1996 Honda Civic Ex Sedan 4-door 1.6l Automatic / Great Commuter Car on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Honda gives itself room to delay FCV hydrogen car until June 2017

In a new press release issued to discuss vehicles on display at the Geneva Motor Show, Honda said something a bit curious about its upcoming hydrogen car. The release reads: "The FCV Concept previews an all-new fuel cell road car that is scheduled to go on sale in Japan in the first half of 2016, and subsequently in the USA and Europe within the following 12 months." The last official word was that Honda said the car would arrive in Japan in March 2016, with US and European roll-out some time after that. The new announcement gives the company some wiggle room to adjust that timeline, since 12 months after the first half of 2016 could, theoretically, be at late as June 30, 2017. So, we asked Honda North America's senior environment and safety specialist Angie Nucci if this means that the FCV will be delayed at all. She said she doesn't have additional details for the next-gen FCV availability, "other than March 2016 in Japan and then the US and Europe after. It's the same timing that we discussed in LA." In other words, we might be reading too much into this. But it's worth noting in case the timeline does slip (again). Related Video: Featured Gallery Honda FCV Concept: Detroit 2015 View 17 Photos News Source: HondaImage Credit: Copyright 2015 Sebastian Blanco / AOL Green Honda Hydrogen Cars delay fcv

Former NHTSA chief may lead automaker-backed Takata investigation

An automaker-led effort may see the former head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration take on the probe into the Takata airbag inflator disaster. A coalition of at least ten automakers is in talks with former NHTSA administrator David Kelly, with unnamed sources familiar with the discussions telling The Wall Street Journal he is "among those we are considering to coordinate" the investigation.The Detroit News, meanwhile, is reporting he could be hired "in the coming days." Takata, the Japanese seatbelt and airbag manufacturer, has been the center of a defect scandal since last year. Takata is under fire for air bag inflators that can explode, shooting out metal and plastic pieces. At least five deaths and dozens of injuries have been linked to the problem worldwide. Earlier this year, Honda Motor Co., the automaker with the biggest exposure to the defective Takata air bags, was fined $70 million in the U.S. for not reporting to regulators some 1,729 complaints that its vehicles caused deaths and injuries, and for not reporting warranty claims. It was the largest civil penalty levied against an automaker. Should he take the role, Kelly would be at the fore of an investigation being assembled by an alliance of ten automakers, which includes the Detroit Three and Honda. Toyota first suggested a joint investigation back in December, The Journal reports. Kelly's goals, meanwhile, will be many. The Detroit News reports that questions abound regarding not only the recalled airbag inflators and the conditions that cause them to fail, but the whether the replacement units will have similar problems in the future. The automaker committee is far from the only one analyzing the airbag issue. Takata has assembled its own panel, led by former Secretary of Transportation Samuel Skinner, while NHTSA's deputy administrator, David Friedman, has brought in an outside engineering firm to investigate the inflators, The Detroit News reports. Separately, on Friday Takata Corp., the Japanese seatbelt and air-bag maker at the center of a defect scandal, is expecting more red ink for the fiscal year through March. It is projecting a 31 billion yen ($264 million) loss, worse than the previous forecast for a 25 billion yen ($214 million) loss, despite higher sales expected for the fiscal year. Ten automakers have recalled about 12 million vehicles in the U.S. and about 19 million globally for problems with the air bags.

Glickenhaus's SCG 003 to pack twin-turbo Honda V6?

Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus has made (or commissioned) two vehicles to date - the P4/5 and the P4/5 Competizione - and is now hard at work on its third. The first was based on the Ferrari Enzo and the second on a Ferrari F430, but the third is being developed independently from the ground up. The question, then, is what engine will it use?
Well now we may have our answer as Jalopnik reports that the SCG 003 (as it's known at the moment) will be powered by a 3.5-liter V6 sourced from Honda, fitted with twin turbochargers and producing in excess of 500 horsepower.
Honda's J35Y engine produces 278 horsepower in the Accord, 290 hp in the Acura MDX and 310 hp in the RLX. It also forms the basis for the HR35TT racing engine which Honda Performance Development puts in its Daytona Prototype, so if the rumors turn out to be true, chances are that's probably the engine in question - with the possible addition of a hybrid electric assist - but we'll have to sit tight to find out for sure.