The Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto will serve two purposes when it gets rolling this Valentine’s Day – one local and one international.
Locally, CIAS 2014 offers gearheads from all of the provinces a chance to see 2015’s makes and models and the latest concept cars. More importantly to the automotive industry, the show offers insight to what cars appeal to the Canadian market in addition to or in spite of the American scene.
The Nissan Micra is a perfect example. A tiny entry point vehicle for the Nissan line, American media and would-be buyers greeted it with somewhat of a shrug in the US You can apply any stereotypical explanation you choose. Americans like their cars big and brawny and made entirely of beef, etc.
However, Canadiens (especially those in urban areas) often respond to smaller foreign cars more positively. Just ask Mazda. Nissan’s fellow Japanese automaker is flying high these days, but when the company was struggling just a couple years ago, the popularity of the Mazda 2 and 3 in Canada kept Mazda above water. Only time will tell if the Micra gets a micro hug at CIAS 2014.
The Subaru Impreza WRX STI was big news at NAIAS 2014 in Detroit just a few weeks ago, and we’ll see if aspiring rally drivers in Canada are drawn to this redesigned incarnation of a legendary, affordable performance car. The new WRX went away from its classic hatchback design to a sort of short sedan look. Some Subaru purists in the US grumbled about the bold redesign, though they haven’t had a chance to drive it yet. Time will tell if Canadiens rally fans embrace it.
Since Canada has a rustic and rugged image around the world, SUVs and off-road vehicles are popular from Montreal to Medicine Hat. One of the most iconic and fun options in this class is unabashedly American – the Jeep Willys Wheeler Wrangler. Besides providing a tongue twister free of charge, it’s a Wrangler designed with echoes of the old military “General Purpose” (GP) that gave the Jeep its name.
Finally, the biggest difference between CIAS 2014 and the auto shows of Los Angeles, Detroit or New York might be summed up in one word — diesel. Americans don’t like it. They don’t buy it. They should, but I admit my home country suffers from ignorance on diesel’s benefits. Diesel engines run cleaner, cooler, more efficiently and with fewer emissions. Unfortunately, US buyers still remember the bygone days of diesel engines not starting when cold, etc. It’s 2014, and American is behind the curve on diesel.
That’s not the case in Canada where diesel is as popular and prevalent as it is in Europe. So, automakers will make sure their diesel lines are omnipresent in Toronto.
As the show gets started this weekend, check back here for more CIAS 2014 coverage.
