It's commonplace for automakers to benchmark the competition when developing a new vehicle. One competitor may offer a perfect blend of ride and handling; another may provide excellent steering feel; and perhaps another has a great assortment of interior appointments. So automakers purchase competitor vehicles, tear them apart and evaluate what makes them special.
Usually automakers benchmark the newest products from a manufacturer, because, well, newer is usually better. But that's not what Cadillac did when developing the ATS.
David Mulroney, this country's ambassador to China, was recently taken down a peg by the people of China for the car that he drives. When Mulroney posted photos of his Toyota Camry Hybrid on the popular Chinese social media website Weibo, he received criticism for driving something so ordinary. In fact, his post received hundreds 2014 wedding dresses of comments.
But while some mocked the ambassador others appreciated Canada's modest vehicle budget for government officials. That appreciation comes from the fact that there is very little transparency regarding government vehicle allowances in China. And that's a problem for a country with up to 700,000 government vehicles.
What a great way to start 2012 with strong Canadian auto sales to set things off in a positive direction. Overall, sales grew 15.4% to 97,497 vehicles last month, according to data released from the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers of Canada.
Clear winners for the month include Honda, Land Rover and BMW with sales up 143.8%, 79.2% and 35.3%, respectively. The loser category was slim this month but a few automakers managed to make the cut.