#vancouver

E85 fuel has finally reached western Canada.

Renters beware: customers are accusing a Budget Rent-A-Car agency in British Columbia, Canada of grossly overcharging them.

Back in March, the  electric highway spanning up the West Coast with eight charging stations over a 160-mile made headlines. Now you can theoretically travel from San Diego all the way to Vancouver, Canada in your EV if you’re adventurous enough.

A comprehensive study has revealed that E85 ethanol blended fuel produced from dry mills has a significantly worse environmental impact than does straight petroleum-based gasoline.

British Columbia Mounties have impounded 13-high end sports cars following an alleged street race in Metro Vancouver on Wednesday afternoon. Around 3:30 pm yesterday afternoon, police received reports of high-end cars racing southbound along Highway 99 in the area of George Massey tunnel.

A Honda dealer in Vancouver, Canada who wanted to show support for the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks was forced to remove the team’s logo from their showroom.

A resident of Vancouver, British Columbia saw his Ferrari get auctioned off by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, after they seized the vehicle for excessive speed in September.

School is back in session, and the District of Vancouver, Canada wants to make sure drivers slow down. They’ve joined forces with safety organizations in order to raise awareness, and thanks to the BCAA Traffic Safety Association, drivers motoring down 22nd Street in West Vancouver will be greeted with a 3D image of a little girl chasing a ball across the street.

Toyota Canada has announced that it will expand its product offering significantly in Canada with the introduction of the youth-oriented Scion brand in September of 2010. The launch will be targeted at several major markets including Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. In total 45 dealers will be a part of the expansion.

The Scion dealers will operate as a “store within a store” and will be part of existing Toyota dealerships. There will be 18 Scion dealers in Montreal, 20 in Toronto and 7 in Vancouver.

“This is a great time to launch Scion in Canada,” said Larry Hutchinson, Director of Scion in Canada. “As the auto industry emerges from recession, one of the largest and youngest demographics will be entering the marketplace. Young buyers will be looking to the ever-growing small car market. They are not only looking for a safe, high-quality and fuel efficient vehicle, it is important to them that the vehicle reflects their personality and lifestyle, and the stylish and trendy Scion brand will be there to fulfill that need.”

The launch of Scion in Canada will start with three vehicles, all of which are currently offered in the U.S. (Scion’s only other market). The vehicles include the sporty tC, the funky and functional xB and the sub-compact xD. Scion is also expected to deliver new models in the near future, with one possibility being a version of the Toyota iQ mini car.

For a full list of Canada’s Scion dealers, see after the jump:

Eight years after the Scion brand was launched in the U.S., Toyota’s youth-oriented offshoot will open dealerships in Canada in 2010. With a dealership-within-a-dealership approach, Scions will be available at several Toyota stores in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. Expansion to other urban centers (or “centres” as they say in Canada) is expected but not yet official.

Scion will enter the Canadian marketplace with all three of its vehicles, the tC sport coupe, the xD five-door hatchback and the cube-shaped xB five-door hatchback.

And of course, all Scion models in Canada will be available with numerous accessories and upgrades, from wheels to shift knobs and from stereo systems to TRD (Toyota Racing Development) performance parts.

“Scion is a unique brand, yet still a member of the Toyota family so it benefits from the same high standards as our Toyota and Lexus lines,” said Larry Hutchinson, Director of Toyota Canada Inc., commenting that in the U.S. 70 percent of Scion buyers are new to Toyota, and over fifty percent of Scion owners migrate to a Toyota vehicle as their needs and wants evolve.

For more information on Scion Canada visit: www.scionnation.ca

Official release after the jump: