2020 New Car Sales Showed Strong Recovery After Initial Pandemic Shutdown

Auto sales across the country came to a halt last spring, as the public first went into lockdown over coronavirus fears. A drop so precipitous that some brands stopped reporting monthly sales entirely. But surprisingly, after April, when sales dropped by three quarters, the market recovered. Such a massive and quick recovery, that brands started setting sales records. One brand even ended up the year with more sales than 2019, which might be one of the biggest surprises of the year.

After a strong January and February, sales cut in half for March and dropped 75 per cent in April. Fleet sales, to commercial customers like daily rental agencies, were especially impacted. Kia Canada vice-president and COO Elias El-Achhab told us in May that only one or two automakers saw any fleet sales in April. 2018 data from GM shows fleet sales made up 25 percent of its total deliveries that year, so this isn’t an insignificant volume.

Fleet and commercial sales were slow to recover, though as GM Canada vice-president of sales, service, and marketing Sandor Piszar told us last week, “that’s the least profitable, on that side of the business.” He expects commercial, government, and small business sales to continue to improve into 2021, contingent, of course, on our handling of the virus.

Piszar said that retail sales, those to your average person walking in to buy a new vehicle, are “a high priority.” Those sales were extraordinarily strong beginning in the second half of the year as buyers returned in droves. Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra HD trucks saw retail sales up 59 per cent from 2019 while Buick posted a slight gain for the year in retail sales and Cadillac posted its best retail year ever, the only brand in the country to post a sales increase over 2019. Piszar credits the retail increases to customers heading outdoors.

“If I can’t go on vacation, I’m going to buy a camper and I’m going to drive across Canada. And to do that I need a new truck,” he said. GM picked up the most market share in 2020, up 0.8 percentage points to 14.2. Sales at GM, he said, were limited by inventory more than a lack of demand. “There’s no doubt that if we had more inventory on the ground we would have been able to sell more. [Dealers] across the country have done just an amazing job in serving our customers meeting their needs, and they have sold deeper into their inventories than ever before.”

At Ford Canada, Super Duty sales were up, along with other trucks and SUVs including the Explorer and Ranger, and though the automaker saw yearly sales down 16.4 per cent to 239,571, the fourth quarter saw very strong commercial van, Mustang, Explorer, and Ranger sales, showing that the market is recovering. Ford has the highest market share in the country and picked up 0.6 points this year to hit 15.6.

FCA Canada saw sales down 20 per cent for the year, to 178,752, but the fourth quarter saw sales rise five per cent from 2019 levels. Strong performers there included nearly every Jeep, the Pacifica van, Charger and Dodge Durango.

Toyota saw hybrid and PHEV models made up more than a quarter of sales in December, up 42.7 per cent for the quarter. The company as a whole, with Lexus, saw sales down 19.3 per cent to 191,420 for the year, with similar slides for Toyota and Lexus. Yearly highlights include the Highlander Hybrid more than doubling sales for the year and the Tacoma pickup having its best year ever moving 14,376 units.

Mazda saw nearly 80 per cent of its customers pick a crossover, with the CX-30 the company’s second-best seller in just its second year. Half of Mazda3 buyers picked the AWD option new to that car line. While the automaker was down 13 per cent on the year at 57,773, it saw sales rise 13 per cent in December including a doubling of Mazda6 sedan and 23 per cent increase in CX-5.

Hyundai posted record sales in four of the last five months in Canada. The brand’s total market share grew 0.4 per cent, an important figure, though sales were down for the year. The Kona has become the brand’s best seller hitting 26,651 for the year while all of Hyundai was down 15.7 per cent to 112,358. That closed the gap between the brand and Honda, which saw a larger 25 per cent drop to 125,962. Hyundai was just 1,500 units shy of Honda in Q4.

Kia posted a record year if you forget about April and May. Eight months of record sales including an August that was the company’s best single month ever. They posted one of the smallest drops for the year, just 5.5 per cent to 72,452 and had the second-largest sales increase for Q4, up 12.3 per cent to 18,519.

Volvo had the highest jump in the quarter, up 13.6 to 3,009 sales. Volvo’s year ended down 9.3 per cent at 9,213 and other luxury automakers including Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and BMW showed sales drops more than 22 per cent for the year, little changed in Q4.

Subaru was another surprise for the year, posting multiple record months, its best second half ever, and its highest market share ever. The Crosstrek was the top seller, up 54 per cent for the month to 1,848 while WRX STI and BRZ outperformed 2019. Subaru Canada marketing and product planning VP Ted Lalka credits brand reputation and its dealer network for the 2020 recovery “the product is number one. Number two, and I think this is a close second is the brand’s reputation, the brand’s reputation for things like value,” Lalka said. “Safety is really important to people these days. And they recognize Subaru more and more as a leader in safety which been acknowledged … with Top Safety Pick plus designations for so many of our models.” As far as stores, Lalka said that, “they have striven to provide the safe environment for people to have their vehicle serviced and to purchase new vehicles.”

