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A dealer's lot

The business case

It's tough being a car dealer

'It's easy to understand why Canada loses 30-to-50 stores to bankruptcy every year. The margin for error in operating a dealership is razor-thin'


MY BIKE

'It's the bike that I've wanted since I was 10!'

Actor Carlo Rota just bought himself a shiny new present. His Moto Guzzi California is a cruising-style bike, similar to the first motorcycle he saw in Italy as a child. His choice of cars is a little more practical.


QUALITY STUDY

Auto makers are stumbling with electronics

'Issues with difficult-to-use audio and entertainment controls and voice-command recognition failure are among the top 10 problems'


Car maintenance

'It's a good way to take the fear away'

Ladies Car Care Clinic is a free workshop designed to teach women the basics about car maintenance.

SATURN ASTRA

Saturn Astra

A few too many European idiosyncrasies

GM should know you can't sell a car with one cup holder in North America


LINCOLN MKS

2009 Lincoln MKS

A lithe and lean Lincoln

The problem: How to get Acura, Infiniti and Lexus buyers to think Lincoln


FORD FLEX

Ford Flex

A useful, potentially game-changing alternative

If you like the boxy styling, you'll be intrigued by the rest of it

 

GIFT GUIDE

Father's Day

What to get Dad

Feature Cars 

AUDI A3: Hatchback felt at home on the autobahn

Unfortunately the seven-speed automatic transmission, self-parking and several impressively fuel-efficient engines were all deemed unsuitable features for the North American market.

PREVIEW: Maxima's major makeover

The new "liquid motion" look is more rounded, bulbous and stylish

MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER: The crossover decade

Spacious, functional, and more practical than gas-guzzling SUVs

INFINITI G37: Good grocery-getter?

Not really. Instead, drive it the way it was meant to be driven

LAMBORGHINI GALLARDO LP560-4: Larger than life in Sin City

People gawk and point when they spot this new 560-hp fighting bull

PORSCHE BOXSTER RS 60 SPYDER: A wonderful play on Porsche's history

1960 was the year the 'dragon slayer' set the racing world on its ear

MERCEDES-BENZ CLS 63 AMG: The Julia Roberts of the car industry

Few could argue that Mercedes' CLS Class is anything but gorgeous

FERRARI 612 SCAGLIETTI: Super-priced supercar

At only $92,487.50 per seat, it's almost practical

ACURA CSX TYPE S: High-revving, tossable little pocket rocket

Few manufacturers can best Honda when it comes to small-engine technology


News 

AUTO BUZZ: Mazda extends RX-8 engine warranties

Stung by criticism about premature engine failures, Mazda has increased the warranty on all its RX-8 sports cars to eight years or 160,000 km; Hybrid sales tumble due to lack of supply; Ford offers employee pricing for pickups in U.S.; Keep eye out for Fiat 500 hatch.

Sirius Canada claims lead in satellite radio race

Company says past eight months mark fastest growth period in short history

Chrysler to market certified used cars on eBay

No. 3 auto maker follows GM's online strategy to lessen impact of lower new-car sales

Judge reserves decision on GM blockade

Company didn't consult on plant closing despite union's $300-million in concessions in contract talks, court told

Toyota promises plug-in hybrid by 2010

Vehicles with lithium-ion batteries will target leasing customers

Toyota to build hybrids in Australia, Thailand

Japanese auto maker steps up production of green cars with plans for Camry

How a stunning sales drop changed it all

U.S. market for pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles was collapsing even as the CAW was negotiating its new labour contracts

Program aims to send old clunkers to heaven

Multimillion-dollar program aimed at reducing smog and global warming

Teen drivers ignore cellphone restrictions

Even though several U.S. states have passed laws during the past five years restricting cellphone use by teenage drivers, they are ‘are difficult to enforce,' says study's author


One on One 

ONE ON ONE: 'From a flexibility standpoint, Oakville is right at or near the top'

Michael Vaughan speaks to Joe Hinrichs, group vice-president, global manufacturing at Ford Motor Co., about having the auto maker's good-news event upstaged by GM's bad-news event last week.


Alternative Fuel Sources 

ENVIRONMENT: Pollution from older cars, not new models, is the real problem

Many blame passenger vehicles for all the environmental problems we face, from global warming to air quality. Politicians are quick to join in taking shots at passenger vehicles — after all, they don't vote.

TECHNOLOGY: Nissan does 360 on alternative energy cars

Nissan may be leasing Toyota hybrid technology now, but it hopes to at least match, if not leapfrog, the market-leading green car efforts of Toyota and fast-rising GM with its ambitious plans to sell an electric by 2010.

