2013 Honda Cr-v on 2040-cars

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Recharge Wrap-up: Green Car award for Volvo XC90, MN air better from biodiesel

The Honda CR-V could return with a plug-in hybrid option. Expected to debut in the fall of 2017, the PHEV could use a 2.0-liter I4 plus an electric motor. It's possible that the new CR-V is being developed in North America, and will borrow design cues from the Honda Civic. There also could be a seven-seat version. Beyond that, details are pretty scarce. Read more at Hybrid Cars, and from Response JP. UC Davis will present findings from a CARB-commissioned study on customer valuation of zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs). Dr. Ken Kurani of the university's Institute of Transportation Studies will report on consumer attitudes toward ZEVs, and the differences between those valuations and market behavior. In Kurani's survey, respondents had the opportunity to design their own car with an in-survey game. Almost a quarter of people designed some sort of EV, including plug-in hybrids and fuel cell vehicles. Read more from CARB, or at Green Car Congress. Minnesota's biodiesel efforts have improved air quality. According to the American Lung Association in Minnesota, summer and winter blends of biodiesel have prevented the emission of 130 tons of particulate matter, 319 tons of hydrocarbon and 2,634 tons of carbon monoxide every year, as well as a total of 3.7 million tons of CO2 over the last 10 years. Minnesota requires a B10 biodiesel blend during the summer months, and B5 throughout the winter. Read more from Biodiesel Magazine. The Volvo XC90 has received the Canadian Green Car Award for Most Efficient Three-Row Family Vehicle. Beating out the Ford Explorer 2.3-liter EcoBoost and the Honda Pilot, Volvo's seven-seat crossover was chosen for its mass market appeal, and a variety of qualities both practical and green. Judges look at value, fuel economy, emissions, performance and technology among other features. The XC90 is available as a plug-in hybrid with about 17 miles of all-electric driving range. Read more in the press release below. Volvo XC90 Wins Canadian Green Car Award The Most Awarded SUV Named Most Efficient Three-Row Family Vehicle RICHMOND HILL, ON. (April 7th, 2016.) The judges of the 2016 Canadian Green Car Award announced their category winners today, with the Volvo XC90 winning the Most Efficient Three-Row Family Vehicle category. The other finalists in the category were the Ford Explorer 2.3-litre EcoBoost and the Honda Pilot.

McLaren working on P15 supercar to slot between 650S and P1

McLaren has been busy these past few years. It launched the MP4-12C in 2011, the 12C Spider in 2012, the P1 in 2013 and (most recently) the 650S in 2014. But it's not about to stop there. It's got an "entry-level" model in the works, set to take on the Porsche 911, and - according to information reported by Car and Driver and confirmed by McLaren in correspondence with Autoblog - a new flagship model, too.
The project is internally codenamed P15, and it calls for a new flagship that will cap the company's lineup once the P1 finishes its limited production run, but carry a price tag in the neighborhood of $500k to slot in between the P1 and the new 650S.
Just how, you wonder, can McLaren possibly develop another supercar each year? Simple: underneath, they're all essentially the same. (Only we're sure it's anything but simple.) That is to say they're all based on the same carbon monocoque structure and powered by the same 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission driving the rear wheels. What differentiates them is what the engineers in Woking build around that monocoque and how they tune the engine: +/- 600 horsepower in the 12C (depending on the year it was built), 640 hp in the 650S, or 727 hp in the P1 (with another 177 from the electric assist). The 911 fighter would likely develop in the 500hp range, and the P15 will probably land in the upper 600 (or lower 700) range.

Honda HR-V Prototype looks awfully familiar

Is there anything quite so exciting as seeing a brand-new vehicle for the very first time? Part of the allure of auto shows is the chance to see new ideas, just before they're fully baked and ready for public consumption. "Prototypes" you might say, of production models that are just around the corner. Or, in the case of the Honda HR-V, already down the block a ways.
Here in Paris, Honda has unveiled its HR-V Prototype, a nearly production-ready version of a "new SUV for Europe." Before we take umbrage with that SUV designation - as far as we can tell the Fit-based crossover isn't much of a mudder - we should address the fact that at this year's New York Auto Show in April, Honda handed over just a few images and specs of the actually production-read HR-V for the US. Presumably this is a "prototype" for Europe, where the NYC car is US-specific, but we're still scratching our heads a bit.
No matter! Here in France, Honda tells us that the utile little hatch will be available powered by both a 1.5-liter gasoline engine (the one American customers will see), and a 1.6-liter diesel unit, both wearing the company's Earth Dreams Technology label and presumably running cleaner and more frugally than ever. In Europe, a standard six-speed manual will come with both mills, while the 1.5-liter will offer the option of a continuously variable transmission.