Nissan saw it’s full-year sales drop of 33 per cent recover to just a 22 per cent drop in Q4, while luxury brand Infiniti saw sales drop 30 per cent for the quarter and nearly half for the full year. Volkswagen sold 49,830 units, down 28 per cent for the year with a similar Q4 impact, though didn’t break out by model.

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News Roundup: GM Bringing EVs to Ingersoll, New Ridgeline Here, New Hyundais Coming, More

Last week, General Motors announced that it would be starting a new division called BrightDrop to sell electric vehicle solutions aimed at parcel delivery services beginning with a van called EV600 and an electric pallet called EP1. Now GM has announced that (subject to ratification by Unifor members) it is planning to spend $1 billion on its CAMI plant in Ingersoll, ON to build the EVs. That conversion would happen by late this year, making it the first large-scale EV plant in the country. CAMI is currently home to the Chevrolet Equinox crossover, and it’s not yet clear if that would change as a result of the new electric vans. The BrightDrop EV600 vans are set to start in a trial with FedEx by the end of this year, and GM says it has letters of intent with multiple delivery companies.

The government of British Columbia has announced a new plan to help businesses acquire electric vehicles to replace combustion engine vehicles. The Specialty-Use Vehicle Incentive (SUVI) would give business incentives of 33 per cent of the cost of a clean vehicle up to $100,000 (up from $50k), including EV or hydrogen-fuelled buses, service vehicles, and some other special-use vehicles. Tourism companies, including restaurants and other hospitality sector businesses will be eligible for double the rebate; 66 per cent up to a maximum of $100,000 per vehicle for medium or heavy-duty vehicles. “Our government is committed to supporting the tourism sector by capitalizing on forward-thinking initiatives of our CleanBC plan to rebuild this resilient, but hard-hit, industry,” said Melanie Mark, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport.

BrightDrop EV600

The Honda Ridgeline pickup has been refreshed for 2021, including new styling, a new gearbox, and brighter headlights as well as a new Display Audio system with volume knob and interior updated with contrast stitching for all. Sport, EX-L, and Touring trims get a new dash, wheel, and center console accents. The 2021 Honda Ridgeline is on sale now, set to hit dealers in February, starting from $44,355 (up $1,650) for an AWD Sport model and running to $53,055 for a top-trim Black Edition.

BrightDrop EV600

Hyundai showed off a teaser of the Ioniq 5, the latest EV from the automaker that will also be the next expansion of Ioniq into brand and not just model. It’s based on the 45 Concept shown in 2019, a modern car inspired by the 1974 Hyundai Pony. It will use Hyundai’s new E-GMP platform that will underpin a number of upcoming EVs from Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis. Hyundai says 96 km of charge in about five minutes and a household-style 120V plug to run your stuff, though is saying little else. The official debut will come next month. Hyundai continued to make news through the week confirming that it would be building a high-performance version of its small crossover. The Kona N model will get a 2.0-litre turbo-four from the Veloster N which we expect to make the same 275 hp, paired with an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission.

BrightDrop EV600

The brand also expanded a recall first issued last year to cover 144,700 Tucson models built between 2016 and 2021 (except those with Smart Cruise Control) for an issue with the ABS system control module that could cause a fire. Hyundai will notify owners but is recommending they park outside and away from vehicles and structures until they get the fix.

BrightDrop EV600

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Base Camp: 2021 Subaru Ascent Convenience

Subaru was well ahead of its time in the ’80s and ’90s, offering a range of all-wheel drive cars long before the world traded out of sedans and into crossover-type vehicles. However, except for a brief dalliance over a decade ago, the brand hasn’t had an entrant into the burgeoning (and profitable) three-row segment. That changed when they introduced the Ascent.

Every Ascent, regardless of trim, receives a turbocharged 2.4-litre four-cylinder making 260 horsepower and mated to a continuously variable transmission. This is one car in which paying more doesn’t net the customer extra power. It’s all-wheel drive, of course, with a driver-selectable ‘X-Mode’ which fiddles with engine response and the allocation of torque to help you bust through that snowbank at the end of your driveway with extra zeal.

Subaru has done an excellent job allocating Ascent’s interior room, allowing stretch-em-out comfort in the first two rows and habitable space in the third-row Way Back. This is true for all trims, though this base model has a smidgen more headroom thanks to the lack of sunroof. Cloth seats are heated here, as are the side view mirrors. The brand’s excellent EyeSight suite of active safety features is also standard, including adaptive cruise control and lane keeping.

However, this Convenience model is the only one in the Ascent range to feature the sad-sack 6.5-inch infotainment unit bearing a screen smaller than most smartphones. It does come with satellite radio and Apple/Android functionalities, though. Also absent is push-button start, leaving owners fumbling with their keys, and various touch points like the steering wheel and door handles are wrapped in lower-grade materials than other Ascent grades.

Ascent’s paint palette isn’t especially broad but Subaru does have the good sense to offer something other than silver and white at no extra charge on this base trim, including the Crimson Red shown here. It’s easy to spot this cheapest of Ascent models since they are endowed with black side mirror housings and lack a set of fog lamps. At least the door handles are body colour.

