Top 10 Automotive Stories of 2023

With the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic lingering on in 2023 (the global chip shortage is not over yet, remember), not everything is back to normal for automakers, suppliers, dealers and consumers, not to mention auto shows and motorsports.

This is the time to look back at the top automotive stories of the year—beyond all the new vehicles that made their debut in the past twelve months. Buckle up!

R.I.P. Ken Block

The year started on a very sad note as Ken Block passed away in a snowmobile accident. Well-known in the world of drifting and rallying, the 55-year-old driver and Hoonigan founder has dazzled his audience with the Gymknana series, featuring daring stunts and a heavy dose of drifting.

His final video, Electrikhana TWO: One More Playground, was shot a few weeks before his death but only released in December of 2023. Click on the link if you haven’t seen it yet.

Success for the CIAS

While auto shows in Ottawa, Vancouver and Calgary were cancelled for 2023 due to the lack of participating manufacturers, Toronto’s Canadian International AutoShow set four daily attendance records as it celebrated its 50th anniversary.

Most notably, the CIAS had its largest single-day audience and third-highest total audience ever. By the end of the 10-day event, 350,214 people attended the Metro Toronto Convention Centre between Media Day on February 16 and the final day on February 26.

Elsewhere, auto shows continued to lose much of their luster this year, as we found in New York, Detroit and Los Angeles.

Car Thieves Busted

Vehicle thefts are on the rise and a bigger issue than ever. In fact, they have more than doubled in Toronto since 2019.

In April, Toronto Police announced that Project Stallion, an ongoing investigation into vehicle and catalytic converter thefts in Toronto’s west end, had resulted in the recovery of 556 stolen vehicles worth more than $27 million and 314 charges laid against 119 people. Great work, guys!

Ontario Lands Volkswagen Battery Plant

On March 13, Volkswagen and its battery company PowerCo announced the selection of St. Thomas in Ontario to establish the automaker’s first overseas gigafactory for battery manufacturing. The start of production is planned for 2027.

A month later, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged up to $13.2 billion in subsidies over 10 years. However, thanks to Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux, we learned in June that the battery plant in St. Thomas will cost the Canadian government more money and create fewer jobs than expected. 

New Vehicle Prices Keep Exploding

Inflation is wreaking havoc across the auto industry, but AutoTrader’s June 2023 price index report still came as a shock: the average new vehicle in Canada now costs a whopping $66,288. It’s a massive year-over-year increase of 21.3 percent.

Back in late 2019, before the pandemic and everything, the average price stood at $40,490, so that represents an increase of 68.6 percent in less than four years. Yikes.

Big Year for Tesla’s NACS

After Ford made the first move, the dominos fell one after another. GM, Rivian, Volvo, Polestar, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Infiniti, Honda, Acura, Hyundai, Genesis, Kia, BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce, Toyota, Lexus, Subaru, Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche all added their names to the list of car companies that have reached a deal with Tesla to gain access to more than 12,000 Superchargers in Canada and the U.S.

Customers who own an EV equipped with the Combined Charging System (CCS) will be offered an adapter to plug into Superchargers starting in 2024 or 2025. Tesla-developed North American Charging Standard (NACS) ports will also be incorporated in the design of future EVs models.

Tesla’s renowned charging technology leads the industry in terms of dependability and user satisfaction according to a recent J.D. Power study.

Auto Workers on Strike

On September 15, the US auto workers' union (UAW) launched a targeted strike at three factories, ordering simultaneous stoppages at Detroit's "Big Three" for the first time ever. Other plants across the country were hit as the strike expanded in the next few weeks.

Workers represented by Unifor in Canada were ready to strike, too, but deals were reached with Ford, then GM and finally Stellantis, providing a base wage increase of 15 percent over three years, including a 10 percent boost the first year. Pension improvements were included, as well. As part of the new Stellantis-Unifor contract, the next-gen Jeep Compass will be built in Ontario.

Changing EV Demand, Changing EV Plans

Demand for electric vehicles is not the same across the country, and the situation is quite different in the U.S., too, forcing some automakers to adjust their plans. In September, Ford decided to halt work on a major $3.5 billion battery plant in Michigan “until we're confident about our ability to competitively operate the plant.” Later in the year, Ford eliminated a shift at the F-150 Lightning plant and will reportedly cut production in half starting in January.

Meanwhile, GM thought it would be better off pushing back the start of production of the Chevrolet Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV at Orion Assembly in Michigan to late 2025. A spokesperson said the primary reason is to “better manage capital investment while aligning with evolving EV demand." In other words, the company is concerned about the number of reservation holders that will actually order a copy. 

Tesla Builds and Delivers First Cybertrucks

Four years after the unforgettable reveal of the concept, the production-ready Tesla Cybertruck met its first customers on November 30 during a special delivery event held by the company at its Austin, Texas headquarters.

We also got the official specs that we had been waiting for, like a max towing capacity of 11,000 lbs and a payload of 2,500 lbs. The only key figures we’re still missing are Canadian prices. Tesla mentioned a base MSRP of $60,990 USD and maximum of $99,990 USD.

ZEV Mandates to Come Into Effect

Canada took action to improve the availability of new electric vehicles across the country. On December 19, the governement announced it has finalized its new Electric Vehicle Availability Standard (EVAS) to increase the supply of clean, zero-emission vehicles available to Canadians across the country.

The EVAS will ensure that Canada can achieve a national target of 100 percent zero-emission vehicle sales by 2035. Interim targets of at least 20 percent of all sales by 2026 and at least 60 percent by 2030 (unchanged from the targets proposed a year earlier) will hopefully channel supply to Canadian markets instead of going abroad, reducing customer wait times.

Automakers and vehicle importers that don't meet the sales targets will face monetary penalties. Those that are in a credit-deficit situation will be able to purchase credits from other automakers.