Automotive News Canada - May 2018 - 20

* MAY 2018

2019 CADILLAC XT4:

LINCOLN AVIATOR CONCEPT:

2019 TOYOTA RAV4:

The company's star
compact utility vehicle undergoes a significant
transformation this fall. The new platform is
cloaked in a wider body that features off-roadstyle blacked-out trim for a more rugged appearance. The 2.5-litre four-cylinder connects to an
eight-speed automatic transmission while the
all-wheel-drive hybrid gets a continuously variable unit.

General Motors' luxury brand will
launch a new compact utility vehicle this fall, slotting in below the
XT5. Despite its size, the XT4 offers
plenty of space, even for second-row
passengers. A turbocharged 2.0-liter
four-cylinder is standard for front- and
all-wheel-drive versions, as is a ninespeed automatic transmission. Pricing
will start at $39,900 in Canada, plus
freight charges.

Filling the gap between the five-passenger MKX
and the haul-anything-and-everything Navigator
will be the new Aviator. Built on a rear-wheeldrive platform, the Aviator will have three
rows of seats, a twin-turbocharged
base engine - presumably a V-6 -
and a plug-in hybrid option. The
Aviator - a name originally used
on a Ford Explorer-based Lincoln
sold from 2003 to 2005 - is expected for the 2019 model year.

BUICK VELITE 6:

General Motors' newest bid
for a share of the growing automotive market
in China is the Buick Velite 6 extended-range
compact electric hatchback. It follows the
Velite 5, which is a rebadged Chevrolet Volt
hybrid. Unlike that model, the Velite 6 comes
as a plug-in hybrid or an electric. The Velite 6
further offers buyers new levels of connectivity, both for car and driver, Buick said. Owners'
smartphones can double as keys and can
remotely authorize others to drive the vehicle.
A new eConnect cloud connectivity system pairs with
the owner's social-media network. The Velite 6 debuted at
April's Beijing auto show.

Mitsubishi thinks its tablets set the industry standard
By KELLY TAYLOR

WINNIPEG CORRESPONDENT

MITSUBISHI DEALERS IN CANADA
are pioneering the use of tablet technology to improve sales and delivery, and
it's a project
being watched
by dealers
worldwide at
the urging of
Mitsubishi
headquarters
in Japan.
"MiDelivery
and MiShowroom offer
real-time relevant information to the customer, including third-party comparisons, helping
the sales consultant gain
instant customer feedback Along with aiding
and ensure a
customers,
smooth delivMitsubishi says its
ery process
tablets help train
once the sale
sales staff quickly.
(PHOTO: MITSUBISHI)
is complete -
all of this in
a customer friendly, open and transparent way," said Paul Simmonds,
vice-president aftersales and informa-

tion systems at Mitsubishi Motor Sales
of Canada.
Simmonds said the system allows
sales staff to begin knowledgeably selling vehicles
within only a few days, a
training process he said
could previously have
taken weeks. Moreover,
the system standardizes the delivery process to
ensure customers receive
complete information before they drive
away.

FLO DEMOS 'SMART POWER' IN VERMONT
CANADIAN CHARGING PROVIDER
Flo is partnering with Vermont to
demonstrate smart in-home charging
stations that the state utility can selectively turn on and off to manage loads.
Based in Quebec, Flo has made no
secret of its plan to expand.
"This is the first of many projects
we officially announce in the U.S. and
a clear demonstration of our ability to
help utilities prepare," spokeswoman
Valérie Gonzalo said in an email.
"We are currently talking with
several American partners on
EV-charging-infrastructure projects,
and plan to have more announcements
over the next few months."
Gonzalo said the charging system
uses OpenADR standards, which sends
signals to cause compatible electrical
devices to turn off during periods of
high demand.

SUBARU CONNECTS CUSTOMERS, LIVE
AT THE CLICK OF A MOUSE,
online shoppers can now chat in real
time with a local Subaru
dealership's sales reps.
Subaru Canada and
Winnipeg-based DMT
Group have launched an
application called Digital!
Interview, that runs in the
background of subaru.ca
and routes a chat request
directly to a preferred dealership, to
offer instant communication with its
sales staff.
Don Durst, Subaru Canada senior
vice-president of operations, says the
system goes
beyond generating sales
leads.
"It will
undoubtedly change the
DMT President Glen
automotive
Demetrioff says the
experience,
company's live chat
and our dealconnects customers
ers are lookto sales staff rather
ing forward to than simply harvestthe increase in ing leads.
leads and busi- ( P H O TO : D M T )
ness."
Glen Demetrioff, president of DMT
Group, said, "While most digital chat
providers simply collect lead information for later follow-up, Digital!

Interview connects customers to the
sales team in real time to instantly convert chats into appointments."

EV BUSMAKERS 'FROM FAR AND WIDE'
MANUFACTURERS AND TRANSIT
operators across Canada have
launched the Pan-Canadian Electric
Bus Demonstration and Integration
Trial: Phase 1, bringing together
Quebec's Nova Bus, Winnipeg's New
Flyer Industries and Vancouver's
TransLink in a coordinated effort to
roll out zero-emission transit across
the country.
The $40-million project is the brainchild of the Canadian Urban Transit
Research and Innovation Consortium,
and aims to promote standardization
of electric charging technology, including overhead chargers, across a variety of manufacturers.
Vancouver's TransLink is working
with Canadian bus makers Nova and
New Flyer, as well as two manufacturers of charging stations - ABB Group
and Siemens Canada - to deploy four
electric buses and two overhead chargers. New Flyer's Xcelsior Charge electric buses use overhead charging and
can remain in service indefinitely,
while Nova's LFSe buses can recharge
in five minutes at end-of-route stations.
The goal is to demonstrate to transit providers across Canada the economic and environmental advantages
of electric buses. - ANC

http://www.subaru.ca

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Automotive News Canada - May 2018