What We’d Choose

Climbing to the next-rung Touring model requires taking a $5500 walk, not a small chunk of change by anyone’s measure. For that sum one does get better infotainment, a sunroof, extra interior lighting, and some cargo accessories. Push button start and rear seat controls for that row’s ventilation are also handy. If one plans to haul a trailer, know Ascent’s widely advertised 5000lb towing capacity applies to all trims except the Convenience due to its lack of transmission oil cooler.

Still, that considerable price delta will tack about $100 per month onto a five-year loan. None of these omissions, except the transmission cooler, affect the car’s performance. If you can live without a few minor creature comforts, and don’t plan to tow a heavy trailer, the entry-level Ascent is a compelling package.

Find rest of the Base Camp series here

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Review: 2021 Kia Sorento

With the 2021 Kia Sorento, Kia has decided to reimagine is popular mid-sized crossover, making it stand out from its predecessor. Which is not a bad idea. Kia had a banner 2020, having posted solid market gains and strong vehicle sales in Canada in a time when everything seemed to have been thrown sideways with the on-going pandemic. So, it only seems natural that 2021 should see the automaker take one of its most popular vehicles and give it a refresh for a crossover market that is the fastest growing vehicle segment in Canada.

This new 2021 Sorento is more than just a cosmetic refresh. First off, the look is a lot different from its predecessor. Where the previous Sorento had a softer and something of a rounder look, this new Sorento goes for an appearance that is more assertive. Not overly showy, but one that is sleeker and, in my tester – the Kia Sorento SX – one that is refined with a more modern-looking ‘tiger face’ with a wider front grille and LED headlamps and forward lightings giving this Sorento an eye-grabbing look. The hood design now wraps around the side of the Sorento and integrates nicely with the rear shoulder that enhances the length.

The new 2021 Sorento comes in six different trim levels: LX+, LX Premium, first ever X-Line, EX, EX+ and SX. All come with standard all-wheel drive and third-row seating. Four different alloy wheels, from 17- to 20-inches are now offered as well. Owners also get to choose from two available powertrains: a 2.5-litre GDI 4-cylinder with 8-speed automatic transmission that can put out some 191 horsepower and182 lb-ft of torque; and a 2.5-liter GDI 4-cylinder Turbo with an 8-speed wet dual clutch automatic transmission that can deliver some 281 horsepower and 311 lb-ft of torque.

Because I got to drive the SX with the 2.5-litre Turbo, I found I had plenty of acceleration and power when I needed it. The 8-speed wet dual clutch performed wonderfully, allowing for fast shift changes without any loss of power. While the acceleration was certainly not racecar fast, it was faster than what one would expect for a vehicle of this size. Suspension and handling were uniformly solid even in tight high-speed turns, keeping the Sorento firmly planted to the road, and luxuriously supple when taking winding country back roads as when the family and I took the Sorento into wine country; and even with the winter tires supplied the interior noise was mercifully quiet, even on the highway. You also get several driving modes to decide upon, such as Eco and Smart modes, Comfort mode and even Sport mode. I honestly kept the Sorento is Eco most times. Comfort mode was certainly nice, but I never really got to try out Sport. I did appreciate the terrain modes, such as Snow mud and sand. Being winter, Snow was the most useful as it provided the needed engine, transmission and all-wheel drive changes needed to improve grip and handling.

Because of the increased wheelbase the interior of the 2021 Kia Sorento feels a lot roomier, with plenty of legroom for the driver and passenger, and for two people in the second-row seats. The third-row, which can be dropped for extra trunk capacity, were fine; but be warned, if you are anywhere over six feet or long of leg, you might find it cramped. If you are a family of three or four, best to leave those seats down and use the space for groceries.

What most impressed me was the excellence of Sorento’s cockpit layout and connected display. Everything in my opinion is logically laid out to make finding what you need easy and with minimal distraction. At a quick glance I could find the controls for heating and cooling and adjust the temperatures accordingly. Top marks to Kia’s design team who worked hard to keep things simple. The Drive Mode/Terrain Mode selector made the choice between the modes simple, and the switches for the front seating heating and ventilation were clearly marked and simple to operate. No desperate searching about for where they might be.

My tester’s 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster changed appearance depending on the driving mode chosen, but what I most appreciated was the live camera view given when a turn signal is engaged. Some might think this is superfluous, but it is not. When making a turn in urban settings my greatest concern is with cyclists. In a moment a cyclist can appear beside you sending your hard pounding and your foot slamming onto the brake. This camera view allowed me to quickly see if someone was coming up beside me when making a turn. More vehicle makers should adopt this, and I even think it should be mandatory now. So high marks for Kia once again.

The 10.5-inch infotainment display was sharp and worked well, and comes with all the usual features one expects such, navigation support, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay support. Apple CarPlay was a bit buggy, but that is not the fault of Kia. Apple has been having problems with CarPlay across several vehicle makers. I did manage to get it to work eventually, but Apple really needs to fix this problem. And being something of an audio geek, I did like the vacuum tube display for radio stations, as well as the 12-speaker Bose sound system.

