dom

I'm starting to see a trend here in Canada. A trend that began many years ago that seems to be picking up some real steam now. Whats this trend? Small cheap econoboxes now being sold in Canada and not the US. We know that the Canadian market is quite different from the US. In the US the top two selling cars are the Camry and Accord. Well in Canada its the Civic and Corolla. The fact that Canada has a lower average income or less disposable income has alot to do with it.

Here are some examples of cars sold in (or will be soon) Canada and not the US.

Chevrolet Aveo - Daewoo built hatchback. Twin of the Suziki Swift+, also sold here.

Chevrolet Optra, Optra5 - Another Daewoo built car

Toyota Echo Hatchback - Similar to Scion Xb

Acura 1.7EL You all know this one, Civic clone

Acura RSX Base A RSX with cloth and wheel covers.

Pontiac Wave Yet another version of the Chevy Aveo/Swift. Do we really need 3 different versions?

BMW 320i A 168HP I6 thats starts at $34,900

Nissan X-Trail A new SUV available this spring to compete against the CR-V and Rav4



Nissan may also offer the Cube (seen below) in Canada only as well.




We also continued to get the 4 door Pontiac Sunfire after it was killed in the US.

Will this trend continue? probly, but I still don't see why these cars can't be marketed in the US? I'm sure they'd sell enough of them to make some money.

YBA

The canadian market has a much higher demand for smaller car than the US (for example, People in Quebec buy more Civics and Proteges than anywhere in the States). Note that in the list you mentionned, almost all cars are compact cars (or smaller).

As for the the Base BMW and Base RSX, this could probably be explained by the lower dollar value. For example, the price between a Base RSX and a Premium RSX is much higher in Canada than in the States.

ABP-CL9-TSX

They do sell the Chevy Aveos here in the States, but the also Canadians have another Chevy that isn't sold here.....it's Chevy Epica (another Daewoo model and sold as Suzuki Verona)

MikeMa

One other minor thing is that the Kia Magentis in the States is called the Kia Optima.

Another interesting thing up here is that the G35 is priced in the Acura TL price range, and not the TSX range.

Before this year, only in the US could you get a 4-door Civic with the 127HP VTEC engine. Up here, to get that, you'd need to step up to the EL. Of course, now you can get the Civic Si Sedan.

jcg878

I thought the opposite was true...

dabuda

interesting, the US does have RSX base w/cloth but it comes with alloy wheels..neighbor in my apt complex has one

tsxer.ca

The new X-Trail will replace xterra? cause xterra should compare to the CR-Vand been ou tfor quite long time.
I heard in quebec there is a alfra romeo
dealer..
oh.. because canada have toyota echo hatchback so we won't have Scion lineup.. so.. what will you choose ? echo hathback or scion lineup for canada?

I'm from

dom

Agent Chen, I thought you guys got the Epica and not the Aveo. Thanks for the correction.

Dabuda, your right about the cloth RSX but I could have sworn that when the RSX came out in 02 the US only got the Base and Type S which both had leather/alloys?

jcg878, I may have typed that incorrectly. Canadians have a lower average income and we have less disposable income because our cost of living is higher (see pay taxes through our ass)

Less money in pocket = less to spend = buy ecnoboxes

dom

tsxer.ca I have'nt read anything about the X-Trail replacing the Xterra in the press releases I've read so far so I'm not sure about that.

I seriously doubt there is a Alfa dealer in Quebec selling NEW Alfa's, used maybe but not new. Alfa Romeo would have to make any car sold here Canadian safety certified. Think about the money and time involved to do that just to sell a few hundred cars. Does'nt seem likely to me.

I would definently rather have the Echo Hatch over the Scion.

vwong

IMO, this is one ugly box.....argh, I mean car!!! Same goes to the Scion xB and Honda Element. :P

ABP-CL9-TSX

I really like the Nissan X-trail. I saw quite a few of them when I went back to Beijing, China last summer.

I didn't see that many Echo hatchbacks when I was in Toronto last month. I like the Echo hatch too, but I still think the Scion xB looks cooler.

Like Domn said about the Aveo, Swift, and Wave mini cars. I don't see a need for 3 same cars with different badging. Whats the point if they are the same and nothing much different about them?

