motoring
D r . k e l l e n s i lv e r t h o r n Dr. Kellen Silverthorn is Just For Canadian Dentists’ automotive writer. He tries to keep one convertible and/or one track-day car in the family fleet.
Top-10 from 10
The big automotive takeaways of the last decade—from Elon to EcoBoost
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t seems like I was just writing the ’Naughties (2000–2009) review, and now here we are…another decade. And, hands down, 2010-to-present has been the more impactful decade for auto enthusiasts. I’ve chosen a vehicle that encapsulates my top-10 themes since 2010… and lost too much sleep trying to order by historical significance, so it’s a simpledoes-it, chronologic approach (after all, we accept chronologic for dental history).
THE AFFORDABLE ITALIANS ARE COMING (2011 + 2014): Fiat returns to our shores in 2011, and then Alfa Romeo in 2014. Offerings are either cute or sporty. And we’re richer for their presence. North American brand viability remains somewhat in question,
hopefully to be stabilized by the pending merger between FCA (Fiat-Chrysler) and PSA (Peugeot-Citroën). McLAREN OFFERS ALTERNATIVE TO UNAFFORDABLE ITALIANS (2011): Many brands have tried, but McLaren actually succeeds in joining the Ferrari and Lamborghini brand echelon. I find it challenging tracking McLaren’s plethora of generally look-alike models. Nevertheless, the brand has dealerships in Montréal, Toronto and Vancouver. Calgary’s store must be imminent… TESLA AND ELON THE DISRUPTORS (2012): The expensive, svelte Tesla Model S sedan arrives in 2012 with polarizing effects. It’s fast and fossil-fuel free. Elon eschews the usual automotive industry domicile, dealerships and discipline. Sales of the now-aged Model S continue unabated, enjoying New-Age status symbol credibility. Competition is only arriving now. K2 STRENGTHENS AND MORPHS TO K3 (2014 +): Strides by Korean corporate siblings Hyundai/Kia/come-lately Genesis—in product, reputation, recognition—impress. The Sonata of 2014 is key. By 2018 the siblings are claiming Car and Driver’s 10 Best Awards. Ditto Road & Track’s 2020 performance Car of the Year, the Veloster N.
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700-hp muscle cars? Yes, and now Ford and Chevy have them too. WHEN A RANGE ROVER IS NOT POSH ENOUGH (2015): Since 1970, Range Rover has been the benchmark aspirational SUV. In 2015, Bentley pitches the Bentayga SUV far above the Range Rover’s price. (Indeed, Bentley offers a dash clock option costing more than an entire Range Rover.) It sells well. Lamborghini, Rolls Royce and Aston Martin all debut SUVs. Ferrari will be next. Hopefully, these brands don’t abandon automobiles to focus only on SUVs. CUTE UTES RULE (Q1 2019): Cars are steadily losing market share to light trucks. No longer is the Toyota Corolla/Honda Civic/Mazda 3 segment the top choice for first-time car buyers. Now, it’s the Toyota RAV4/Honda CR-V/Mazda CX5 cute utes. Canadian sales of the new RAV4 in Q1 2019 are 12,386, up 13% from Q1 2018. Meanwhile, Corolla sales are just 9,255, down 2%. TOYOTA SUPRA RETURNS, SORT OF (2019): The stylish Supra, absent since 1996, returns. Yet it’s arguably more BMW Z4 than Toyota. Scoop: via multinational joint venture, both the Supra and Z4 are Austrian-built by Magna-Steyr. Such corporate tie-ups underwrite many new sports models; witness the 2017 Subaru-Toyota BRZ/GT86, and the 2016 Mazda-Fiat MX-5/124.
F150 ESCHEWS Fe FOR Al (2015): In a shocking move, Ford morphs its family jewels (the F150 pick-up) from a steel to an aluminum body. This saves weight and thus improves fuel economy. Previously, aluminum bodies were reserved for rarified luxury and exotic cars. Ford has another key contemporaneous F150 pick-up truck innovation: EcoBoost Twin Turbo V6 engines instead of V8s. The F150 continues as the best-selling nameplate in North America.
CORVETTE FINALLY FLIPS (Q3 2019): Corvette engineers have been scheming to switch from front-engine to mid-engine since the late 1950s. With the new eighth-generation Corvette, that dream is achieved. It’s unclear, to date, if the rank and file of the greying Corvette Nation owners appreciate this “foreign car” change. Pricing will be sharp, at least initially.
HELLCATS FOR ALL (2015): We’ve all become a bit blasé about 700-horsepower rides, but in 2015 this is big news…almost illicit news, it seems. Head down to your Dodge (FCA) dealer and order up a Hellcat (supercharged Hemi) Challenger. Will the government actually go along with affordable
OK, full disclosure. Top-story billing goes to the extended steamroller that is SUV market share. Runner-up is Elon and Tesla (hey, relax, the Toyota Prius debut was in 1997). Honourable mention: the aluminum body Ford F150 pick-up truck with V6 EcoBoost. Bring on the Roaring Twenties!
Just For Canadian dentists March/April 2020