Review 2021 Kia Sorento

Review 2021 Kia Sorento

Like all vehicles today, the 2021 Kia Sorento comes with an array of safety features such as blind-spot collision avoidance, parking collision avoidance assistance, rear cross-traffic monitoring and avoidance, to name a few, and a head-up display that provides more than just vehicle speed, but information about what is always happening around the vehicle.

But the highlight in the new Sorento is the smart cruise control.

I have driven plenty of vehicles now with such systems, but this one by Kia is one of the best I have had the pleasure of using. It was simple to activate and married to Kia’s lane following assist and navigation-based SCC highway drive assist, it not only adjusted the Sorento’s speed and driving distance from vehicles in front in real time, but it also kept the Sorento firmly centred to its lane, even when the highway turned. You might think that with such a system you can let go of the wheel. If you do, the system will firmly remind you to put your hands back onto the steering wheel. Just because the Sorento is doing a lot of work for you does not mean you can take a break from keeping an eye on the road and needing to take charge if an emergency arises.

My only regret was giving the vehicle back. While 2021 has only just begun, the 2021 Kia Sorento is certainly going to be on my list of one of the best vehicles in its category for this year.

The vehicle was provided to the writer by the automaker. Content and vehicle evaluations were not subject to approval.

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Review: 2021 Kia Seltos SX Turbo

Seltos offers one of the most pleasant surprises of the year

Normally, when a new model or a new generation of a model trickles out to dealers in Canada, it takes a while before you start to see them on the East Coast. For some models, even mainstream ones, it has been the better part of a year of them on the road in Toronto before I saw the first one in Halifax. Maybe we don’t like change, or maybe we just don’t do shiny and new? But with the Kia Seltos, I started seeing them from nearly day one. Dozens of them in just a few months, and that had me intrigued. Was it thanks to a good offer from the finance office, or was this little crossover the real deal?

With the Soul and Sportage already in the lineup, it might not seem like there’s room for a model that’s just 100 mm shorter than the Sportage, but Kia has found an interesting spot. They’ve made the Sportage somewhat obsolete since the slightly bigger, 300 kg heavier model has less interior room in most dimensions including maximum cargo space. It’s an impressive feat, packing up to 1,778L of cargo behind the front seats but offering significantly improved fuel economy compared with its sibling. In a part of the country where a doctor visit or a trip into town can be three hours each way and gas is expensive, that’s a big deal.

More than just size, the cabin is extremely well laid-out. It felt massive inside compared with almost anything in this size range without actually being larger outside. Positively palatial, even for back seat passengers. An easy to read and reach infotainment system is quick and responsive. A separate shelf for phone charging frees up even more cubby space, and the door trimming is nicer than the Lexus I tested before this Kia.

Review 2021 Kia Seltos SX Turbo

Less well executed are the headlights. That signature light bar of SX reaching over the tiger nose grille looks cool day or night; the LED headlights below it were far from a bright spot, even with the high beams on. Handier is the automatic defrost logic for the automatic climate control that’ll clear your front glass as needed. Extra handy if you’re on the coast and temperatures near freezing combined with 80 per cent humidity and rain are the default winter weather.

Heavy on value,if light on the scale, heated front seats come standard on even base front-drive Seltos modes. Want your hands warmed and you’ll need to step up to EX (EX Premium to add ventilated front seats). But what you won’t need to do to get the luxury bits is get the more powerful engine. An EX Premium with the 146 hp 2.0L has every goody but a head-up display, which isn’t really needed thanks to the excellent digital dash, without the extra $2,000 of the SX Turbo’s price. The SX Turbo tested has a 1.6-litre and 175 hp with a seven-speed dual-clutch in place of the lower engine’s CVT, and with acceleration that’s just above average-feeling for the class with the Turbo you might find the 2.0L four on the sluggish side. The DCT wins serious points for being smooth even at ultra-low speeds while hunting for the best lights in the area, a place where most DCTs (and many conventional autos) suffer.

Seltos is packed with driver assistance features including Highway Driving Assist, a feature that adds speed limit data and lane guidance to the adaptive cruise control so it’ll follow changing speed limits on certain controlled-access highways, and guide you into the center of the lane. Like with many modern navigation systems, speed limit data is sparse in this part of the country, limiting the feature’s usefulness. Likewise, the lane following assistance had trouble with our narrow lane secondary highways and would pinball side to side, sometimes confusing the drop-off to the shoulder with a white line. Even on major routes, it seemed to try too hard to keep you exactly in the center and that meant it got turned off in a hurry. Fortunately, turning it on and off is exceptionally easy thanks to dedicated buttons. Even LX Seltos gets rear cross-traffic and blind spot alerts, a nice perk in this segment, with EX adding more accident avoidance systems.

The wide 10.25-inch screen on EX Premium and SX lets Kia put three different windows on screen at once, with each one large enough to use. Map left, radio center, climate control right, for example. You can split it into two, or just one wide one, though Android Auto won’t go full-width and instead leaves a right-side window with several display options. Mood lighting for the dash and front speakers can be set to a few colours or pulse to the radio for a cool disco effect that paired wonderfully with Christmas light cruising. Lower trims get a smaller screen that has the added perk of being in the dash not on top, which is good if you don’t like the pop-up screen look.