Also note, another vehicle not sold in Canada vs. one that is sold in Canada:

Canadian Chevy Optra = Suzuki Forenza in the U.S.

In Canada they don't sell Dodge Stratus and the Dodge Intrepid is badged and sold as a Chrysler. No Mercury or Scion brands.....they do sell Mercury Grand Marquis, but no Sable and Mountaineer SUV. Just some tidbits I wanted to share.

dabuda

yeah i think you're right, i always thought leather was standard on the RSX till i saw my neighbor's

KC 2004 TSX

I couldn't remember but edmunds shows leather as an option on 2002.

dom

Yes we used to get Mercury but since noone was buying them it got the axe. That will happen in the US before too long as well I'm betting.

Some good observations Agent_Chen, I thought it was only the 2 door Stratus we did'nt get, but we don't get the four door either. But we do get the Sebring which is a clone. And I thought we got the Forenza as well but we don't. What else have I missed?

ABP-CL9-TSX

I forgot to mention the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo. That isn't sold in Canada either. When I went to Woodchester Mitsubishi at the Erin Mills Auto Mall and asked how come they had no Evos, they told me it wasn't sold in Canada, but instead sold in the States. Apparently, the Evo didn't pass the 8 km/h bumper test set by Transport Canada. I find this surprising cuz I thought Canadians used US gov't and NHTSA data. I didn't know Transport Canada did their own tests?

Mitsubishi is still new to the Canadian auto market, they started selling cars in Canada back in Fall 2002.

Also on an interesting note, you pick up and look at Canadian Nissan/Infiniti, Ford, or Honda sales brochures. They show U.S. models and instrumentation (MPH speedos and small Km/h)?

I still want to move to Mississauga one day though.

dom

Yup no EVO, MR2 or GTO.....anymore??

I work in Mississauga but don't live here. Its a great city/town.

larchmont

About that "Cube": Shouldn't they know better than to actually CALL it "Cube"?


I've been curious about the EL. Could someone tell how it compares to the Civic? Not just specs, but also just what kind of car it really is.

Brad

I've seen a few Canadian EL's here in the San Francisco Bay Area. They looked kind of like a miniature previous generation Accord in the rear, and a lot like a Civic from the side. I don't recall much about the front end.

Those Canadians are everywhere, eh!

And let's not forget that Canadians have had the vaunted LADA from Russia. Do they still carry that in Canada?

Are there are no French makes currently available in Canada--or even Quebec? We haven't had French cars here in eons--Renault, Citroen, or Peugeot. Their poor reliability (at least in the USA) made US makes look relatively good. At least Range Rover and Mercedes help keep the lower end of the pile warm and active.

kiteboy

It's mechanically and functionally identical to the Civic with the 127hp motor, plus 4-wheel discs. The front and back ends are slightly revised with more chrome. Leather and fake wood is available on the upper trim level. Otherwise, it's a Civic. Non-Honda people would have trouble telling the two apart from 100ft. You can view pics on acura.ca.

The prior gen, 1.6EL sold well because it fixed the #1 styling flaw of the prior Civic (those google-eyed headlights) and was priced very competitively. It was also the only way in Canada to get the 127hp engine in a 4-door Civic since the '93 EX-v. The newer model, priced about $2k more, is less of a deal. Especially considering the above-mentioned engine is available again in the Si.

larchmont

Great great reply, kite -- thanks!

dom

No more Lada and no more French makes either.

Larch go to www.acura.ca for more EL info. Its basically a Civic with the 1.7L 127 HP engine (Our 4 door civic just got that engine for 04) It comes standard with power everything, fogs and alloys. It also has available leather, climate control and few other things not available on our Civic. And of course its styling is unique.






EDIT: Did'nt see kite's post, but mine has pics

kiteboy

They do, and it's silly. The slightly different standard doesn't measureably improve safety, but forces a re-test of every car that's sold here. Which only serves to weed out the cool low-volume cars the Evo and MR2. I'm not holding my breath about the Elise either.

I heard the Evo didn't pass because the intercooler is located in the bumper and would suffer damage in a crash. Having just started here, Mitsu really needs a halo-car like the Evo to generate some excitement about the brand here.

