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March 2002
Infiniti introduced the 2003 G35 coupe and M45 luxury sedan, while Acura's four-door DN-X sports concept took the stage. Mike Myer's will be back in the third installment of Austin Powers driving a Union Jack draped Jaguar XK8.
In a head-to-head match up of tire-shredding horsepower against high-flying afterburner thrust, the new 500 hp Dodge Viper SRT-10 challenged the United States Air Force's leading multi-role fighter in acceleration trials held this past weekend at Luke Air Force Base in Glendale, Arizona.
March 29, 2002 Tax on fuels sold in the Lower Mainland climbs above 30 cents per litre on April 1, when drivers begin paying an additional two cents per litre dedicated to TransLink.
Concepts became reality at yesterday's New York auto show media preview: automakers showed production versions of the Saturn ION, Chrysler Pacifica and PT Turbo (formerly GT Cruiser), Nissan Murano, and Honda Element (formerly Model X) . CanadianDriver has photos and details of these, and more.
March 28, 2002 Of the approximately 2000 new MINI's allocated to Canada for the 2002 model year, 900 were pre-ordered before the first MINI dealers opened last Friday. MINI Canada offered consumers the chance to pre-order their cars on the internet.
March 28, 2002 General Motors will bring back the Pontiac GTO nameplate next year - the GTO was a 60's muscle car known for its big engine, big horsepower, and poor handling.
March 27, 2002 The new MINI will get a starring role in the next Austin Powers film due out this summer. The movie will feature dazzling chase scenes with the MINI racing and cornering at high speeds through the unlikeliest of places.
The latest Land Rover Discovery features a new look, with similarities to the new Range Rover, a revised interior with two all-new trim materials, a number of significant technical enhancements and a more powerful V8 engine.
March 27, 2002 Toyota Canada officials announced yesterday that U.S. news stories about Toyota's planned 'Scion' youth-oriented marketing project do not apply to Canada.
March 27, 2002 As the U.S. economy shows signs of recovery, the American Automobile Association is predicting that Americans will continue to buy SUVs, trucks and minivans despite increasing gas prices.
March 26, 2002 U.S. auto information service, edmunds.com, has issued a list of new cars and trucks with the most driver and front-passenger space. The winners were selected based on the average of the head room, hip room and leg room in each vehicle.
March 26, 2002 Today, Canadian Auto Workers union president Buzz Hargrove and CAW economist Jim Stanford will be in St. Catharines, Ontario to make the case for urgent attention by all levels of government to create an auto investment strategy for Canada.
March 26, 2002 Goodyear has introduced a new look for its consumer web-site, www.goodyear.com . According to Pamela J. Cole, Goodyear's manager, Web site operations, the site's homepage was redesigned for several reasons.
March 25, 2002 Stronger than expected first-quarter sales, coupled with continuing aggressive incentives by automakers, are prompting J.D. Power-LMC Automotive Services to boost its Canadian new light-vehicle sales forecast from 1.48 million units to 1.56 million units in 2002, just shy of 2001's record performance.
March 25, 2002 BMW Group Canada officially opened fourteen new MINI dealerships across Canada on Friday. The majority of MINI dealers have either new facilities or new showrooms adjacent to existing BMW dealerships.
March 25, 2002 Reuters news agency reports that South Korea's Unification Church, founded by Reverend Sun Young Moon, has finished construction of a U.S.$55 million vehicle assembly plant in the port city of Nampo, North Korea.
March 25, 2002 BCAA's Board of Directors has elected Kamloops lawyer David Gillespie to serve as its new Board Chair. Meldy Harris of Vancouver was elected Vice Chair.
March 25, 2002 Goodyear announced the winner of Goodyear's 19th annual North American Highway Hero award on Friday. He's Larry "Scott" Travis, a professional truck driver from Albuquerque, N.M., who saved a woman's life by pulling her from a burning vehicle just before it exploded.
March 22, 2002 Ford Motor Company is combining the latest hybrid electric vehicle technology with an advanced new fuel cell to create an highly efficient, zero-emissions Ford Focus that will debut at this year's New York International Auto Show.
March 22, 2002 Westport Innovations Inc. announced that it has signed a collaborative agreement with BMW AG of Munich, Germany to support BMW's hydrogen vehicle engine development program.
March 22, 2002 Fifty percent of respondents to CAA's 2001 Vehicle Ownership Survey said that reliability is the one factor that influences them most when choosing a vehicle. Performance
and handling, price and incentives followed closely behind with 35% and 34% respectively.
March 22, 2002 Ford's 7.3-liter Power Stroke diesel V-8 now offers 525 foot-pounds of torque, the best-in-class torque on models equipped with an automatic transmission.
