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Honda boss says Chinese drivers don't want green cars

According to The Wall Street Journal, Honda CEO Takanobu Ito believes that China's nascent car-buying demographic isn't all that interested in hybrid cars - at least not yet. The emissions story doesn't resonate with them, and certainly not for the higher purchase premium such models usually carry. What they really want, Ito believes, is reliable, affordable cars that fit their needs. When it comes to Honda sales, the numbers would appear to jibe with his thoughts: Honda sold 598,577 vehicles in China last year through its two joint ventures, yet just 542 of them were hybrids - not even a tenth of a percent. However, Toyota sold 840,500 cars in China last year, and two percent of that total, 17,300 units, were hybrids, which is closer to the still-piddling three-percent ratio of sales that Toyota posted in the US last year.
Honda offers the Insight, Fit Hybrid and CR-Z in China and plans to make components for its Integrated Motor Assist hybrid system there from next year, the hope being it will reduce the cost of hybrid cars for local buyers. That was one part of the plan Honda laid out last year to popularize its IMA system in China. Other initiatives include the introduction of a new hybrid system for mid-sized and large vehicles and a plug-in hybrid. Among the four new vehicles Honda showed during this weekend's press day for the Shanghai Motor Show (including the Concept M minivan pictured above) there was not a single hybrid among them.

Thieves still love older Hondas and pickups most, says NICB [w/video]

No one wants to have their car stolen, but a new study by the National Insurance Crime Bureau has some bad news for older Honda owners and pickup drivers. Fortunately, it has better news for drivers overall. The group is reporting that according to preliminary data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, thefts were down 3.2 percent in 2013 (versus 2012) to fewer than 700,000 cars. That's the lowest figure since 1967. That's also less than half of the peak of over 1.66 million thefts in 1991. "The drop in thefts is good news for all of us," says NICB President and CEO Joe Wehrle. "But it still amounts to a vehicle being stolen every 45 seconds and losses of over $4 billion a year."
Honda drivers might not find it such good news with older Accord and Civic models topping this year's theft study. Toyota and Dodge can't really celebrate, either, with two models each on the list, as well. Overall, this year's list was split evenly between foreign and domestic models, which were mostly pickups.
The 10 most likely vehicles to be stolen in 2013 were:

Acura NSX GT3 swings through New York en route to the track

Supercars are developed for the road, but sometimes the prospect of putting them on the track proves just too tempting to pass up. McLaren found out just that with the legendary F1, and now its racing partner Honda is doing the same with the new Acura NSX GT3 you see here. Unveiled here at the 2016 New York Auto Show, the NSX GT3 is based closely on the road-going version, but with several key differences. For starters, it ditches the trick hybrid all-wheel-drive system, not unlike the Type R we're expecting to follow. It keeps the 3.5-liter V6, but purely in twin-turbo guise (with no electrical boost in sight), driving the rear wheels through a six-speed sequential gearbox instead of the nine-speed dual-clutch transmission. The aluminum space frame carries over, but comes draped in extensively modified bodywork with more extreme aero to keep it cool and glued to the track. Since it's been designed to FIA GT3 regulations (and not the more advanced GTE), we shouldn't expect to see it competing at Le Mans against the new Ford GT (among others). But it will be in prime position to take on championships like the Pirelli World Challenge, Blancpain Endurance Series, and even the lower GT300 class of Japan's own Super GT series. Wherever it competes, though, it positively looks the business even sitting still, and we're looking forward to seeing it run. Acura Unveils NSX GT3 Racecar in New York Mar 23, 2016 - NEW YORK, NY - Twin turbocharged NSX supercar to campaign in North American competition starting 2017 - NSX slated to undergo homologation this fall as an FIA GT3 class racecar - Racecar body to be built by the Performance Manufacturing Center in Marysville, Ohio, the exclusive manufacturing home to the all-new Acura NSX supercar; engine to be produced in Anna, Ohio Acura took the wraps off a NSX GT3 racecar today at the 2016 New York International Auto Show, announcing its intention to campaign the twin-turbocharged NSX supercar in North America starting in 2017. The NSX is currently undergoing testing and slated for homologation as an FIA GT3 class racecar this fall. The unveiled Acura NSX GT3 racecar featured custom bodywork and aero components including a large deck wing spoiler, underbody diffuser and enlarged hood vents for efficient engine cooling.