ALTERNATIVE FUELS: GM 'absolutely committed' to hydrogen, but government action urged

The urgency of freeing society from fossil fuel dependency isn't widely understood, Larry Burns believes, because the subject is too complex for attention-grabbing headlines or titillating sound bites.


Motorsports 

TECHNOLOGY: Computer technology governs just about everything in F1 car

When Karl Kempf figured out a way to get a microprocessor on a Formula One car about 30 years ago, he didn't realize that it would change the sport forever.

JACKIE STEWART: Teammate's death 'had a lasting effect on me'

Three-time Formula One world champion Jackie Stewart's teammate François Cevert died when his car slammed into a barrier in Saturday practice for the U.S. Grand Prix at Watkins Glen, N.Y. in 1973.


Car Enthusiasts 

Drove like a dream, swam like a duck

The Amphicar was built from 1961-68, and can lay claim to being the world's only mass-produced amphibious passenger car

A good auctioneer helps the old cars go

New name in classic sales has Ontario roots


Motorcycles, etc. 

BIKE ENTHUSIASTS: Bike racing's unofficial track doctor

Steve Walker didn't set out to become Ontario motorcycle road racing's unofficial track doctor when he began his own competition career a decade ago; but a lot of riders have been more than glad he enthusiastically stepped into that role.

SAFETY: A wake-up call for all riders

If you're a motorcyclist, you've probably been thinking about Vancouver Canuck defenceman Luc Bourdon. The circumstances of his death in New Brunswick last month should be a wake-up call for anyone who rides a motorcycle.

SUPERMOTO: Fun for riders, a thrill a minute for spectators

If you want to get in on some grassroots, two-wheel racing with a huge entertainment factor and relatively minimal startup costs, supermoto may be right up your alley.


Cars and Drivers 

HOW IT WORKS: New Lexus engine blends race craft, technology

In yet another direct swipe at the established German competition, Lexus has a new sports sedan aimed at reversing the impression that Toyota's luxury brand does not build high-performance automobiles.

YOU & YOUR CAR: What can I do about a car-sick child?

Is our reader's child getting motion sickness because of Dad's driving, or is it something else? Another reader would like to know exactly how fog lights work.

HOW IT WORKS: Industry looks to electronics for safety gains

While work to educate people and make roads safer continues, it is obvious the real gains will come from innovation, research and development involving the vehicles themselves.

BETTER DRIVER: Time at the wheel is what counts

The problem is that teens associate experience with how long they have been licensed, not how much they have driven

YOU & YOUR CAR: Rust-proofing may be good idea for older car

One reader wants to know if he should rust-proof the used car he purchased recently; another reader wants to know the logic behind paddle shifters on high-performance vehicles.

ALL & SUNDRY: Two simple-to-use, hands-free devices

The MotoRokr T505 is a wireless link to your iPod; Sony Ericsson's bluetooth headset is unimaginably light and provides safer cell phone use in the car.


Buying Used 

Grand Am's replacement was responsive, nimble

After 30 years in GM's lineup, in one form or another, the Grand Am was a little long in the tooth by 2005. The athletic Pontiac G6 was a welcome replacement.

Models like this put car maker back on its feet

Infiniti's M45 was tagged by company officials as "the premium muscle car with brains" and was introduced in late 2003. This was the hot rod of Infiniti's 2004 lineup.


More Reviews 

NISSAN ROGUE: Mini Murano

Rogue's modest thirst for regular fuel good for eco-drivers.

BMW X5: Lots of value, if you can handle the price tag

"All the bells and whistles" adds $21,400 to the base price

FORD ESCAPE: New engines, tranny update best-selling SUV

The new 6-speed auto gives a 4- to 6- per cent improvement in fuel mileage.

LEXUS ES350: Classy, tasteful and grown-up

You can blame the Toyota Camry DNA for the lack of personality

AUDI S4: A pocket rocket ragtop...

... designed to get your heart pounding, the blood pumping and the wind flowing through your hair

CHEVROLET MALIBU: Malibu takes a back seat to none

After a long day at the wheel, Ted Laturnus found he got out of the car relatively refreshed and not bone-weary

VOLVO XC70: A beautiful wagon, but short on space

The crossover label is just spin: it's a station wagon that I could live with

AUDI A8: The only thing missing is snob appeal

The brand lacks the kind of cachet that commands unfiltered premium pricing

VOLVO S80: S80 lives up to Volvo's reputation for safety

The coolest feature: the flashing light in the side-view mirror warning of an obstacle in the blind spot

HYUNDAI SONATA: A great four-banger for the price

You can get up to 750 kilometres out of a tank of gas

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