Autoblog

When the second quarter of 2010 rolls along, 1,400 workers at General Motor's Windsor transmission factory will be out of work. The plant, which currently produces four-speed gearboxes for GM, will be phased out at the turn of the decade, with no plans to retool the facility to produce any other components. GM's Canada President, Arturo Elias, made it clear in the announcement that the decision was not a "reflection on our excellent Windsor workforce," but instead is due to a lack of available, "replacement products in the relevant timeframe for this location." Fortunately or unfortunately, today's announcement of the plant's closing takes place as the General negotiates a new contract with the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) union.

[Source: Detroit News]

Four U.S. states, one Canadian province and one territory have already banned smoking in your car when children are present. Next up to potentially adopt the legislation is Ontario, Canada. A bill has been introduced into parliament that would fine anyone smoking in a car when someone under the age of 16 is also in the car.

The bill makes no exceptions for, well, anything. It doesn't matter if the car is stopped or moving, if all the windows are down and the sunroof open, or whether the smoker is driver or passenger. Smoke inside a motorized vehicle with a "child," and it'll cost you $250 Canadian.

While we don't argue with the supposed spirit of the law -- protecting children from the ill health effects of smoke -- we do wonder about the relevant age. Sixteen years old seems kind of long in the tooth to be classified as a "child," while 17-year-olds are suddenly adults who can handle it. There would also seem to be more dangerous things out there than traces of smoke at 55-MPH with the windows down, but it is Canada after all, so maybe not.

Thanks for the tip, Rodstar!

[Source: Canadian Driver]

We've been hearing for some time now that Buzz Hargrove and the CAW didn't want to have anything to do with the two-tier wage structure or health car plans that the UAW agreed to. Before the landmark labor contracts were ratified in the States, American auto manufacturers enjoyed the cheaper cost of building cars in Canada, and because that difference in manufacturing cost was no longer a factor, it appeared that the CAW and Detroit could be in for a long and messy fight. That may not be the case, though, as word comes from our unionized-friends up north that the CAW and Ford have already agreed in principle to the major points of their upcoming contract, a whopping five months ahead of schedule.

According to Automotive News, the union is expecting a deal to be done by the end of the week. We can surmise that the deal does not include a multi-tiered wage structure, though. "We were not going to do a tier-two and if Ford had insisted it would have resulted in a fight," says Hargrove. The CAW did, however, agree to give up 40 hours of vacation time per year, a supplemental health care fund and a reduced entry-wage for new-hires. Ford will compensate CAW workers with a single payment of $3,500 for the lost vacation time and a $2,200 bonus if the contract is ratified at the plant-level. Ford also promises to keep the St. Thomas plant open until at least 2011 as opposed to the current plan of 2010. See the press release after the break for all the juicy details.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req., CAW]

Transport Canada has been planning on implementing a change which would lower Canadian bumper safety standards from the current 8 km/h standard to 4 km/h. This halving of the standard would bring the Canadian testing in line with the regulations of both Europe and the U.S. Apparently, Transport Canada believes that vehicles would be cheaper to import while maintaining automobile safety. In fact, Canadian officials believe that the new standard could actually improve pedestrian safety. Or not, according to the IIHS, which has sent a letter to Transport Canada urging them to reconsider making the change. The IIHS response is pretty scathing, Using words and phrases like "unsubstantiated, incorrect assumptions, ill-informed and misleading," but the response could seemingly be summed up this way: Yo hosers, what were you thinking, eh? Thanks for the tip, Karen!

[Source: Auto North]

Click above for more pics of the proposed redesigned T-Rex

When we had our first close encounter with the T-Rex at the 2007 Montreal Auto Show in this blogger's hometown, it had just undergone a minor cosmetic update. Now on the market for 14 years, local industrial designer Johnatan Côté of Morelli Designers is proposing a complete redesign to bring it up to date.

The biggest change is the removal of the roof, which consisted of little more than a couple of tubes in the first place, but added vital roll-over protection and structural fortitude to the vehicle. Coupled with a more dynamic, modern design, the updated T-Rex proposal also incorporates more storage space, doing away with the optional saddle-bags on the current model while increasing much-needed capacity for things like crash helmets and groceries. Overall, the design makes a compelling case for an updated T-Rex, but makes us wonder what it is about the Canadian province of Quebec that makes it a breeding ground for sporty reverse trikes like this, as well as the Bombardier Can-Am-Spyder and the Cirbin V13R. Well, we guess you need to have something to do when hockey season is over. Thanks for the tip, Jarrett!

