Hot on the heels of last month’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit, the Canadian International AutoShow celebrated its 40th anniversary this past weekend.
With well over one thousand vehicles occupying 600,000 square feet on three levels of Toronto’s Metro Convention Centre, the show is the nation's largest.
Since the 1965 Canada-United States Automotive Products Agreement (colloquially known as the Auto Pact) brought the Big Three (Ford, GM and Chrysler) manufacturing plants to Canada in exchange for tariff reductions, the automotive industry has been of vital importance to the province of Ontario.
Today, the province produces more vehicles than any other jurisdiction in North America, with Honda/Acura, Toyota/Lexus, Suzuki and Volkswagen joining the American giants. All are situated within an approximate 300 kilometre radius of Toronto.
As has become an annual tradition, the show kicked off with the awarding of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada’s (AJAC) Car of the Year, the 2013 Honda Accord, which edged out the Porsche Boxster and Hyundai Elantra GT for the title.
Not to be confused with its European counterpart, offered in Canada as the Acura TSX, the larger Ohio-built Accord was recently revised and re-introduced last September.
It also offers new direct-injection four cylinder and V6 engines, improved levels of refinement, better handling (although not without some initial uproar over the axing of the venerated front double wishbones), weight reduction and enhanced electronic connectivity.
The good news at the Honda pavilion did not end there. Honda displayed two concept vehicles carried over from their initial NAIAS showings, the closer-to-production NSX and the Urban SUV Concept.
Unlike the display buck from last year’s show circuit, this NSX features functioning doors revealing a sporting, purpose-designed cabin. Clad in contrasting leather, Alcantara and loads of carbonfibre, the upmarket interior is more reminiscent of Maserati or Lamborghini.
A Honda spokesperson confirmed that the curious, narrow fish-eyed LED headlight array, first appearing on last year's NSX and RLX Concepts but not implemented in a road car until the 2013 Accord, will also see production.
Functional as projection beams, not merely as daytime runners, their efficacy lies in their arrangement and lens refraction, and that their light-weight, compact packaging and exceptionally low electrical draw make them extremely versatile for applications only limited by imagination, not least of which hybrid systems.
The Urban SUV Concept, clearly at the other end of the pricing spectrum, also features LED lighting, and is built on the Jazz platform. Offering all wheel drive and possible hybrid variants, the eponymous Urban SUV Concept is aimed at younger city dwellers, as opposed to serious off-roaders.
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Yes some of the comments here are stupid, ill informed and not worth the time given to them. Most of us here are smart enough to know that and not participate, others not so much. I'm sure it has something to do with their upbringing.
I too could make such frivolous comments, such as all Brits have bad teeth or the world just accepts the hot air spewed from the mouths of Britania as in-bred over whelming arrogance, but I will refrane and take the high road.
The high road to the Excel Center where hopefully in 2013 the British International Car Show will make it's return after being cancelled last year.
Perhaps those in a nation who couldn't muster enough time, capital, energy or passion to host it's own motor show shouldn't be commenting on the success of other nations triumphs and treasures.
Oh Canada,
Your article on the Toronto Auto Show brought back fond memories of this show as I was a Sales representative of BL, as then, at the 1974 show and many more since. The Canadians are very enthusiastic and knowledgable petrol heads. The shows were well attended by both public and manufacturers. May it long continue.
Thank you Autocar for your
Thank you Autocar for your interesting coverage of the Canadian International Autoshow, having read this piece, it has now whetted my appetite for my annual visit to the show tomorrow.
I have long enjoyed the excellent automotive coverage of your publication and wish the dedicated staff a continued, long and successfull future. Having enjoyed intelligent debate on many of your previous articles it was dissapointing to find that this particular article's reader posting's was unfortunately hijacked by individuals that were not interested in posting anything of any substance or intelligence.
So with that said, and not wanting to further waste time or energy trying to respond to future, inane comments, I will find other automotive websites to visit for my automotive news fix and to engage in meaningful dialogue.
kcrally, many thanks for your comments, naturally, none of which had anything relevant to do with the article posted (in typical troll fashion). Interesting albeit with many steriotypical observations.
Sorry about the whole Celine Dion thing by the way, however, had you ventured beyond your childhood bedroom since 1995 you would have discovered that Canada has since unleashed upon the world of entertainment the combined musical talents of Justin Bieber and Carly Rae Jepson, look them up, I'm sure you will like them (god knows someone has too!).
You did however forget to mention one interesting piece of news. With the Bank of England scouring the world to find a new Govenor to try and fix the sinking ship, how ironic that they should turn to Canada and our global leading economic model and hire a "Canadian." Don't worry though KC, Mark Carney will soon get your ailing economy back on it's legs. Bye and good luck...