This gallery contains 7 photos.
In the compact crossover set, the manual transmission plays hard to get. Many of the big names, like the CR-V, RAV4, Rogue and CX-7, come only with automatics. The ones that can be bought with a stick, such as the Tucson, Sportage and Ford Escape, force compromises on the buyers, such as limiting the availability of a manual transmission to models with front-wheel drive, in a class where many shoppers place a high priority on all-wheelers.
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This gallery contains 6 photos.
It’s a funny thing, this business of naming cars. There are many whose monikers are made-up words, and others whose names are creative variations on real ones. The Kia Magentis fell into the latter category, at least in Canada (and Australia, Europe and Brazil); cross the border into the United States, though, and you’ll find this same car, called the Optima. A far better name for a car, don’t you think? I do, and that’s why I’m glad Kia ditched the Magentis badge when the third generation (2011) version of this car was launched.
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This gallery contains 10 photos.
Ottawa, Ontario – It was -25 degrees Celsius with a strong wind blowing in Chicago. A walk outside was short lived and I felt housebound at the hotel located in the River North district, a $10 cab ride from McCormick Place where the annual Chicago International Auto Show takes place.
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This gallery contains 9 photos.
With the exception of a few retro vehicles such as the Mini and Beetle, it isn’t often that a car becomes a runaway hit right out of the box. That said, that was precisely the case with the Hyundai Elantra, which is completely redesigned for 2011. In January, its first full month of sales and before the company even started aggressively advertising it, it became the best-selling car in Canada, ahead of the triumvirate of Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla and Mazda3 that usually jockeys for the top spot.
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This gallery contains 6 photos.
In 1984, Toyota and General Motors launched New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. (NUMMI), a joint venture that allowed Toyota to establish a manufacturing facility in the United States. It also benefited GM, as it allowed the American company to sell Toyota-engineered products under its own brands’ banners.
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Auto Show by Auto Trader 