Auto Show Reports

 

 

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The Canadian International Auto Show 2004

 

February 11-22, 2004

 

By: Eddie Wren

 

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With over 1,000 new vehicles on display, representing 35 different marques, this year's Canadian International Auto Show is impressive. More than 50 cars and trucks, including 13 concept vehicles, are 2005 Canadian premieres, exclusive to the show. If you are able to attend, don't miss the chance.

 

 

February 11, 2004:  At the start of the first press day, here in Toronto, the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada presented Mazda with the trophy for the Canadian Car of the Year, 2004, in respect of the Mazda 3, and this was followed by an announcement that the first ever "World Car of the Year Awards" will be presented here in February 2005, at next year's auto show.

 

The question, of course, is whether such awards are important to the car-buying public, and in 2002 AJAC carried out a survey of people who bought that year's top car -- the Nissan Altima -- and discovered that almost 70% said they had been strongly influenced in their purchase by the fact that it was the Canadian Car of the Year.

 

The Ford F150 picked up the award for Canadian Truck of the Year, and BMW got the trophy for Best New Technology, with their Active Steering.

 

The first example of Mercedes and Chrysler's close co-operation, the Chrysler Crossfire, took the laurels for the Best New Design.

Mike Benchimol, President of Mazda Canada Inc., accepts the award for the AJAC "Car Of The Year," 2004, for the Mazda 3 -- Arne Glassbourg/CIAS

It is a car that may certainly be viewed from all angles, at Toronto, as there is one is hanging from the ceiling in the North Building, for the duration of the show. There is no doubt that it is a wonderfully designed car, either, though I have mild reservations about the Nazca Lines on the hood.

 

And on the DaimlerChrysler stand, two other beautiful cars were brought out later for the horde of journalists to admire -- the Chrysler 300 and the Dodge Magnum, the latter driven by Simon Whitfield, the Canadian, triathlon Olympic gold medallist.

The 2005 Chrysler Crossfire Roadster, seen here on its world debut, in Detroit, January 2004, with Chrysler Group Chief Operating Officer Wolfgang Bernhard. Photo © Wieck

 

The young athlete told us all that he thinks the Magnum is an excellent car, and judging by its looks I have to agree with him.

 

On the more technical side, we were told that the Magnum churns out 340hp and 390lb/ft of torque and, as an aside, it will hold a 27" television in the cargo space, at the rear.

Dodge Magnum -- Photo © Wieck

 

Many other new cars were unveiled on the first press day, including the 2005 Nissan X-Trail entry-level SUV, which has a reinforced cabin structure, designed for safety and greater durability.

 

The X-Trail joins an already extensive Nissan SUV inventory, which includes the X-terra, the Pathfinder, the Murano, and the Armada. And Nissan's up-market division, Infiniti, adds the FX35, the FX45 and the new QX56 to the list.

 

Interestingly, tastes can differ very significantly between Canada and the USA so Nissan are not the only company that has a different line-up of SUVs available for each country, and the same applies to ordinary cars, too.

Ian Forsyth, Director of Marketing, Nissan Canada Inc., beside the Nissan 2005 X-Trail -- Arne Glassbourg/CIAS 

 

 

The Maybach -- a luxurious ocean liner on wheels -- may have had its official unveiling for the Canadian market, here in Toronto but its thunder was immediately stolen by the removal of covers from the Mercedes McLaren SLR, alongside it -- surely a car that will create neck prickling for any hot-blooded human. It can't really be compared to the Ferraris, the Maseratis or the Lamborghinis of this world (all of which were present at the show) as not even the latter has got the jizzy, supersonic-alien styling of the McLaren. It is truly beautiful in an aggressive yet not brutal way (photo below).

 

For both of these cars, of course, one has to be absurdly wealthy to even contemplate getting one.

 

At the show, the Mercedes people could only give us a price for the Maybach in U.S. dollars -- a cool $308,000 plus tax --  but this city block of a car will do 0-60mph in a whisker over 5 seconds so whatever one thinks of the ostentation or the price it truly is a remarkable piece of engineering. 

 

You want to know the McLaren price, too? You must be a glutton for punishment! It is a mind-numbing US$450,000 (plus those pesky taxes) but for that you get a 617hp, 5.5 litre V8-powered bullet which will catapult you from 0-60mph in a fraction under 3.8 seconds and 0-125mph in 10.6 seconds, and then it'll keep right on going, up to 208mph, at which speed not only would the engine be howling but so would your passenger, probably... for mercy.

 

The Mercedes people also announced that their new, and somewhat more affordable, CLK cabrio's will be coming to North America during 2004.

