NISSAN CUBE vs KIA SOUL - INTRODUCTION

For fear of being accused of bias after losing out in the hypercube.ca competition, The Good Car Guy has been reluctant to voice honest opinions about the differences in this dynamic duo. First, Kia zoomed the Soul into the North American market. Shortly thereafter, the Nissan Cube came along and GoodCarBadCar.net stood a very good chance, as one of 500 auditioners, of landing one of 50 Nissan Cubes in Canada.

Don't believe for a second that GoodCarBadCar.net was ever going to display favour to the Cube just because of victory in an online Twitter-based competition. GCBC always hosts strong opinion. No, the "fear of being accused of bias" revolved around a completely public loss and any potential bitterness. To be clear, there is none. Nissan was brilliant in its Canadian Cube debut; despite some obvious blunders in canvas programming and lack of transparency.

The reason GoodCarBadCar.net must complete a full Cube vs. Soul review is easily discernible. Both cars are young and hip; efficient and modern; opinion-provoking and challenging to the senses; and most importantly all-around vehicles that could very likely compete for a spot in the next edition of The Good 12.

In the label marked CubeSoul, GoodCarBadCar.net will measure each vehicle in the following areas: Interior, Exterior, Features, and Performance. Reserving rights, the Verdict will take into account the X Factor; that certain je ne sais quoi; the intangibles.

Over the past decade, rare has been the occasion that two directly competing cars were introduced in the same season representing fairly new ideas yet at the same time symbolizing all that is right with the modern automotive industry. The Nissan Cube and Kia Soul are like two mountain goats surveying each other from afar in the hours leading up to a clash. Oreamnos americanus - to battle ye go.

HYUNDAI EQUUS HEADS TO NORTH AMERICAN MARKET BEFORE 2011

Before Hyundai gave us the Genesis, a Good 12 v2.0 winner, Korea was home to the Equus. While you think horse, you see the pictures in this post and you; yes you, are impressed. Middle-easterners may know this car as the Centennial. Styled very Lexus LS-like in its first generation, the current Equus looks like an amalgam of the LS, Genesis, and Benz S-Class. And guess what? Before the clock strikes 2011, North Americans will be able to purchase their very own Hyundai Equus.

Available elsewhere in V6 and V8 configurations, AutoWeek reports that we'll be served the V8 only. Don't be surprised if the engine is the 4.6L straight from the Genesis. However, the long-rumoured 5.0L Tau could find itself under the hood of the Equus, especially if Hyundai genuinely wants to position the Lexus LS-sized sedan as a "halo" car. Hyundai won't be pushing numbers, after all. They want to impress us; they want to jack up the image of the brand so we think nothing of laying down cold, hard cash for a Genesis Coupe or Elantra Touring. Hyundai, Korea wishes us to know, is a serious automotive brand.

Indeed, with luxury befitting a Lexus LS460, Mercedes-Benz S-Class, BMW 7-Series, or Audi A8, the Equus will cost significantly more than the Genesis. Keep in mind, the Genesis fits in nicely with the Lexus GS, Benz E-Class, BMW 5-Series, or Audi A6 but is priced more like an IS, C-Class, 3-Series, or A4. Thus, this S-Class equivalent will be priced like an E-Class lest it fall into the trap of being judged by too lofty a standard.

Hyundai wants the U.S.-market Equus to fall under the $60,000 barrier. Features and capacity will match or exceed the aforementioned Lexus LS. 100 examples of the Equus can currently be seen at Hyundai dealers across America. For more pictures of the Equus and a traditional GoodCarBadCar 3 To Beat, click here.

GALLERY - LAMBORGHINI GALLARDO LP560-4 SPYDER - 53 PICTURES

They're spending productive hours attempting to cure cancer and discover the habits of icebergs. I wish, for just five or ten minutes, that researchers would determine the ratio of Lamborghini sightings in real life and Lamborghini sightings in pictures as seen by the eyes of a regular Joe who doesn't live in Beverly Hills.