Review 2021 Kia Seltos SX Turbo

Review 2021 Kia Seltos SX Turbo

Less adventurous styling than the Sportage while still more interesting than most of its segment, a ride packed with standard kit and must-have options that are tough to find in the class, the 2021 Kia Seltos is a heck of a compact crossover package.

Tons of room, excellent ergonomics, and an optional infotainment system that’s also top of class. It’s a Herculean effort from Kia, and seeing it grab the number two spot for Kia sales in its first year is no surprise. I expect to see a whole lot more of them on Maritime roads, though they might not see me after dark.

The vehicle was provided to the writer by the automaker. Content and vehicle evaluations were not subject to approval.

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Review: 2021 Mini Cooper SE

Electric cars certainly have their appeal. They produce no emissions, they’re quiet, efficient, and powerful. I especially like the ones that look and drive like their gasoline counterparts, the VW e-Golf for example.

Now, there’s a new EV from Mini—the Mini Cooper SE—and I can’t help but get excited about it. The tiny British-German hatchback is the perfect candidate for an electric drivetrain and as an urban runabout EVs make a lot of sense.

I’m no EV fanatic, let’s set the record straight. I love the rumble of a V8, the zing of a good straight-six, and the raucous rip of a high-revving 4-cylinder. Each provides a unique sensory feast no electric motor can ever match.

But even I cannot deny that an ICE motor with its complex valve assemblies and hundreds of moving parts feels instantly outdated the second you drive an electric vehicle and experience smooth and instant power from a motor the size of a toaster.

I’ve driven my fair share of EVs over the last few years but I’ve never taken one home for a week as I do with most other vehicles I test. For one, I live in a condo with underground parking and no access to a plug point. And in my busy, tightly scheduled life I wasn’t sure how I would squeeze in charging time for an EV. Not being able to charge at home overnight was by far the biggest barrier for me.

That’s all changed now as more and more EVs enter production and charging infrastructure continues to expand. Near where I live, a number of DC fast or Level 3 chargers have popped up. They charge your car in minutes instead of hours and are the closest equivalent an EV has to a gas station pump. The more of these that come up, the easier EV adoption is going to get.

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this 2021 Mini Cooper SE but it ended up being one of the biggest surprises of the year for me.

It starts life as a normal 3-door Mini Cooper but under the hood an EV drive unit replaces the gasoline engine. A 32.6 kWh battery pack consisting of 12 modules in a T-shaped unit resides deep in the floor pan helping lower the centre of gravity, while not intruding on passenger or cargo volume.

The motor, swiped from the BMW i3, produces 181 hp and 199 lb-ft of torque. As with all electric cars, it produces nearly all of its torque the second you set off, giving this little Mini the feeling of being much more powerful than it actually is. The maximum range from a fully charged battery is rated at 177 km, and it can charge at a rate of up to 50kW when hooked up to a Level 3 charging station.

Mini specifies a charge time of just 35 mins to get from 0 to 80 per cent, when using a fast charger. If you plug in to a standard 110V outlet, it will take 26 hours while most level 2 charging stations will do the deed in about 4.

2021 Mini Cooper SE

On the outside, it looks like every other Mini. Electric yellow accents, a few plug point symbols, and a smooth grille cover are your only clues that this is something a bit different. Inside, there’s more yellow trim, a semi-digital gauge cluster, and standard navigation.

Everything seems fairly normal, but after just a short stint behind the wheel it feels like a revelation. On start up, there’s no creep and you have to prod the e-pedal to get going. Once underway, torque is instantaneous and plentiful. Floor it and your upper body will get pushed back into the seat like your driving a high-powered sports car. Release the go pedal and the Mini will instantly start slowing down and feels like someone just pulled hard on the e-brake. With the proper technique, you need never use the actual brakes. This heavy amount of regen braking helps convert kinetic energy back into electricity to charge the battery. A toggle switch allows you to set the regen to a lower level if you prefer.

2021 Mini Cooper SE

When you approach a corner and turn the steering wheel you realize that you’re still driving a Mini. That means nimble handling, negligible body roll, and sharp electrically assisted steering packaged in a diminutive little hatchback. As an urban car or commuter it is just about perfect. You do feel the extra weight from the battery pack but this car is all smiles and might be the most fun I’ve had behind the wheel of an EV.

It’s super-efficient as well, registering around 18.7 kWh per 100 km after a week of spirited driving during sub-optimal winter-like conditions. That 177 km range is also fairly accurate, dropping to about 160 km with outside temps just below zero. It has a heat pump that helps conserve energy and the aggressive regenerative braking when used properly could even help that range climb closer to the 200 km mark.

I charged it using Level 3 chargers exclusively, never spending more than 20-30 minutes at a time plugged in.

The Cooper SE is not perfect. It could benefit from more range, the cargo area is tiny, and a starting price of $39,990 means it isn’t cheap either. But even at that price, it’s cheaper than just about every other EV out there, and whole lot more fun. When you factor in the federal rebate the Cooper SE becomes even more attractive.

Mini is not going to be making many of these, as it’s their first go at it. But as a proof-of-concept they nailed it. If I were in the market for a Mini, this would be my choice without a doubt.

