CARFCO

Where would people be without their cars? Environment Canada has begun the promotion of its green cars, which are to be the majority of the selection of new cars, by 2016.

The government-mandated green cars will be about 30 per cent more fuel-efficient while Environment Canada claims they will cost consumers 5 per cent more to purchase at an average $25,000 vehicle. They also add that what a consumer loses at the dealership, they will gain at the pump within a year or two, depending of course, on the price of fuel.

Auto analyst Dennis DesRosiers, of DesRosiers Automotive Consultants, says “the government estimates do not factor in the cost of any subsidies offered to buyers of green vehicles. On top of that, the technologies required meet CAFE (corporate average fuel economy) come with big price tags. Direct fuel injection, lightweight materials, advanced transmissions, cylinder deactivation systems, gas engines that generate combustion like diesels and all the rest cost more than $1,200 per car to develop and produce for the marketplace.

Many auto experts wonder who is going to pay for all this infrastructure of an electric vehicle fleet and if the government has really included all the costs of producing advanced ‘green’ technologies into cars. Technologies such as plug-in hybrids, pure electric cars, gasoline and diesel-electric hybrids as well as cars that run ultra-clean diesel are some of the fleet-wide fuel economy cars we can expect.

Over the next six years, Canada and the United States are expected to set the new fuel economy standards for the new vehicles. By 2016, the new stanadars will see consumers driving vehicles that get a combined average of 6.6 liters / 100 km or 35.5 miles to the US gallon.

“Let me say what everyone refuses to acknowledge: These standards are impossible to meet,” notes DesRosiers. Think about this: In Canada, we have witnessed a 1.0 litre per 100 km improvement in the last 25 years, moving from 11 litres per 100 km to 10 litres per 100 km. Roughly 10 per cent. And this was an era of unprecedented technological improvement. Does anyone truly believe that we can now move to below 7.0 litres per 100 km in the next six years? I fully understand the potential for hybrids, electrics and other advanced power trains, but this level of improvement is just not achievable.”

FUEL EFFICIENCY OF CANADIAN CARS BY SEGMENT (LITRES/100 KM) (1982 / 2007)
Subcompact
6.65 / 6.75

Compact
7.79 / 7.65

Intermediate
10.93 / 9.11

Sport
10.66 / 9.63

Luxury
10.95 / 9.88

FUEL EFFICIENCY OF CANADIAN LIGHT TRUCKS BY SEGMENT (LITRES/100 KM) (1982 / 2007)
Small
11.02 / 10.07

SUV
13.44 / 11.93

Intermediate SUV
12.99 / 13.78

Large SUV
16.39 (year 2000) / 12.30

Luxury SUV
12.14 / 11.95
Large Pickup

[Source: DesRosiers Automotive Consultants]

It is certain that the cost of vehicles will only increase as the years pass, and buying more fuel efficient cars will cost more as well.

With domestic automakers like Chevrolet offering a $3,000 cash-back incentive on their Chevy Cobalt coup and Toyota’s zero per cent financing offer, now may seem like a great time to buy a car. However, considering the constant rise in gas prices and Toyota’s recent nine million-car recall, maybe now is not a good time to buy. For those of you who are still considering a purchase and are on your way to the dealership, there are a few things you should know before making any decisions.

First of all, many of these cash-back incentives only apply if you are using dealer financing. You should do as much financial research as possible before accepting their financing offer. Also, as a consumer, you stand a better chance of getting a deal at the end of the month instead of at the beginning.

Here are a few words of professional advice from established companies to help consumers avoid car-buying mistakes. The most common error for people buying a vehicle is buying one that they think they may eventually need instead of buying a car that is suitable for their current needs. An example is a couple that thinks they will have children someday, so they buy a large SUV now. Another example of an inappropriate purchase is someone who wants to own a boat one day and today, they buy a new full-sized pickup truck.

Not only are these people spending a lot more money on fuel than they need to, they have purchased vehicles that simply do not serve their current needs. Instead, they could be driving smaller, more economic vehicles. It’s easy enough to upgrade when the time is right.

Another very common car-buying mistake is to buy at the beginning of the year when the new models are released. During the first few months of the year, dealers have all year to meet sales goals and clear their inventory, so a deal is less likely. However, at the end of the year, dealers want to clear out the older, less desirable models and make room for new inventory.

It also pays to know the market. Using resources such as Kelley Blue Book, Cars.com, AutoTrader and NADA Guides can prove to be invaluable. They can provide a working knowledge of the street value of the car you are considering. This will help arm you with additional information on what you can afford and how much you should be paying when you do find the car you want. It also helps to have a list of what you’re looking for in a new car to avoiding being vulnerable and falling for an impulse purchase.