When I saw that Lambo had updated pictures and clicked on the Gallardo Spyder Gallery, it quickly became clearer than ever that exclusivity commands a great price.

The fact that the three best pictures on this Gallardo LP560-4 Gallery pose the Lamborghini in areas it may never visit again should aptly connote the absurdity of you seeing the Gallardo in these scenarios. Nevertheless, we enjoy the images anyway. Scroll through all 52 pictures in the Gallery below, check out all Lamborghini-related posts here, and take special note of the three wildly edited and outsized pictures in the post to see the Gallardo Spyder at its best.

WATCH THE FIAT 500C IN MOTION

Although it's not the most enthralling video to come out of Fiat's HQ in recent memory, this clip of the 500C accurately represents the way Fiat's little cabrio will look on the road. From many angles, passers-by won't have a clue that you're driving a convertible. While it'd be lovely to believe that 500C consumers are just out for the rays, they're more likely poseurs who need to see and, more importantly, be seen. With the Fiat 500C's roof rails in place, the droptop doesn't always appear to have its top dropped. See for yourself below, then check out the Gallery of Fiat 500C pictures here.

GALLERY - FIAT 500C - 116 PICTURES

Four months ago, a preliminary look at the convertible version of Fiat's 500 revealed only one small surprise. Fiat had (and has) no plans to completely remove the roof. The rails remain; no doubt helping stiffness.

The 500C will be available in Italy exactly two years after this recent incarnation of the Cinquecento became available. July 4th isn't just America's birthday - it's also the birthday of the original Fiat 500. Fiat has sold 360,000 500s in 59 markets in the past two years. 80% of those buyers heavily option-up their cars. That scent your smelling? Profits.

Because you never know when you'll need to pop the top, Fiat allows the 500C's roof to be jacked at any speed up to 37mph (60kmh). Some interior bits are slightly different from what you'll find in the regular hatch. And even the rear anti-roll bar is from the Abarth 500.

Check out all 116 pictures of the Fiat 500C in the Gallery below. While this post is labelled as an Across The Pond article, don't be too shocked if the Fiat/Chrysler link brings a 500C to a dealership near you in the next two years.

MADE IN CANADA - ALL 25 VEHICLES ASSEMBLED BY CANADIANS

How I'd love to hold in my quiver such assets as paid researchers. The New York Times has completed an exhaustive S&D (search and define) to establish which vehicles are Made In America. Alongside this information, the NYT has also provided us with vehicles Hecho En Mexico. For the purpose of this post, the NYT has thankfully gone north of the border, as well. Made In Canada, or as numerous millions say, Fait Au Canada.

Updated: Read The Vehicles Made In Canada List For 2010

In truth, the Times delved much deeper into the so-called American cars. Were the employees who assembled the vehicle unionized; where do the engines and transmissions come from? Before you take a look at the list and jump into a hissyfit, remember that some vehicles are assembled in multiple factories all over the continent or all over the world. And, in many cases, vehicles could be assembled in the USA with engines from different countries; not just the one. Not only that, but the design could have taken place on the other side of the world or just down the street from the factory. Although informative, this list is by no means all-encompassing.

Nevertheless, you ought to feel obligated to take a look at the Made In Canada list below if you want to sound educated at work tomorrow. Oh, and the vehicles below are clearly not in alphabetical order. They're arranged by how pleased I am, as a Canadian, to live in the nation where these cars are built... for reasons unknown even to me.

