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The 50 winners from across the country were culled from 500 finalists in a series of three Idol-like events that took place last week simultaneously in nightclubs in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver.
The 50 winners from across the country were culled from 500 finalists in a series of three Idol-like events that took place last week simultaneously in nightclubs in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver.

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Nissan Cube winners find it's hip to be square Add to ...

It may not have garnered the global hysteria of Oprah giving away 276 cars to her elated studio audience members a few years back, but Nissan Canada pulled off the largest vehicle giveaway in Nissan's global history by giving away 50 Nissan Cubes in its recent Hypercube campaign.

It's hard to pin down an exact record for most vehicles given away at one time in Canada, but Nissan says it's by far the largest vehicle giveaway in Canada that they are aware of, and certainly the largest by Nissan around the world.

Even going by the general 10:1 ratio in comparing the United States versus Canada in scale, the contest compares favourably with Oprah's - but really GM's - G6 giveaway, although the Hypercube winners had to work more for their ride.

The 50 winners from across the country were culled from 500 finalists in a series of three Idol-like events that took place last week simultaneously in nightclubs in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver, which involved judges and online voting at hypercube.ca.

To enter, all contestants created a piece of art that expressed their cubist nature, whether in song, poem, dance or on a website. The winners will follow up with updates on the site about their experiences with Nissan's newest and most square compact crossover. They can't sell their car for at least the first year when they'll be blogging and tweeting about it.

Push for Canadian 'cash for clunkers' intensifies

Now that the United States has made its "cash for clunkers" funding available on July 1, although the steps to distribute the cash are still being ironed out, pressure is mounting for the Canadian government to follow suit.

The Canadian auto dealer's association and both the international and Detroit-based vehicle manufacturer's groups are lobbying hard for a similar new-car rebate that could provide up to $3,500 in government money for trading in a vehicle that's at least 10 years old.

However, there is a split in the type of programs such groups are seeking. Dealers and Detroit-based auto makers are pushing for the same rebate on any new vehicle, while foreign-based firms argue that the amount of rebate should be tied to the fuel-economy difference between the new vehicle and what's being traded in.

"We don't think it's politically saleable to have a program where a consumer gets $3,500 for a 10-year-old Civic and then purchases a Hummer," said David Adams, president of the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers of Canada.

His group, like the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association and the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers' Association that represents Detroit-based auto makers, favours a serious scrappage program, like the one aimed to be fully implemented in the United States by the end of July, which is now set to expire in November, or when the billion dollars allocated to it runs out. Similar programs have led to double-digit sales spikes in Germany and France in April and May, while the global recession pounded down new vehicle sales by similar amounts in North America, argued the CADA and CVMA in a joint call for action.

Environment Minister Jim Prentice was quoted this week in the Vancouver Sun as saying that his department is looking at such a "cash for clunkers" plan, that he's met with various auto makers and groups about such a program, and he's hoping to have a decision on such a plan by early September. When it comes to the auto industry, the Canadian government has so far followed the U.S. government's lead closely in a number of areas, if to a proportional degree, including billions in bailouts for GM and Chrysler, guaranteeing warranties for both, help for financing of dealer inventories and aid for suppliers.

Now it's time for the government to help the consumer side of the business, argued Mark Nantais, CVMA president, in an interview on Tuesday.

"They've been very keen on moving in lockstep with the U.S. so far," said Mr. Nantais, who argues that the government's current Retire-Your-Ride plan and its offer of $300, a bike discount or a free transit pass is a joke.

"We have an existing program that's not producing any results, so we're suggesting you take the existing money ($92-million earmarked for Retire-Your-Ride), reinsert some of the GST back from the new vehicle sales, as well as the green levy, and then concentrate it to consumers who will see economic, environmental, and safety benefits from any new vehicle."

The government knows there are political risks in any such program, and it is sure to want to avoid the harsh criticism over the quickly expired ecoAuto rebate program, which drew fire from the industry for placing seemingly arbitrary lines in the sand over which vehicles would get cash back, and which wouldn't.

Mr. Nantais said that 60 per cent of all new vehicles sold in Canada are either compacts or subcompacts, so Canadians in general are very responsible overall in their vehicle purchases, and the most successful programs in Europe are the ones with the fewest "strings," in terms of how much money one could receive for what type and size of vehicle.

Mr. Adams and the foreign-based auto makers he represents favour a program similar to British Columbia's Scrap It program, which uses a sliding scale of cash back based on the difference between the thirstiness of the "clunker" that gets traded in versus the new vehicle. "We think this program treats everyone fairly but obviously rewards someone [with more cash]who wants to move from an SUV into a subcompact," he said this week.

With the calls for such a program getting louder, the government will also want to make a decision either way sooner rather than later, Mr. Adams argued. "The more talk there is about a scrappage program the greater the consumer expectation is and it becomes one more reason for consumers not to buy vehicles now because 'I'll wait for the scrappage program,' which further undermines already weak sales."

BMW unveils X1 coming in 2011

In one of the earliest introductions we've seen in a long time, BMW has revealed official photos and early details for their X1, a small crossover meant to slot in under the X3 in size and price, which will go on sale in Canada in 2011.

BMW Canada folk say that since the car goes on sale in Europe this fall, it's tough for them to hold back basic info due to the global nature of the business and online media these days. But there's likely also a pre-emptive strike element here, or at least a hope of slowing down the torrent of sales now going to rivals such as the Audi Q5 and Mercedes-Benz GLK small crossovers.

Not much has been confirmed in terms of which engines will make it over, as in Europe it will launch with one gasoline and three diesel choices, but it seems safe to pencil in the 3.0-litre in-line six-cylinder gasoline engine from the 3 Series that currently boasts 230 hp.

But intriguingly BMW did say that the 1 Series-based X1 was designed to offer both all-wheel drive and rear drive. Would BMW Canada dare to offer a rear-drive mini-SUV? Perhaps not, but it would make it unique in its segment.

 

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