News Roundup: Ford pulls out of Canadian auto shows, Honda’s FCEV plans, and more

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Welcome to our roundup of the biggest breaking stories on Driving.ca from this past week. Get caught up and ready to get on with the weekend, because it’s hard keeping pace in a digital traffic jam.

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Here’s what you missed while you were away. 

Ford pulls out of Canadian auto shows for 2023, and Calgary calls it quits

Ford has decided not to travel to any Canadian auto shows next year, saying it is finding other (better) ways to get the attention of Canadian customers. Automotive News Canada received an email from the American maker saying it planned to “discontinue corporate support” of the shows “for both the Ford and Lincoln brands” in 2023 as it was “learning how to connect with consumers in new ways.” 

Independent dealers could technically purchase floor space at the shows in Montreal, Toronto, or Vancouver and display their Ford goodies as they have at smaller shows, but there’s no word on this happening yet. The retraction by the U.S.’s second largest automaker is definitely a blow to Canada’s auto-show scene — Ford and Lincoln took up a bunch of space at the last in-person Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto. 

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Meanwhile, in Alberta, organizers of the Calgary International Auto and Truck Show have full-on canceled the 2023 show, claiming it’d be too difficult for manufacturers, dealers, and distributors to come due to supply-chain issues.  

“We did have some manufacturers that committed to attending and participating in the show but, quite frankly, there wasn’t enough of them to be fair to those that were going to come, and to be fair to the patrons that want to attend the show,” said Jim Gillespie, executive manager of the Calgary Motor Dealers Association (CMDA). “It was not going to be the show that we would like to produce. So, unfortunately, it was a tough decision but the association had no choice.”

Honda will make fuel-cell electric vehicles come 2024

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Starting the year after next, Honda will produce fuel-cell electric vehicles at its Performance Manufacturing Center in Ohio. This marks a step in the right direction for the brand, which has pledged that its lineup will be 100 per cent BEV or fuel cell by 2040. 

Honda has been fiddling with a CR-V-based vehicle that marries battery-electric and fuel-cell technology for a next-gen “hybrid.” Heading for production in 2024, the car will address the issue of range anxiety without relying on gas power by using the onboard battery in the city and the fuel cell for extended trips. It will be the first North American road-certified vehicle to do so. 

Owners name the five most reliable pickups for 2022

According to Consumer Reports’ latest owner survey, pickup trucks are less reliable than other vehicles and have been for some time. That doesn’t mean people won’t drive ‘em though… not by a long shot. 

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The survey asks owners to rate 17 trouble areas from squeaky brakes to faulty interior trim to transmission problems and more. This year, Toyota Tundra owners had a lot to say, as did those who owned the Hyundai Santa Cruz, Jeep Gladiator, and full-sized trucks from Ford and GM — all of those were deemed to have below-average reliability. The Toyota Tacoma, Ford Maverick, Ford Ranger, and Honda Ridgeline, on the other hand, were shown to have above average reliability, with the Tacoma and Ranger taking the only four-out-of-five ratings in the pickup truck segment. Our pickup truck expert Matthew Guy breaks down the results here.  

Check out this Spanish-built, Mazda-based imitation of a classic British convertible

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Hurtan Automóviles is a Spain-based car company that started in the 1990s and focuses on “retro-styled” vehicles. Its latest is a droptop called the Grand Albaycín that’s built on a Mazda MX-5 roadster and meant to mimic a classic British roadster while celebrating the company’s 30th anniversary with updated colours and trims. So, how does it do? 

Hurtan did well to reshape the Mazda, adding flared wheel arches, twin round headlights, quad exhaust tips, and a dose of polished wood to the interior. It looks stately and British and ready for the road. And because it’s (probably) powered by Mazda’s proven 1.5L 132-hp engine or its 2.0L 184-hp engine, it’s likely a good deal more reliable than any actual old British roadster. 

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Ford recalls 634,000 SUVs over fire risks

Potentially cracked fuel injectors in the 2020-2023 model year Bronco Sport and Escape SUVs has the decision makers at Ford worried. Worried enough to recall well over half a million of the vehicles around the world. 

The Blue Oval announced the recall of 634,000 vehicles worldwide on Thursday, citing possibly cracked fuel injectors in the Bronco Sport and Escape SUV with three-cylinder 1.5-litre engines. If left unchecked, says Ford, fuel or fuel vapour could seep out of the injector cracks and pool near hot surfaces, possibly resulting in a fire under the hood. 

Bad luck for Ford and for owners, especially those who already had their Bronco or Escape recalled back in April of this year for a potential oil separator housing issue that could lead to an engine fire — the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has confirmed that those vehicles will have to be recalled a second time. Owners should watch for a dashboard message alerting them if their fuel injector is cracked.