March 21, 2002 March 21, 2002 Parents and AAA test-drove dozens of vehicles, considering family-friendly features, value, and the latest safety attributes for passengers of all sizes.
March 21, 2002 The Chrysler Group has embarked on a new program to increase the recyclability and recovery of automobiles to about 95 percent by weight and increase the use of recycled materials in production vehicles.
March 21, 2002 GM will incorporate historical Buick styling elements on the new, 2003 Buick Park Avenue Ultra. These include a prominent vertical-bar grille and front fender portholes.
March 21, 2002 DaimlerChrysler Canada, the Canadian Auto Workers Union and the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit have announced a joint public-private comprehensive workplace wellness program - Working Toward Wellness.
March 21, 2002 A Volvo Car Corporation research project has discovered that being too warm inside your car can jeopardize driving safety.
March 20, 2002 BMW Group Canada announced that two of its largest dealers will open new retail facilities in the Toronto area this week. What is unusual is that the two retailers - who currently reside in the adjacent market areas of Yonge & Steeles and Markham/Unionville - are switching market areas.
March 20, 2002 Five professional truck drivers who risked their own lives to help others have been selected as finalists for the 2001 Goodyear North America Highway Hero Award, the trucking industry's most prestigious award for heroism.
March 20, 2002 Graco Children's Products has announced a recall of 918,930 SnugRide infant car seats equipped with a base manufactured in the USA between August 31, 1999 and February 28, 2002.
March 20, 2002 Michelin-shod cars finished first and second in the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang on Sunday - the French company's first 1-2 since it returned to Formula One racing little more than 12 months ago.
March 20, 2002 Woodville, Ontario resident, Stephen Cameron recently picked up a super customized Daewoo Lanos 'Cyber SX' he won in a Toronto International Autoshow/Energy FM promotion.
Acura released preview photos of its DN-X concept sports which will be introduced at the New York International Auto Show on March 28th.
March 19, 2002 Chrysler will introduce a limited edition Town & Country eX Touring Edition minivan with a factory installed rear entertainment system. The new minivan will be in dealerships by April.
March 19, 2002 Motor rally fans will get a new perspective of the 2002 World Rally Championship (WRC) with Virtual Spectator's presentation on the Internet of the Spanish Rally in Catalunya, March 22-24.
March 19, 2002 DaimlerChrysler Canada is distributing copies of a new Canada Safety Council video "Driven to Distraction" to its more than 500 Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep retailers across Canada.
March 19, 2002 Subaru Canada has donated a cutaway version of its popular Forester model to the Transportation Department of the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT).
March 19, 2002 Westport Innovations Inc. of Vancouver announced today that it has won the inaugural Corporate Award for Technology Innovation and Application from the Globe Foundation and The Globe and Mail newspaper.
March 19, 2002 Speaking before the National Press Club on Saturday, Chrysler Group President and Chief Executive Officer Dieter Zetsche said that Chrysler quality was rapidly improving.
March 18, 2002 In a recent survey, CAA members threw price and practicality to the wind by selecting sports cars as their dream vehicles four out of ten times. The Porsche 911 was the Number One choice in the survey.
March 18, 2002 Three 2003 Pontiac Vibe AWD vehicles (each with a pair of Canadian journalists as driver and co-driver) cruised into the Granville Island Hotel in Vancouver last Thursday after driving over 9000 km of a unique, 10-leg, cross-Canada relay involving almost 60 Canadian media representatives.
March 18, 2002 The British Columbia Automobile Association (BCAA) looks forward to meeting its Okanagan members at its 69th Annual General Meeting, being held for the first time in Kelowna on March 21, 7:30 p.m, at the Grand Okanagan Resort and Conference Centre.
March 15, 2002 Beginning in the 2003 model year, General Motors will offer a refined, four-channel stability enhancement system - StabiliTrak - on all Chevrolet and GMC full-size utilities with the 5.3-liter V8 engine.
Honda Canada announced yesterday that the all-new, European built 2002 Honda Civic SiR three-door will be sold in Canada with the manufacturer's suggested retail price of $25,500.
March 15, 2002 Acura Canada today announced pricing on the 2003 3.2CL luxury sports coupe and 2003 3.2TL luxury sports sedan which will arrive at dealers in mid-March.
March 15, 2002 A new Special Edition has been added to the 2002 Subaru Legacy lineup. Situated between the legacy L and GT, the Special Edition will cost just $600 more than the L.
March 15, 2002 Yokohama has introduced a new performance tire for the enthusiast market - The Parada Spec-2 - available in 16", 17", 18" and 19" sizes in 35, 40 and 45 series aspect ratios, including three new sizes (205/40ZR16, 215/35ZR19, 225/35ZR19).