Chevrolet Camaro

Chrysler 300

Honda Civic Si

Dodge Challenger

Acura MDX

Ford Flex

Toyota RAV4

Honda Civic (sedan & coupe)

Lexus RX350

Toyota Matrix

Dodge Charger

Lincoln MKX/Ford Edge

Chrysler Town & Country/Dodge Grand Caravan/VW Routan
GMC Sierra Hybrid/Chevrolet Silverado Hybrid
Toyota Corolla

Chevrolet Impala 
Suzuki XL7 
Pontiac G6 
Lincoln Town Car/Ford Crown Victoria/Mercury Grand Marquis

TURBOCHARGING THE PRICE OF THREE TURBOCHARGED LUXURY SEDANS

We often disparage the names of great luxury sedans because of their exorbitant prices. We're so offended to realize that the quoted MSRP is of little consequence to a well-specced car with the options we demand. Yet the Accords and Camrys of the world are now as luxurious as premium cars of yesteryear and far more extravagant than the premium cars of our childhood. Multiple notches above the mainstream cars of today, a handful of European automakers compete with a couple American nameplates and a trio of Japanese manufacturers for hundreds of thousands of affluent midsize sedan buyers. These affluent midsize sedan buyers are willing to pay through the nose; but they receive plenty in return for their hard-earned dollar.

Take these three roomy, turbocharged, well-equipped sedans representing Germany, Sweden, and the USofA. For outright driving bliss, the Audi is the clear choice. If a clear view of the world and absolute serenity is your cup of tea, Volvo's hit the nail on the proverbial head. Care for something in between? The Lincoln is quietly classy while at the same time a little audacious. Many would wonder why, in a price comparison of midsize luxury, so many players would be left sitting on the bench whilst inferior competitors are allowed to play.

Ah, but we're exclusively turbocharged today. True, BMW and Saab can play that game, too. Germany and Sweden have already sent in their nominees, however. Now, in ascending order of price as well-optioned, here are today's contestants for most expensive turbocharged midsize luxury sedan.

$54,281 - VOLVO S80 T6 AWD: Imagine what the price of the S80 would be if Volvo didn't automatically incorporate a $6,250 "Volvo Allowance". Okay, you don't have to imagine - we can do the math together. A six-cylinder Volvo for $60,531 would be difficult to swallow. It'd also be the most expensive car of this trio. From a base price of $42,050 (not incorporating the "Volvo Allowance"), The Good Car Guy has added the three Cs of packages: Climate, Convenience, and Collision Avoidance. In addition, the Executive package, BLIS, and rear-seat DVD add a chunk of change. Standard equipment includes the 281-bhp 2.9L straight-six, a six-speed automatic, and some 4,500 pounds of girth. Adding the price of a Honda Civic to your Volvo S80 sounds foolhardy. Negotiating the saliva out of your Volvo sales rep on a $55K S80 sounds fun.

$55,440 - LINCOLN MKS ECOBOOST AWD: Comparing this 355-bhp MKS with the Town Car or even the old LS and Continental is almost embarrassing. It's not fair, either. Lincoln has to take the fight to ensconced favourites, not just the Baker Street Irregulars. Starting at $47,760, major options like navigation, slick paint, and 20" wheels have helped propel the MKS to the $55K price you see here. Call that an adjustable figure given the propensity North Americans have for choosing BMW and Benz when they could have a made-in-America solution. Why EcoBoost? In theory, turbocharging a smaller V6 rather than installing a large V8 should save on fuel, right? In practice, you'll be lucky to save a single mpg.

$57,550 - AUDI A6 3.0T QUATTRO: Audi's new 300-bhp turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 is a torque and tech monster. 310 lb-ft of the good stuff does a fair job of moving this large car around. Prestige trim is two notches above the basic 3.0T car. Options are thus very few. A 19" wheel "sport package" and rear side airbags round things out. Without those options, this would be a $55,200 car. As a simple 3.0T Premium, Audi says the A6 costs $50,100. Significant additions to get to the $57,550 price of this car include adaptive Bi-Xenon headlights, Bose surround sound, and voice recogition for major controls. In cars with interiors as spectacular as these three provide, the interior luxury quotient is likely decided as much by subjectivity as by the options list. In the mind and eye of The Good Car Guy, it'd be hard to topple any Audi in any segment in terms of ambience.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY, CAR DADS

Amongst the thousands of readers who pass through GoodCarBadCar.net's gates each year are a few thousand fathers. Some of those fathers want to know if they should buy a Toyota Venza or a Honda Odyssey. Others enjoy entertaining reading material. Then there are those who need to maintain their vehicular intelligence in order to keep up with their sons (and daughters).