MikeL

Two more additions to the list:

The Jaguar X-Type Estate is only available in Canada.

The Volkswagen Golf R32 is only available in the US.

Actually make that three: The Subaru Impreza TS Sedan is only available in Canada.

(and when I say "only" I mean "not in the other", not "not anywhere else").

MikeMa

I believe the EL has better sound deadening in it, since my EL *is* quieter than any of the recent Civic's.

It seems to drive pretty similar to a Civic, but with just more pickup (and you get the nice VTEC scream in there too). It's a good around-town car, rides fairly sportily (relatively flat cornering, doesn't soak up the bumps too well, though), but it seems to run out of breath on the highway. It cruises at like 3000+ RPM at 110Kph, and when you give 'er to pass someone, it'll take you a while to get up to speed. The flip side is that you get awesome gas mileage--about 8-9L/100Km in the city is my average. I got 5-6L/100Km on the highway one of the very few times I've driven on the highway.

I find the interior finishing seems a bit more elegant. There's not a great deal of that ugly matte black plastic, and there are more touches of chrome, and blue or brown wood (wood colour is a new feature this year).

If the TSX weren't such a damn nice car, I'd still be happy with my EL... I'll trade ya, larch! Oh wait...I can't drive a stick.....nevermind.

A couple other dif's between the EL and Civic:

1. EL has no trunk key hole.
2. EL has trunk release on key fob (not sure if this has changed for the Civic, but every keyfob I've seen has only lock, unlock, and panic buttons on them).
3. EL has Acura "Security" system with immobilizer installed by default.
4. The new EL comes standard with fogs, but still uses a smoked version of the Civic headlights (but the new Civics get the Corolla-esque headlights).
5. EL comes with Auto Climate Control similar to the RSX (dial-style--no digital readout).

larchmont

Sounds like maybe there's a few extra little things that are different between the EL and the Civic.

This could be another one of those TSX/Euro Accord things if we felt like it, eh?

Dan Martin

I'd have a hard time justifying the EL over an Accord DX. There's just a $1000 difference and I think the Accord is much more car for the money. The fuel economy is similar if you do mostly highway driving (6.4L/100km for DX vs. 6.0L/100km for EL).

I had an EL for a loaner and I was reasonably impressed with it. It's no TSX but it's still pretty sporty with the 5MT. It did seem a lot heavier than the Civic but if you look at the stats there's only 50lbs between the cars. Maybe it was just the suspension setup in the EL but it just wasn't the same.

Dan Martin

I've lived in Mississauga (the M-dot ) for 23yrs and it's a great place to live. It's been growing like mad though over the last few years and it's starting to get pretty busy. Believe it or not, Mississauga is Canada's 6th largest city!

kiteboy

No fob trunk release on the Civic (at least as of 2003). The Civic does come with a nicer key with the grooves on the inside. One of my pet peeves is the cheapo Acura key + fob setup. I'm jealous my switchblade-fob wielding VW buddies.

YBA

I would give my left nut to get a Street version of the Elise in Canada... I would give both nuts but my wife has futur plans for it .

Dan Martin

I'd have to give my two femurs and a couple disks out of my back because that's the only way I'd fit in that car!

YBA

At 5 feet 6 and 160 lbs, this should not be a problem for me. I'll keep hoping.

tsxer.ca

in canada.. we did't have Isuzu vchicross..
That is a cool 4X4. lucky i saw one in toronto, which from New york.

dom

Canada's not getting the new 525 either. Our 5 now starts with the 530. We're not getting the swiviling headlights either. That I can't understand, why would'nt we need the swilviling headlights?

ABP-CL9-TSX

Also, in Canada they sell a new version Pontiac Sunfire sedan, while here in the States we just have the Sunfire coupe. Apparently the sedans sell more in Canada than the coupes....interesting, but seems like no one really cares for Cavaliers and Sunfires anyways, especially since we own our TSXs.

Also, I heard that Isuzu pulled out of the Canadian market. Now Saturn Saab dealers are just SS now and no longer known as SSI.

MikeMa

Really? My uncle just bought an Isuzu Rodeo (shudder). But, that was before Christmas. I don't really care anyway, since all they sold was really crappy SUVs.....