Automakers on an electric charge

John LeBlanc

SPECIAL TO THE STAR

Despite the lack of a proper recharging infrastructure, limited driving ranges and the inherent extra costs to manufacture and own, automakers are still plowing ahead with the idea that electric vehicles will become a part of our driving future.

One such company is Germany's BMW. It has announced the 1 Series ActiveE concept that debuted at this year's Detroit auto show will be leased to up to 700 customers in "major global cities" over the next year.

The four-seat version of BMW's 1-series coupé will be the automaker's second test fleet of electric cars. Last year, 450 Mini Es were leased to selected BMW drivers in New York, New Jersey and California.

BMW claims the ActiveE has a range of 170 km on a full charge of its 170 hp electric motor and has an electronically-limited top speed of 160 km/h.

The ActiveE is part of BMW's development of environmentally friendly vehicles under its Project i initiative, a division developing low-emission, highly fuel-efficient concepts that was established in 2008.

BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer told Automotive News that the 1-series ActiveE electric car "lays the groundwork" for Project i's first car, the fully-electric Megacity Vehicle.After a lull, Chrysler prepares to ramp up production

Except for the new Ram heavy duty pickups, the Chrysler Group has virtually taken the 2010 model year off. And the lack of fresh metal – compared to a raft of new models from competitors – is hurting sales in the crucial U.S. market.

In February, Chrysler did end a 25-month, year-over-year, sales slide. However, compared with a 43 per cent rise for Ford and a 33 per cent upswing for General Motors, Chrysler's increase – less than 1 per cent – isn't anything to get excited about with 58 per cent of sales going to fleets, traditionally the least profitable vehicles sold.

While Italian parent Fiat has made promises that a flood of new, Fiat-based, small cars is coming, the first don't arrive until 2012 and 2013.

So what new product can Chrysler dealers expect to sell until then?

Looking at Chrysler's production starts for this year, the Mopar fan site, Allpar, reports the all-new 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee is first up, coming out in May.

The SUV will be followed in August by the 2011 Wrangler, which gets some styling upgrades and possibly new engines.

To combat all-new minivans from Toyota and Honda, "heavily revised" versions of the Dodge Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country are set to go on sale in late 2010, along with updated versions of the Dodge Avenger and Chrysler Sebring sedans.

By November, the redesigned pair of large sedans – the Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300C – will start to roll off their Brampton, Ont., production line.

And finally, the North American-made Fiat 500 goes into production in December, set to go on sale in Canada in early 2011 as a 2012 model.

Acura to unveil 2011 TSX Sport Wagon in New York

From the Better-Late-Than-Never Dept., Honda's premium Acura brand has officially announced that it will be unveiling its new 2011 TSX Sport Wagon at the New York auto show at the end of this month, with the first copies going on sale in Canada in late fall.

The current TSX sedan is essentially a North American version of the European Honda Accord, which has had a wagon version for a awhile now. But this will be the North American Acura brand's first-ever wagon.

With its main competition coming from wagon versions of the BMW 3-series and the Audi A4, the idea of a five-door version of the TSX sedan makes a lot of sense for those looking for something more fun-to-drive than a tall riding crossover, like Acura's RDX.

Honda won't confirm the drivetrain for the new five-door.

Whatever that ends up to be, expect to pay a premium over a TSX sedan, which starts at $34,885 for the 201 hp 2.4-litre base model and $41,685 for the 280 hp V6.

Toyota leads pack – when it comes to holding its value

How well a new car retains its original purchase price is an important part of any new car buyer's research.

For the consumer, higher residual values can reduce lease payments on a new vehicle, or can put more money in your pocket when it's time to sell. The opposite obviously occurs if the vehicle's value depreciates rapidly.

With that in mind, Canadian Black Book has released its fifth annual Retained Value Awards. And looking at the list of winners, import brands – especially Toyota – appear to hold their value the best.

For 2010, Canadian Black Book examined 2006 models. Winners were chosen in 17 segments based on actual value retained from the Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP), measured over that one-year period.

Model year 2006 Toyota vehicles dominated the winners' list with seven models; more than twice that of second-place BMW and Honda, which each had three vehicles chosen.

Of the 17 vehicles selected, the only domestic branded vehicle was the Dodge Sprinter commercial van, a badge-engineered Mercedes-Benz product.

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