Joseph Kennedy wanted his sons to become Presidents. Walter Gretzky wanted his son to be the best hockey player in the world. Billy Ray Cyrus wants his daughter to be as normal as a teenage pop star could possibly be. Muhammad Ali wanted his daughter to be his female equivalent. My father wanted me to know everything there was to know... about cars. Well, he tried ancient Greek, too. That didn't go over well. Perfect estimations relating to the length of RVs was worthy of time spent. And it was important that I knew how to answer phones professionally. Mainly, it was cars; and cars only.

It began with naming the car that drove toward us. At three and four years old, I wasn't able to be any more specific than the brand. That changed, however, before I reached seven or eight. "Honda" wasn't good enough. Differentiation had to be made between Civics and Accords. As an early teen, specifications grew in significance. The first drive-by of a new-to-Canada model resulted in this anticipated question: "How many horsepower?", followed by "How much torque?". Fortunately, the magazines he bought me had this info.

I would like to believe that I was the most excited when my first auto writings were published in a major Canadian newspaper. But it was my father who shared the news that I was "published" with everyone he knew, an hour before I'd even seen the paper.

So, to all you GoodCarBadCar.net lovers out there, don't thank The Good Car Guy for putting this site into the blogosphere. Thank The Good Car Father.

GOODCARBADCAR.net PHOTOGRAPHY III

Last July, The Good Car Guy published eight random photographs of vehicles shot with a GoodCarBadCar-owned Nikon. This time, Fujifilm is the camera of choice, and there are six photos for you to peruse. In hopes of showing the wonders of any vehicle, regardless of price, The Good Car Guy has posted pictures here of a Saturn Ion, Toyota Yaris, Kia Soul, Volkswagen Tiguan, Land Rover Range Rover, and Rolls-Royce Phantom. For more GoodCarBadCar.net photography, click here, here, here, here, and here.

WATCH THE NEW FORD TAURUS SHO IN ACTION

Thirty-five seconds into this video clip of the 2010 Ford Taurus SHO, put your best foot forward and take a guess. What car is coming towards the camera on the side of the road you're not supposed to be watching?

Who just guessed 2001 Ford Taurus? YouTube doesn't provide my bad eyes with 20/20 vision, and perhaps we'll never know. But it's still a subtle way for Ford to let us know that the new Taurus is memorable while the old Taurus was... forgettable.

For more on the return of the SHO, click here.

KIA SOULS SPELL SOUL

No, the music may not be to your taste. It may be Korean heavy metal. Regardless, this is one of the better Kia Soul videos put together so far, and GoodCarBadCar.net has been known to post decent Soul clips.

For the first 20 seconds, you may think Kia is trying to make a really boring process look cool. Then the Souls begin to take shape(s). Some tricks, some semi-stunts, and lots of talent-filled formations follow. Check it out.

THE MODERN HISTORY OF CHRYSLER

There was a time in my life when Rocky Road seemed appropriate. Then along came lactose intolerance. Anyway, Chrysler Corporation began in 1925. Its whole existence can only be described as a curious meandering down a very rocky road. Label it as you wish: rollercoasteresque; turbulent; or tumultuous. Don't expect Fiat's takeover/merger/alliance/cooperation with Chrysler to change that. Fiat itself was just labelled by J.D. Power as one of the poorest quality auto brands in the UK. Indeed, without the $2,000,000,000 General Motors agreed to pay Fiat for not buying it, Fiat would likely be in the same state as Chrysler right now.

For Chrysler; times, they may not be a'changing. Here's the modern history timeline of the Chrysler Group. Click for a larger view.

