Civic and F-Series top vehicle sales in April

The Honda Civic and the Ford F-150 once again topped light-duty vehicle sales in Canada in April, according to industry analyst Dennis DesRosiers. Overall, 175,205 passenger cars and light trucks were sold in Canada in April 2008.“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” DesRosiers said. “Sales of small, fuel-efficient vehicles were up 18.9 per cent during the month, and are up 17.3 per cent for the year to date. Sales of less fuel-efficient, midsized vehicles were down 14.9 per cent for the month and are down 2.3 per cent year-to-date. Indeed, on a year-to-date basis, large/luxury/sports cars are down 4.4 per cent, pickup trucks are down 3.5 per cent and large vans are down 11.2 per cent. It is entirely possible that sales of every segment except small, fuel-efficient vehicles could be down in 2008, with unintended consequences all over the place.”The top-ten best-selling passenger cars in April 2008, in order, were the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Toyota Yaris, Chevrolet Cobalt, Hyundai Accent, Pontiac G5, Toyota Camry, Nissan Versa and Toyota Matrix.Year-to-date to the end of April, the top ten were the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Toyota Yaris, Chevrolet Cobalt, Pontiac G5, Hyundai Accent, Toyota Camry, Nissan Versa and Ford Focus.The top-ten light trucks in April, in order, were the Ford F-Series, Dodge Ram, Dodge Caravan, GMC Sierra, Chevrolet Silverado, Ford Escape, Ford Ranger, Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V and Chevrolet Uplander.The top ten year-to-date were the Ford F-Series, Dodge Ram, Dodge Caravan, GMC Sierra, Chevrolet Silverado, Ford Escape, Ford Ranger, Honda CR-V, Chevrolet Uplander and Toyota RAV4.

Aston Martin brings record price at auction

A 1961 Aston Martin DB4 GT coupe has sold at auction for £1,079,500, a new record at auction for the model. The coupe was sold in support of the Aston Martin Heritage Trust by specialty auction house Bonhams at Newport Pagnell in England. Since the first auction in 2000, more than £14 million worth of Aston Martins and related memorabilia has been sold.One of only 75 built, the DB4 GT is considered the most sought-after of the David Brown Aston Martin road cars.“We’ve hosted the event at Newport Pagnell for the past eight years, with a growing number of owners and enthusiasts from around the world joining us,” said Kingsley Riding-Felce, Aston Martin’s director of Works Service and Customer Care. “The record prices achieved at this year’s auction are testament to Aston Martin’s illustrious heritage, the iconic status of the cars and the growing international interest in the Aston Martin brand.”Also entered in the auction were two specially-numbered imperial gauge bricks from the historic Aston Martin factory; both sold for £5,000 each, with funds going to the Heritage Trust. Additional bricks from a limited number of 1,500 were also sold, raising more than £3,500 for Willen Hospice, which provides specialist care for adults with cancer or other life-limiting illnesses.

Ferrari sets record at RM Auction

A 1961 Ferrari California Spyder, formerly owned by actor James Coburn, set a world record for a vintage car at auction when it sold for US$10,894,900 at a sale held by Ontario-based RM Auction in Maranello, Italy. The Spyder surpassed the previous record, set at Sotheby’s Monaco in 1990, when a buyer paid US$10,756,000 for a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO.The second annual Ferrari Leggenda e Passione auction, held in association with Sotheby’s, sold a collection of historic Ferraris in the automaker’s home town. The Spyder was purchased by British television and radio personality Chris Evans.

GM announces two new fuel-efficient engines

General Motors has announced it will introduce two new engines with significant fuel efficiency gains for vehicles marketed in Europe and other regions, starting in 2009. The announcement was made at a GM Powertrain Europe event showcasing its line-up of technologies currently under development. The engines are a 1.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine, which will be used in vehicles worldwide starting in 2010, and a 1.6-litre compressed natural gas (CNG) turbocharged four-cylinder engine that will be introduced in the Opel Zafira in 2009. Both engines are new variants of existing engine families used globally.“These new engines represent our ongoing approach to replace larger-displacement engines with more compact, highly-charged units for maximum performance and efficiency benefits,” said Dan Hancock, GM Powertrain Vice President, Global Engineering. The 1.4-litre turbo engine is a new addition to a line-up that ranges from 1.0- to 1.4-litre displacement; it will produce an estimated 120 to 140 hp and deliver approximately eight per cent improvement in fuel consumption, when compared to a higher-displacement, naturally-aspirated engine with similar output. It will be manufactured at GM’s assembly facility in Aspern, Austria. The 1.6-litre CNG turbo is a new variant in a 1.6-litre engine family that also includes a naturally-aspirated gasoline unit and a CNG unit. The new engine will produce an estimated 150 hp. It will be produced at the GM Powertrain assembly facility in Szentgotthard, Hungary. Italy and Germany are the two major markets for CNG within Europe.