The Crank: Should automakers “pay” for car awards?

By John LeBlanc

A recent article at The Truth About Cars highlighted that some auto awards simply wouldn’t happen without the financial generosity of car manufacturers. The TTAC story via The Wall Street Journal, cites U.S.-based Consumers Digest and its “Best Buy” awards as an example of this questionable practice. Read more

Preview: 2011 Kia Sportage, 2012 Optima & Cadenza

[svgallery name=”2010_Kia_Seoul_preview”]

By John LeBlanc

NAMYUNG, South Korea –As part of the Korean automaker’s aggressive move up market, Kia will have replaced every vehicle in its showroom by 2012. So to give Canadian media a “taste” of things to come, Kia officials bused a dozen of us to its expansive research and design facilities it shares with sister brand Hyundai near rural Namyung, an hour and a half drive from the automaker’s headquarters in Seoul. Read more

Video: More of the “fastest M3 ever”

By John LeBlanc

Just as we had the unveiling of the “fastest ever 911 ever” this week, fellow German automaker, BMW, has released the requisite Nürburgring video of its own “ultimate” ride: the M3 GTS. The Bavarian lads teased us last November. But we now know the ultimate M3 delivers 444 hp and a claimed  0-to-100 km/h time of 4.4 seconds.

[Source: BMW]

Feature: Will Kia’s lack of history hinder its upscale brand aspirations?

By John LeBlanc

SEOUL, South Korea –It only takes a short visit to the company’s corporate museum to get an idea of the relative youth of Kia Motors as an automaker. Unlike the public shrines built by surviving pioneers like Germany’s Mercedes-Benz or America’s Ford (respectively founded in 1881 and 1903) each becoming top tourist attractions in their own right, housing hundreds of cars dating back to the birth of the automobile, South Korean Kia’s collection of historic automobiles is measurably less imposing and more private. Read more

UPDATED/B-ROLL: “Fastest road-going Porsche of all time” revealed

By John LeBlanc

Think about it: Of all the legendary road cars Germany’s preeminent sports car maker has already produced, that headline is a strong statement. But the new $297,000  911 GT2 RS that goes on sale in Canada in October—what will presumably be the highest-performing 997 until the next generation starts arriving in the next 18 months or so—posts some serious numbers: 620 hp and 516 lb-ft; 0-100 km/h in 3.5 seconds; 330 km/h top-speed. Read more

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