FUEL ECONOMY IN CAR AND DRIVER JULY 2009

Fuel prices are creeping upwards again. Although it appears very unlikely that gasoline will reach last summer's heights, nobody wants to use more than they have to. Car & Driver's testers this month were, for the most part, on the.... uh, high-end, shall we say? Throw in a couple of the least expensive and newest hybrids for good measure, and you've got yourself a lot of samples for real-world fuel economy. The numbers you'll read below aren't the EPA numbers - this is real driving on real roads by real people. For 0-60mph info on the same cars, check this link.

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'98 Chevrolet Metro: 42 miles per gallon

Toyota Prius: 42 miles per gallon

Honda Insight EX: 38 miles per gallon

Chevrolet Camaro SS: 14 miles per gallon

Ford Mustang GT: 17 miles per gallon

Dodge Challenger R/T: 15 miles per gallon

Audi Q5 3.2 Quattro: 21 miles per gallon

BMW X3 xDrive30i: 22 miles per gallon

Lexus RX350: 21 miles per gallon

Mercedes GLK350 4Matic: 20 miles per gallon

Volvo XC60 T6 AWD: 19 miles per gallon

Audi TTS: 16 miles per gallon

BMW Z4 sDrive35i: 17 miles per gallon

Chevrolet Corvette: 15 miles per gallon

Porsche Boxster S: 17 miles per gallon

Infiniti G37 Cnvrtbl: 19 miles per gallon

Volkswagen Routan SE: 14 miles per gallon

Mazda 6 s GT: 18 miles per gallon

TOP 5 MOST EXPENSIVE VEHICLES TO INSURE IN AMERICA

The vehicles on an already-published GoodCarBadCar.net insurance post have more than cheap insurance on their side. They're also less expensive than the vehicles on this list to begin with. Generally, they'll achieve better fuel economy. Maintenance costs will also be lower. In many cases, their warranties are better and they'll carry more passengers. Yes, the Korean 5+Honda Odyssey are quite a grouping.

Then again, the five cars described below with their high insurance costs are quite a handsome flock as well. Rather appealing, if I do say so myself. These are the Top 5 Most Expensive Vehicles To Insure In America.

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#5 - MERCEDES-BENZ G-CLASS, $2088: Its rarity alone makes the G-Wagen expensive to fix. Call Germany for parts. If that doesn't work, try Austria. Even with its audacious personality, horrific on-road dynamics, and wild MSRP, the G-Class Benz seems worth $2088 in insurance.

#4 - FORD SHELBY GT500, $2186: The difference between the Shelby and the other cars in the top 10 (Audi A8, BMW M3, Hummer H2, Lexus ISF, & Porsche 911, included) revolves around the theory that normal people drive this car. One must also realize that most Shelby customers pay above sticker, suffer from a severely receding hairline, and need a trophy wife because they have no other trophies. So paying an abhorrent price for insurance doesn't seem ridiculous to them.

#3 - BMW M6, $2236: In my neighbourhood, a white M6 trolls the streets all day. Its custom exhaust blares its unique signature.... all day. $2236? Who cares about $2236 when you spend $200 a day on fuel.

#2 - DODGE VIPER, $2446: America's most outrageous mass production vehicle is expensive to fuel, maintain, insure, and buy. So is the the next car you'll read about. Only the next car you'll read about won't burn your legs off when you try and exit the vehicle.

#1 - NISSAN GT-R, $2533: Choosing red as your paint colour won't make any difference these days. I'm not sure it ever did. The ability to go very fast is likely part of Insure.com's reasoning for dropping this GT-R bomb. And though the GT-R can also strip that speed away very quickly, the cost of repairing high-end bits is prohibitive.