The vehicle was provided to the writer by the automaker. Content and vehicle evaluations were not subject to approval.

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Kia Outlines New Brand Purpose and Drops ‘Motors’ from its Corporate Name

Kia executives are looking at 2021 as the year the global automaker takes a lead position in the future mobility business and refocusing all parts of its business.

In early January, Kia signaled that new direction by unveiling a new corporate logo to represent the new direction the company wants to take. The new logo leaves behind the familiar three-letter Kia logo known to many and reimagines it in the style of a handwritten signature. Along with the new corporate logo, Kia announced a new corporate slogan as well: ‘Movement that inspires’.

In a live-streamed YouTube presentation, Ho Sung Song, president and CEO of Kia Corporation said the global automaker did a lot of introspection amongst its executives, employees and Kia owners to get a better idea of what people thought about its products and customer experience.

Because of the challenges going forward, “we needed to reinvent ourselves, so are starting with a new brand approach, corporate mission, business direction and design philosophy, and creating a culture that puts the customer first,” he said.

The next major part of that reinvention – along with the logo that consumers will notice – is the fact that the automaker has dropped ‘Motors’ from its corporate name. The dropping of ‘Motors’ is a signal that the automaker is putting its focus on the future of mobility technologies and services, and thinking beyond the automobile.

The company aims to take a leadership position in a wide range of EV technologies and mobility services, as well as a major push to popularize battery electric vehicles. Key to that will be the launch of seven dedicated battery electric vehicles by 2027 that will cover passenger vehicles, SUVs and MPVs covering several segments. It looks to have global annual sales of 500,000 battery electric vehicles by 2026.

Artur Martins, senior vice-president, head of global brand and customer experience at Kia said part of the company’s new direction is also putting a focus on improving the customer experience with the Kia brand and its vehicles. He admitted that consumers today do not have a positive experience with vehicle buying and Kia looks to change that, by giving consumers a more “meaningful experience” when interacting with the company, its products, and it dealer and service network.

Kia will reveal more information about the new design direction of its future products and services in the weeks ahead, with a new design philosophy that reflects the brand’s transformation.

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After A Banner Year In 2020, Cadillac Looks To Keep The Momentum

Don’t look now, but while so many manufacturers took significant hits throughout COVID-stained 2020 (DesRosiers Automotive Consultants recently announced a 19.7 per cent decline in total automotive sales in Canada from 2019-2020), Cadillac managed to buck that trend by achieving a 12.2 per cent growth in retail sales over 2019, making 2020 its best retail sales year in its history in Canada.

Spearheaded by strong sales for the XT5 crossover (Cadillac’s biggest retail seller in Canada) and the release of four all-new models over the course of two years (the XT4 compact crossover, the XT6 three-row SUV and the CT4 and CT5 sedans) the brand has also been the busiest when it comes to new model releases. It’s led to them now doubling sales of Infiniti and Lincoln and nipping at the heels of Acura, according to Shane Peever, managing director of Cadillac Canada.

Peever also says that’s just one of the big reasons for the brand’s success.

“For me, it comes down to three things,” he says. “Product, people and strategy. From a product standpoint, we have the freshest model line-up in the luxury industry.”

He also points to the fact that at the beginning of 2019, Cadillac said at the Canadian International Auto Show they had an “overt goal” that 2020 was going to be their biggest year in their history in Canada. In order to stay on-target as the COVID crisis hit, they quickly offered payment deferral, zero per cent financing on new vehicles, no payments for 180 days and are continuing to offer four years of no-charge maintenance.

They also took extra care to ensure that the dealers – this is the “people” part – had as much knowledge as possible when it came to properly cleaning their stores, their cars and how to conduct business under the strict new regulations that were being imposed – and often changed on a weekly basis – as governments scrambled in March and April to get the pandemic under control.

Peever also credits the Cadillac Live online virtual dealership experience for the brand’s success last year. “It was a major component,” he adds. “We were open at Live right through the entire pandemic. It played a crucial role in our success and it was a critical component of how we connected to customers and did business on their terms throughout the lockdown.”

Peever says that growth at Cadillac had been steady from 2013-2017; things did level off in 2018 and ’19, but Peever maintains that a big reason for that was the fact that over the course of those years, Cadillac lost three models, all sedans and coupes – the XTS, CTS and ATS – with just the CT6 arriving to replace the three of them until the CT4/5 arrived. After the CT6’s departure after the 2020 model year, meanwhile, those two vehicles now represent Cadillac’s entire sedan line-up.

We’re also seeing come to roost Cadillac’s “Y” strategy, whereby each model starts at the base of the “Y”, then branches out one way to the Luxury trim level, and the other to the Sport trim level – blacked-out grilles, carbon fibre interior inserts and so on. Peever says that the Sport models brought them many of their “conquest” sales – that is, first-time Cadillac buyers — and represent 50 per cent of their overall sales volume.

Of course, it’s one thing to look back on the success a brand has had, but it’s quite another to continue to build on that momentum. With the Lyriq EV Crossover and the high-performance Blackwing models of the CT4 and CT5 on the horizon, Peever still has much to look forward to from the brand.

