This was inevitable. Volvo Cars has jolted the car market, announcing that every new model it launches from 2019 will be electrified in some way. If anyone ever doubted, it’s clear now that we are witnessing a global shift to electrified vehicles (EV). The internal combustion engine (ICE) that’s dominated the industry for more than …
Fiat brand in crisis
Some have argued that the 1957 Fiat 500, known then as the Nuova 500, was “a piece of genius.” That’s how BBC’s Top Gear put it, adding that because this car was so novel and innovative, the 500 “set the pace” for future bits of automotive brilliance like the 1959 Austin Mini. Indeed, Top Gear …
Nissan’s LEAF 2.0: room for improvement
Nissan has sold more than 260,000 LEAF electric vehicles (EV) since December 2010. As battery-powered cars go, one could argue the LEAF has been a rousing success. Nissan is the world’s No. 1 EV maker, period. Yet in the bigger picture, the LEAF has been a savage disappointment. Nissan had hoped it would ignite a …
The latest sales numbers: winners and losers in Canada
Canadians gorged on cars and trucks in May, buying a record 216,861 new vehicles, and breaking all previous monthly sales records, notes DesRosiers Automotive Consultants. Canadians have bought 835,582 new vehicles this year to date, a jump of 4.7 per cent year-on-year. Perhaps it was the wealth effect at play. Statistics Canada reports the economy …
July 25, 2017 | Commentary, First on the Grid 1 Comments (0) |
Tesla’s moment of truth is here
I drove my first Tesla many years ago in Los Angeles. I was appalled. The Roadster, a modified Lotus stuffed with little lithium ion batteries, was quick and nimble, but comfortable as a straightjacket, hot as a sauna and crude as a high school science project. For me, Tesla looked like a scam and its …
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