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Refreshed 2014 Honda Civic Coupe to bow at SEMA

Honda has announced plans to bring a refreshed, 2014 Honda Civic Coupe to the 2013 SEMA Show, set to kick off on November 5. Honda's struggles with the ninth-generation Civic have been widely publicized, and while the 2013 model year sedan has seen a significant overhaul, the two-door is now getting some additional enhancements for 2014.
Honda has released one teaser image of the Civic Si Coupe to go along with the announcement, but we can discern a few things. The Si Coupe now features a larger rear spoiler, along with a restyled, more aggressive rear bumper, complete with a diffuser. The taillights look smoked, and the wheels look larger than the current Si's alloys.
Besides those details, it looks like we'll be waiting until November 5 to see just what Honda has in store for the Civic. Take a look below for the full press release from Honda.

Tier 1 suppliers call GM the worst OEM to work with

Among automakers with a big US presence, General Motors is the worst to work for, according to a new survey from Tier 1 automotive suppliers, conducted by Planning Perspectives, Inc.
The Detroit-based manufacturer, which has been under fire following the ignition switch recall and its accompanying scandal, finished behind six other automakers with big US manufacturing operations. Suppliers had issues with trust and communications, as well as intellectual property protection. GM was also the least likely to allow suppliers to raise their prices in the face of unexpected increases in material cost, all of which contributed to 55 percent of suppliers saying their relationship with GM was "poor to very poor."
GM's cross-town competitors didn't fare much better. Chrysler finished in fifth place, ahead of GM and behind Dearborn-based Ford, which was passed for third place this year by Nissan. Toyota took the top marks, while Honda captured second place.

Ward's Automotive Ten Best Engines of 2014 dominated by diesels, turbos

With the Car and Driver Ten Best decided, the North American Car and Truck of the Year finalists announced and Cadillac, Ram and Subaru chalking up wins with Motor Trend, it's fair to say that the automotive awards season is in full swing. The next set of trophies to be handed out will be from Ward's Automotive, which has announced the winners of its 2014 10 Best Engines.
The latest contest was marked by the widespread emergence of diesel power and the continued success of turbocharged engines. There was even an electric motor on this year's list. In fact, only three of the ten winners were naturally aspirated and only two winners returned from last year.
"We weren't looking to throw the bums out, as they might say about an election. We were just really impressed with the flood of new powertrains," said Ward's Automotive Editor-in-Chief Drew Winter. Those new powertrains include the 83-kilowatt electric motor from the Fiat 500e, the 1.0-liter, EcoBoost three-cylinder from the Ford Fiesta and the 2.0-liter turbodiesel from the Chevrolet Cruze.