- RIP C-HR: Toyota announces end of compact crossover nameplate
- Canadian pricing for the 2023 Honda Pilot starts at $50,650
- BC Hydro charging station kills two Nissan Leafs
- McLaren offloads millions of dollars in classic cars to fund new supercar
- The next Transformers movie has some pretty cool cars in it
- Coleman Molnar
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.
RIP C-HR: Toyota announces end of compact crossover nameplate
2022 Toyota C-HR Photo by Nadine Filion
This will be the final year for C-HR sales in Canada, says Toyota Canada, even as the nameplate expands to include a plug-in hybrid option in Europe. Toyota Canada confirmed that it’s discontinuing the North American C-HR after 2022, saying “we are constantly evaluating our product lineup and we remain committed to the compact SUV segment” while pointing to the RAV4, Corolla Cross, and Corolla Cross Hybrid.
The FWD-only C-HR was relatively short-lived in Canada, marketed for the first time in 2017 as a 2018 model. In 2021, Toyota sold 8,176 C-HRs, the SUV’s best annual sales performance. But in the first half of 2022, just 2,313 units were moved, a figure that was bested by the incoming AWD-optional Corolla Cross that sold 4,173 units over the same period.
No need to mourn for Toyota’s SUV department, though. The brand recently unveiled an all-new BZ Compact SUV Concept, and has the 2023 BZ4X electric SUV on the way soon.
Canadian pricing for the 2023 Honda Pilot starts at $50,650
2023 Honda Pilot TrailSport Photo by Honda
Honda has announced Canadian pricing for the 2023 Honda Pilot. Starting at the base, the Sport trim is priced at $50,650, around $4,000 more than the 2022 Pilot’s opening bid. The entry-level model has a 3.5L V6 engine tuned for five more horses (285 total) than last year, and, trim depending, tri-zone climate control, power tailgate, heated fronts, and more.
For $54,450, buyers can take home an EX-L with leather upholstery, wireless charging pad, and chrome exterior trim. At $57,450, the TrailSport adds off-road gear like 18-inch wheels with all-terrain tires, boosted suspension, and 25 mm more of lift.
Then there’s the Touring trim, which unlocks more luxury in the form of heated and ventilated front seats, a 10.2-inch instrument panel, head-up display, 360-degree cam, and a removable middle seat for $61,350. For a darker take on the Touring, add a few more hundreds to unlock the Black Edition ($62,850).
BC Hydro charging station kills two Nissan Leafs
Nissan Leaf Photo by Nissan
EV drivers don’t have to worry about so-called “bad gas,” but that doesn’t mean their completely in the clear when it comes time to top up.
A pair of Nissan Leafs had to be towed to a local dealer in the Vancouver area after not reacting well to being plugged into BC Hydro charging stations at Horseshoe Bay. The two owners say their cars were left inoperable after plugging into the station, and at least one was handed a $7,000 repair bill at the shop. Allegedly, the charger damaged the vehicles’ power modules, which in turn caused further failure and the resulting “bricking,” a term used when an EV or other device loses function and essentially turns into an expensive paper weight.
BC Hydro says it hasn’t seen the issue at other stations, and that only Nissan Leafs seem to have difficulty with this particular station.
McLaren offloads millions of dollars in classic cars to fund new supercar
2022 McLaren Artura Photo by Elle Alder
McLaren had to make out with the old in order to come in with the new recently, selling US$123-million worth of its heritage car collection in order to bankroll development of the Artura. In what can’t exactly be described as a garage sale, McLaren Holdings Ltd. sold an undisclosed number of classic cars to its main shareholder, Bahrain’s sovereign wealth fund Mumtalakat Holding Co.
McLaren said in a third-quarter earnings meeting that funds were required after the automaker ID’d “certain technical upgrades” that forced delays on its hybrid supercar Artura. And apparently the sell-off hasn’t concluded. “We are in active talks with all shareholders regarding a recapitalization of the group,” McLaren said on the earnings call.
The next Transformers movie has some pretty cool cars in it
,’autonav’:true}&autoplay=0&playsinline=1&enablejsapi=1″]
If you like your movies with cool cars that also talk, transform into animals, and do hand-to-hand combat, we’ve got good news for you. The action-packed Transformers: Rise of the Beasts trailer dropped recently, and it’s got all that, and more! Shia Labeouf has long exited the franchise, and Mark Wahlberg has come and gone, but Optimus Prime and Bumblebee haven’t rusted out just yet.
This time around the film is set in the ‘90s, so the boss Transformer appears as a classic 1987 Freightliner FLA and Bumblebee as a lifted, off-road 1970s Camaro. New this go-round are Mirage, a character that was originally a Ligier F1 racing car as a toy, but has been rebirthed as a silver Porsche 964; and Wheeljack, originally a sports car, but now a 1970 VW bus.
Coleman Molnar
Coleman Molnar learned to drive in his family’s rusty farm pickup as a teenager and continues the forearm-strengthening tradition today from behind the wheel of his 1983 Volkswagen Westfalia. Spot him in the slow lane, or on Instagram @Lietco
See More Articles From This Author
Keyword: News Roundup: The end of the Toyota C-HR, Nissan Leafs bricked at a charging station, and more