Welcome to our roundup of the biggest breaking stories on Driving.ca from this past week. Get caught up and ready to get on with the weekend, because it’s hard keeping pace in a digital traffic jam.
Here’s what you missed while you were away.
These are the top-selling brands in the country
2023 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro in Solar Octane Photo by Toyota
Learn more about the cars
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2023 Ford F-150
MSRP
$46,055 to $106,285
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2023 Ford Escape
MSRP
$32,849 to $47,379
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2023 Ford Explorer
MSRP
$48,340 to $67,320
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2022 Ford Transit Passenger Van
MSRP
$52,140 to $70,100
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2023 Ford Ranger
MSRP
$36,295 to $46,765
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Last year was by no means a banner year for automotive sales in Canada. In fact, overall sales slumped by some 150,000 units compared to 2021, marking a 13-year low. Within the downturn, however, some automakers were still able to make ground. Ford, Canada’s best-selling brand, managed to gain market share even though its sales were down 1 per cent year over year, thanks in part to its F-series of pickup trucks, which account for over half of the brand’s overall sales.
The nation’s second best-selling brand, Toyota, experienced a 12 per cent drop from 2021 despite having a number of segment-leading models like the Corolla — which became the best-selling car in Canada for the first time ever — as well as the RAV4, and the Tacoma. Chevrolet, on the other hand, managed to gain some momentum, reporting a 5 per cent gain in sales since 2021, thanks to an impressive fourth quarter and stellar sales numbers from the Tahoe, Suburban, Silverado, Equinox, Blazer, Camaro, and more.
The list includes Hyundai, Ram, GMC, Jeep, Honda, and more; read the full breakdown here for more details on the ten best-selling brands of 2022.
This $200 ‘ring camera’ monitors car inside and out
The Ring Car Cam. Photo by Bloomberg
Amazon.com revealed a new automotive security device called the Ring Car Cam at CES 2023 earlier this month. The modern dashcam is a small device that records the vehicle inside and out, and has the ability to detect motion, such as when the vehicle is being broken into. It also works with an app that allows users to view live video and communicate through a two-way audio system.
The Car Cam draws power from the vehicle via the OBD-II port and can store up to seven hours of video footage. Users who pay an additional fee will be able to receive alerts and notifications over an LTE network, no Wi-Fi required. Unfortunately for Canadians, the Ring cam is being launched in the U.S. exclusively at first.
Romania seizes supercars from accused human trafficker Andrew Tate
Tate fuelling a Chiron, presumably the one seized by Romanian authorities investigating human-trafficking allegations. Photo by Andrew Tate /Twitter
It was just about a day after picking a Twitter fight with environmentalist Greta Thunberg that Andrew Tate was detained by police near the capital of Romania on charges of sex abuse and human trafficking. The former kickboxer from the U.K. rose to Internet infamy by sharing his violent and misogynistic viewpoint to his followers, mostly teens and young men, all the while amassing a huge fortune and a collection of supercars that he regularly bragged about online.
But said collection has been dwindling as Romanian authorities seize more of Tate’s estate. So far, some 15 luxury vehicles and 10 properties in Tate and his brother’s name have been seized by the government, including an Aston Martin Vanquish S Ultimate, Rolls-Royce Wraith, Porsche Carrera 4S, multiple Ferraris, and the nearly $3-million Bugatti Chiron Tate bragged to Thunberg about.
Mecum to auction historic 1970 “Black Ghost” Dodge Challenger Hemi
The 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T SE known as “The Black Ghost” Photo by Historic Vehicle Association
This 1970 Dodge Challenger Hemi (aka Black Ghost) rose to fame street racing around Detroit in the 1970s and was inducted into the U.S. Historic Vehicle Register in 2020. Now it’s going up for auction at Mecum’s May event in Indianapolis, with value estimated somewhere in the seven figures.
The Black Ghost’s story starts in 1969 when veteran and Detroit police Godfrey Qualls bought it and added a four-speed manual, a vinyl roof, a white rail stripe, a trailer hitch, and more personal touches. Then he raced it all over the city, dragging down the likes of Woodward Avenue and winning events before stabling it again for weeks or months at a time, thus the name “Black Ghost.” Qualls quit racing in 1975 and the car was retired out of sight until 2014. Since then, it has inspired Dodge’s Last Call “Black Ghost” trim, 300 of which are to be made.
Taliban shares video of Afghan supercar, Mada 9 prototype
از موتری که انجنیر محمدرضا محمدی انرا طرح و دیزان نموده است دیدن نمودیم.همچنان در ان نشست شرکت داشتیم که ازطرف تلویزیون ملی در باغ بابر برگزار شده بود.
از اداره تعلیمات مسلکی تشکری می نمایم که تحت چتر آنها به نخبه های کشور زمینه خدمات شایان فراهم شده است. pic.twitter.com/g4HtFo7lRs— Zabihullah (..ذبـــــیح الله م ) (@Zabehulah_M33) January 10, 2023
After five years of development, the Mada 9 prototype sports car was revealed in December 2022… by the Taliban? The work itself is being done by 30 engineers at manufacturer ENTOP and Kabul’s Afghanistan Technical Vocational Institute (ATVI), but Taliban party spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid shared a video of the car, calling it an ‘honour’ and a ‘valuable service’ for the country.
Aside from the few visuals, rumours that power will come from a modified Toyota Corolla engine, and a clip of the car revving posted by the Daily Mail, none of the Mada 9’s details or specs have been shared.
U.K. river crossing closed after social media draws droves of novice off-roaders
A driver gets stuck trying to cross the Rufford ford in the U.K. Photo by benregers on YouTube
The Rufford river crossing (aka ford) has been used by travellers for over 1,000 years, largely without incident. But recently, thanks to viral videos on TikTok and YouTube of cars of all types wading into the seasonally swollen waters, the area has become inundated with amateurs wanting to take a run at it.
Local chap Ben Gregory (benregers on YouTube) is one of the ford’s main documentarians. His videos of cars getting stuck or drivers climbing onto their roof after their vehicles have been swept away by the water have been viewed millions of times on YouTube and TikTok. Recently, however, he’s had to find other crossings as council near the Rufford ford ordered the area closed.
Keyword: News Roundup: Canada’s best-selling car brands, the Taliban’s new supercar, and more