New models at Montreal show

Gerry Malloy

SPECIAL TO THE STAR

Visitors to the Montreal auto show had the first opportunity in Canada to see a number of new models that made their North American debuts in Detroit last week.

Among the 2009 models debuting are the Chevrolet Aveo/Pontiac Wave twins, Dodge Journey, Jaguar XF, Nissan Murano, Pontiac Vibe, Toyota Corolla and Matrix (both Canadian-built), and Volkswagen Jetta TDI, Jetta Wagon and Tiguan.

Of particular interest are the introduction of three Canadian-exclusive models from Hyundai and Mercedes-Benz.

As part of its 25th anniversary celebration, Hyundai Auto Canada is reintroducing an Elantra Touring 5-Door (hatchback) model to the Canadian market for 2009. Although a similar model is sold in Europe, it will not be sold in the U.S.

To showcase the car's exceptional cargo capacity, it was revealed to the press with nearly 200 soccer balls inside.

Mercedes-Benz is showing two C-Class models that will be exclusive to Canada within North America: the C230 and C230 4MATIC. Both are powered by a 2.5-litre, gasoline V6 with outputs of 201 hp and 181 lb.-ft. of torque.

A new six-speed manual transmission will be offered in the rear-wheel-drive C230, which will have a starting price of $35,800. The all-wheel-drive C230 4MATIC, with 7G-TRONIC automatic tramsmission, will start from $39,500.

Among a large number of late-entry 2008 models making their first public appearance in Montreal are the BMW 1-Series Coupe, X6 and M3.

Also making its Canadian debut is Lexus's first legitimate M3 competitor: the high-performance Lexus IS F.

A small, rear-wheel drive sedan with an enlarged front clip, racetrack-inspired handling, and enormous stopping power, it boasts a 5.0-litre V8 engine producing 416 hp and 371 lb.-ft. of torque, mated to an eight-speed Sport Direct-Shift transmission that can be shifted in either manual or automatic mode.

CANADA RECONSIDERS BUMPERS

Most Canadian safety standards are identical, or nearly so, to comparable U.S. regulations. But there are differences – one of the biggest being in bumper protection requirements.

The Canadian regulations specifiy an impact speed of 8 km/h for the applicable test – twice as fast as for the equivalent U.S. standard.

That difference has vexed automakers for years. It has resulted in increased costs to Canadians for many models, and has kept several low volume but highly desirable cars out of our market altogether – cars like the Mitsubishi Evo and Pontiac GTO to name just a couple.

Now, Transport Canada has acknowledged that, "from a cost-benefit perspective, (the ministry) has been unable to justify why the Canadian bumper standard should continue to be more stringent than those of the United States or the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe."

It goes on to say that "the end result for consumers is a potentially smaller consumer choice and an increase in car purchase prices."

Accordingly, Transport Canada is considering a change in regulations that would harmonize our bumper regulations with those in the U.S.

Not only would that change be a boon to manufacturers, potentially reducing new vehicle costs, if retroactive it could also simplify the importation of many used vehicles into Canada – a significant consideration given the increased cross-border traffic in used cars since the dollar achieved parity.

DODGE JOURNEY UNDER $20K

Chrysler Canada announced at the Montreal auto show that pricing for the new-to-market Dodge Journey CUV will begin at $19,995 (excluding $1,300 destination).

The company says it is designed for customers ranging from young singles, couples and families with small children to mature families who want the flexibility of carrying passengers in comfort or storing all their gear.

Engine choices include a fuel-efficient 2.4-litre four-cylinder on the base SE model and a 3.5-litre V6 with six-speed Auto Stick transmission and dual exhaust on the uplevel SXT and R/T models.

The 2009 Dodge Journey will arrive in Canadian dealerships during the first quarter of this year.

GM, LEXUS WIN CAA AWARDS

The Canadian Automobile Association presented its annual Pyramid Awards for innovation in environment and safety to General Motors and Lexus.

GM's environmental initiatives earned two 2008 Pyramid Awards: for its new two-mode hybrid versions of the Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon and for the all-new Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid. GM has won the awards twice before.

The new two-mode system represents a new approach to hybrid technology, incorporating the hybrid drive system itself within the confines of a conventional transmission housing, resulting in fuel savings of up to 25 per cent.

The Malibu's simpler hybrid system, also used in the Saturn Aura and Vue Green Line models, brings many of the benefits of more complex hybrid designs to a mainstream car at a relatively low cost.

Lexus earned the safety Pyramid Award for its Pre-Collision system, introduced in the Lexus LS 600h L.

The system uses a millimetre-wave radar system and stereo cameras to detect obstacles in front of the vehicle, and correlates that information with data from a face recognition driver monitoring system to determine whether the possibility of a collision exists.

Once determined, the system co-ordinates the vehicle's braking, suspension stiffness and variable gear ratio steering to maximize their effectiveness in case they are needed to support driver evasive actions.

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