The Crank: Honda ditches diesels for hybrids

By John LeBlanc So much for going its own way. A report has Japan’s Honda canceling plans to build a new minicar and diesel engine plant north of Tokyo. Apparently, the dreaded new fuel economy and tailpipe emissions regs, that will peak in 2016, have scared the Honda folks enough to go over to the […]

Comparo: 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour/Subaru Outback/Toyota Venza

[svgallery name=”2010_Car_Crossovers_hirez”] Crossover confusion Are the new Accord Crosstour, Venza, and redesigned Outback cars or crossovers? By John LeBlanc Just as new-car buyers were getting used to the idea that crossovers were car-based sport-utility vehicles, automakers have started morphing vehicles from the opposite end of the evolution cycle — turning some of their cars into […]

The Crank: Buick needs to believe in its own brand

By John LeBlanc So there I was in Vancouver, recent home of some world class winter athletes, and without a bit of irony hanging in the air, General Motors Canada was pitching its new 2011 Buick Regal, the latest in a lineup that now has to live up to the brand’s “A new class of […]

The Crank: Do drive-thrus need a Timmy Tax?

By John LeBlanc You may have read last Saturday’s front page article in the Star about the GTA’s impending transit meltdown: “To avoid transit disaster, GTA needs road tolls and taxes now.” The article describes a report advising that to raise $1 billion to $2 billion annually for transit improvements, new streams of revenue (like […]

The Trouble with Toyotas: Silver lining found in latest round of recalls

By John LeBlanc Ho-hum. Another week, another batch of troubles with Toyotas found. I don’t know about you, but I’m becoming a bit desensitized to all these Toyota recalls. This week its stalling engines. The week before that, it was post-crash-test fuel spillage issues. Previoulsy, it was luxury sedans that couldn’t steer straight. And before […]

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