The Crank: When “new” doesn’t necessarily mean “improved”…

By John LeBlanc New car buyers have religiously looked towards the U.S. not-for-profit Consumer Reports annual automotive issue to get one of the more objective views on new showroom fare. And one of the features in this year’s annual is the calling out of a half-dozen new-for-2011 models that simply don’t measure up to their […]

The Crank: Are car enthusiasts ready for sportier Kias?

By John LeBlanc Fresh from its debut at this month’s Geneva show, Kia officials are already hinting that a hot hatch version of the Korean automaker’s new 2012 Rio subcompact, seen left, is being seriously considered.

The Crank: Is Mitsubishi Motors too small to survive?

By John LeBlanc Having started selling cars on its own into this country only seven years ago, Mitsubishi Motors is one of the newest car brands in Canada. But recent changes in the automaker’s product plans, frankly, don’t give much optimism for Mitsu’s future. In North America, Mitsubishi has, let’s say, some challenges. The biggest […]

The Crank: Will upcoming 2012 Honda Civic retain its sales crown?

[svgallery name=”2012_Honda_Civic_PR”] By John LeBlanc Without a doubt, the compact Civic sedan is the most important model in Honda Canada’s lineup. Despite a drop in sales of 8.2 per cent in 2010 compared to 2009, and an extension of its usual four-year model changeover to an extra-long six years, the Civic was still the best […]

The Crank: Winners and Losers from this year’s Toronto Auto Show media day

By John LeBlanc The 38th running of the Toronto auto show is a great place to go if you’re shopping for a new car, or want to take a look at some exotics that non-N.B.A.-salaried humans simply can’t afford.

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