 

Adjacent to all of the sleek Mercedes sedans, coupes and cabrio's, though, was the Smart stand -- their somewhat smaller division, in more ways than one -- and the company announced that it will start selling 2005 smart fortwo coupé and cabrio cdi diesel models in the fall of 2004.

 

Whether the maple leaf paint job on the car opposite will be available we don't know, but if it is don't park under any trees in fall or you might get taken out by an unobservant truck driver!

 Prices will start at Canadian $16,000. (And yes, you could probably get about 73 of them in the trunk of a Maybach.) 

 

The picture, left, shows a Smart car in Britain, where they have been available for over five years. They have become very popular as convenient run-abouts in many European cities. They are particularly common in Italy, which last year accounted for 32,600 Smarts -- a quarter of all worldwide sales. In Rome alone, 30,000 of them have been registered since the company started sales in 1998.

 

 

Kia unveiled four cars at the show; three that are now available and one concept.

 

The first to come out from under its wraps was the Amanti. I'd very recently been in one in New York but again this is a new car to Canada. It's a nice car, too, with a front that's rather Mercedes-like, but in common with several other makes of car it has a large, rounded 'rump' of a back end that I, for one, don't find attractive.

 

The new Spectra was next to emerge. It has gained a longer wheelbase and more width, and it's a good looking car.

 

Kia, like many other manufacturers, now increasingly cater for younger customers who wish to customize their vehicles, and a Rio RS was unveiled that would no doubt delight many teenage and younger-twenties drivers.

 

Last to have the sheets pulled off it was the KCV3 concept car, a 2+2 that's intended "to put the fun back into driving" and like so many concept cars it was certainly fun. The hard-top retracted into the trunk and revealed an interior reminiscent of the old "Thunderbirds" sci-fi puppet show. Don't get me wrong, that's not a criticism (especially as a full-length Thunderbirds movie will be coming out, this summer!), this car truly was the 'fun' it set out to be. On a more pragmatic point, though -- given that Drive And Stay Alive is a safety-oriented organization, it was pleasing to see that the KCV3 had four-point seat belts fitted on the front seats. The tiny back seats only had two-point lap straps but if ever the car reached any form of production that would no doubt have to change.

 

The BMW area was the picture of quality that one always expects, and undoubtedly the greatest attraction here, apart from the all new X3, starting at C$44,600 (and its existing big brother the X5 4.8is -- C$96,500), will be the re-introduced  6-Series, available as the 645Ci coupe and the 645Ci convertible. It is many years since the last "Beemer 6" and it's good to see it back, once more.

A BMW X3 and a 645Ci coupe -- photo © BMW

 

 

Subaru debuted a model which is exclusive to the Canadian market, the Impreza 2.5 TS sedan, an all-wheel-drive with 165hp, that starts at C$22,995.

 

The 2005 Legacy 2.5 GT (sedan or wagon) is an all-new vehicle with a 250ho inter-cooled turbo boxer engine that gives a 0-60 time of 5.5 seconds. It is the Car of the Year, in Japan. 

 

Subaru also unveiled their concept B9 SC, a two-seater sports roadster, a hybrid gas electric car with a 2.0 boxer engine.

 

Volkswagen showed four new cars for Canada and two regional debuts. The latter were the 2004 Passat GLS 1.8T 4Motion (which means all-wheel-drive), and the 2004 Phaeton.

 

VW are also addressing the demand, in Canada, for increased performance and fuel economy, with the introduction of three new diesel engines. These utilise a camshaft-drive high pressure pump that injects fuel directly into each cylinder at a pressure of 30,000 pounds per square inch -- nearly 50% higher than in common rail injection.

 

The company has also sponsored the Volkswagen Play Care Centre, at the Toronto show, where kids can be left safely while the parents view the exhibits. A family photo is taken on arrival and apart from this becoming a memento it is used for identification when the adults go back to collect their children. (And if there are any problems in the meanwhile, the parents will be paged, in all three exhibition halls.) It's a common PR touch, but a welcome and essential one.

The VW Passat GLS 1.8T 4Motion (top) and its very big brother, the Phaeton (bottom). Photo's: VW

 

The S-Type has been Jaguar's first all-new mid-size, luxury sports sedan for three decades and it has certainly made the brand more accessible and more appealing to a younger generation of buyers. The S-Type range starts around C$63,000 but the stunning, metallic bottle-green S-Type R that was unveiled at the show is $22,000 more.

