News Roundup: A pasted-over speed limit sign, the 2022 COPO Camaro, and more

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Welcome to our round-up 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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News Roundup: A pasted-over speed limit sign, the 2022 COPO Camaro, and more Back to video

Somebody changed the speed limit in this Ontario town

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Someone — or some people — in the Clarington area, east of Toronto, has decided to adjust speed limit signs in an attempt to slow down local traffic. As pictured in the Durham Regional Police Service tweet, the 80-km/h sign was pasted over with a pretty believable black and white number 50. “If you would like a speed limit reviewed in your area, do not take matters into your own hands!” the tweet reads. “Contact the town if it is a municipal rd, or contact the region if it is a regional rd.” Authorities have removed the sticker, restoring the sign and its imposed 80 km/h limit. 

2022 Chevy COPO Camaro will house largest Chevy V8 ever

Chevrolet Performance has released a few figures on its upcoming set of 2022 Chevrolet COPO Camaros . The big news is that the drag-centric muscle cars will be available with a massive 9.4L (572-cubic-inch) big-block V8 engine, the biggest from Chevy ever, likely making around 430 horsepower. That sizeable powerplant option will set you back US$105,500, while the other two LS-based small-block variants on offer — the naturally aspirated 7.0L COPO 427 and the supercharged 5.7L LSX-based 350 SC — are priced at US$117,500 and US$130,000 respectively. The 2022 COPO Camaro is being sold on a first-come first-served basis, so contact your Chevrolet dealer soon if you’re interested. 

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Five winners in 2021’s rebounding car market and five losers

Car sales in Canada have been on the rebound since the end of 2020 when third-quarter volume nearly matched the total from all of 2019. And due to Covid-19 lockdowns last year, this summer was also significantly better than last, with about double the sales. But the uptick hasn’t been noticed across the board, with some brands’ sales remaining down. 

Ford has seen the worst slump in market share (down to 13.4 from 15.6 last year), thanks to the chip shortage keeping its trucks from heading to buyers’ driveways. Chevrolet also suffered for this reason, losing 0.2 pps. On the other end of the spectrum, brands like Toyota, Mazda, and Hyundai, which aren’t being impacted by the chip shortage and have plenty of crossovers and SUVs for the masses, have strengthened their grip on the market. Read the story here for the full list of winners and losers.   

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Biden to work with industry to make half of vehicle sales EVs by 2030

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Yes we can…use less fossil fuel. President Joe Biden scribbled his name on an executive order dedicated to increasing new EV sales by 2030 . The order sets the goal of having all new vehicles sold in 2030 be zero-emissions electric vehicles. It’s not a legally binding document, but Biden was able to gather the support of much of the industry, with Ford, GM, and Stellantis issuing a joint statement saying they’re also aiming “to achieve sales of 40-50% of annual U.S. volumes of electric vehicles… by 2030.”

Alberta gas station mixes gas and diesel, damaging vehicles

Anyone who has ever accidentally picked up the yellow handle instead of the red one at a gas station, even if they didn’t squeeze the trigger, knows the feeling of dread that comes with (almost) filling your car’s tank with the wrong fuel. A Gas Plus in Langdon, Alberta, wound up being responsible for this sensation among a bunch of its customers last week when its underground tanks were accidentally filled with diesel in the gas one and gas in the diesel . “We can now confirm that there was a mix of fuel delivered on Saturday, July 24, 2021, at 9:00 a.m. affecting only the regular and diesel tanks,” GP Fuels Inc. told the CBC. “Diesel fuel was delivered into the regular gas tank, and regular gas was delivered into the diesel tank by the delivery company.” The station has since drained its tanks and fixed the problem.