[Source: Gizmag]

Due to the Canadian 15 year or older vehicle exemption rule it is not all too surprising to find a slightly modified R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R on a dealer's lot. Such was the situation at Heritage Auto Sales in Calgary, Alberta. The dealership had a charcoal grey 1991 GT-R with a Greddy single turbo kit, Zeal coilovers and Panasport wheels on display for interested buyers. The car attracted one apparently serious customer who returned on multiple occasions looking for an opportunity to take a test drive. It must have been a good day, as the salesman was a trusting fellow and allowed the shopper a brief solo spin around the block. Perhaps the salesman felt a bit of remorse for the guy, as he was missing two fingers he claimed were lost in a recent accident involving his old GT-R. However, it wasn't long before the situation turned sour. The 10 minute journey wound up being a straight-up vehicle theft, leading to a police report and a simple posting on an internet forum. Follow the jump to learn what ensued.

Magazines and ads are forever tied at the hip. After all, without the latter, the former can't exist. A magazine's front cover is one of the few spots left that's devoid of commercial encroachment -- until now. BMW Canada and Vice magazine have managed to give the 1-series top billing in the April edition. By day, it's just another issue of Vice, but douse the lights and you see some very clever marketing in action. That's because the mag has a special glow-in-the-dark treatment that turns the cover into a full-page ad for the BMW 1-series. As advertising stunts go, it's brilliant. Here's a front-page ad that's both unobtrusive (on newsstands, you just see the standard cover) and highly effective, since people are likely to talk about it and show it to friends. It couldn't have come cheap, either, as the covers had to be shuttled between two facilities during the manufacturing process to get the glowy look. No matter. Good ads get noticed and generate buzz. Mission accomplished. Thanks for the tip, Karen!

[Source: Media In Canada via Auto North]

While Canadians are hopping mad over the inequitable price of cars in their home state compared to the U.S., people in Afghanistan are happy to pick up our northern neighbor's leftovers. Apparently, the first cars to arrive in Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban were from Canada, so now Volkswagens, Fords and Toyotas are all considered Canadian cars to the Afghan residents of Kabul. These Canadian automotive exports are so famous in the former Taliban stronghold that driving a "Canadian" Honda Accord or Ford Taurus is a status symbol. Canada isn't exporting its high-priced new cars to the front lines of the war on terror, but rather its not-so-gently-used vehicles that have been in an accident or sat on the dealer lot too long.

We wonder if the Afghans will give Canada credit for starting Rock & Roll and inventing the Salad Shooter next. Besides the many vehicles Canada knowingly ships to the Middle-East, the land of the Maple Leaf also loses 30,000 vehicles every year to thieves that swipe the cars and ship them overseas, many of which are sold in Afghanistan to up-and-coming status seekers. Thanks for the tip, Kevin!

[Source: The Chronicle Herald]

Normally, the phrase "only rolled once" isn't considered a positive attribute in a used car ad. For the sellers of this distressed 1999 Acura Integra, however, it's a defining characteristic. The high points (now low, due to the vehicle's inverted status) are that the parts should be in fine shape on this 60,000 mile example. If you needed an engine, trans or interior from a low mileage donor, this might be your car. We do hope that it didn't stay upside down for long, though, for the engine's sake. If not, all the oil that's likely filled up the cylinders will make starting a challenge.

[Source: Dave's Daily]

United States auto sales during the month of February were less than stellar for the mass majority of automakers. Low numbers in the largest world market have never made for good news, but America's neighbors to the north helped pick up a little of the slack. While car salesmen stateside were busy occupying their time with solitaire on the PC (or reading Autoblog), salesmen in Canada were out making deals. February sales of cars and light trucks in Canadia experienced a 14.3-percent increase over the same month of 2007. The buying spree was fueled by falling prices that were adjusted to better represent the ever changing exchange rate and the near parity of the Candian Loonie and the U.S. dollar. Automakers could only get away with arbitrarily charging a higher price for the same car in Canada for so long, and it appears that practice is slowly coming to an end. As for hte particulars, GM saw a 14.5 percent increase; Ford jumped 4.1 percent; Toyota rose 28.1 and Honda was the Biggest Winner with its record leap of 53.2 percent.

[Source: CBC]