The Crank: Is Scion becoming Toyota’s Saturn?

By John LeBlanc Pop quiz time: Did you know that it’s been one year since Toyota Canada introduced its so-called “youth” Scion brand to this country? No? Well, you’re forgiven if you forgot to get an anniversary gift or send a card. With sales a mere fraction of the automaker’s original estimates, it’s not like […]

The Crank: Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a (small) Mercedes-Benz

By John LeBlanc Three days before she died in 1970, American singer Janis Joplin recorded in song a request to the Almighty to procure her with a car from the famous German luxury automaker, a colour television, and a “night on the town”, wailing that these materialistic items were needed to keep up with her […]

The Crank: 6 things I learned at this year’s Frankfurt auto show

FRANKFURT – Did you know that the traditional “frankfurter” fast food involves two sausages on a hamburger bun? Me neither. But that’s only one of the things I learned at this year’s bi-annual Frankfurt auto show…

The Crank: Japan’s automakers are in catch-up mode

By John LeBlanc The big stink south of the border last week was the launch of the new 2012 Toyota Camry family sedan (above left). A “big stink” because like Honda’s compact Civic sedan (above right) up here in the Great White North, the midsize Camry has been the perennially best-selling non-pickup new car for something like 13 […]

The Crank: How Ford can save Lincoln. No, really…

By John LeBlanc Ever since the 1990s Ford Explorer/Firestone tire fiasco, the Ford Motor Co. has made much ado about nothing with its Lincoln luxury brand. Ford was ready with a bunch of rear-wheel-drive products that would separate Lincolns from the more plebeian front-drive Fords. But then the tire crisis nearly did Ford in financially, […]

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