“We’re very excited (about the Lyriq) because it will give us an opportunity to connect with the emerging (EV) market and those consumers that perhaps haven’t considered us as a brand before,” he says. “We’re looking for growth, and Lyriq will represent significant volume for us as a brand because it competes in the largest segment in luxury, that compact SUV segment.”

Speaking of future Cadillacs: the Lyriq is one thing, but how will the new gas-powered high-performance Blackwing versions of the CT4 and CT5 fit into a Cadillac landscape that’s sprinting to a world of EV power, like so many of its competitors are having to do?

“If you think about the luxury market,” says Peever, “performance is part of it whether it’s internal combustion engines or whether it’s EVs. Cadillac and General Motors have committed to an all-electric future with our triple zero mission (zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion), but that doesn’t mean that we’re still not going to be recognized as a brand for performance technology and driving dynamics. I think the two worlds can live together.”

Regardless, we’re keeping our eye on Cadillac for 2021 and beyond.

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Review: 2020 Volkswagen Arteon

After spending two full weeks driving one over the holidays, I’ve come to really appreciate the many virtues of the Volkswagen Arteon.

But there are two problems with that statement. One, I’m not currently in the market for a new car and, secondly, most Canadians who are don’t have the Arteon on their shopping lists.

And that’s a shame, because the Arteon is a really fine car. But the lack of interest in passenger cars among new car buyers in North America isn’t just an existential threat facing the Arteon, it’s a reality that confronts all sedans these days, including those with nameplates such as Accord and Camry.

No, those two aren’t going away – yet. But the segment they occupy is shrinking at an alarming rate. Less than a quarter of new cars sold currently sold in Canada are passenger cars. When asked, automakers remaining in the sedan space have told me they’re staying (for now) because the segment is still big and their cars sell well enough, particularly in the U.S., to justify their existence. The question is for how long?

Which brings me back the Arteon, Volkwagen’s flagship sedan that was introduced as an all-new model in 2019 and is freshly face lifted for 2021. While the two aren’t related, the Arteon essentially replaced the CC in the lineup after it bit the dust in 2017. All units sold in Canada come in Execline form, which is Volkswagen-speak for fully loaded. The only powertrain on offer is a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine (268 hp / 258 lb-ft) paired with an eight-speed paddle-shift automatic transmission and Volkswagen’s 4Motion all-wheel drive system.

Built in Emden, Germany on the company’s modular transverse matrix (MQB) platform that underpins just about every vehicle Volkswagen sells (except for the North American Passat, a car whose days really are numbered), the Arteon is long and wide with the lines of a coupe but with the interior space of a sedan.

The Arteon is about as close as a Volkswagen product can get to being an Audi without carrying the four interlocking rings badge. From its sleek proportions to its austere, but very well appointed, interior the Arteon is unlike any Volkswagen I’ve ever driven.

A sleek design that features full LED lighting at all four corners, along with standard 18-inch wheels is complimented by an interior with a long list of standard amenities including two-tone leather seating, configurable Volkswagen digital cockpit, eight-inch multimedia touchscreen, heated and cooled front seats, heated rear seats, heated steering wheel, power liftback, moonroof and a lot more.

Review 2020 Volkswagen Arteon

The pre-facelift 2020 I drove is a Urano Grey press unit finished in Valencia Brown and Titan Black leather with no options and is one of few such vehicles I’ve driven with no extras. And, honestly, I couldn’t think of anything this car didn’t have that I would’ve added if I were building my own.

The Arteon’s cabin is spacious, comfortable and pleasingly straightforward to navigate. The digital instrument cluster takes some time to become fully familiar given its deep configurability, but everything else is in line with automotive convention, and I mean that in the best possible way. The wide array of mechanical knobs and buttons for stereo and climate controls are ideal for reducing distraction and I didn’t have to go searching for anything. Sadly, things on this front are changing for 2021. More on that shortly.

On the road, the Arteon’s 2.0-litre turbo four won’t give anyone whiplash, but it hustles the Arteon along well in city and commuter traffic. The transmission sport option and drive mode setting sharpen throttle response somewhat, but not to a great degree. Despite its looks, the Arteon is no stealth fighter. Instead, it offers good everyday performance, secure handling, a comfortable ride and relatively quiet cabin. As much as I love performance, most buyers in the segment aren’t buying a car like the Arteon for that reason.

Before wrapping up, I’ll touch on changes in store for the 2021 Arteon, which is available at Volkswagen dealers now. In addition to a revised grille and front and rear fascia updates, the ’21 also sports a redesigned centre stack. Gone is the analogue clock and physical buttons used for climate controls. In their place is a touchscreen, which resembles units used in newer Audis.

Review 2020 Volkswagen Arteon

Interestingly, Volkswagen Canada is also eliminating the Arteon’s two option packages for bigger wheels and R Line kit. For ’21, 20-inch wheels and R Line equipment (badging, steering wheel, etc.) come standard. As a result, the Arteon’s base MSRP has jumped to $52,995.

