AJAC GETS SOME CANADIAN CAR OF THE YEAR PICS WRONG

The Automobile Journalists Association of Canada has announced their exhaustive group of award winners for 2010 and, naturally, The Good Car Guy's disagreements cut a huge swath through the list. Officially, GoodCarBadCar.net has no problem (okay, few problems) with traditional means of automotive journalism, plenty of issues with the way AJAC's testing works out, and a significant caveat given the lack of opposing award systems like The Bad 8 and The Bad 8 Supersize.

For starters, labelling twelve vehicles as winners clearly marks out the others as losers. The Good Car Guy, on the other hand, loves to mark out the best available cars and SUVs in addition to the worst, leaving you to decide if the vehicles in the middle might be right for you. So unlike AJAC, The Good Car Guy will not be calling the Nissan 370Z Roadster a loser. Nor will GoodCarBadCar.net link the Jaguar XFR to losership status. Nor will GoodCarBadCar.net find any excuse to act as if 99% of the domestic American automotive industry sucks.

That being said, congratulations to the winners - all of which are cars I'd be willing to own or test, listed below with the challengers. Asterisks indicate The Good Car Guy's preferred winner(s). After all, The Good 12 v3.0 is coming up in December and we don't wanna know the whole story, do we? Of course not.

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Small Car (under $21K)

Hyundai Elantra Touring
Kia Forte Koup
Mazda 3 (winner)

Small Car (over $21K)
Honda Insight
Kia Forte
* Kia Soul
Mazda 3 Sport (winner)
Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback
Nissan Cube
Volkswagen Golf

Family Car (under $30K)
Ford Fusion
Subaru Legacy
Toyota Prius
Volkswagen Golf Wagon TDI (winner)

Family Car (over $30K)

Ford Taurus

Buick LaCrosse

Ford Fusion Hybrid

Luxury Car (over $50K)
BMW 335d sedan (winner)
Cadillac CTS SportWagon
Mercedes-Benz E350

Prestige Car (over $75K)
Porsche Panamera Turbo (winner)
* Audi R8 V10
* BMW 750i
* Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid

Sports-Performance (under $50K)
* Chevrolet Camaro
Ford Taurus SHO
* Hyundai Genesis Coupe
Mazdaspeed 3
Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback Ralliart
Volkswagen GTI (winner)

Sports-Performance (over $50K)
Audi S4 (winner)
Jaguar XFR
Mercedes-Benz E550 Coupe

Convertible
Audi A5 (winner)
Lexus IS350C
* Nissan 370Z

SUV/CUV (under $35K)
Chevrolet Equinox
Subaru Outback (winner)
* Toyota Venza

SUV/CUV ($35K-$65K)
Acura ZDX
* Audi Q5
GMC Terrain
Lexus RX350
* Mercedes-Benz GLK350 4Matic
Volkswagen Touareg TDI (winner)
Volvo XC60

SUV/CUV (over $60K)
Acura MDX
* Audi Q7 TDI
* Cadillac SRX
Lexus RX450h (winner)
Lincoln MKT

THE GOOD CAR GUY ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS

As Question Period gets underway in Ottawa, CPAC's coverage has inspired The Good Car Guy to delve into Questions put forward on vehicular matters; not H1N1. The most annoying thing about QP here at GoodCarBadCar.net isn't able to enjoy the benefit of parliamentary pages when responding to Questions. Plus, nobody calls me the Minister of Cars or the Honourable Member from GoodCarBadCar.net. Hmph.

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What Are The Bad Things About The Bugatti Veyron? Apart from a few hundred who've had the privilege of driving the 1000+ horsepower Franco-German supercar, no consumer is properly equipped to argue against the Veyron's outrageous speed, grip, or luxury. However, the Bugatti Veyron weighs almost as much as a Lincoln Town Car. Weight is the enemy. Imagine how much faster the Veyron would be if its weight matched that of the best supercars. Strip the Bugatti of 1,000 pounds and it might just be fun to drive, rather than a simple shock & awe experience. Other Veyron negatives include questionable styling elements and pricing that puts the Bugatti out of reach for anybody without tens of billions in liquidity.

