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Ten most popular Canadian-built cars

Maritz Canada Research's most recent study of car buyers found 70 per cent thought it was important to buy Canadian-made products, though other factors such as price, quality and fuel-economy rank higher. But among those who do buy Canadian, whether on purpose or because their choice had other virtues, Japanese nameplates are among the top picks.

With the exception of the Dodge Grand Caravan/Chrysler Town and Country minivans, the Canadian-built Honda and Toyota products are the most popular sellers. That's probably no accident, suggests Stephen Beatty, executive director of Toyota Canada. Certain vehicles just reflect a nation's psyche, he says. 'That's why Toyota builds the Corolla in Canada; that's why Honda builds the Civic here,' says Beatty.

We apparently love reliable, fuel-efficient compact little sedans and SUVs. 'Often-times because these models have the sort of traction they do, they're marketed differently in Canada than in other countries,' says Beatty.

Another Canadian top-seller, the Toyota Matrix compact hatchback, hardly registers in the United States, so its marketing stresses Canadian sensibilities and the vehicle includes design tweaks suggested by workers on the assembly line in Cambridge, Ont.

Here are the 10 most popular Canadian-made models here in the True North.

 

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10. Chevrolet Impala

Impala is a half-century-old nameplate that graced popular rear-drive full-size sedans and coupes from the 1950s to the late 1990s. Resurrected as a downsized front-drive sedan in 2000, it shared its underpinnings with the Chevrolet Monte Carlo, Pontiac Grand Prix and Oldsmobile Intrigue. Today's Impala is the final vehicle to ride on the W-Body platform. Impalas for the Canadian market are produced in Oshawa and rank 10th on our list with 9,287 sold in Canada last year.

Although it's at least a year away, Chevrolet has already shown off the next-generation Impala. Riding on a new platform shared with the Cadillac XTS, the model year 2014 Impala will continue to be built in Oshawa, though some production will occur in Michigan. This generation of Impala will focus on quality and fuel efficiency; it's the first Impala ever to feature a four-cylinder motor.

9. GMC Terrain

The Terrain is GMC's version of the Chevy Equinox, produced at the CAMI plant alongside its corporate sibling. If you add the 11,817 Terrains Canadians bought in 2011 to sales of the near identical Equinox, it would rank just behind the Toyota Corolla instead of ninth.

For 2013, the Terrain will receive a number of upgrades including an up-sized 3.6-litre direct-injected V6 (similar to what's in use in the Cadillac SRX) which generates 301 hp and 272 lb.-ft. of torque. Also new is the uplevel Denali trim which features a unique grille, exterior chrome accents, plus upscale interior trimmings.

 

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8. Toyota Matrix

The Matrix is a compact five-door hatchback built on the Corolla platform at Cambridge, alongside the Corolla and the Lexus RX 350. The overwhelming majority of Matrix models, once also offered as the Pontiac Vibe, are sold in Canada. We bought 14,895 of them last year, putting the Matrix in eighth place on our top-10 list.

According to our friend and spy-shot partner Brenda Priddy, an all-new Corolla-based hatchback due out for 2014 has been spotted testing at Toyota's desert proving grounds in Arizona. Priddy reports that the hatchback is expected to feature, 'an EcoBoost-type engine, optional six-speed automatic transmission and hybrid offerings.' The car pictured here is the Toyota Auris, the Matrix's European cousin.

7. Ford Edge

The mid-sized Edge is one of my favourite crossovers and it's the first model from a traditional domestic model on our list, ranking seventh. Built in Oakville, Ont., the Edge drew 15,633 Canadian buyers in 2011. Its sibling the Lincoln MKX, also built there, found homes in 4,595 driveways.

Redesigned for 2011, and updated this year with a new fuel-efficient 2.0-litre turbocharged and direct-injected EcoBoost four-cylinder. This is the same motor that can be found in the Range Rover Evoque, Ford Explorer, and the new high-performance Focus ST. With more torque (270 lb.-ft.) than the standard V6, the Edge EcoBoost is able to deliver the fuel economy buyers want without sacrificing performance.