The S-Type sedan.  (Photo: Jaguar)

Jag's are safe cars and generally always have been, but now -- due to their Ford parenthood -- they also gain from Volvo's true expertise in this field. In addition to front, side, and front and rear side-curtain airbags, the new S-Type offers Jaguar's industry-leading Adaptive Restraint Technology System which has ultrasonic front passenger sensing coupled with dual-stage front airbags. It also features an energy-absorbing seating system, incorporating an anti-whiplash mechanism in the front seat back rests, and pyrotechnic pre-tensioners for all seat belts.

 

The stiff and strong S-Type body exceeds crash legislation requirements worldwide, and it also has a decoupling brake pedal mechanism and a deformable plastic fuel tank.

 

And now, those good folks at "Jag." have now gone one step further -- indeed, some might call it heresy! They've introduced the X-Type wagon (photo right). A Jaguar wagon? If you react with dismay, as I did when first told of this happening, I'll understand... but I was wrong. One was unveiled, today, in Toronto and -- to use British terminology for a moment -- I'd have to say it was a really good looking estate car. 

 

 

Vehicle safety has been mentioned, and it is almost inevitable that the word 'Volvo' should appear in the same sentence, but it has to be said that apart from their well-earned people-protector reputation, Volvos really are getting better and better looking with every passing year. The new V70R wagon, on their stand at Toronto, bore convincing witness to this fact.

 

Also on show were their new V50 wagon and the new S40 sedan (a T5 variant, one of which we briefly drove last week -- click here for the test drive report).

 

The S60R was there, too, of course, and the S80 AWD. And for the worst of northern USA or Canadian winters, or some very capable off-roading, there were the XC70-AWD and their stability-controlled SUV, the XC90. If I had a garage and a bank account big enough, I'd happily have several of them.

 

The people on the Mazda stand were obviously happy, having just scooped the Car of the Year Award for the Mazda 3, but in addition the Mazda 6 had just won the "Best Family Vehicle" category.

 

They also went into detail about the rotary-engined RX8 sports car, which is winning a lot of praise, plus the Miata, and the MPV. (MPV, incidentally, stands for "Multi Purpose Vehicle" -- the European name for the vehicles that north Americans call "mini vans".)

 

Photo (Right):  Greg Young, Director, Corporate Public Relations, Mazda Canada poses in front of the Mazda 3 with five 2004 AJAC awards at The Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto, Feb. 11, 2004. The Mazda 3 won the 2004 AJAC Canadian Car of the Year Award in addition to the four category winners.

Photo:  Arne Glassbourg/CIAS

And lastly, they unveiled two concept cars: the MX MicroSport, a four-door which bore a passing resemblance to a large Mini, and the Kusabee, a sub-compact four-seat sports car which had dramatic, wedge-shaped windows -- broad at the windshield, narrowing to a point at the back, on either side. Mazda don't plan to put either of these vehicles into production but assured us that features and benefits from both would be incorporated into future vehicles... Well they would, wouldn't they! That's generally the whole point of concepts.

 

The Mazda Kusabi concept car.

 Photo: Arne Glassbourg/CIAS

 

Saab introduced the new 9-2X, in the "premium sports compact" segment. It's a five-door that doesn't look like a traditional hatchback and has full-time all-wheel-drive.

 

Given the size of GM, it was no surprise that they put on a big show. No less than thirty new or significantly updated GM vehicles are due for release in Canada during 2004. In rapid succession, they unveiled:

 

-- the Buick Allure

-- the Buick Terazza mini van

-- the Pontiac Pursuit

-- the Pontiac G6

-- the Pontiac Solstice

-- the Chevrolet Cobalt

and, last but certainly not least

-- the 2005 Corvette

 2005 Buick Terazza, and Don Johnson, General Director of Marketing  (Wieck)

 

Left:  Michael Grimaldi, President, General Motors Canada, poses with the 2005 Pontiac Pursuit.

 

Right:  Don Johnson, Director of Marketing, for General Motors Canada, presents the 2005 Pontiac G6 to the media.

Photos: Arne Glassbourg/CIAS

 

Then the following cars were driven out from behind the scenes:

-- the Cadillac XLR

-- the Chevrolet Optra, 5-door

-- the Chevrolet Malibu Max

-- the Chevrolet Malibu Max LT V6 hatchback

-- the Chevrolet SSR

 

Ford brought on a whole team of top executives and having shown us the latest iterations of the Escape and the Focus, they brought out the new 500. It is one foot shorter than the Crown Victoria but has much more rear legroom and a larger trunk. This was followed by the Freestyle.