What Is A Good Car Colour? Although a tremendously particular person, The Good Car Guy finds it easier to list the bad colours than the good. This Lexus LF-A hue is especially shameful, for instance. In truth, even the most audacious colours have their place on the right car. More trying to the eyes are those colours that have become increasingly boring as they've increased in ubiquity: grey (especially on Toyota Camrys), yellow (especially on superfast German sedans), beige (on minivans), and silver (especially on Mercedes' of any type).

Are Volvo's Diesel Engines Fuel Efficient? The five-cylinder diesel found in Volvo's XC90 Across The Pond has a combined rating equal to 10.8 U.S. miles per gallon better than the optional Yamaha V8. Opting for the diesel will require 3.2 more seconds of your time each time you wish to reach 60mph from rest. Volvo offers four different diesels in the C30 hatchback, all of which top 45.6 Imperial mpg on the EU cycle, one of which (the 1.6L, 108-bhp four-pot) is said to reach 83.1 miles per gallon in extra-urban driving.

HORSHAM SOUTH POLICE USING KIA SOUL PATROL

Toll House Kia in Horsham South, Sussex, has kindly given the local constabulary a Kia Soul outfitted for community policing duty.

The Police Community Support Officers are excited about the head-turning style of the Soul since their role relates directly to visibility in the area. Sussex's Soul patrol car is kitted out with reverse parking-assistance and the full onslaught of 18-inch wheels.

Many of the unique vehicles featured in GoodCarBadCar.net's Police section are found in the United Kingdom rather than the staid rural communities of Normal, Illinois, or Nowhere, Kansas, or Truro, Nova Scotia. Just check out Humberside's Lexus ISF and the Mitsubishi i MiEV in the West Midlands for proof.

ATTEMPTS TO FIND THE LINCOLN MKT'S BEST ANGLES

In conversation with The Good Car Father yesterday, the design of a new Lincoln brought about strong opinions. "What was that new Lincoln I saw yesterday? It looked like a large station wagon", he queried. "Yeah," I pointed out, "It sure doesn't look good from the back, eh." Accurately enough, The Good Car Father pointed out that "it didn't look that good from the front". And the agreed upon viewpoint? The Lincoln MKT doesn't look good from any angle.

In this situation The Good Car Guy always looks to feel better about the negative vibes. Perhaps the Lincoln MKT needs an aerial perspective or proper lighting or a drunken stupor. In the end, a solution was found. Thirty seconds per photo in Apple's iPhoto and the Lincoln MKT's best view was found.

Imagine yourself walking out of the emergency exit of a dark movie theatre during a long night scene in a dark cemetery. You're in Phoenix, the sky is clear, and it's 2:00 in the afternoon. The door opens, one foot steps outside, and the you're so blinded by the sun that spots begin to appear in your vision and deciphering colour is a near impossibility. This is the Lincoln MKT you see in the parking lot behind the theatre; carrying off a decent impression of the gorgeous Buick Enclave.

Later on you're visiting the Grand Canyon. The sunset to the west is unlike anything you ever dun seen, y'all. But storm clouds are gathering in the east. Darkness is about to fall, and the Lincoln MKT parked on the crest of the ridge with its lights on almost has an Audi A6 Avantesque profile about it.

2010 FORMULA 1 CALENDAR

As the 2009 Formula 1 season comes to an end, FIA has announced the dates of all nineteen races for 2010. Negotiations between nations/states/provinces/cities and Bernie Ecclestone were tumultuous this year, a year in which the racing on F1 tracks went against the grain.

Put it this way: we have no idea what to expect in 2010. The final two races may switch dates. The Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal and the British GP still need to work some details out with F1 bigshots. And the circuits in Korea and Abu Dhabi still need to be formally approved. However, set your iPhone alarm for these nineteen dates.

