Auto News 5

Extreme performance summer tires are designed for sporty driving during the hot season.

They feature an ultra-aggressive tread design; however, like all summer tires, they are not suited to ride at temperatures near the freezing point, let alone on snow and ice.


Article provided by PMCtire.com

It's that time of year again: Vacationers are busy returning home and buying school supplies for their kids. Drivers are being warned by the police to watch out for the legions of young students that will cross the streets all over the city, be it at intersections or between parked cars. I'd like to jump in as well and remind you to pay extra attention.


You should note that many streets around schools and playgrounds have a speed limit of 30 km/h, but only on weekdays between 9-and-5 from September to June. However, a number of children at various levels will return to school as early as next week (heck, some already have).

Ecstatic to renew ties with their classmates, they often forget about basic safety rules even with school crossing guards nearby. Drivers need to be careful to avoid accidents, especially at a time when the increased traffic seriously grates on their nerves.

Does the summer heat make us all forget our usual morning routine? How come we have to wait until October (at least) for everything to return to normal?

When you approach a school area, make sure to observe the speed limit and double-check at every street corner. We're not too old to remember what it's like to be a kid and feel like you can do just about anything, and run around just about anywhere because the world will stop for you. Also, keep in mind that some of those crazy youngsters like to ride their bicycles to school.

And for the love of God, do not drive by an idling school bus with the stop sign activated. Not only will you save about nine demerit points and a big fine, but you will also help those little boys and girls safely arrive at school, and later back home. Thank you!

BMW's DriveNow car sharing service is about to make the jump to North America. Unsurprisingly, California has been chosen as the inaugural destination.

A total of 70 BMW ActiveE electric cars will be located at nine DriveNow stations across the entire city of San Francisco. Customers can register online or in person, allowing them to locate and reserve an available vehicle via the DriveNow website or mobile app.

On the road, drivers can easily locate the nearest charging point should they need to charge the vehicle - at no cost - during their unlimited rental. Also, 14 dedicated ParkNow stations are currently set up in and around San Francisco.

DriveNow was originally launched in June 2011 and now has around 45,000 members. This fall, Cologne will become the fourth German city to offer the car sharing service after Munich, Berlin and Düsseldorf.

Photo: BMW

Making a sick child's dream come true is to provide not only hope and joy, but also a reason to keep fighting. Once again this year, the entire team at Auto123.com is supporting the Make-A-Wish Foundation in Quebec.

What kind of dreams are we talking about here? Well, something magical, and something that any normal kid wishes for - a long vacation with their family, meeting an idol, doing a photoshoot, swimming with dolphins, etc.

These kids dream of leaving the hospital for good and fully enjoying what life has to offer.

Since we believe that anything's possible, three teams of riders will take part in the 48-Hour Ride For Wishes on September 14-16, 2012. For this edition of the annual fund raiser, the organizers hope to reach the million dollar mark.

Photo: Mathieu Germain

The six members on each team will take turns on Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Montreal - and each one has to ride for a minimum of eight hours, day and night, and raise at least $600.

As of today, August 21, we are currently sitting at 63% of our collective goal, which is to raise over $10,000 to make a sick child's dream come true.

If you'd like to make a donation to one of our teams (or better yet, all three!), click on the links below. The deadline is September 16th and all donations are eligible to a tax credit.

• Team 1
• Team 2
• Team 3

The participants in the 48-Hour Ride For Wishes 2012 are: René Fagnan, Mathieu Germain, Jacques Bérubé, Philippe Champoux, Josée Paquet, Sébastien D'Amour, Sharon Go, Peter Kovalcik, Roxanne Thomas, Guillaume Serrat, Yan Renaud, Martin Paquette, Maxime Gibeau, Ghislain D'Amour, Frédéric Feudi, Jacqueline Fillion-Robin and Marie-Ève Leroux.

Designed for sport utility vehicles (SUV), crossover utility vehicles (CUV) and pickup trucks, these all-season tires feature an aggressive-looking tread design and provide good year-round versatility. However, they are not suited to ride in deep snow and at temperatures below -7° Celsius.