March 14, 2002 In low-speed crash tests, the bumpers on the new Mitsubishi Lancer, Subaru Impreza, and Volvo S40 didn't bump very well. Total damage sustained in four crash tests at 5 mph ranged from $2,515 to $3,169. The four tests conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety are front- and rear-into-flat-barrier plus front-into-angle-barrier and rear-into-pole.
March 14, 2002 Montreal-based Bombardier, the world's third-largest manufacturer of civil aircraft, has signed a major sponsorship agreement with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Indy Racing League that includes naming rights to the Speedway's landmark Pagoda control tower.
March 13, 2002 Magna Steyr, the total vehicle engineering and assembly subsidiary of Canadian-based Magna International Inc., has formally concluded an agreement to acquire the Eurostar vehicle assembly facility from DaimlerChrysler.
Intrepid Volvo traveller, Irv Gordon, is expected to reach two million miles in on his 1966 Volvo P1800 later this month. Irv's achievement will not go unnoticed: Volvo will honour him at their 75th anniversary party in Times Square on March 27th.
March 12, 2002 On Friday, Chrysler donated a fully-loaded 2002 Chrysler Sebring Convertible Limited for an auction at a fundraising event in support of the Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) & University of British Columbia (UBC) Hospital Foundation for the VGH Leukemia/Bone Marrow Transplantation (L/BMT) program.
March 12, 2002 Four Canadians have responded to a Dunlop Tire promotion asking people with the surname 'Dunlop' to change their surname to 'Dunlop-Tire'. Traci, Jason, Bill and Peter Dunlop all legally adopted the surname 'Dunlop-Tire' by the March 11th deadline.
Lincoln released the first photos of the 2003 Aviator mid-sized SUV, a luxury version of the recently-redesigned 2002 Ford Explorer. The 2003 Lincoln Aviator will be unveiled at the New York auto show in March.
March 12, 2002 The Porsche 911 Targa is back from a five-year hiatus and has brought with it a new collection of Targa merchandise and memorabilia.
March 11, 2002 MINI Financial Services has introduced a financial program designed to make it easier for young graduates to purchase or lease a new or pre-owned MINI.
March 11, 2002 GM Defense unveiled the first of more than 2,100 Stryker Armored Vehicles to be delivered to the U.S. Army over the next seven years. These vehicles will provide the U.S. Army's Brigade Combat Teams with a new generation of fast, agile and highly deployable light armoured vehicles.
March 8, 2002 Nissan Canada Inc. and local Nissan and Infiniti dealers have donated $200,000 towards a new automotive technician training centre at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT).
March 8, 2002 Mitsubishi Motor Sales of Canada, Inc. announced that Primus Financial Services Canada Inc. will provide financing for Mitsubishi Motors dealers and their customers in the Canadian market. Mitsubishi Motors will begin selling a full-line of passenger cars and sport-utility vehicles in Canada beginning September 2002.
March 8, 2002 Following the release of a J.D. Power and Associates survey on Wednesday stating that there is growing interest in gas/electric hybrid vehicles, Ford Motor Company released a statement confirming that their internal surveys reflect an equally strong consumer interest in hybrid vehicles, particularly SUV hybrids.
March 7, 2002 A recent survey by U.S. automotive research firm J.D. Power and Associates reveals that 30 percent of new-vehicle buyers indicate they would "definitely" consider a hybrid electric vehicle and another 30 percent indicate a strong consideration.
General Motors' full-size vans have been given their first major redesign in seven years. The 2003 Chevy Express and GMC Savana full-size vans have an all-new look, upgraded powertrains and improved safety and reliability - plus new features designed to deliver more for the commercial user.
March 7, 2002 The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has released a report on the implementation of the Alternative Motor Fuels Act of 1988 (AMFA), which encourages the development and use of methanol, ethanol and natural gas, and promotes the production of alternative fuel vehicles.
March 7, 2002 Autoweek magazine publisher, Leon Mandel III, passed away March 5th at his home following a long battle with leukemia. Mr. Mandel was publisher emeritus of AutoWeek magazine and a vice president of it parent company, Crain Communications Inc.
March 7, 2002 PartSource, a national chain of automotive parts stores, has announced plans to open three new stores in Southern Ontario this summer. PartSource is a chain serving do-it-yourself automotive enthusiasts and the wholesale automotive market (professional installers).
March 7, 2002 Goodyear has won an Automotive News PACE Award for its most durable off-road tire, the Wrangler MT/R. The tire won in the "product innovation" category of the award, sponsored by Automotive News and Ernst & Young LLP.
March 6, 2002 Researchers at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia have found that children who ride in the rear seat of compact extended cab pickup trucks are at a greater risk of injury than children riding in other vehicles.
