On 6/25/2008 the Canadian government announced an amendment to the Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations that finally harmonizes the Canadian bumper standards with the U.S. bumper standards.

This is great news for any private customer or Canadian dealership who is looking to import vehicles into Canada. This means that vehicles that were once considered inadmissible due to bumper standards will now be admitted. It also means that vehicles that used to require bumper modifications or bumper/support replacements will now be admitted with no modifications.

This is the first time in the past 26 years that a Canadian customer has been able to import a vehicle from the United States and not have to warry about inadmissibility problems due to non-conforming bumper standards.

Over 190,000 pre-owned vehicles were imported into Canada by private customers in 2007. That number is expected to double or triple due to the new bumper standards and the fact that the Canadian dollar is at all all-time high.

Audi/Volkswagen's 2.0T Turbo four cylinder engine has recently won the Engine of the Year Award from a panel of 56 automobile journalists from 26 countries. This engine uses Audi's FSI direct injection technology to create 200 horsepower at 5,100 RPM and, more impressively, 207 lb/ft of torque at only 1,800 RPM. This new motor is the world's first volume produced direct injection engine. This new injection system is about 15% more efficient than the outgoing four cylinder, it produces alot more power and torque, and it reduces exhaust emmissions. This engine can be found in the new style Audi A4s sedans, A4 convertibles, A4 wagons, the new body style VW Passats, and the Audi A3 wagon. Depending upon which vehicle you choose, this engine obtains 22-24mpg in the city and 30-32 p mpg on the highway.