TOP 5 CHEAPEST CARS TO INSURE IN AMERICA

Recent automotive insurance quotes I've received bare no resemblance to the figures you'll read about below. Insure.com has done some research. While the state in which you live, along with your zip code and driving record, will play a huge role in calculating your insurance rate, the $ figures below are an average as figured by Insure.com, not by GoodCarBadCar.net. There are some surprises, no doubt about it. Coming up, you'll be able to see the the Top 5 Most Expensive Vehicles To Insure as well. For now, let's stick with the Top 5 Least Expensive Vehicles To Insure. Good news first, right?

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#5 - HONDA ODYSSEY, $871: Just ahead of the smart fortwo, Saturn Vue, Mazda Tribute, and Chrysler T&C sits Honda's minivan. Far-flung theory: the Odyssey has gotten so big it runs other cars over and doesn't get damaged. It's also a Good 12 Supersize winner.

#4 - KIA RIO5, $870: One would assume the figures for a former Good 12 winner and platform-mate to the Rio would be similar. Accurate theory: the Rio5 is stinkin' cheap to repair; so it doesn't matter if you get crushed by an Odyssey.

#3 - HYUNDAI ENTOURAGE/KIA SEDONA $852.50 avg.: The second Korean-designed vehicle to touch down on the list is, by GoodCarBadCar decree, an average of two identical vehicles. These large minivans will not only save you money at the dealer compared with the Honda, they'll also save you about twenty bucks a year on insurance.

#2 - KIA SPORTAGE, $840: Again with the assumptions - the Hyundai Tucson's insurance quotes should be remarkably similar. Ready for far-flung theory number two? Drivers sit up high enabling them to see all the other cars but, when smashed, the Sportage/Tucson is really quite small with fewer parts than their minivan brothers.

#1 - HYUNDAI SANTA FE, $832: This favourite of The Good Car Guy is also the cheapest vehicle to insure in America. Plenty of active safety equipment like ABS and stability control help keep you from crashing. On the other hand, the Santa Fe is high enough to clear the Rio5's bumper.

U.S. AUTO SALES BY NATIONAL OWNERSHIP - U.S. LUXURY AUTO SALES FOR MAY 2009

General Motors is bankrupt. Chrysler is climbing out of bankruptcy. Toyota is losing money hand over fist. Porsche isn't sure if it can take over the Volkswagen group. It appears no auto manufacturer has the money (or clout) to purchase troubled GM children in Europe (Opel/Vauxhall) so Magna will grab that. Meanwhile, another troubled GM kid, Saturn, needs Penske to step in.

Ah, the golden age of the automobile is upon us. No, really. Cars are awesome right about now. Bad cars are only bad because they're boring, not because they fall apart when you shut the door. Good cars are actually great cars considering the safety regulations forced upon them and the weight consumers demand via features and options. So don't go a'judging the sales figures below by any standard other than personal money malaise.

The Good Car Guy has already updated you on Canada's Sales Stats from the month of May. For America's performance, it seemed like a wonderful idea to put the important figures in Graph form. What you see below are sales by nation of ownership for the month of May only. Volvo and Saab, do recall, are American-owned. Mini, for the sake of this graph, is German. You get the picture. True, Toyota, with the help of Lexus and Scion, looks like a possible victor over New GM in the yearly sales contest come December. Overall, U.S.-based auto manufacturers still dominate in the U.S.A.

Now take a look at luxury sales in America for the month of May. This pie chart excludes the low totals of Saab (783) and Porsche (1,979) but bears witness to the fact that American luxury is.... ahem... luxurious indeed; if luxury is rated by rarity.

WILL IT BE THE PENSKE SATURN AURA, PENSKE AURA, OR PERHAPS JUST THE SATURN AURA?

Laying in wait in the grasp of the future; many strange automotive events prepare. General Motors is rapidly becoming the New GM. (And how annoyingly.) Hummer might be Chinese. Then again, it might not. Will Porsche swallow Volkswagen, or will they just merge?

Could Europe's - perhaps the world's - preeminent small car manufacturers become one? Peugeot-Citroen, otherwise known as PSA, is open to talks with Fiat about joining forces. Already Land Rover and Jaguar are Indian-owned; what could happen with Ford-owned Volvo?