March 14: Bahrain
Marc 28: Australia
April 4: Malaysia
March 18: China
May 9: Spain
May 16: Monaco
May 30:Turkey
June 13: Canada
June 27: Europe (Valencia, Spain)
July 11: Great Britain
July 25: Germany
August 1: Hungary
August 29: Belgium
September 12: Italy
September 26: Singapore
October 3: Japan
October 17: Korea
October 31: Abu Dhabi
November 14: Brazil

LEXUS SHOULD HAVE ANALYZED FORD'S GT STRATEGY BEFORE INTRODUCING LF-A

A few years ago, the ever-present complaint from automotive journalists revolved around the observation that every brand seemed to want to be a luxury brand. Volkswagen's Phaeton sucked and the Passat was getting expensive. Hyundai was "planning" a foray into the entry-luxury market with a large V8 sedan. Overlapping in pricing from one company's mainstream brand - Toyota, for instance - into the same company's luxury brand - Lexus in this case - was becoming an accepted phenomenon.

We've moved past the problem. Yeah, the Phaeton is still remembered as sucky. But the Hyundai Genesis is a ridiculously nice car, a Good 12 v2.0 winner in fact. If consumers want to pay Lexus-like prices for their loaded Toyota Sienna they can go right ahead. It's a Lexus-like experience after all.

Now the problem for confused automotive journalists becomes IWTBAS. Pronounced Eye-wit-baass, IWTBAS is a condition otherwise known as I Want To Build A Supercar. Thus, an engineering firm named Caparo builds the world's most capable bug-eyed vehicle, the T1. Thus, the licensed manufacturer of the old Lotus 7, Caterham, goes crazy with the Levante. Audi, formerly the creator of sedans with beautifully arched roofs, sends the R8 on down. Even Ford got it on this back in '05 with the knock-your-socks-off GT-should'a-been-GT40.

So here we have Lexus, an established luxury player with a reputation strong enough to support the existence of a halo car like the LF-A, unveiling the LF-A to unsuspecting masses who would be more comfortable accepting something in the Ford GT arena. No, not retro. And not with an American V8 or doorframes that took of half your cranium. Rather, it would make sense to us if Lexus introduced an exoticar with junior supercar pricing.

How would Lexus go about amending their procedures? Firstly, shave about $200,000 off the pricetag. Such a subtraction would bring the price in line with the Ford GT's old pricing scheme in the $150K-$160K neighbourhood.

Next up: additional power. Lexus figures the LF-a will crack 202 miles per hour. Top speed not important? Of course top speed's irrelevant, except for image. And.... uh... image is everything with supercars which generally sit in a 10-car garage doing nothing all day. Perhaps Lexus is pulling our collective leg. Maybe 202mph is automatic. But Ford's GT could top 210mph with a little less horsepower and a little more weight. Something's clearly off.

Thirdly, the Lexus LF-A simple doesn't look the part. Personally, I always struggled with the modern Ford GT because its inspiration from the 60s was so much better. Regardless, on the road the Ford GT brought chills to my bones and rattled my skin. It looked like nothing else ever delivered to mankind. The LF-A's proportions are generic. Without its phalanx of scoops and inlets and outlets and wings, the LF-A would look like a more expensive successor to the old (awesome) SC400. Yeah, something that belongs way under $100,000.

Finally, there was something tremendously Fordish about the GT. It was the All-American quarterback who dates the head cheerleader and ate apple pie and ice cream at his wealthy great aunt's mansion after school on Thursdays and took a gap year after graduating from a high school named after a president to tour southern Europe.

Meanwhile, the Lexus LF-A doesn't fit with the current Lexus image at all. Not that The Good Car Guy wants it, but Lexus ought to give us something electric besides the windows and door locks. Where are my batteries? Where's the 20mpg supercar? Couldn't the outer surface of the car be covered with some newfangled solar panels that could (at least) power the auxiliary functions? Rather than Lexus' traditional "Pursuit Of Perfection", Toyota's luxury brand appears to have chased a halo car because that's what auto brands do.