Performance tires come in large sizes with low profiles and prove to be a great alternative to OEM tires. They also give the vehicle a sportier look.


Article provided by PMCtire.com

All-season tires offer year-round versatility, good ride quality and high durability. This segment also includes grand touring (GT) tires for luxury and/or performance cars.

Drivers can use all-season tires any day of the year except in provinces where winter tires are mandatory. Of course, handling on snowy or icy roads is average at best.


Article provided by PMCtire.com

DEARBORN, Michigan - When Ford launched its "Power of Choice" tour, its onslaught of products was rounded off with the inclusion of their first, all-electric vehicle. The tour, which proved that there was no single solution to our ongoing quest to reduce fuel consumption and toxic emissions, offered a variety of choices to suit the various needs of consumers.


The Focus EV is a jaunty little hatchback with a face that eerily resembles something from the Aston Martin design studio.

Ford's first all-electric vehicle, the Focus EV, boasts a new 240-volt home charging system that will recharge the battery in three hours -- half the time of competitor, Nissan LEAF. Using 120 volts, however, it takes about 20 hours to fully charge the 23 kW lithium ion battery pack.



The electric Focus has no tailpipe and no exhaust, therefore, no emissions whatsoever.

Over at Ford's small Dearborn proving grounds test track, we had a chance to experience the all-electric Focus at a little faster pace than we would on city streets.

Unlike some of the purpose-built EVs that start with a clean slate, the electric Focus evolved from a car that was already pretty fun to drive. Although the LEAF's design makes better use of space -- hiding the battery pack beneath the floor not only frees up room, it also provides an excellent centre of gravity -- it's rather devoid of character when compared to the frisky Focus EV.

The electric Focus evolved from a car that was already pretty fun to drive. (Photo: Ford)

Other than a trunk that's been compromised by the intrusion of the large battery pack, and of course that distinctive new face, the electric Focus differs little from its conventional gasoline counterpart. There's none of the unsettling weirdness that we've come to associate with electric vehicles, in fact it's a good looking little hatch.

As for the driving experience, it's completely conventional, other than the eery silence and myriad displays. The conscientious, energy-conserving driver is rewarded with an info screen full of butterflies -- inspired by the "butterfly effect" wherein small things (such as the old adage of a butterfly's flapping wings disrupting the weather) can cause big change in an eventual outcome.

Watching the energy flow back to the battery on the brake regeneration display seems to impart a strangely compelling need to drive conservatively and coast whenever possible.

The conscientious, energy-conserving driver is rewarded with an info screen full of butterflies. (Photo: Ford)

Initially, there's a somewhat odd feeling of waiting for the single-speed transmission to swap ratios as it just continues to accelerate in a smooth progression.

The electric Focus is powered by a 141 hp AC motor mounted between the front wheels. Torque output is 188 lb-ft, and acceleration is somewhat leisurely. However, the steering is sharp and the Focus feels solid and refined with enough stiffness that there's no discernible body roll in fast corners.

With a range of up to 160 km, the $41,199 Focus EV is well-suited to the urban dweller, folks with a longer commute would probably be better served by a plug-in hybrid or one of the EcoBoost powered vehicles.

Ever since Chrysler unveiled its 2005 300 sedan, I've been telling all who'll listen that I believe this car to be the sharpest-looking vehicle we've seen materialize in the past decade or so.

Yes, that Ralph Gilles fella did an amazing job designing the 300 as it truly is a coat of many colors. In white, or that silky-smooth cream, you have yourself a Bentley lookalike which appears worth twice the amount you actually paid for. Some bright red paintwork turns the 300 into a four-door sports car, and black makes it look all sinister and for the want of a better description, mafia-like.

Of course, then came a complete redesign for 2011, and my hand went straight to my forehead. Why would anyone play around with such a magnificent piece of automotive design?

