- These are the best-selling electric vehicles in every Canadian province
- Cadillac debuts the Celestiq sedan, Internet has a fair bit of fun at its expense
- Motor Mouth: Is Canada missing out on the ‘frenzy’ of EV battery manufacturing?
- First impressions from behind the wheel of the 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6
- Here’s what the 2023 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV will cost in Canada
The automotive industry is quickly shifting toward an electric future with new technology, new products, new policies, and new questions surfacing every day.
Here are the biggest EV-related stories, debuts, and reviews from the past month.
These are the best-selling electric vehicles in every Canadian province
With a full-charge range north of 400 kilometres, the 2020 Hyundai Kona EV is a bona fide real-world electric crossover. Photo by Andrew McCredie
There was a grand total of 25,452 $5,000 rebates handed out to EV buyers by Transport Canada within the first eight months of 2022. A good chunk of that money was sent Tesla’s way, as 38 per cent of the rebates went to new owners of the Model 3. It is, any way you slice it, the best selling EV in the nation. But not in every province!
By analyzing a list of all the vehicles to receive Transport Canada’s iZEV incentive (which no longer includes the Model 3 that’s now priced over the magic $55,000 mark, which it was under earlier this year), we’ve come up with a list of the best-selling EVs in every province. Really, the list could’ve been shorter if we’d just included the four regions where the Tesla Model 3 didn’t dominate. Click the link above to find out which prairie province has a predilection for the Hyundai Kona EV.
Cadillac debuts the Celestiq sedan, Internet has a fair bit of fun at its expense
2024 Cadillac Celestiq Photo by General Motors
Cadillac is reaching for the heavens with its sky-high-priced all-electric luxury sedan, the Celestiq. Likely to start somewhere above $300,000 in Canada, the 2024 Celestiq made its worldwide debut earlier this month, riding on GM’s Ultium platform and boasting a long frame with four seats and a customizable interior, all to be hand-built at GM’s Global Technical Center in Warren, Michigan. Cadillac says it hopes that through the use of a 111-kWh battery pack and two electric motors, the car will provide 600 horsepower and 640 lb-ft of torque, motor for around 438 km, and make it to 96 km/h from standstill in around 3.8 seconds.
Far more intriguing than any performance figures, however, is the car’s design and styling (and accompanying price), which quickly drove the Internet into a frenzy of comparisons, complaints, questions, and compliments. Some wondered whether the Rolls-Royce competitor would be sold at the usual dealerships (Big Bob clearly knows deals, but does he know how to service the uber-elite?). Others couldn’t get past the length of its rear end. Got opinions? We hear the Internet is still accepting those.
Motor Mouth: Is Canada missing out on the ‘frenzy’ of EV battery manufacturing?
Battery shop Photo by Graeme Fletcher
Columnist David Booth (aka Motor Mouth) does now want to be correct about his take on the current ‘EV frenzy’ and how it seems to be bypassing Canada. He wants to be, but he doesn’t think he is. Because despite having an abundance of the actual raw materials needed to make them, Canada is not ramping up its EV battery production the same way the US is. A little thing called the Advanced Manufacturing Production Credit (AMPC) is standing in the way, strongly encouraging as it does the in-country production of battery cells through US$35 tax credits for every kilowatt-hour of cell produced in the U.S.. Carry that math on down the line and you’re holding about one third of the total cost of battery production to be handed back to automakers in form of rebates. How can Canada compete?
This isn’t to say that Canada won’t be in the battery game at all—it’s likely we’ll continue to be tapped for our valuable resources—but that we won’t likely see any new battery-production facilities being opened in the country anytime soon. Read the full opinion piece here to find out what could be done about the imbalance.
First impressions from behind the wheel of the 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6
2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 Photo by Clayton Seams
What sets an EV apart? Hyundai’s answer to that question with the Ioniq 6 has to be “design,” because the brand’s “electrified streamliner” is a symphony of details. The new EV has a unique and lengthy profile enabled by a longer wheelbase, a curved roofline and swallow-tail rear end, and various aerodynamic exterior features like multiple subtle spoilers that play into the car’s considered appearance. There are also hundreds of ‘pixels’ incorporated into design inside and out.
The Ioniq 6 is stacked on the same E-GMP architecture as the Ioniq 5, and comes with the same motors and batteries enabling a standard 429 km of range and potential 614-km range with the extended-range-battery RWD model with 18-inch wheels.
Inside, door panels are decidedly clean and uncluttered, as are the seats and dash, the latter despite being flanked by small screens that display the views gathered by the rearview cameras. The cabin is worth a gander, so be sure to scroll through the gallery of images here if you’re interested in Hyudai’s EV game.
Here’s what the 2023 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV will cost in Canada
2023 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV Photo by Mitsubishi Canada
The Mitsubishi Outlander has been a solid option for anyone looking for a plug-in hybrid vehicle since it debuted in 2018. Now it’s returning for another year with better battery power, more horsepower, and other perks to keep it top of mind. Presented for the 2023 model year in four pricing packages and one premium option, the Outlander PHEV now boasts the largest battery in the compact plug-in SUV segment.
Options start at $46,538 and the ES model with seating for up to seven, a 12.3-inch display, and 18-inch wheels. At $51,238, the LES trim adds a panoramic sunroof, three-zone climate control, a 360-degree camera, and more; while the SEL package ($54,048) brings 20-inch wheels, quilted leathers, and second-row heated seats among other things. For the GT trim at $57,248, buyers unlock semi-autonomous features like adaptive cruise control, as well as a two-tone roof colour option. Lastly and ultimately, there’s the GT Premium at $57,048, with two-tone semi-aniline leather seats and a front-seat massage function.
Keyword: EV News Roundup: Canada's most popular EVs, and Cadillac's Celestiq