Perfection? Hardly. Without searing laptimes on tracks around the globe and wonderfully concentrated performance credentials of the subjective variety - steering feel, sublime balance, emotional connection - the LF-A will look like a dolt. Considering Lexus' objective to sell only 500 LF-As, one wonders if Lexus realizes the car won't be welcomed. Ford sold over 4,000 GTs.

Read The GoodCarBadCar.net Lowdown Of The Lexus LF-A

Get All Lexus-Related Posts

Find Out Which Luxury Categories Lexus Dominates

TOP 10 BEST-SELLING VEHICLES IN CANADA

Trucks, SUVs, minivans, and cars: The Good Car Guy has provided the Sales Stats of the best-sellers in each category through the first nine months of 2009 in Canada's automotive Marketplace. For those who haven't been able to put together the figures, GoodCarBadCar.net is here. For you. The list below shows the Top 10 Best-Selling Vehicles In Canada so far this year, adding GM's truck tandem and Chrysler LLC's minivan duo together for the purposes of inclusion... of a pert little former Good 12-winning Hyundai.

Check out the best-selling cars here, the best-selling trucks here, the best-selling SUVs here, the best-selling minivans here, the best-selling luxury cars here, the best-selling luxury brands here, or the best-selling car companies here. The Sales Stats review of the first three quarters of 2009 of Canada Auto Sales is now officially over.

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#10- HYUNDAI ACCENT: 22,284

#9 - HYUNDAI ELANTRA: 24,203

#8- DODGE RAM: 24,307

#7- FORD ESCAPE: 28,852

#6 - DODGE GRAND CARAVAN/CHRYSLER T&C: 31,577

#5- MAZDA 3: 36,974

#4- TOYOTA COROLLA: 40,284

#3- HONDA CIVIC: 48,483

#2- GMC SIERRA/CHEVROLET SILVERADO: 56,234

#1- FORD F-SERIES: 60,954

TOP 5 BEST-SELLING TRUCKS IN CANADA

So if passenger car sales in Canada are down over 20%, then truck sales must be suffering badly, too. Or not. Manufacturers competing in the Canadian Marketplace without trucks, vans, and SUVs (are there any?) aren't able to enjoy the fact that one segment of their showrooms haven't suffered plummeting sales. Indeed, the Sales Stats for the "Light Truck" category is down just 6.3% through the first three quarters of the year when compared with the same period of 2008.

While The Good Car Guy utilized a Top 13 methodology when showcasing the Top 5 best-selling cars in Canada just so a General Motors car could make it into the post, there's no need for such pity here. Here are the Top 5 Best-Selling Trucks In Canada through September 30th.

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#5- FORD RANGER: 17,194

#4- DODGE RAM: 24,307

#3- CHEVROLET SILVERADO: 27,786

#2- GMC SIERRA: 28,448

#1- FORD F-SERIES: 60,594

Top 5 Best-Selling Trucks In America Are Different

New Dodge Ram HD Is LARGE

Any Trucks in TGCG's 100 Favourite Cars

TOP 5 BEST-SELLING CARS IN CANADA

Through the first nine months of 2009 passenger car sales in Canada were down a whopping 20.6% compared with 2008. Okay, maybe whopping is too strong a word, but car dealers have lost out on a fifth of sales. Hyundai has been the automaker posting the largest increases in Sales Stats over the course of quarters one, two, and three. Rather than suffering a drop akin to the overall market, Hyundai has increased their Numbers by 26.3% over 2008. In other words, rather than the 65,434 sales Hyundai had through September of '08, Hyundai has 82,642 vehicles sold.

Evidence of this success can be seen in the list below of the best-selling cars in Canada. Grabbing a firm hold on two spots in the Top 5 isn't an easy task for a brand that was still labelled "upstart" less than a decade ago. Canadians won't be surprised by the three cars which have taken up residence above those two Hyundais although.... read this with your friends or coworkers and you'll spot a few dropped jaws at the order in which the Camry, Accord, and Ford Fusion settle. Imagine America's best-selling cars not cracking the top ten north of the border? And imagine needing to include thirteen cars just to fandangle a General Motors product onto the list? And imagine.... okay, enough with the imagining.

