2005 Honda Accord Lx Sedan 4-door 2.4l on 2040-cars

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Honda previews S660 roadster ahead of Tokyo debut

Honda isn't known for making convertibles. In fact, legend has it that old man Soichiro banned them from his lineup - but then he also didn't approve of six-cylinder engines, either. There have been exceptions, like the Civic del Sol and S2000, and today Honda has revealed another.
Set to debut at the forthcoming Tokyo Motor Show in late November is the Honda S660 concept, a compact little roadster about which Honda is saying even less. It looks about the size of a Kei car, with a nameplate that suggests a 660cc engine, making it more of a revival for the 1990's Beat than the high-end S2000. And while there are some clear similarities with the EV-STER concept that debuted two years ago in Tokyo, the S660 looks closer to production-ready, with key features like an actual steering wheel.
Of course, whether the S660 makes production, and beyond that makes it off of the Japanese islands and across the Pacific to US showrooms, is another matter, but we could see something like this taking the fight to the Mazda MX-5 and even the Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ if it did.

Honda demonstrates driverless valet parking system with special Fit EVs

There are many challenges that will need to be sorted out before full autonomous driving becomes a reality, but automakers are taking small steps toward this advancement with semi-autonomous technologies. Nissan, Toyota and Ford have already revealed various automated driving systems, and now Honda is getting into the game with an automatic valet parking system that was unveiled recently at the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) World Congress in Tokyo.
Unlike Ford's recently demonstrated self-parking Focus, which is fully operational on its own, Honda's new system requires input from the parking lot via cameras. Combining information provided by the car's rearview camera as well as cameras positioned around the parking lot, drivers are able to drop their car off at a central location, and using a touchscreen display, the car can park itself and return when the driver is ready to leave. The benefit of this is that multiple cars can be parked at the same time and no additional sensors (other than a backup camera) are needed for the car, but the downside is that it can only operate on properly equipped parking lots. According to Honda's demonstration, this system can be practical by 2020.
Honda also showed off some semi-autonomous driving and non-contact electric vehicle recharging technologies at the ITS World Congress, although information is limited and there are no demonstrations available. Scroll down to read more about Honda's latest tech, including a video demonstration of the automatic valet parking system.

McLaren pondering Honda-powered 911 killer?

As one of the premier sports cars in the world, the Porsche 911 is always driving around with a target on its rear-engined backside. If a new report is to be believed, the latest automaker with plans to build a 911-fighting sports coupe could be McLaren. Motor Trend is reporting that the recent news that Honda and McLaren are teaming up to build Formula One racecars could bear road-going fruit as well.
According to the article, the unnamed entry-level McLaren coupe may be powered by a Honda-sourced engine, but a detuned version of the 3.8-liter V8 from the MP4-12C is said to be more likely. All in, though, there is no solid information on the car just yet. As a reminder, M/T points out that the last time McLaren partnered up with a mainstream automaker, the world was introduced to the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren.