Small, budget-priced and “Canada-only” vehicles seem poised for a dramatic comeback in the Great White North.
In recent years, Canadian showrooms and highways have seen few such vehicles. But recently, a wave of them has been launched or previewed by Toyota Motor Corp., General Motors Corp. and Suzuki Motor Corp.
Five additional Canada-only vehicles were launched at the recent Montreal auto show, including new models from Nissan Motor Co. Ltd., Jaguar Cars and Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (Subaru).
President and CEO Carlos Ghosn confirms Nissan's Canadian subsidiary will launch a new subcompact SUV this spring. The Canadian version of the Nissan XTrail will be shown at the Toronto auto show. Earlier versions are segment best-sellers in Europe, Japan and other Asian markets.
The XTrail arrives in Canadian showrooms in May, to compete against the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V. Ghosn says the Xtrail likely won't be Nissan's sole Canada-only offering.
GM Canada Ltd. shows two more new entry-level imports from South Korea in Montreal — the Pontiac Wave, derived from the Chevy Aveo hatchback, and Chevrolet Optra5, a hatchback variant of the Canada-only Optra subcompact sedan.