Canada's thirteen most successful cars can be seen in the list below.

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#13- CHEVROLET COBALT: 11,501

#12- TOYOTA CAMRY: 11,811

#11- HONDA ACCORD: 12,472

#10- FORD FUSION: 12,584

#9- NISSAN VERSA: 15,505

#8- TOYOTA MATRIX: 15,675

#7- FORD FOCUS: 17,217

#6- TOYOTA YARIS: 19,426

#5- HYUNDAI ACCENT: 22,284

#4- HYUNDAI ELANTRA: 24,203

#3- MAZDA 3: 36,974

#2- TOYOTA COROLLA: 40,284

#1- HONDA CIVIC: 48,483

Check out the best-selling SUV in Canada

Care to rediscover Canada's best-selling minivan?

Hyundai cracks into the best-selling luxury car list

Top 5 best-selling cars in America (September)

ACROSS THE POND - MEGA FUEL ECONOMY FROM VOLKSWAGEN POLO BLUEMOTION

Take one relatively fuel-efficient U.S.-market car. Let's say.... the Toyota Corolla. On the highway, the best the Corolla will likely achieve is 35 miles per gallon. Don't forget, the Corolla also offers Toyota quality, five seats, and a somewhat peppy four-cylinder engine, too.

Keep those five seats. Exchange the Toyota quality for Volkswagen Euro cachet and feel. Swap the "somewhat peppy four-cylinder" for something a little less.... er, zippy? Lop off a cylinder, bring displacement down to 1.2 litres, sacrifice some horsepower, and fill'er up with diesel.

Most importantly, double your fuel economy.

Perhaps this is one compromise too many. Then again, what's so bad about a unique, torquey, handsome, economical package? Volkswagen goes about making a Polo a BlueMotion with the help of that tiny 74-bhp engine. The VW Polo BlueMotion shuts off its engine every time it comes to a standstill. Regenerative braking like you'll find on a Toyota Prius is present and accounted for. Of course the transmission was revised slightly. Polo watchers will notice the lower ride height. Low rolling resistance tires are a mainstay of the hyper-efficient. And to show they've gone whole hog, Volkswagen has played with the aerodynamics of the Polo BlueMotion as well.

It all adds up to 3.3L/100km in optimum conditions. This translates to 71 miles per U.S. gallon; almost 86 miles per Imperial gallon. Take into account the tougher EPA testing procedure and Volkswagen's still probably looking at a 65 mpg car. This for a car that will be available in one form or another in North America in the next couple of years. As a BlueMotion? While I wouldn't be surprised at the marketing impact and the desire amongst image-conscious Californians to drive the most fuel-efficient five-seat car on the planet (a Prius, for instance, won't do more than 50mpg on the highway), it's tough to sell small cars over here. Across The Pond, diesel is more readily accepted. So is small. So is Volkswagen.

Nevertheless, the Volkswagen Polo BlueMotion's theoretical range of 847 miles (1,363 kilometres) means a drive from Seattle to Sacramento wouldn't even require a full tank. These days, that tank of diesel would only cost about $33.63, to boot.

TOP 5 BEST-SELLING LUXURY SUVs & THE OVERALL BEST-SELLING SUVs IN CANADA

We're quickly approaching November (November!) and while the Numbers you'll read below will not be invalidated or forgotten, they will be added to. Changed, if you will.

Of late, GoodCarBadCar.net has been covering the story of luxury vehicle sales in the United States and overall vehicle sales in Canada at least so far as the first three quarters of 2009 - January 1st through September 30th. For example, this involves the Sales Stats of all minivans available for sale in Canada or an in-depth look at the Sales Stats of every single luxury SUV in America. As for SUVs, it's time for a look at the favoured sport-utes north of the 49th.