One thing is settled... at least for the moment, as all these things tend to be. Roger Penske's company, known to you all as, well... Penske, is ready to take Saturn into the second decade of this century. Penske does more than racing. He/it also owns a multitude of car dealerships, a massive truck fleet, and VM Motori S.p.A. Will the cars be badged like the Aura pictured here? Undoubtedly no. However, this man knows how to win races, lease trucks, sell cars, and apparently build Italian diesels. And he does so rather successfully. If anyone's to be entrusted with turning Saturn around, Roger Penske doth appear to be the man.

THE POWER OF CHEVROLET: MAY SALES STATS IN AMERICA SHOW CHEVY DOUBLING REST OF GM COMBINED

Unfortunately for General Motors last month, not only did Toyota topple Chevrolet for the U.S. sales crown; Ford did too. In fact, Ford Motor Company's Ford brand, which you may have heard of, sold more cars and trucks than any other automaker; Toyota included.

But I digress.

The power of the bow-tie badge is still scarcely believable. Add up May's sales of every other General Motors brand and Chevrolet nearly doubled that total. Hummer, Saturn, Saab, Buick, Pontiac, GMC, and Cadillac combined for about half as many sales last month in the USA as completed by Chevrolet. While the argument against killing Pontiac and the case against Buick or GMC has validity in some far-flung corner of some human brains, the greater un-asked question is this: Is New GM about four core brands or Chevrolet+3? Like a sports coupe that was never built to carry passengers in the rear seat but can technically do so, New GM looks heavy on the Chevy and weak on the other links.

Take a look at the pie chart above to see GM's current Chevrolet emphasis. Is GM's Chevy reliance such a bad thing? No, not really, I suppose. But if New GM is going to be anything but Chevrolet, Buick better start selling cars here as well as in China, Cadillac better do better than selling at half the rate of BMW; Lexus; and Mercedes, and GMC's got to take some of Chevy's truck burden.

AUTO MARKET SHARE IN CANADA FOR THE FIRST FIVE MONTHS OF 2009

To all the unbelievers who want certain automakers to go it alone, have a look at this graph to see how the loners are coping in the Canadian automotive marketplace. Apart from the sixth largest conglomerates, many of whom are working together on multiple projects, only 21.7% of the market share is taken up by companies like Mitsubishi and Mazda. General Motors, Ford, and Toyota combine to make up almost half of all car & truck sales in Canada. That's without including Subaru, something of a Toyota subsidiary.

You want to play with the big boys? Join'em. Toyota and Pontiac team up with the Matrix and Vibe. Take note of the mid-gate on the Honda Ridgeline and the V6 engines in older Saturn Vues. Transmission partnerships, engine collaboration, hybrid technology sharing..... the list goes on. That's part of what made these six so powerful.

CANADA AUTO SALES MAY 2009

Perhaps there's a reason for this that some Mercedes-Benz Canada official could point to, but smart fortwo sales tanked in May. This was with an instant$1,250 rebate (since upped to $2,000) slapped on the hood. Hyundai and Kia had wicked months, thanks in no small part to the wildly successful Soul and a gigantic bump in Elantra sales; up 75.9% compared with last May.

Check out all the totals for all automakers competing in Canada below; ranked in order of total units pushed. For American auto sales figures, check out Autoblog's table up in here. Oh, and take note: car sales were way down in Canada in May (-24%, in fact) but light truck sales were only slightly lower this May than last, down just 5.6%. "What high gas prices?", ask ye. Overall, Canada light vehicle sales were 16.9% lower than the same period last year.