Having seen photos of it, I must say the 20-inch wheels and R Line goodies make the Arteon look even sexier, but an extra $3,000 is a big increase. Paring back options can sometimes foreshadow a car’s demise, and while Volkswagen hasn’t commented publicly on its future, if Arteon sales were higher there would likely be more choice on the table. A price tag north of $50K could hurt the car’s limited appeal significantly, but with only 456 sold in 2019, Volkswagen Canada doesn’t have much to lose.

And so it goes for the mid-size sedan in North America. Fewer trims and options, but better than nothing at all. The Arteon is a good car with a lot of utility and content that would make for a good family vehicle, but few appear willing to put their money down. A sign of the times perhaps, but a car as good as this one deserves a better fate.

Review 2020 Volkswagen Arteon

The vehicle was provided to the writer by the automaker. Content and vehicle evaluations were not subject to approval.

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Review: 2021 BMW M440i

Very few new automobiles that were released in 2020 have garnered as much controversy as the 2021 BMW 4 Series. If there’s an unwritten rule among the BMW faithful, is that fiddling with the kidney grille is a sacrilegious act; one BMW has taken the liberty of undertaking with little remorse about how its owners would react.

Personally, I’m only starting to be at peace with the new, vertically inclined and very large schnoz. It did however attract a lot of eyeballs wherever I drove the car. But perhaps what stayed with me the most after driving this second-generation 4-Series was the realization that it has more than ever distanced itself from the 3-Series sedan on which it’s based. For better or for worse.

While riding on the same modular, and frankly brilliant, CLAR architecture as the 3-Series and identical 2,849-mm wheelbase, the new 4-Series is a full 58 mm longer, 25 mm wider and 40 mm lower than its sedan twin. It’s also a considerably heavier machine, weighing in at a girthy 3,986 pounds (1,808 kg). This makes it a full 173 pounds heavier than a 3-Series.

And while that front end may look sort of weird, there’s no denying the resemblance to the larger 8-Series, especially from the side profile. Although this 4-Series doesn’t resemble a Ford Mustang as much as its big sister, which is good-news for 4-Series owners.

It’s fair to say, then, that BMW wants everyone to know that its new 4-Series is no longer just a two-door 3-Series. It’s a full-on grand tourer now, a car whose rear seat is finally usable thanks to vastly improved head and leg clearance.

The model you see here is the top-flight M440i, the most potent iteration of the model before entering M4 territory. While entry-level cars – which wear the 430i nomenclature – are powered by a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder good for 255 horsepower and 294 lb-ft of torque, this M440i gets BMW’s excellent turbocharged 3.0-litre straight-six. It’s an engine that also powers the Toyota Supra, M340i and Z4 M40i, also known internally as the B58.

Power is rated at a class-competitive 382 horsepower and 364 lb-ft of torque. All of it is mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission sourced by ZF in Germany, while BMW’s xDrive all-wheel drive system comes standard on all models sold in Canada.

What’s more, the M440i is equipped with a 48-volt mild hybrid system that contributes to adding 11 horsepower to the engine, as it’s building boost. Acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h is therefore claimed by BMW in just under four seconds, which is downright mind-blowing for this category of cars. Remember, this isn’t even the M4 yet.

2021 BMW M440i

So yes, the M440i is blindingly quick off the line, and its impeccable automatic transmission quickly makes you forget a six-speed manual is no longer available. Unfortunately, the car’s driving dynamics don’t quite match the visceral delivery of power.

I’m not saying the M440i isn’t a great performer on a twisty road, because it is. It’ll provide grip for days and its ability to carry speed effortlessly as you bathe in a comfortable, highly functional and impeccably put together cabin remains a BMW strongpoint. What I’m all about is that the steering wheel simply doesn’t feel as connected to the car anymore. There’s an annoying rubberized feel here that you don’t get from an M340i. This means you can’t commit to an apex with the same kind of confidence as in the former car.

Perhaps the lack of tactility comes from BMW’s variable-ratio steering rack whose quick ratios amplify the artificial feel, but it sure as heck isn’t as precise as what I’ve sampled in other Bavarian-built sports coupes. Could this be BMW’s way of further enforcing the 4-Series’ grand tourer pretentions?

Not sure, but there’s no denying that this 4-Series now focuses on enveloping its passengers in a cocooning experience rather than connecting its driver to the road. And in typical BMW fashion, the 4-Series excels at providing a full array of customization options to its driver, from BMW’s fully digital gauge pod, to the always pleasant and intuitive iDrive infotainment interface. The M440i’s drivetrain is also immensely efficient, even with this much performance on tap. Activate its thriftiest EcoPro setting, and it’ll happily return fuel consumption averages that are below 10L/100 km.

That all being said, there’s no denying that the end product is very well executed, all while allowing the 4-Series to finally stand tall as its own bespoke model.

Back to that new grille: while I absolutely hated it when it was first released, I can’t help but admire BMW for taking such a risk. As the saying goes: regardless if you speak about it positively or negatively, what counts at the end of the day is that people are talking about your product. And folks love yapping away about how they feel about this new face. Perhaps this is the result of marketing genius from BMW? Only time will tell us if this new styling direction was a hit or a miss.

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