Automotive News Canada - May 2019 - v2 - 22

* MAY 2019

KIA HABANIRO CONCEPT:

This all-wheel-drive EV's four passengers access
their seats via "butterfly-wing" doors that open upward. With Level 5
autonomy - the top level automakers are striving for - the Habaniro
does not require a human driver, although the system is part
time. As such, there is a steering wheel, but it retracts into
the dash when not in use. Kia says the Habaniro's battery
pack provides a maximum range of about 500 kilometres,
while knobby tires and aluminum skid plates imply
off-road capability. The vehicle is a concept, but Kia
advised against "betting the farm" that it won't
make it to production.

B y J E F F M E L N Y C H U K , E D I TO R - I N - C H I E F

2020 LINCOLN CORSAIR

This compact luxury utility replaces the
MKC and rides on a new platform shared
with the Ford Escape. It has a new
suspension, loads of driver-assist features
and a plug-in hybrid option, although that
variant won't be ready when the Corsair
launches this fall. While the turbo-fourcylinder engines carry over from the
MKC, they're mated to a new
eight-speed automatic transmission.
All-wheel drive is available with
both engines.

2019 AUDI A6: Redesigned for the 2019 model year,

Audi's midsize sedan has all-wheel drive, a 335-horsepower 3.0-litre V-6 and seven-speed automatic transmission. It's also fitted with mild-hybrid technology that
delivers electric power via a 48-volt belt-driven alternator/starter. A mix of aluminum and steel has resulted
in a more rigid platform that helps increase the car's
agility, Audi says, although the A6 is only slightly larger than the previous model. The interior design incorporates an updated interface for the infotainment system,
with large touchscreens. Base price in Canada is in the
low-$70,000 range.

2020 HYUNDAI VENUE:

Arriving this fall, the brand's newest small tall wagon is about 13 centimetres shorter than the
recently launched Kona, which makes the Venue about as long as a Honda Fit. A 130-horsepower
1.6-litre four-cylinder transmits power to the front wheels via a six-speed manual transmission or
available continuously variable unit. In Canada, expect a sub-$20,000 base price (for reference, the
Kona starts about $20,500, including destination charges), standard 20-centimetre display (with
Android Auto and Apple Carplay) and heated front seats. - ANC

Ottawa facility built for the end game: Level 5 autonomy
BY AUTOMOTIVE NEWS CANADA

CANADA'S CAPITAL WANTS TO
enhance its position as a research hub
for autonomous and connected vehicles
(CAV) by soon opening what it says is
the first fully integrated Level 5 all-season test centre in North America.
Ottawa L5 - backed by the Invest
Ottawa public agency and a variety of
industry sponsors - will include a private 1,865-acre (755-hectare) test track
and a separate
nine-kilometre test loop on
public roads.
Testing operations will be
equipped with
wifi, 4G LTE
and 5G telecommunications, and networking infrastructure. Level 5 autonomous vehicles are at the top of the
scale, requiring no human backup or
occupancy to function.
Ottawa L5's backers expect the presence of many key CAV-related companies in the city to make the facility an
attractive place to test components in
all weather conditions.
The gated track, the largest secure
test facility in Canada, would accommodate pre-commercial development
and testing of technologies. The public loop, situated in the Kanata North
Technology Park, would allow testing
in a connected, live city infrastructure,
the group says.

TIRE INDUSTRY WEIGHS TECH INFLUENCE

FLEXIBLE RETURN LOCATION FOR RENTALS

CANADA'S TIRE INDUSTRY WILL BE
taking note of the pace of technological
change at its upcoming annual meeting.
"Driving to the Future" is the theme
of this year's summit of the Tire and
Rubber Association of Canada (TRAC),
set for June 11-12 in Toronto.
"When it comes to technology, industries across the globe are living through
some very exciting times," TRAC
President Glenn Maidment said. "Our
2019 summit will discuss the technologies that
are changing how rubber manufacturers
do business
today and
tomorrow:
Autonomous
vehicles, artificial intelligence,
In June, the
machine
Tire and Rubber
learning and Association of
others."
Canada will address
Two sesthe impact of
sions at the
autonomous-vehicle
conference
technologies on its
will focus on industry. P H O TO : T R A C
whether connected vehicles, advanced networks and
other technologies are affecting the tire
industry and altering its understanding
of how to advance product development
and manufacturing processes.

A REPORT BY THE QUEBEC
-based short-term-car-rental company Communauto found that one in five
Torontonians would consider such a
service over owning a vehicle.
The March study was released three
months after Communauto became the
first participant in a Toronto pilot project that was launched in November
2018, involving free-floating rentals:
Those which do not have to be returned
to where they were picked up.
By the end of March, Communauto
Flex was the only service listed in the
18-month pilot. The project is open to
other companies.
The service, which operates in 13
cities across the country, launched
in November 2018 in Toronto with
200 Hyundai Accent hatchbacks. The
cars can be dropped off in residential on-street parking spaces within a
50-square-kilometre area in and around
the downtown. - ANC

Apollo Energy Gum thinks wrapping
itself around Solo EVs will stick in
people's minds. P H O TO : A P O L L O B R A N D S

THAT GUM WRAPPER IS AN EV
VANCOUVER-BASED ELECTRA
Meccanica Vehicles Corp., makers of
the single-seat Solo electric car, has
signed a multiyear promotional deal
with Apollo Brands LLC, which makes
Apollo Energy Gum, among other products.
The Denver-based company will buy
several Solos over the next year and
wrap them in Apollo's logo to use as
marketing tools, the companies said in
a release. Three Solos are already in
use to carry up to 1,500 packs of Apollo
gum to retailers and distributors.
It's the latest such cross-promotion deal for Electra Meccanica that's
aimed at raising visibility for the company's commuter EV. Solos are already
being used by a Vancouver caterer, a
Victoria hotel and for customers of a
floatplane service between Vancouver
and Victoria.
Electra Meccanica has produced
small numbers of the Solo at its
Vancouver plant but is beginning volume production in China.

Communauto operates in 13 Canadian
cities. The Auto Mobile name has
been changed to Flex, according to
the company's website.
P H O TO : C O M M U N A U TO

Automotive News Canada - May 2019 - v2

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