 

But after a talk about the 4-27 concept came the car we were all secretly waiting for, the Ford GT... and how the driver enjoyed jabbing the throttle three times and echoing the explosive "wam, wam, wam" of the exhaust around the hall.   Noisy? Yes --- Excessive? Yes --- Glorious? Absolutely!

 

 

Oh, and practical?   Nahhh, but who cares.

 

And lastly they showed us the latest Mustang, and she's a little beauty, too. (V8 300hp; V6 200hp)

 

Toyota had plenty going on, including the Toyota Finesse concept car, only ever seen before at the Detroit auto show, last month.

 

Among their news announcements were these snippets:

  • Last year, in Canada, Toyota Echo owners spent an average of $1300 each on customization accessories and Toyota, like many other auto makers, are expanding this market.

  • Toyota's Canadian-made Corolla is their best selling car in North America.

  • They also announced a new Matrix for 2005.

Under the Lexus flag, they unveiled the RX400h, which they class as the world’s first luxury gasoline/electric hybrid SUV. The 2005 RX 400h will be powered by a V6, 270hp Hybrid Synergy Drive system that combines sub-eight second zero-to-sixty acceleration with fuel-efficiency equivalent to the current average for a four-cylinder compact sedan, and it will also be rated 'Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle' (SULEV), one of the most stringent emissions rating in the industry.

 

Lexus RX 400h central console. 

The vehicle making its world debut at the NAIS, Detroit, January 2004

 

The RX 400h is fitted with VDM, or Vehicle Dynamic Management.  Monitoring a variety of sensors, the system is designed to anticipate vehicle stability problems and correct the situation with a combination of braking and throttle control.  It is claimed that the new VDM system is less intrusive and more effective than conventional VSC.

 

Toyota/Lexus claim that the new RX 400h will become the premium model in the RX series, offering smoother and quieter operation, increased performance, significantly better fuel economy and a host of high technology, safety and comfort features.

 

The Mitsubishi spokesman told us all that the company's advantages lay in its engineering, performance and features and, as an example, told us that the Galant out-accelerates, out-performs and out-brakes its competitors. He added that it had achieved the maximum rating in the NHTSA New Car Assessment program, too.

 

For those who know the reputation of the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, the news is that the next generation of this car will be available in North America.

The Mitsubishi Galant 2004/5

 

The Diamanté (available as ES, LX or VRX variants) made its Canadian debut at the show. It is described as having "styling and performance, with added luxury".

 

They also unveiled a sport truck concept that would undoubtedly appeal to anyone who is into sport trucks -- I am not one of them! To be fair, though, it was very impressively engineered.

 

Mitsubishi is certainly a company that 'Drive And Stay Alive' will be watching closely, as they are professing a dedication to future safety engineering of the highest order, and that always has to be good news.

 

Adjacent to the Porsche display was one of the two most exclusive stands at the show: Aston Martin, Bentley and Rolls Royce. Unfortunately, the Aston was "only" the V12 Vantage... no DB9, yet. Still, the Vantage is a fabulous car.

 

The new Rolls Royce Phantom certainly has major presence. One gets the impression that people six feet tall would barely need to bend to get into it. 

 

Above:  Rolls Royce Phantom, at the Golden Gate Bridge

Photo: News Press

 

But the outstanding car on that stand was unveiled for us: the Bentley Continental GT -- elitism meets uncatchability!

 

Left: Bentley Continental GT at the 2003 Sydney Motor Show.  Photo © Wieck

If Bentley and Rolls Royce epitomise style, then Ferrari and Maserati must be the pinnacle of sporting panache. In the far corner of the North Hall are six of the most beautiful cars in the world. From Ferrari the 360 Spyder, the 575 Maranello, and the four-seater 612 Scaglietti; and from Maserati the Spyder Vintage, the Cambiocorsa Coupé, and the four-door Quattroporte (four door... get it?!). From the point of view of debuts, the two four-seaters, the Scaglietti and the Quattroporte are both new to the Canadian market.

 

 

Above: The four-door, four-seat Maserati Quattroporte

 

Top centre and far right: The two-door, four-seat (!) Ferrari 612 Scaglietti

 

Opposite: The inimitable Ferrari 360 Spyder

 

 

February 12, 2004:  And lastly, the new people are definitely as important as the new cars!  

Two students from Coventry School of Art and Design, England, scooped the prizes in the World Automotive Design Competition. Leon Comben, overall first place winner, poses with his winning entry (below right) and Blake Cotterill (left) who came second overall, also won the Ballard Power Systems Award for Best Application of Technology. Their Coventry University lecturers, Tim Ball and Neil Birtley were at the presentations.

(Photos:  Arne Glassbourg/CIAS)