1996 Honda Civic Del Sol Vtec Coupe 2-door 1.6l on 2040-cars

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Honda readying Veloster-rivaling concept for Beijing?

Maybe the rumors of the CR-Z's death have been exaggerated. Honda has just released the first teaser of a new concept that it plans to debut at the Beijing Motor Show at the end of April. It shows off a sporty looking coupe that looks like the child of a CR-Z and Hyundai Veloster. However, the concept looks to be for the Chinese market, as it's a joint proposal with one of its domestic partners there, Guangqi Honda Automobile.
Unfortunately, we don't have any other details about the concept yet - not even a name. The teaser also doesn't give a very good indication of the car's size. It appears to be roughly the size of a small coupe, and if Honda hadn't already tried the idea with the CR-Z, you could almost see it as a modern CRX, but it could be a little bit larger, too.
In addition to the coupe concept at the Beijing show, Dongfeng Honda will premiere the concept for the next Spirior, which is the foreign version of the Accord. Guangqi Honda will also bring a mid-size SUV and the third-generation Fit. Acura will also be there and will have both the NSX Concept and a model of its powertrain. Scroll down for the full release about everything Honda will show in China.

Honda Vezel leaked in Mugen trim

Just last month at the Tokyo Motor Show, Honda revealed its new Vezel crossover, a production version of the Urban SUV concept that debuted at the Detroit Auto Show. According to new reports, the model already has a three-month waiting list in Japan alone. But that doesn't mean Honda's tuning division, Mugen, is waiting around to spruce it up.
Pictured here is the Mugen-tuned version of the Vezel leaked from a sales brochure in Japan. While there's not much information to go on, Mugen's take on the Vezel appears to be wearing a custom aero kit, with more pronounced lower bumpers and side sills, a more Acura-like grille treatment and different wheels.
Whether we'll ever get a Mugen package like this when the Fit-based CUV arrives in North America remains to be seen, but we've historically gotten very few of these tuned-up Hondas. In fact, we're still not even sure what the tiny crossover will be called when it arrives here, but something tells us it won't arrive carrying the Vezel moniker.

Automakers teaming with Google to bring Android to cars this year

Remember how we mentioned that Hyundai would be offering a BlueLink infotainment app for Google Glass? And how last week, we told you about a rumored partnership between Audi and Google? Well, both of these things were just part of a much bigger deal.
Google has teamed up with Audi, General Motors, Hyundai and Honda to form the Open Automotive Alliance. With the help of chipmaker NVIDIA, the group aims to bring Google's Android operating system to the auto industry on a large scale. While the speed with which Android will be adopted by the industry remains unclear - the OAA's own press release says "timing for each automaker will vary" - we could see the first Android-equipped vehicle by year's end.
For those that keep their ear to the ground in the automotive tech world, this is a big deal for more than just one reason - Honda, GM and Hyundai are all partners in the Siri Eyes Free program from Apple. The future of that relationship now that three of its automakers are in bed with Apple's arch-rival, though, could be under threat.