This comes only weeks after The Good Car Guy profiled the Honda CR-V; its status as the best-selling SUV in the United States; and why hundreds of thousands of American consumers will buy one in the 2010 model year, too. Curiously, Canadians don't take to the CR-V with the same fervour. In fact, more CR-Vs were sold in the U.S. in September alone than have been sold in Canada in the first nine months of 2009. Meanwhile, the third-best-selling SUV in America is by far and away the best-selling SUV in Canada. No other sport-ute even comes close. And the way the best-selling luxury SUV in America sneaks into the Top 5 overall SUV sales? That's not gonna happen in Canada.

Read on to discover the Top 5 Best-Selling SUVs In Canada and the Top 5 Best-Selling Luxury SUVs in Canada. Enjoy the fact that none of these vehicles are actually..... ya know, true sport-utility vehicles. And argue over GoodCarBadCar.net's inclusion of the Buick Enclave - it's priced at $43,505, after all. Don't like it? The sixth-place candidate is the Acura RDX at 2,195 sales through the first nine months of '09.

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BEST-SELLING LUXURY SUVs IN CANADA

#5- BMW X5: 2,401

#4- BUICK ENCLAVE: 2,889

#3- MERCEDES-BENZ GLK: 3,929

#2- ACURA MDX: 4,115

#1- LEXUS RX: 6,511

BEST-SELLING SUVs IN CANADA

#5- NISSAN ROGUE: 9,010

#4- HONDA CR-V: 14,373

#3- HYUNDAI SANTA FE: 18,530

#2- TOYOTA RAV4: 19,576

#1- FORD ESCAPE: 28,582

Does the Dodge Grand Caravan crush the minivan competition in Canada?

Which non-luxury brand brings a car into the best-selling luxury cars in Canada?

Check out the best-selling automotive brands in Canada

Can a jumbo luxo SUV out-sell the mod luxo cute-utes in the States?

THREE-FOURTHS OF 2009 OVER : CANADA'S BEST-SELLING MINIVANS

Widely considered to be a dying breed, minivans are still available at many different car dealerships in North America. Granted, the list below includes a handful of kiddy-movers that are either no longer available or won't be available much longer. Moreover, a few of these vans are actually the same; only rebadged as something different with slightly altered fascias, trim, and equipment lines.

Nevertheless, minivans are still a popular consumer choice even if they're not found at the top of everyone's drive-before-you-die list. The Good 12 Supersize showcased both the Honda Odyssey and Mazda 5 for 2009. While more and more automobile buyers look at small-to-midsize SUVs and think about the good ol' family sedan again, the first nine months of Sales Stats in Canada reveal the facts: tens of thousands of people still want a one-box car with a high roof. In other words, a minivan.

Take a look below at the sales totals through the first three quarters of '09 for all 11 minivans available in Canada. Even if some aren't purchasable now and others won't be purchasable tomorrow. Oh, and pay particular attention to the sales battle between the truly "mini" minivans in spots #4 and #5.

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Dodge Grand Caravan: 29,365
Chevrolet Uplander: 10,099
Kia Rondo: 7,838
Mazda 5: 7,379
Toyota Sienna: 4,828
Honda Odyssey: 4,794

Chrysler Town & Country: 2,212
Kia Sedona: 1,902
Volkswagen Routan: 1,268
Nissan Quest: 388
Hyundai Entourage: 377

Find out which luxury brand sells the most cars in Canada

BMW 3-Series strongly out in front as best-selling luxury car in Canada

Canada's best-selling automotive brand? Ford

Get the info on the U.S. auto sales scene

Check out the 25 vehicles made in Canada

TOYOTA FT-86 TO BE NAMED CELICA; BEST DRIFTING PRODUCTION CAR IN THE WORLD?

Laudable quotes are a rare find in the automotive world. Listening to many car company CEOs repeat an endless blather of talking points received from a handful of engineers (after a pre-screening from lawyers and accountants) isn't all that fun.

Then there's the chief engineer for the new Toyota FT-86, a car that may reach our shores as the Celica when production rolls around in 2012. Tetsuya Tada, Motor Trend reports, says "Drifting and sliding the tail is the most important thing". Most..... important.... thing. If the car isn't fun surely Tetsuya-san must still be worth a blast around Mount Fuji.

