chevrolet brand, plus the Buick Verano small luxury sedan. GM also had the beautiful Camaro convertible on display.
Ford had a big year in 2010 bringing the Fiesta and its new Ford body style to the North American market. Proud winner of AJAC’s Best New Small Car Under $21,000 award, in 2011 the Fiesta will see its new body design on the redesigned Focus and Escape, as well as the all-new C-Max. Ford put up a big stage performance to show off the C-Max and Focus Electric.
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Chrysler trumpeted its success with the Dodge Grand Caravan on stage, and at the same time introduced the refreshed 300 alongside its angry brother, the redesigned Dodge Charger. Chrysler is also launching the tiny Fiat 500 in North America this year. The Fiat 500 already has many car enthusiasts waiting in anticipation, and it should prove to be a tough competitor for the Mini.
Overall, the Japanese sector felt somewhat low-key this year, mostly due to the lack of exciting surprises from Toyota/Lexus, Honda/Acura, Mazda, and Mitsubishi. Lexus did bring the LFA supercar to the show floor to generate some buzz, and it certainly had admirers busy taking photos of this rare appearance. If anything, it might have kept some people preoccupied snapping pictures there while Toyota was presenting the Prius Plug-In right after.
On the Honda side, the 2012 Civic Concept took the center of the show floor, while on the Acura side the main attraction was the refreshed 2012 TL.
Mazda used the press conference time to present its SkyActive initiative, which promises across-the-board improvement to its vehicle line-up going forward.
Nissan unveiled a very sharp, futuristic-looking Ellure Hybrid Concept, but the big hit of the show was the polar bear mascot at the LEAF electric vehicle booth, a fitting remember of the concern of global warming. Several media attendees went forward to have their pictures taken with the tall but adorable furry friend. After Nissan, Infiniti introduced the M35h Hybrid.
I was not expecting to see much other than the Impreza WRX and STI at the Subaru display, so I was pleasantly surprised by the snazzy stage performance for the unveiling of the Hybrid Tourer Concept. It was quite a beautiful design, and the generous use of spotlights from below made it look even more glamorous.
The Europeans and Korean companies continued their strong presence from 2010. Kia showed the Ray Concept alongside the new Optima, which had been known as the Magentis in Canada until the 2011 model year. Hyundai showed off its Veloster, Sonata Blue Drive, and Blue Will Plug-In Concept while announcing the improved Elantra and Accent.
Over at the Land Rover/Jaguar booth, the Range Rover Evoque made its Canadian debut with the “Hello Toronto” slogan. The Evoque is a smallish luxury utility vehicle with a very stylish exterior and a luxurious interior.
BMW unveiled the 1 Series M Coupé. Unlike its bigger siblings, it is not called the M1, but rather, the 1 M Coupé. The concept behind this car is race-worthy performance in a smaller package, so BMW threw in the 335 bhp, twin-turbo 3.0 L inline-6 engine from the 335i and Z4. The estimated price is around C$51,000, which puts it about $20,000 apart from the bigger M3.
The Volkswagen conference talked about the large plant in Tennessee, then introduced the 2012 Passat with the extended version of the Darth Vader kid Super Bowl commercial.
Audi unveiled the 2012 A6 and the TT RS. The new A6 has incorporated several new design cues in the front, looking very clean and elegant. With a base price of C$64,000, it will be competing against the BMW 5-Series and the Mercedes-Benz E-Class.
The TT RS is Audi’s attempt at cementing the roadster’s perception as a real powerhouse in the $50,000-plus roadster segment. Powered by one more cylinder than the TTS, the 2.5 L 5-cylinder engine cranks out 360 bhp and 330 lb-ft of torque. Coupled with the Quattro AWD system, this will be a serious road-rocket.
In the Mercedes-Benz area, the highly acclaimed SLS AMG, which won AJAC’s Best New Design award in the morning, was being showcased on the floor. During the press conference, M-B announced the C63 AMG Affalterbach Edition and the new SLK hard-top convertible roadster.
The Affalterbach Edition, being offered exclusively in Canada, distinguishes itself from the standard C63 AMG with unique visual elements such as the Magno Allanite Grey paint, red brake calipers, black alloy wheels, and a lip spoiler. On the performance side, it is standard-equipped with the AMG Performance Package. The announced price is C$81,000.
Meanwhile, the exterior of the new SLK roadster has been refreshed with the bold design elements of the more recent Mercedes vehicles.
In the exotics exhibit section, Montreal-based HTT Technologies unveiled the latest version of the Pléthore LC-750, the first Canadian supercar. As the name would suggest, the car packs 750 horses under the hood and sprints from 0 to 100 km/h in less than 3 seconds, thanks to the light weight of 1,250 kg/2,756 lb. The interior has a three-seat arrangement (centre driver seat + 2 back seats). The announced price for this beast is C$795,000.
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