 

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6. Toyota RAV4

The CR-V's competitor in the compact-crossover segment, the RAV4 ended 2011 with 21,550 Canadian sales. The sixth-place RAV comes out of Toyota Canada's Woodstock, Ont., plant.

Although it isn't sold here in Canada, the Woodstock plant also produces an all-electric version of the RAV4 (pictured). Designed to meet or exceed the performance of the V6-powered RAV4, it can accelerate to 100 km/h in a bit over seven seconds, top 160 km/h, and has a range of approximately 160 km. The power system in this vehicle was developed by Tesla Motors. It sells for around US$50,000 before tax credits.

5. Chevrolet Equinox

The Equinox, a mid-sized crossover, is the first model from a traditional domestic carmaker on our top-10 list, coming in at No. 5. It's built in GM Canada's Oshawa, Ont., plant and also at the CAMI Automotive operation in Ingersoll, Ont., formerly a joint venture with Suzuki but now wholly owned by GM. Canadians bought 22,468 of them in 2011.

It's easy to see why the Equinox lands so high on this list. This two-row crossover offers plenty of space for passengers or cargo with its sliding rear bench, and it's also surprisingly frugal. When equipped with the standard direct-injected 2.4-litre four-cylinder, it uses 9.2 L/100 km in the city and 6.9 L/100 km on the highway.

 

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4. Honda CR-V

Honda's compact crossover SUV ranks fourth on our list, selling 25,076 in Canada last year. The sprawling Alliston plant also builds two Acura-badged crossovers, the MDX and ZDX, which fall outside the top 10. Formerly, the CR-V was built in Ohio.

All-new for 2012, the four-generation CR-V builds on what the previous generations had to offer with more space, more power and better fuel-efficiency. While still powered exclusively by a four-cylinder engine, it now develops 185 hp. Front-wheel-drive models use just 9.0 L/100 km in the city and 6.4 on the highway.

3. Toyota Corolla

Toyota opened its Cambridge, Ont., plant in 1988 to build Corollas and now has three facilities with a capacity of 400,000 units. Toyota and Honda set up plants in North America and sourced much of their parts domestically to ease supply problems after political pressure forced them to adopt so-called voluntary import quotas in the 1980s. Last year, Canadians bought 36,663 Corollas.

This past May, Toyota launched the all-new 11th generation Corolla in Japan. Based on the current model, the cars are packaged more efficiently to allow 40 mm more rear legroom without increasing the overall length or wheelbase. Expect a new Corolla on the market in the not-too-distant future.

 

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2. Dodge Grand Caravan

We love our minivans and we love the Dodge-Chrysler twins best of all. The Dodge Grand Caravan is the top selling minivan in Canada, with 53,406 leaving dealer lots last year. And if you add the 4,536 Chrysler-badged Town & Country models sold last year, the iconic mommy mobile arguably pips the Civic for top spot.

Both are built on Chrysler's Windsor, Ont., assembly line, which also turns out a slow-selling version for Volkswagen called the Routan and one exported as the Lancia Voyager. European-bound Chryslers and Lancias have one unique feature our vans don't — an efficient 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel engine that's good for an average of 8.4 L/100 km according to European fuel consumption figures.

1. Honda Civic

Honda's ubiquitous compact sedan/coupe range is the single most popular nameplate in Canada. It's produced at Honda Canada's Alliston, Ont., plant, the first of the so-called Japanese transplants in Canada. Since opening in1986 its production capacity has grown to 390,000 units. Canadians bought 55,090 Civics in 2011.

Although the Civic has been selling well, complaints by the public and media have prompted Honda to rush a redesign to market. It should be here by the end of this year for model-year 2013. In the meantime, Honda has just launched the Civic Si HFP, a honed variant of the Si which includes different wheels, a sports body kit and a few other upgrades.

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