See, the FT-86 boss was talking about a few of the important decisions made on this future rear-wheel drive coupe. Grabbing a horizontally-opposed boxer four-cylinder from Subaru will be a great start. Boxer engines sit low, bringing the centre of gravity down. Viewing this car from the front is misleading - the profile view showcases its diminutive size, a boon for low weight seekers and quick transitions when driving hard.The six-speed manual tranny is mounted behind the engine to aid weight distribution; the kind of distribution primed for drifting. And this from a production Toyota in the 21st century?

Toyota's Tada suggests the FT-86/Celica will be the best car to set up for drifting. Well, he doesn't suggest; he implicitly states."... and this car will be the best in the world for that", is the ending to the quote in paragraph two. Tetsuya Tada also says the car's steering will react "instantly" and that feeling is something to be enjoyed during routine driving.

Now Toyota and Honda, who've both gradually ground themselves (and us) into boredom, will soon be producing hot cars. Check out the Honda CR-Z here.

TOP 5 BEST-SELLING LUXURY CARS IN CANADA THROUGH THE FIRST THREE QUARTERS OF '09

The base MSRP for the most expensive car Hyundai sells in Canada is $3,000 higher than the base price for BMW's 3-Series. Besides, the most expensive coupe version of that expensive Hyundai has an MSRP $300 higher than the least expensive sedan. So before you challenge The Good Car Guy on the merits behind luxury badges and the value in a premium nameplate, consider price as a defining characteristic of luxury.

If you're unwilling to accept a Korean vehicle in the list of the Top 5 Best-Selling Luxury Cars In Canada, hear ye this: the Acura has sold 2,610 TLs in Canada through the first three-quarters of 2009. Take note of this interesting fact while you're still addicted to Numbers: BMW has sold seven times more 3-Series units in the USA than in Canada so far this year though the more southern country has approximately ten times the population and, generally, sells a significantly higher proportion of its automobiles to luxury-seeking consumers. What's this mean? Canada loves'em some little Bimmers.

Without further ado, here are Canada's best-selling luxury cars in 2009 so far. Expect another report in mid-January. Click here for the best-selling car companies in Canada through September or here for the best-selling luxury automakers in Canada up to this point in '09.

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#5- HYUNDAI GENESIS: 2,801

#4- INFINITI G: 3,025

#3- AUDI A4: 3,371

#2- MERCEDES-BENZ C-CLASS: 5,666

#1- BMW 3-SERIES: 9,617

Check Out The BMW 3-Series In The Good 12 v2.0

Read About The Audi A4 Avant In The Good 12 v2.0

Learn More About The Hyundai Genesis In The Good 12 v2.0

The Inaugural Good 12 Showcased The Infiniti G

THREE-FOURTHS OF 2009 OVER : CANADA'S BEST-SELLING LUXURY CAR BRANDS

Numbers recently made available to The Good Car Guy have revealed some hugely interesting trends. These trends are obvious to the trained eye, but you may need them pointed out. For starters, Canadians don't really bother with American luxury cars. Secondly, Canadians may sometimes appear to follow the American automotive Marketplace fairly closely, but are addicted to Acura more strongly than Lexus. Hmm.

Then there's the sales of Jaguar and Land Rover, no longer shared in the States. In case you hadn't heard, Jaguar and Land Rover really don't sell very many vehicles. Anyhow, the Sales Stats below show luxury brands competing in Canada and their totals through the first nine months - three quarter performance, if you will - in order of numerical success. Check out the U.S. story here.

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BMW: 18,483
Mercedes-Benz: 18,187
Acura: 12,535
Lexus: 11,824
Audi: 8,423
Infiniti: 5,286
Volvo: 5,053
Lincoln: 4,473
Cadillac: 3,093
Land Rover: 1,343
Porsche: 1,320
Saab: 658
Jaguar: 629
Maserati: 80
Ferrari: 73
Bentley: 45
Lamborghini: 40