True to their word, the Canadians came through with an aid package to support the auto industry, namely GM and Chrylser. The amount to be loaned is $4 billion Canadian, with $2.7 billion coming from the national government and $1.3 billion coming from Ontario, where much of the industry is based. With the conversion from Canadian to U.S. dollars at today’s rates, that works out to just about the 20-percent that was promised. Parts suppliers in Canada will also have access to the money, and some portion of the loan will also be used to provide impetus to get banks to lend money to buyers. Yet, as with the American loan, it won’t last long: one analyst said “It probably only buys them three months or four months where they can get their ducks in order … and hopefully come up with a plan to get everything straightened out so that they can survive.”

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With a federal election coming soon in Canada, the Conservative government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper has begun to liberally spread the pork. The most recent example is a deal that will relieve General Motors of Canada from the repayment of $200 million in previous government loans in exchange for new investments in plants in Oshawa and St. Catharines Ontario. GM Canada will install a transmission assembly line at its engine plant in St. Catharines to build 6-speed automatic transmissions. GM has also committed to building a hybrid version of a new mid-size sedan at the Oshawa assembly plant. Over in the discussion forums at GM Inside news there is speculation that this could finally be a hybrid rear wheel drive sedan based on the Zeta platform that is used for the Camaro that is also being built in Oshawa.

Unfortunately for enthusiasts, this is an unlikely scenario and here’s why. The transmissions to be built in St. Catharines will be front-wheel drive units. GM probably chose to build them there in part because of the proximity to Oshawa so they will probably be used there. All recent indications from GM are that the previously planned RWD replacement for the Impala built at Oshawa will never happen. Instead, an updated front wheel drive model with the 6-speed will be assembled. The 2010-11 timing of the launches does correspond with the second generation GM mild hybrid system which could be used with the 6-speed rather than the far more expensive two-mode system. Given the market and CAFE realities, a direct injected, turbo four cylinder, front wheel drive Impala with a second generation mild hybrid is probably what we’ll see from Oshawa in early 2011.

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Transport Canada has been planning on implementing a change which would lower Canadian bumper safety standards from the current 8 km/h standard to 4 km/h. This halving of the standard would bring the Canadian testing in line with the regulations of both Europe and the U.S. Apparently, Transport Canada believes that vehicles would be cheaper to import while maintaining automobile safety. In fact, Canadian officials believe that the new standard could actually improve pedestrian safety. Or not, according to the IIHS, which has sent a letter to Transport Canada urging them to reconsider making the change. The IIHS response is pretty scathing, Using words and phrases like “unsubstantiated, incorrect assumptions, ill-informed and misleading,” but the response could seemingly be summed up this way: Yo hosers, what were you thinking, eh? Thanks for the tip, Karen!

[Source: Auto North]

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When we had our first close encounter with the T-Rex at the 2007 Montreal Auto Show in this blogger’s hometown, it had just undergone a minor cosmetic update. Now on the market for 14 years, local industrial designer Johnatan Côté of Morelli Designers is proposing a complete redesign to bring it up to date.

The biggest change is the removal of the roof, which consisted of little more than a couple of tubes in the first place, but added vital roll-over protection and structural fortitude to the vehicle. Coupled with a more dynamic, modern design, the updated T-Rex proposal also incorporates more storage space, doing away with the optional saddle-bags on the current model while increasing much-needed capacity for things like crash helmets and groceries. Overall, the design makes a compelling case for an updated T-Rex, but makes us wonder what it is about the Canadian province of Quebec that makes it a breeding ground for sporty reverse trikes like this, as well as the Bombardier Can-Am-Spyder and the Cirbin V13R. Well, we guess you need to have something to do when hockey season is over

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