Hyundai announced it sold 12,620 vehicles in May, which is up 12.6 percent from the previous year. This increase in sales saw Hyundai outsell Honda by a little more than 1,000 units, placing them in the top-five position for the first time in the auto-maker’s history, seeing them claim 8.6 per cent of the Canadian market. This also marked Hyundai’s second consecutive month of record-breaking sales. Steve Kelleher, president and CEO of Hyundai Canada says, “Hyundai products are clearly resonating with Canadian customers”.

Aside from Hyundai, Canadian vehicle sales laid quite low during the month of May. Overall, sales increased by 0.2 percent, showing 154,285 total units being sold across the country.

Toyota Canada, the maker of the luxurious Lexus brand, reported a loss of 16.1 percent in sales, selling only 17,879 vehicles in May. The Japanese auto maker has done well in Canada despite its massive global recall on millions of its vehicles with issues ranging from instability in the Lexus sport utility vehicles to sticky accelerator pedals in other brands of its cars.

Ford saw growth in May due in most part to the strong sales of its Ford Edge, Lincoln MKX crossover and Ford Taurus sedan while Ford truck sales were also up 29 percent. The sales of 26,110 units added to a strong 19.4 percent increase, allowing them to claim a top spot with a whopping 16 percent of the market.

Chrysler also saw a large gain with sales climbing an incredibly steep 53.5 percent, selling 20,861 autos in May. This is a great leap forward from one year ago when Chrysler saw their sales drop by 50 percent. Chrysler has been quoted as saying “the strength of a solid product offering and soaring confidence in the company”, combined with new selling incentives for its employees are some of the key reasons for such growth. Sales of their minivans were almost doubled, selling 5,773 while sales of their Jeep brand rose sharply by 74 percent and car sales saw a climb of 57 percent.

GM’s sales were down 17.6 percent throughout Canada as they discontinued a few of their brands during the company’s restructuring last year. However, the company did well with a few of their main brand, Chevrolet, GMC, Cadillac and Buick, seeing these particular sales up 15.4 percent, showing total sales of 25,995 for May.

A few other automakers such as Nissan sold 7,487, down 2.4 percent, Mercedes Benz sales rose 22.2 percent with the sale of 2,865 cars, while BMW’s sales fell 11.8 percent with the sale of only 2,361 autos.

Picture it, Wiesmann MF5, Koenigsegg, a Rolls-Royce Phantom, Bentley Continental, the SSC Ultimate Aero, Lamborghinis, the Gumpert Apollo Sport, the car that set the production car record at the Nurburgring, KTM X-Bow, and many, many more. Not only are these amazing super cars lined up and ready for show, they’re lined up and ready to be driven.

Considered the world’s greatest live action car show, and definitely unlike your usual car show, these automobiles are not just sitting pretty atop a display box as a show piece with the only chance of hearing their powerful engines being while you’re on your way home with one. This is the ultimate in what one would consider a playboy’s car collection. The Top Marques car companies are ready to put into action what these power toys can really do for car enthusiasts, collectors and would-be buyers.

Due to the tight confines of Monaco roadways and the inability of organizers to shut down Principality, these hot cars are instead chauffeur driven laps of luxury through the legendary Grand Prix circuit. The test drives are limited to quick spurts of acceleration as they cruise through the legendary tunnel, Casino Square and the Rascasse hairpin.

A few of the additional cars ready for a test drive are the GTA Spano hypercar, produced by the Spanish manufacturer and unleashed with its surprise biodiesel boasting an insane 840bhp in 1350kg of Kevlar body, taking the Spanish beauty through 100kph in a mere 2.9 seconds, equalling its speed to that of the Bugatti Veyron.

Canadian super car Plethore LC-750 made its debut for its first European viewing as well. This compact three-seater is equipped with 750bhp, a full fibre frame and a price tag of $350,000 US. Of course Italy made a fine representation with its line of Ferrari, Pagani and Lamborghini while a new manufacturer Tirrito introduced its Ayrton S supercar. It may not be as easy on the eye as others in its class, but its guaranteed to perform with its massive V10 engine. The exclusiveness of this racer, with only 50 of them being produced, fetches an asking price of €352, 400.

BMW came out on top showing off the beautiful Veritas with its M5 features of the lightweight 1940’s roadster, which gave the car its name. Providing 600bhp of exhilarating performance and a price tag of €330,000, it’s simply stunning to look at. Sales of more than 30 units are anticipated at the show. The Top Marques super car show boasts some of the world’s finest autos ever made. They also boast some of the highest price tags.