Automotive News Canada - May 2023 - 32

32
05.23
32
FINAL ASSEMBLY
* MAY 2023
LETTING LOOSE A BIT ON THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF AUTOMOTIVE
The Pininfarina Battista starts at
$3.5 million in Canada, and with 1,900
horsepower, it's claimed to be quicker
than any other production vehicle.
PHOTO: JEREMY SINEK
Driving a Hyundai Ioniq 5
electric vehicle, Patrick Nadeau
spent about three-and-a-half
months on a round trip to Puerto
Vallarta, Mexico, from Quebec.
SUPPLIED PHOTO
Home on the
range but
no anxiety
Hyundai Ioniq EV a
worthy companion on
a road trip to Mexico
QUEBEC BUSINESSMAN
Patrick Nadeau wanted to prove
that electric vehicles are suitable
for more than short-distance commuting
by driving a 2023 Hyundai
Ioniq 5 to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
and back.
Nadeau set out from his home
in Disraeli, Que., about 180 kilometres
east of Montreal, on Oct. 4,
and returned Jan. 20. The round
trip of about 13,500 kilometres
included stops in Utah at Bryce
Canyon, Zion and Arches national
parks, and in Arizona at the
Grand Canyon.
In a release from Hyundai Auto
Canada, Nadeau said he camped
along the way, sleeping in the
car on colder nights in the desert
while using the battery to keep the
interior at 20C. Such overnights
used about 10 per cent of battery
reserves, he said. - ANC
Canadian comedian Howie Mandel at the
BMW Canada Retailer of the Year awards
gala held in March in the Bahamas.
SUPPLIED PHOTO
BMW dealers
Pininfarina Battista EV
- talk about fast charging
Grand Touring
Automobiles in Toronto
brings in the $3.5
million hypercar for an
unidentified buyer
THE FIRST CANADIAN
delivery of what is claimed to be the
world's quickest production vehicle
took place in Toronto in April.
The Pininfarina Battista - 150 of
which will be built - was destined
for an unidentified Canadian buyer
through Pininfarina's Canadian
franchise holder, Grand Touring
Automobiles.
SAY
WHAT?
'
I'll be honest:
There were places in
the United States that
were putting up way,
way more money than
we put on the table.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
on the up to $13 billion in
funding Canada pledged to
support Volkswagen Group's
first North American battery
cell plant.
Story at automotivenews.ca
The electric hypercar's name honours
Battista Pininfarina, founder
of the storied Italian design house
known for its decadeslong association
with Ferrari. After suffering
financial difficulties in the early
2000s, the company was acquired in
2015 by India's Mahindra Group.
Pininfarina also has an engineering
services division, which put
the brand's own stamp on the rolling
chassis and powertrain that
the Battista shares with the Rimac
Nevera, which is built in Croatia.
The Pininfarina Battista has four
electric motors producing 1,900
horsepower and the price tag is $3.5
million.
The Canadian delivery was chassis
No. 99, but that's not its position
in the production sequence,
Automobili Pininfarina CEO Paolo
Dellacha said during a recent interview
in Toronto.
" When we offer a car to a client,
we also offer them to select the chassis
number, so it was his selection. "
Not all Battistas have been sold
yet, but Dellacha said the assembly
plant in Cambiano, Italy, is " quite
full speed in our production capacity
right now. "
He also confirmed that
Pininfarina plans other products
that " will always be exclusive and
might be in a different segment but
still keeping the rarity and the level
of attention to customers. "
Grand Touring Automobiles
has three stores in Toronto and
two in Calgary. It sells such highend
brands as Lamborghini, Aston
Martin, Rolls-Royce, Bentley,
Jaguar and Land Rover, as well as
boutique hypercar brands Bugatti,
Koenigsegg and Rimac. -ANC
get a wowie
from Howie
These retailers got talent,
so the brand presented its
inaugural awards
CANADIAN COMEDIAN HOWIE MANDEL
injected star power into BMW Group Canada's
inaugural Retailer of the Year awards.
Mandel, a host of the " Canada's Got Talent "
TV show, joined BMW executives at the March
6 event in Nassau, Bahamas, to honour dealers
who excelled in various categories in 2022.
" Through challenging and dynamic conditions
. . . they adapted their businesses to deliver
a consistent premium experience to our
customers and make a significant step into
our electrified future, " BMW Group Canada
President David George said in a statement.
BMW Montreal Centre was the big winner,
claiming four of the 16 awards. The dealership
earned honours for financial services, sales of
used vehicles, customer experience and overall
BMW retailer of the year for dealerships with
more than 550 new-vehicle sales. The store's
counterpart, Mini Montreal Centre, won Mini
retailer of the year.
Grenier BMW in Terrebonne, Que., earned
two awards for dealerships with fewer than
550 sales: financial services and overall BMW
retailer of the year.
The other winners were Birchwood BMW
in Winnipeg (customer support), BMW SteAgathe
in Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, Que.
(used-vehicle sales), BMW Toronto (customer
support), Otto's BMW in Ottawa (new-vehicle
sales), Calgary BMW (M Vehicle performance),
BMW Levis in Levis, Que. (M Vehicle performance),
BMW Laval in Quebec (sustainability),
Performance BMW in St. Catharines, Ont.
(new-vehicle sales) and BMW Aurora (customer
experience) in Aurora, Ont. - ANC
Under the hood in more Canadian cities
Inspection service sends
mechanics to perform a
170-point inspection for
both buyers and sellers, and
provides a 90-day warranty
KIWIZ, A MOBILE USED-VEHICLE
inspection service in Montreal, announced
April 3 that it has expanded to additional
Canadian markets.
The company launched in January 2022
in Quebec and now operates in Ontario,
Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg and
Halifax, according to a company news release.
Kiwiz offers third-party inspections of used
vehicles, sending a certified mechanic to perform
a 170-point inspection for both buyers and
sellers. The company says the inspector will
drive the vehicle and perform a mechanical,
functional and aesthetic evaluation, while also
providing an estimate of any needed repairs.
Inspections cost $199 to $249 and include a
90-day warranty on vehicles less than 10 years
old with fewer than 200,000 kilometres on the
odometer.
" Before the pandemic, buyers had the luxury
of checking out different cars at several
dealerships and taking time to mull over their
decisions before putting down a deposit, which
would be valid for a few days while the car was
inspected, " Kiwiz COO and co-founder Adélaide
Favé said in a release. " With the current scarcity
of vehicles on the market, consumers now
have to make quick decisions. "
Two-thirds of inspections involve vehicles
from private sellers and one-third from dealers,
Favé said. - ANC
THIS NUMBER
429
The number of Solo EVs that
B.C.-based ElectraMeccanica
is buying back from U.S.
customers because of
unexplained power losses.
STORY ON PAGE 6
'
http://www.automotivenews.ca
Automotive News Canada - May 2023

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