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Translogic 189: 2015 LA Auto Show

The LA Auto Show has become known for its green cars and concepts, and 2015 was no exception. Translogic host Jonathon Buckley gets all the details on BMW's 330e plug-in hybrid straight from BMW President of North America Ludwig Willisch. Then we get up-to-date on Honda's latest FCX Clarity hydrogen fuel cell car. We round out our tour with a stop at the Elio Motors booth for a look at their updated, three-wheel P5 concept and a chat with CEO Paul Elio. But first, we jump in a time machine at the Volvo booth to discuss Concept 26, an interpretation of how car interiors might evolve in the era of self-driving cars. "The reason why we talked about it as a time machine [is] because, really, Concept 26 is giving you back something that is so precious," explained Volvo senior director of design Tisha Johnson. "We're letting you delegate driving to the car, so that you can then have that time to yourself." Click here to learn more about our host, Jonathon Buckley.

Honda charged another $363 million over Takata airbags

The Takata airbag recall is growing increasingly expensive for Honda. In the latest hit to the automaker's bottom line, the company is revising the expected costs of its global safety campaigns by an additional 44.8 billion yen ($363 million) after the massive expansion in May. Months ago, Honda announced that it had set aside 50 billion yen ($425 million at the time) to meet the predicted expenses. According to Automotive News, due to the rather arcane laws of accounting, these new costs will actually be applied to the fiscal year that ended on March 31, rather than the current one. Honda's revised earnings will be announced in late June. The company previously reported an operating profit of 651.7 billion yen ($5.3 billion), which was down 13 percent from the previous year. There has been no change to planned dividends for investors. In the US, Honda and Acura have a total of about 6.28 million vehicles in need of a replacement airbag inflator, and the automaker says about two million of those are already repaired. In addition to the Takata campaign, the company has faced other financial setbacks during this calendar year. For example, in early January, it received a $70 million fine from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for failing to report 1,729 cases of injuries or deaths over 11 years. As part of a strategy to improve quality globally, Honda cut back its global sales forecasts for the coming year, and it also decided not to make any volume predictions through 2017. To: Shareholders of Honda Motor Co., Ltd. From: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. 1-1, Minami-Aoyama 2-chome, Minato-ku, 107-8556 Tokyo Takanobu Ito President and Representative Director Notice of Events after the Reporting Period Regarding Product Warranty Expenses Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (the "Company") and its consolidated subsidiaries have been conducting market-based measures in relation to airbag inflators, such as product recalls and a Safety Improvement Campaign. Due to factors arising since May 2015 such as an expansion of the scope of these market-based measures based on an agreement between our supplier and the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a change has arisen in the estimate relating to product warranty expenses. The amount of product warranty expenses now expected to be incurred is 44,800 million yen.

Honda reveals more with Civic Type R concept bound for Paris

The reveal of the next-generation Honda Civic Type R has been a gradual one. First Honda showed us a camouflaged prototype, then let us drive one at its Japanese proving ground and followed up with a concept at the Geneva Motor Show. Now with the Paris Motor Show looming on the horizon, it has revealed yet another concept to keep hot-hatch enthusiasts on their toes.
The second Civic Type R concept appears almost identical to the first one - right down to the aggressive aero kit, quad exhaust tips, oversized wheels and ultra-low-profile rubber - but wears a new coat of Superman blue with go-fast decals. With its release, however, Honda has confirmed some of the salient details set for the production version.
In the nose sits a 2.0-liter turbo four with 276 horsepower and a 7,000-rpm redline, mated to a six-speed manual transmission. Adaptive dampers and a "steer axis" system promise to keep the power under control, while a push of the +R button tightens up the suspension, steering and torque mapping.