March 6, 2002 DaimlerChrysler Canada announced the return of its Chrysler Showcase mall vehicle displays. The displays give mall shoppers a convenient way to see Chrysler vehicles and learn about them either from trained product spokespeople or electronic information kiosks.
Porsche revealed the first glimpse of its luxury sport utility vehicle, the Porsche Cayenne yesterday. The Cayenne is set to debut in the last half of 2002.
March 6, 2002 A reader survey by Automotive Engineering International has selected the BMW 7 Series as the "Best Engineered Car of 2002." The announcement coincided with the opening of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE International) 2002 World Congress, March 4 - 7, in Detroit, Michigan.
Two months after introducing the new Volvo XC90 in Detroit, Volvo Cars has introduced a glimpse into the future of the Volvo Cross Country.
The Saab 9X concept car has been named the Best Concept Car in the 2002 European Automotive Design Awards.
March 5, 2002 Prior to the market launch of the new MINI in about three weeks, BMW Group Canada is holding a series of exclusive, invitation-only VIP parties in Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto.
March 5, 2002 General Motors announced that the 2003 Chevrolet TrailBlazer EXT and GMC Envoy XL extended length SUVs will be available with an optional all-aluminum Vortec 5.3 litre V8 engine, GM's first Vortec V8 truck engine featuring an aluminum block.
The Chrysler Group announced it will build a production version of its Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible concept car.
A production version of the Chrysler Crossfire was shown for the first time yesterday at a Geneva Motor Show preview. Chrysler's new two-seat sports coupé will be introduced in international markets - in both left and right hand drive - in the middle of next year.
The Phaeton will begin to reach the market this spring and will be available with two powerful engines: the top engine is the new W12, a 6.0-litre twelve-cylinder unit developing 420 horsepower.
March 5, 2002 Popular actor/environmentalist Ed Begley, Jr. became the first retail customer of a Toyota RAV4-EV electric vehicle yesterday. Toyota began selling its zero emission RAV4-EV (electric vehicle) to fleet customers in 1997, but not to retail customers until this year.
March 5, 2002 Jaguar and Land Rover, now combined under the Aston Martin/Jaguar/Land Rover group in Canada, reported higher sales in February, mostly due to the success of the all-new Jaguar X-Type and Land Rover Freelander models.
March 5, 2002 Jaguar Canada has announced the Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Prices for its revised 2003 S-TYPE sedan range, which goes on sale May 6th.
March 4, 2002 The economy may be lethargic, but car and truck sales continued their vigorous pace in February.
Volkswagen took a prototype of its W12 sports car to the Nardo high-speed circuit near Lecce in Southern Italy on February 23rd and 24th, and again beat the existing world 24-hour speed record.
March 4, 2002 An article by the Swedish magazine "Vi Bilägare" which claimed that electromagnetic fields in Volvo cars were comparatively high has scared some Volvo owners and forced Volvo into offering a retrofit to reduce the electromagnetic fields by approximately 10 times.
March 4, 2002 BMW AG reports that 2001 was the most successful year so far for BMW's 'M' (Motorsport) division. Annual sales were 23,000 M-badged cars, including the M5, M3, M roadster and M coupe.
March 1, 2002 A U.S. federal court has refused to stop the use of the HUMMER grille design on the upcoming H2 model. DaimlerChrysler had maintained that the 7-slot grille conflicted with a Jeep grille trademark.
March 1, 2002 A report issued by the Children's Commissioner on February 26th which highlighted the tragic death-toll of young people in B.C. through car crashes, underscores the decision by the
British Columbia Automobile Association's (BCAA) to launch the BCAA Traffic Safety Foundation, said the BCAA.
Nissan announced plans to unveil the new Murano at the New York auto show on March 30th. Nissan described the Murano as a dramatically styled urban SUV, and said it will go on sale next fall as a 2003 model.
March 1, 2002 Torrance, California - Toyota announced plans to market a new group of automobiles aimed at a younger audience with the name 'Scion'. The first concept vehicles will be shown at the New York auto show on March 27th where plans for Scion will be announced.
March 1, 2002 The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has proposed new, more stringent tire performance requirements that would apply to all new tires for use on vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or less, and is seeking public comment.
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March 29, 2002
March 29, 2002
March 27, 2002
The U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety released crash test results yesterday for three small cars, one minivan, and one large pickup. The Subaru Impreza, Volvo S40 and Mitsubishi Lancer were rated 'good' with the Impreza and Lancer earning 'Best Pick' designations. The redesigned 2002 Dodge Ram pickup was also rated 'good', and the Kia Sedona was rated 'acceptable'.
March 19, 2002
March 15, 2002
March 12, 2002
March 12, 2002
March 7, 2002
March 6, 2002
March 6, 2002
March 6, 2002
March 5, 2002
March 5, 2002
March 5, 2002
March 4, 2002
March 1, 2002
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