The Crank: Fiat needs more than the 500 to make it in Canada

By John LeBlanc BMW Canada sold about 4,500 Minis last year; the new 2012 Fiat 500‘s closest true rival. And although the Mini has a nine-year head start, the 500’s mainstream pricing—and novelty—should have the 60-odd Canadian Fiat dealers left with no problem selling the same amount (if not more) annually. Despite the 500’s tight […]

First Drive: 2012 Fiat 500 Sport

[svgallery name=”2012_Fiat_500_hirez”] Promise Fulfilled The first Fiat in Canada after 27 years finally arrives By John LeBlanc SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Since Fiat took over the duty of managing Chrysler, fans of Italian-bred cars have been left with many questions. The arrival of the 2012 Fiat 500, the first car from the Italian automaker to […]

Top 10s: Most Anticipated Test Drives for 2011

By John LeBlanc Two-thousand-and-ten was a very good year for yours truly. Of my Most Anticipated Drives from last year, I got the chance to test-drive the first ever four-door Aston Martin (Rapide) and Mini (Countryman), evaluate new sports sedans from former staid makers Buick (Regal) and Volvo (S60), and really see if Honda could […]

The Crank: Is Saab Chairman’s optimism surreal or substantiated?

By John LeBlanc As the cofounder of the perennially money-losing Dutch supercar operation Spyker, Saab Chairman Victor Muller fundamentally has to be an optimistic guy. Yet as he makes the rounds in the next few weeks drumming up customer interest in the new 9-4X crossover, left, and evaluating investor intentions to see whether or not […]

2011 Montréal: Top 10 Must Sees

[svgallery name=”2011_BMW_X1_2″] By John LeBlanc While the North American International Auto Show received all the attention last week in Detroit, more relevant to Canadian new car buyers is the 43rd Montréal International Auto Show. First on the Canadian auto show calendar, automakers use the Québec show to prep for the spring selling season. Amidst the […]

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