2018 Canadian International Auto Show Pictures


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It was only a few minutes after entering the 2018 Canadian International Auto Show that I made my way over to the Mazda exhibit for a pleasant surprise. Mazda didn't even bother with Detroit this year but the showing they made in Toronto more then compensated. Because for the first time since the debut of the RX-7, there were actually rotary vehicles featured. Not one, but two, consisting of a Cosmo 110s and an FD RX-7. With an NA Miata off to the side as well. With two out of the three vehicles shown being significant rotary developments, could this be a hint that another rotary is not far off?

A bit like the Detroit show, several manufacturers brought some significant vintage examples. Honda with a 1st generation Civic (a '73ish?) and Subaru with a 1969 360. The comments from other attendees were interesting. Most centering around "Look how small it is!". Which of course is true. Compare a '73 Civic with any modern Civic and we're talking a car that is twice as large and twice the weight. Now of course that new Civic is orders of magnitude safer and has many standard features that weren't even conceived back then.

While Honda did show their new Clarity, there was no sign nor mention of the "Insight" concept shown in Detroit.

EVs were a major component of the show of course, with nearly every manufacturer showcasing examples. This was the first time I had seen the Tesla Model 3. I can't say I'm a fan of the look. I just don't like that ambiguous rear that flows from the roof and could in theory be a trunk or a hatch. Unless of course the car is an obvious hatch back. To me those lines don't belong on a sedan (another example is the Kia Stinger).

As an aside, I ask nearly every manufacturer what the support period is for Android Auto and Apple Car Play. They never seem to give straight answers. 5 years after the car purchase, will that new phone connect to the vehicle? Will the back end servers still be running? Will the car be upgraded as new phones, apps and APIs are developed?

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