Friday, May. 10, 2013 9:00AM EDT

The problem: How do you convince buyers to pick electric cars?

JEREMY CATO

Electric vehicles surely have some sort of future, but not one in a landscape littered by innovative EV start-up companies feasting on government assistance and pent-up consumer demand.

Last week Coda Holdings filed for bankruptcy, a move that comes on the heels of the well-documented woes of EV maker Fisker, and the demise of Think. Tesla, another small EV company, remains viable, but is a relative pipsqueak competing against colossal car companies who have made massive investments in EVs and expect to someday get a return.

Wednesday, May. 08, 2013 11:00AM EDT

Kids today aren't buying cars like their parents did

JEREMY CATO

Young people are not particularly interested in cars, and that presents problems for the auto industry.

“(Young) people will not so much want to spend their money on cars but on the experience; car ownership will no longer be the rite of passage that it once was. We can see this trend on its way in Europe and the United States and car makers are going to have to look at how they manage this,” Dale Harrow, head of the automotive design school at the Royal College of Art in London, told www.just-auto.com.

Tuesday, May. 07, 2013 3:00PM EDT

Toyota a reliable money-making machine once again

JEREMY CATO

Toyota Motors is a back to being a reliable money-making machine, even if sales have stalled somewhat, particularly in Canada and the United States.

Reuters is reporting that Toyota is expected to post operating profit of around 1.3 trillion yen ($13.19-billion) for the year ended March, making this the company’s best year since 2008, when they posted an operating profit of 2.27 trillion yen.

Monday, May. 06, 2013 6:12PM EDT

A Ford fix is in the works

JEREMY CATO

Ford Motor has delivered something of a mea culpa regarding the company’s recurring glitches with recent vehicle launches – and there is a plan to fix the problems.

Certainly what’s been going on at Ford with recalls and such is no secret. Consumer Reports has been quite critical lately and a long list of embarrassing recalls has cast a shadow over Canada’s No. 1 auto company by sales: five recalls on the 2013 Escape, two on the 2013 Fusion and the delayed launch of the Lincoln MKZ among them.

Thursday, May. 02, 2013 2:39PM EDT

Now BMW wants to make the ‘premium mobility machine’

JEREMY CATO

If you haven’t been watching closely, you might have missed the sea change going on at BMW.

What has for so long has been a company living the slogan, “the ultimate driving machine,” is now busy transforming itself into what CEO Norbert Reithofer referred to today as “a multi-brand company devoted exclusively to premium mobility.” Huh?

Wednesday, May. 01, 2013 2:44PM EDT

Is there life in Lincoln, after all?

JEREMY CATO

Ford of Canada sold 54 MKZ sedans combined in January and February. Disaster. Then along came March: 124 sold. And in April, Ford’s Canadian dealers moved 136 MKZs. Is there life at Lincoln, after all?

Ah, no. Not yet. But perhaps the bleeding has stopped, which means the patient isn’t going to expire any time soon. Last month, Lincoln in Canada put together sales of 519 which, over 12 months, translates to 2013 sales of 6,228, seasonally unadjusted – or less than one-third of Audi’s Canadian sales in 2012.

Monday, Apr. 29, 2013 2:06PM EDT

March vehicle sales go out like a lamb

JEREMY CATO

When it comes to new-car sales, the results of one month can be nothing more than a blip. Two months? An aberration. But three months? Three months often makes for a trend.

The trend lines in Canada so far this year indicate a slowing market, with buyers shunning small cars in particular. More intriguing, both Honda and Toyota are struggling to move their core compact models off dealer lots.

Friday, Apr. 26, 2013 9:00AM EDT

The race is on to put fuel cell cars in showrooms

JEREMY CATO

So, is the touted fuel cell revolution real or just hype?

Here’s what we know. Mercedes-Benz has a timetable for selling a limited number of B-Class wagons powered by hydrogen fuel cells, notes Automotive News. The first ones will go on sale in a few markets in 2014, followed by a larger hydrogen-powered vehicle one or two years later. Honda Motor, Toyota Motor and Hyundai Motor are also aiming to sell new fuel cell vehicles as soon as 2015, adds the industry publication.

Thursday, Apr. 25, 2013 1:51PM EDT

Turbocharged cars don’t ‘sip’ gas in the real world

JEREMY CATO

The fuel-economy firestorm continues to rage, with Consumer Reports among the latest to add to an inferno of angry consumers who see no relationship between the figures posted on window stickers and real-world performance.

“The latest example of underperforming small turbocharged engines is the collection of 2013 Ford Fusions with EcoBoost engines – small, turbocharged four-cylinders with direct injection,” notes CR in a recent report which found Ford’s 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo (173 horsepower) turned in slower acceleration times than “competitive family sedans” while also delivering fuel economy “among the worst of the crop of recently-redesigned family sedans.”

Tuesday, Apr. 23, 2013 3:28PM EDT

Fuel cells a viable green alternative for cars once again

JEREM CATO

I had completely dismissed hydrogen fuel cells as a viable, affordable “green” alternative for light vehicles until I spent half a day touring Daimler AG’s big fuel cell centre in Burnaby, B.C., followed by a fascinating interview with the long-suffering CEO of former fuel cell darling Ballard Power Systems.