- The 2023 Honda CR-V will start at $34,790 in Canada
- Ram truck owner scraps truck after government ultimatum over deleted emissions equipment
- Fraudulent Canadian ‘Crypto King’ loses luxury cars after losing lawsuits
- Fastest-ever 2024 AMG C 63 S E Performance is a hybrid
- Is this 10-ft wide VW sedan a wide load or a wide load of bull?
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.
The 2023 Honda CR-V will start at $34,790 in Canada
2023 Honda CR-V Photo by Stephanie Wallcraft
Honda this week announced Canadian pricing on its popular CR-V SUV. For the 2023 entry level LX 2WD, Honda dealers will ask at least $34,790, around $3,000 more than the outgoing model, and at the top end, some $48,890 plus $1,950 destination for the first-ever-in-Canada hybrid Touring trim.
The 2023 model year comes with two more options in between the top and bottom trims (plus the LX AWD at $37,540), the Sport and EX-L, both of which will run the same 190-hp 1.5L turbo engine as the LX. For the Sport, which includes gloss black exterior bits and 18-inch wheels among other features, buyers will be asked to dole out $41,490. Throw in an extra couple grand and they can go home with the EX-L ($43,390) and its leather seats, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, and nine-inch touch screen.
Presale is available now; models should arrive this fall.
Ram truck owner scraps truck after government ultimatum over deleted emissions equipment
2010 Dodge Ram 2500 HD.
After finding a Facebook Marketplace post, New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) sent a letter to a 2008 Ram 2500 owner, who’d previously deleted the truck’s emissions equipment, saying he’d have to return it to stock within 60 days — a process that would cost $10,000 — or scrap it.
The owner, Mike Sebold, told The Drive that he tried to choose option C and instead return the plates and use the vehicle in an off-road “truck pull,” saying “if it blows up, it blows up.” But the DEP insisted that wasn’t good enough. The government agency reports it offered Sebold an extension on the deadline, but he declined.
With $80 million recently earmarked by the New Jersey government for just this type of fight against tailpipe emissions, this probably won’t be the last case of its kind.
Fraudulent Canadian ‘Crypto King’ loses luxury cars after losing lawsuits
Aiden Pleterski, Canadian “Crypto King,” in his Lamborghini Photo by @aiden_pleterski /Instagram
A 23-year-old man from Whitby, Ont. — who allegedly ripped off a bunch of international investors — recently had five luxury vehicles seized by creditors who say the self-proclaimed ‘Crypto King’ owes them $35 million. The law agreed with the investors and now Aiden Pleterski’s two McLarens, two BMWs, and one Lamborghini have been taken.
Pleterski is accused of defrauding over 130 investors, including a 65-year-old grandmother from Clarington, Ont. who says she lost $50,000 in the cryptocurrency scheme. Another investor, claiming they’re owed $4.5 million, was able to obtain a Mareva injunction, a legal measure that freezes assets and bank accounts.
According to reports and filings, Pleterski owned 11 vehicles, leased four luxury cars, frequently used private jets, and rented a lakefront property for over $45,000 a month.
Fastest-ever 2024 AMG C 63 S E Performance is a hybrid
2024 Mercedes-AMG C 63 S E Photo by Mercedes-Benz
When Mercedes-AMG came out saying that the all-new 2024 Mercedes-AMG C 63 S E Performance would eschew the V8 engine that AMG had relied on for so long, and in place put in 2.0L four-cylinder hybrid power, some purists scratched their heads. Would this be the end of the C 63’s reign as the top-performing AMG? We’re very pleased to report that this is not the case, because the new C 63 S E Performance is faster than any before it, with an F1-derived turbo helping to make 671 horsepower (500 kilowatts) and 752 pound-feet of torque, driving the car to 100 km/h in 3.4 seconds.
The ‘P3’ hybrid system stems from Formula One, too, with individually cooled high-density cells mounted at the rear providing power for the also-rear-mounted electric motor, allowing for superior balance and 13 km of electric-only motoring. AMG Dynamic Select drive modes, meanwhile, include a bunch of options that determine how much power heads to the rear axle. Electric mode keeps the brand’s 4Matic+ engaged at all times but running only on electric power until 125 km/h, while Battery Hold relies heavier on the gas-powered end of things.
More details, including how the drift mode works with rear-wheel steering, at the link above.
Is this 10-ft wide VW sedan a wide load or a wide load of bull?
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It’s called the “Lamando 5XL” and it’s the answer to a question we didn’t know anyone was asking: Is there a sedan that can fit me plus seven friends? If the above video can be believed, then the answer is, “Yes.” TikTok user justinbuildcars made one, taking the five-seat VW China-market sedan and extending the passenger side from six feet to just under 10. Now, the front has three belts and a back seat that accommodates five.
The car looks completely normal from the side angle, but when viewed head- or rear-on, it’s unlike anything we’ve ever seen and takes up a whole lane. Still, there’s something fishy about the clips and the way the video was cut together. The Lamando 5XL would be cool if it’s real, but a lot less so if not. In other words, you might want to wait for further, higher-quality video evidence before ordering yours.
Keyword: News Roundup: Honda CR-V pricing, a Canadian ‘Crypto King’ con, and more