Honda Civic and Ford F-Series continue to top Canadian new-vehicle sales

Richmond Hill, Ontario - Strong sales of the Honda Civic and Ford F-Series helped keep those vehicles at the top of new-car vehicle lists for August, says industry analyst Dennis DesRosiers. The two models also topped year-to-date sales to the end of August. "Earlier this year it looked like two or three passenger cars could possibly upset the Honda Civic's lock on the best-selling passenger car in Canada," DesRosiers says. "August's sales results should put that notion to rest. The Civic sales were up 30.7 per cent in Canada in August and are now up 9.6 per cent year-to-date. A number of other small entry-level vehicles are having a great year as well, but none of them will capture the best-selling car award, at least in 2007." DesRosiers notes that the F-Series is "starting to put some distance between itself and the rest of the pack," with sales up 4.7 per cent this year. The Dodge Caravan, the only vehicle to outsell it in previous years, is now down 10.8 per cent year-to-date. DesRosiers also says that large pickups "are selling very well in Canada, unlike in the U.S., with sales up 11.8 per cent to the end of August. One of the reasons for this is that pickups were exempt from the Federal Feebate tax, so buyers who really wanted a larger vehicle have just moved from buying large SUVs to large pickups and avoided the tax in the process." He notes that sales of large SUVs are down 16.5 per cent. In order, the top ten best-selling passenger cars in Canada in August were the Honda Civic, Mazda3, Toyota Corolla, Chevrolet Cobalt, Toyota Yaris, Ford Focus, Toyota Camry, Pontiac Pursuit/G5, Nissan Versa and Toyota Matrix. Year-to-date to the end of August, the top ten were the Honda Civic, Mazda3, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Yaris, Chevrolet Cobalt, Toyota Camry, Pontiac Pursuit/G5, Ford Focus, Toyota Matrix and Nissan Versa. Among light-duty trucks, the top ten in August, in order, were the Ford F-Series, Dodge Caravan, Dodge Ram, Chevrolet Silverado, Ford Escape/Escape Hybrid, GMC Sierra, Ford Ranger, Honda CR-V, Pontiac Montana SV6 and Chevrolet Uplander. Year-to-date to the end of August, the top ten were the Ford F-Series, Dodge Caravan, Dodge Ram, GMC Sierra, Chevrolet Silverado, Ford Escape/Escape Hybrid, Ford Ranger, Pontiac Montana SV6, Chevrolet Uplander and Honda CR-V.

Subaru mourns death of rally champion, Colin McCrae

Mississauga, Ontario - Subaru Canada joins the Subaru World Rally Team (SWRT) and rally fans around the world in mourning the passing of World Rally Champion Colin McRae. McRae, 39, his five-year-old son, a six-year-old boy and a family friend were killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday. During a distinguished 30-year racing career, McRae accumulated 25 wins. He became British champion in 1991 and 1992, and helped Subaru to the WRC Manufacturers' title three times in the 1990s, as well as Citroën in 2003. His achievements were recognised by the Queen with an MBE in 1996. "All of us at the Subaru World Rally Team are shocked and upset by the tragic news of Colin McRae's death," said Richard Taylor, Subaru World Rally Team managing director. "Colin was Subaru's first World Champion and a man who almost single-handedly brought the sport of rallying to the attention of millions around the world. He was an inspiration to motorsport fans and remained a close friend to many of us in the team. At this terribly sad time our thoughts are with Alison and the rest of Colin's family." Despite departing from the World Rally Championship in 2004, McRae competed in rallying world's most famous events - the Dakar desert rally and the Le Mans 24-hour endurance race. During his first attempts at the Dakar rally he set two fastest stage times and ran third overall before transmission problems left him stranded in the desert for two days. At Le Mans, sharing a Ferrari 550 Maranello with Rickard Rydell and Darren Turner, the trio achieved a podium finish. McRae took part in his final rally in Turkey last year.

Time Magazine names 50 worst cars of all time

Along with the Pinto, Covair and the Edsel – why the Model T? It seems that enviro-politics played a big part. A writing project conducted by Time.com and contributed to by Dan Neil, the car critic of the Los Angeles Times seems like an interesting exercise – identify the 50 worst cars of all time. For sure, the auto industry has had a number of clinkers over its 100+ year history. But the venerable Model T – surely this is a mistake. Well, apparently the criteria for selection into this list goes beyond the styling and/or reliability of the vehicle. When asked to justify the inclusion of the Model T in this list of shame, Dan Neil apparently commented on how the Model T was extremely popular and brought the automobile to the common man. So, you might ask, what’s so bad about that. Well, in the writer’s view putting the American public on gas-powered wheels has contributed to air pollution and the need to have soldiers fighting all over the world to protect our supply of oil.

1945 : Henry Ford II ascends to the throne

Henry Ford II, grandson and namesake of Henry Ford, succeeded his father as president of the Ford Motor Company on this day, inheriting a company that was losing money at the rate of several million dollars a month. After recovering from the shock of his father's unexpected death, Henry Ford II was effectively given a crash course in management, but fortunately for the company, he turned out to have the magic touch. He quickly set about reorganizing and modernizing the Ford Motor Company, firing the powerful Personnel Chief Harry Bennett, whose strong-arm tactics and anti-union stance had made Ford notorious for its bad labor relations. He also brought in new talent, including a group of former U.S. Air Force intelligence officers, among them Robert McNamara, who became known as the "Whiz Kids." During his tenure as president, Henry Ford II nursed the Ford Motor Company back to health, greatly expanding its international operations and introducing two classic models, the Mustang and the Thunderbird.

N A R D E L L I — J U S T I N T I M E
“ I’m sure Bob Nardelli didn’t order a bunch of stuff that he couldn’t sell when he was at Home Depot....”
— Dealer Ken Zangara, Zangara Dodge, Albuquerque, New Mexico, on hopes that the new Chrysler chief won’t pile up dealer inventory