News Roundup: The new 2022 Subaru WRX, cars with ‘frickin’ laser beams, 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: The new 2022 Subaru WRX, cars with ‘frickin’ laser beams, and more Back to video

Introducing the 2022 Subaru WRX 2022

The fifth generation of Subaru’s rally sedan has arrived. The 2022 Subaru WRX is new with a boxer engine (a 2.4L turbo making 271 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque), an optional six-speed manual, and a whole lot of polarizing exterior design work. (In fact, the Internet wasn’t quite sure what to make of it , particularly the plastic cladding around the wheels.) But the car has plenty of features of note, including new tech to improve braking, steering, and comfort.

The G.O.A.T. of custom cars is heading for auction

What is often considered the greatest custom car of all time, the Hirohata Merc, is heading for sale via auction this coming January. As one of the first ’51 Mercurys to be cut up for speed and sex appeal, the Hirohata ran a Cadillac engine and wore a Ford grille and Buick trim. It was constructed so beautifully by George and Sam Barris of Barris Kustoms shop in L.A., that it’s become one of the best known in the business. The murder of its owner, Bob Hirohata, only adds to the car’s allure. The Hirohata Merc is scheduled to cross the block at the Mecum Auction from January 6 to 15, 2022 in Kissimmee, Florida. Guess how much experts say it will fetch …

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Bad beach behaviour: Angry Ontario motorist dumps sand on car

We may never know why a man in Quinte West dumped a load of sand onto another person’s vehicle. But police have charged a 49-year-old resident with mischief under $5,000 , so presumably they’ve had the opportunity to ask him and somebody didn’t feel like sharing. “It was reported that someone had allegedly used a large truck to dump a load of sand onto the complainant’s vehicle,” Quinte West police said in a statement. Sand can damage a vehicle in a number of ways, including damaging the exterior and paint, and clogging airways and filters. 

These are Canada’s 10 best sellers of SUVs and crossovers in the first half of 2021

North America’s enthusiasm for SUVs and crossovers can not be curbed, with category sales now accounting for 56 per cent of all vehicle sales. In Canada, we’re doing our part, buying tens of thousands of new SUVs each year. On the market? Or maybe you recently purchased? Check out the ranked list of brands selling the most cute-utes in Canada to see how your pick fares in the popularity contest. Hint: Japan dominates the top five, with only two North American brands making the top 10. 

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Tesla just bought a patent for laser beam windshield wipers

It sounds like something the Austin Powers character Dr. Evil would shout: “I want electric cars with frickin laser beams attached to their hoods!” But in reality it was Elon Musk who said it. Electrek reports that Tesla recently snagged a patent to use laser beams as windshield wipers, and it sounds like real sci-fi stuff: “A cleaning system for a vehicle includes a beam optics assembly that emits a laser beam to irradiate a region on a glass article of the vehicle, debris detection circuitry that detects debris accumulated over the region, and control circuitry.” If you’re still with us, more details here .