Automotive News Canada - June 2023 - 34

34
06.23
34
FINAL ASSEMBLY
* JUNE 2023
LETTING LOOSE A BIT ON THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF AUTOMOTIVE
Summer forecast: Road trips with less of everything
Survey finds
inflation eating
into eating and
other travel plans
CANADIANS ARE STILL
hitting the road this summer
but are cutting back on
dining out, curtailing distances
and economizing on
accommodations because of
inflation.
The Toyota Canada
Summer Road Trip Survey,
conducted with members
of the Angus Reid Forum,
found that 74 per cent of
Canadians still plan to take
a road trip, but 43 per cent
say rising fuel prices will
affect their plans. While
only eight per cent have
cancelled plans, 35 per cent
will be cutting their costs.
The survey, conducted in
April, found that 51 per cent
will choose less-expensive
lodgings, 47 per cent will
eat out less, 31 per cent will
travel shorter distances, 30
per cent will be spending
fewer days on the road and
26 per cent will visit fewer
attractions.
The Angus Reid Forum
is a community of engaged
Canadians who offer their
opinions on a variety of
surveys. The survey has a
margin of error of plus or
minus 2.5 percentage points
at a 95 per cent confidence
level. - ANC
According
to a survey,
Canadians say
they plan to
be more frugal
this summer -
more camping
than glamping.
PHOTO: ISTOCK
There is no
excuse for
hiding a
licence plate
Ontario transit
turns a light
shade of green
Porsche owner fined
after claiming he
forgot to uncover it
A DRIVER IN THE GREATER
Toronto Area faces two $110 tickets
after he was pulled over May 7
while driving what appeared to be
an unplated Porsche Panamera.
Instead, the vehicle was equipped
with a remote-controlled device to
cover the licence plate. The driver
told police he uses it to
conceal his plate at car
shows and he forgot to
roll it up.
Constable Christopher
McCullough of the
Halton Regional Police
told CTV News on May 8
that the stop in Milton, Ont., was
unique.
" The vehicle was missing its
front licence plate. As the Porsche
passed the police vehicle, the officer
observed that the rear plate
was missing - well, what he
thought was missing at the time, "
McCullough said. The driver said
he could operate the device from a
button near the driver's seat.
" I've never seen one in actual
use in Ontario, " McCullough said.
The driver was given a $110
ticket for failure to have a plate
and another $110 ticket for
obstructing the plate. Police said
he could face additional penalties
if it's determined that the device
was used to avoid toll charges,
such as on Ontario's Highway
407. - ANC
'
SAY WHAT?
We roll out the carpet for
Volkswagen and Stellantis, but that
doesn't flow to the Canadian startups.
We should be industry darlings.
Trent Mell, CEO of Toronto-based Electra Battery
Materials Corp., taking issue with government
funding of foreign companies. Story on Page 1
Electric buses aim to show
the pluses of zero emissions
Honda of Canada Manufacturing hit a Canadian production milestone May 29
with this 2023 Honda CR-V Touring Hybrid, the 10-millionth vehicle to be built
across the company's three production facilities. PHOTO: HONDA CANADA
10 MILLION AND COUNTING
Honda began building
cars in Canada in 1986
and will be a 'pillar...
for generations to come'
HONDA OF CANADA
MANUFACTURING (HCM) marked a
milestone May 29 when the 10-millionth
vehicle - a 2023 Honda CR-V Touring
Hybrid - rolled off the production line
in Alliston, Ont.
" This achievement is a testament to
the hard work, commitment and dedication
of generations of HCM associates.
I want to thank and congratulate them
on this historic milestone, " Jean Marc
Leclerc, Honda Canada president, said
in a statement.
" Since 1986, HCM has been a class
leader in Canadian automotive manufacturing
and production and one of
Honda's most important facilities on a
global scale. It's been a pillar of the local
economy and community for decades
and will be for generations to come. "
In 1986, Honda became the first Japan
automaker to establish a production
facility in Canada. Since then, HCM
has been home to iconic Honda models
like the Accord, Odyssey, Pilot and
Ridgeline and the Acura EL, CSX and
ZDX. The three HCM plants currently
build the CR-V, the Civic small car and
four-cylinder engines.
About 100,000 Canadian-built Civic
and CR-Vs are sold annually in Canada,
according to the automaker.
Honda employs about 4,200 people at
its three Ontario plants. - ANC
THE ONTARIO GOVERNMENT HAS
put two electric buses into service in a bid
to green up its GO Transit routes and bolster
support for electric vehicles.
Service on the zero-emission buses
began May 15 on three routes: No. 19
between Mississauga and North York, 92
between Oshawa and Yorkdale and 96B
between Oshawa and Finch Avenue.
" These electric-vehicle buses are an
exciting new transportation option, bolstering
the presence of zero-emission
technology in Ontario, " Transportation
Minister Caroline Mulroney said in a
news release.
The two buses were built by U.K.-based
Alexander Dennis, a subsidiary of the
Winnipeg-based NFI Group, formerly New
Flyer Industries. They were modeled after
the existing double-decker fleet and retrofitted
with electric components capable of
225 kilometres of range in winter and 300
kilometres in summer, Metrolinx, which
operates the GO system, said in a news
release.
GO provides bus and train service in
parts of Southern Ontario. - ANC
Two electric buses on GO Transit
routes are modeled after the existing
double-decker fleet and retrofitted with
electric components. PHOTO: GO TRANSIT
THIS NUMBER
1.72
The ratio of used vehicles that publicly
traded dealership group AutoCanada sells
to every new vehicle.
For 2018, the number
was 0.62.
Story on Page 12
'
Automotive News Canada - June 2023

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