Well, to my astonishment, they knocked it out of the ballpark again because the redesigned 300 looks superb, and every bit the worthy successor to the former model. So what's next?

Well, you produce a few limited editions which tweak the vehicles further in one direction or another. Which is why, at a recent Chrysler product test day, I simply had to jump behind the wheel of the Mopar '12 300.

Mopar '12 300 (Photo: Kevin ''Crash'' Corrigan)

Of course, the name Mopar (MOtor and PARts) has been around since the 1930s, yet it wasn't until the muscle-car era of the 60s that it became firmly entrenched in its association with performance parts. Since then, it has become the byword for power within the Chrysler family and the ‘12 Mopar 300 certainly lives up to this reputation.

Instantly recognisable as a Chrysler 300, its stylish blue pinstriping provides just a hint to this being something slightly different from the norm. Of course, if you didn't quite get that, the menacing 20” black & blue rims further edge towards this being something special. Subtle yes, but just in case there was any doubt, there's a shiny Mopar badge on the trunk lid which says it all.... You've just been well and truly Mopar'd!

Yes, powered by the faithful 5.7L HEMI V8 (363 hp) with its fuel-saving, cylinder-deactivation technology, the '12 Mopar 300 sports a rear differential ratio of 3.91:1 (instead of the 3.06:1), which allows 0-to-100 km/h launches to take place in the low 5-second range. Now that's super quick for a vehicle of its size and weight, but this vehicle is more than just a straight-line dragster!

The Mopar '12 300 features performance-tuned suspension with 42 percent stiffer front and 23 percent stiffer rear springs (compared to Chrysler 300 models with the touring-tuned suspension). It also features stickier P245/45R20 Goodyear Eagle F1 tires and dual-piston front and single-piston rear callipers, so it corners, grips and stops as well as it starts.

It's a rather large vehicle, yet jostle the shift lever in its manual-mode gate, and this puppy becomes a playful Pitbull. The handling prowess of a vehicle this large needs to be experienced to be believed, as does its bullet-like acceleration. In many ways, this is a real sleeper vehicle, as you could pass by it without realizing what it was. However, precisely the same could be said of it as it passes you. As in, what the (bleep) was that?

Yes, I like Mopar Edition 300, I like it a lot. It's a shame that it's not offered in Canada.

Mopar '12 300 (Photo: Kevin ''Crash'' Corrigan)

General Motors has redesigned the OnStar buttons in 2013 vehicles to better reflect software updates, the company said today.

The first mass-production version of the new 2013 model year Honda Accord, the most important new vehicle for Honda this year in the United States market, rolled off an Ohio assembly line today.

Also in this episode: Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas triumph in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series, and

Volkswagen opened a $27 million technical center in California today to expand its engineering capabilities in the region as part of a push to accelerate U.S. sales.

Hyundai launched the third generation of its Santa Fe SUV on Aug. 20.

General Motors is recalling a family of SUVs, including the Chevrolet

Bugatti unveiled a special version of its Grand Sport Vitesse at the The Quail on Friday. The drop-top is meant to pay homage to the Type 37A, built in 1928.

A 1928 Mercedes-Benz 680S Saoutchik Torpedo finished in German Chassis gray has taken top honors at the 2012 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. The car is owned by Paul Andrews of Fort Worth, Texas, and was restored by Paul Russell and Co.

A spokesperson for Kia Motors has explained how a mid-life update for the Sorento can be claimed to include a 'completely new' platform.

Infiniti vehicles will look lighter and thinner as new and facelifted designs appear through this decade, starting with the next G series in the 2014 model year.

The 1994 Honda Accord was the most frequently stolen car in the United States in 2011 for the fourth straight year as the vehicle's popularity and lack of security features made it a favorite among thieves.

PSA/Peugeot-Citroen could be dropped from France's CAC 40 stock market index, traders and analysts said. PSA's market capitalization has shrunk to 2.4 billion euros ($3.1 billion), or about one-fifth of Renault's value of 11.2 billion