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General Motors: -12.2% to 31,546

Ford: -7.2% to 21,873

Toyota: -26% to 19,729

Honda: -16.9% to 14,046

Chrysler: -50% to 13,593

Hyundai: +17.8% to 11,204

Mazda: -17.2% to 8,009

Nissan: -13.3% to 7,672

Kia: +25.5% to 5,032

Volkswagen: +7.4% to 4,209

BMW: -2.6% to 2,676

Mercedes-Benz: +6.9% to 2,344

Subaru: +0.5% to 1,940

Mitsubishi: +4.5% to 1,931

Lexus: -13% to 1,587

Acura: -20.9% to 1,578

Suzuki: -17.9% to 1,255

Audi: +29.3% to 1,081

Infiniti: -13.7% to 718

Volvo: -6.9% to 773

Mini: -4.3% to 552

smart: -59.5% to 178

Land Rover: -8.4% to 174

Porsche: -22.6% to 161

Jaguar: -17.9% to 92

Saab: -57.8% to 65

5 SIGNS GENERAL MOTORS IS THE "NEW GM"

24 hours ago, GoodCarBadCar.net went on high-alert after General Motors made clear that the company was entering Chapter 11 bankruptcy. One post later, and GCBC's activity skyrocketed. There are plenty of complainers (most of whom don't understand that these same billions of dollars would be directed towards unemployment insurance if the government didn't help) and thousands of ignorant souls who simply don't know better. But in the end, America cares about General Motors.

This has thrown GoodCarBadCar's shcedule for a bit of a loop. Rather than look at five more of the most Memorable Vehicular Debuts of The Good Car Guy's era, it seems an ideal time to attempt to discover how and why the "new" GM will be different. Oh yeah, "new" is an important word in GM's... er, new vernacular. In Fritz Henderson's open letter posted here, new is even capitalized. So, says Henderson, "the New GM is here to stay". Also, though the company is appreciative of the Obama administration's help and doesn't discount the sacrifice so many Americans and Canadians have made, Fritz believes "our product is our future". Which is interesting, given The Good Car Guy's #1 reason GM went bankrupt. Anyway, keep reading for the Five Signs General Motors Has Changed and see if you can manage not to make a joke to your friends about GM being on the Fritz. Ha.

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The #5 Sign That General Motors Is The New GM ........ : Hummer is now owned by the Chinese. Yes indeed; expect the sale to go through by the end of September of this year. We don't know if the mystery buyer is Chinese or not, but few nations have companies willing to spend $500,000,000 on a brand that is distinctly uncompetitive in its largest market.

The #4 Sign That General Motors Is The New GM ........ : Saturns live on as Magna-built Opels. The Aurora, Ontario-based parts maker paid $989,000,000 for Opel; tie-ups with Russia-based OAO GAZ notwithstanding. Magna wants Opel to return to profitability by 2011 with significant increases in market share. Rumour has it that included in Magna's plan is help for dying Saturn dealers who already share some product with Opel.

The #3 Sign That General Motors Is The New GM ........ : Pontiac signs come down. Over the last decade, dealerships that weren't selling multiple GM brands were urged to do so. Typically, that meant Pontiac was sold alongside Buick and GMC. Buick and GMC are surviving - Pontiac is dying. Pontiac/Buick/GMC dealers will become Buick/GMC dealers if they don't take on Chevrolet and Cadillac, too.

The #2 Sign That General Motors Is The New GM ........ : Your GM car is built abroad. Although the New GM wants to "more efficiently utilize U.S. capacity", the New GM doesn't joke around when it comes to increasing vehicle sales in the U.S. of cars built elsewhere. Think China, first and foremost. One doubts that the Bowling Green sticker on your Corvette will be Beijing or Guangzhou anytime soon. However, GM already builds products in the far east that we see as American-made cars here. Why not build them one place, do so for less, and then ship them here?

The #1 Sign That General Motors Is The New GM ........ : You or your friends lose your job(s). Sorry to be so harsh, but listen to New GM's plans: swing downward from 2008's 47 manufacturing plants to 34 by the end of 2010 and 33 by the end of 2012. Meanwhile, GM's salaried North American workforce shrinks from 35,100 to 27,200. Take a look at the table below (click to enlarge) for plant closure timelines.