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Honda protective of Type R name; NSX Type R not in the works

During a roundtable during a recent event hosted by Honda, we joined in on a roundtable interview with Honda Technical Consultant Ko Yamamoto and Honda Civic Type R Project Leader Hideki Kakinuma. Questions were asked about the Type R brand broadly, as well as the potential for some new projects. The answers were both good news and disappointing news for Honda fans. The good news is that Honda takes the Type R name and brand very seriously. Yamamoto and Kakinuma explained that the name and its associated red "H" badge are only for vehicles with a racing connection, such as the Honda Civic Type R that has a couple of racing variants. As such, you won't be seeing a CR-V, Odyssey or Insight with the Type R name. Furthermore, the Type R name is only for Honda-badged vehicles, despite the existence of the Acura Integra Type R a couple decades ago. We also asked about the potential of an NSX Type R, which certainly meets the performance and racing credentials mentioned, but is much more of an Acura product and is badged as such in the U.S. Kakinuma and Yamamoto couldn't go into deep detail, but they said that there aren't plans for one at the moment, and the chances of one for the U.S. are unlikely. They noted that the previous NSX Type R was a Japanese-market exclusive, and if such a car did come to fruition, that might be the case yet again. Kakinuma did say that if he was the one in charge of NSX, he would have already had it in the works. So it's not impossible that there could be an NSX Type R in the future, but don't look for one anytime soon. Related Video:

Honda CR-V named Motor Trend SUV of the Year for 2015

Motor Trend has announced the results of its 2015 SUV of the Year competition, and from a field that included the new Porsche Macan, Cadillac Escalade, Subaru Outback, Chevrolet Suburban and BMW X5, the buff book has awarded the gold calipers to the 2015 Honda CR-V. If that result surprises you just a little, well, get to the back of the line.
MT looked at six different categories ranging from overall design to efficiency - both fuel economy and carbon footprint - to safety and value to pick its winner, singling out the refreshed Honda while paying particular praise to its new 2.4-liter Earth Dreams four-cylinder engine and continuously variable transmission. A tighter steering ratio was also cited as a big source of improvement.
"There was a lot of contentious debate," MT Technical Director Frank Markus told Autoblog, indicating that nearly half the judges approached the final round of voting with an eye towards the redesigned Jeep Cherokee. "This year's field included some pretty fancy and fast iron, but the thoughtful changes made by Honda to hone its best-seller entry in that crowded compact cross-over segment really did the trick."

IndyCars parade across Golden Gate Bridge for Justin Wilson [w/video]

Seeing IndyCars driving on public roads is a rare treat, especially on an iconic landmark like the Golden Gate Bridge. Unfortunately, the exciting sight came on a very somber occasion. On August 27, a parade of five racecars sped across the famous span in large part to memorialize fellow driver Justin Wilson. In an incredibly touching scene, teammate Marco Andretti led the pack, and he was behind the wheel of Wilson's number 25 Andretti Autosport Honda. "It was an honor to drive Justin's car. It was emotional for sure," Andretti said to the IndyCar Series. Behind him were Graham Rahal, Will Power, and Josef Newgarden. James Hinchcliffe was in a two-seater IndyCar to deliver the Aston Cup to the season finale at Sonoma Raceway. Two safety vehicles were also part of the procession, and they were flying Justin Wilson flags. Wilson passed away earlier this week after being struck in the head by a carbon-fiber nosecone from a crash ahead of him during the ABC Supply 500 at Pocono Raceway. Since then there has been an outpouring of support from the motorsport world for the 37-year-old racer's family. You can watch a clip of the driver's crossing the Bridge, below. News Source: NBC Bay Area, IndyCarImage Credit: Eric Risberg / AP Photo Motorsports Honda Racing Vehicles Videos IndyCar andretti autosport james hinchcliffe sonoma raceway golden gate bridge josef newgarden