2008 Honda Civic Dx Sedan 4-door 1.8l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Highlights and standouts from the 2015 LA Auto Show

This year's LA Auto Show has been packed with interesting debuts and fascinating industry trends. The Autoblog team is on the scene to examine all the new metal, and Senior Editor Greg Migliore has some show highlights for us in the video above. In particular, the new Fiat 124 Spider and Honda Civic Coupe stand out as important debuts. The Fiat is based on the excellent Mazda Miata, with a turbocharged 1.4-liter engine and revised styling. The Civic Coupe is a striking redesign of an extremely popular and important model for the company. And the restyled Ford Escape looks more like its bigger brother, the Explorer. There's this an much more in our video above. Watch it and let us know what you think – and look for more LA Auto Show coverage coming soon.

Acura already planning NSX Type R?

Acura just took the wraps off the production version of its long-awaited new NSX, but rumors are already circulating of an even hotter version to follow. Meeting up at the Detroit Auto Show this week, Auto Express asked the NSX's chief engineer Ted Klaus about the prospect of a Type R version in the future, to which he reportedly answered: "I think everyone who loves cars wants to see a version that we say is pure red. The NSX has always been silver first, moving towards red later. Someone asked me, 'when will you be satisfied?' Probably never. What you do today, you can improve on tomorrow." That doesn't mean that tomorrow will actually come tomorrow, but it does speak to a spirit of improvement on the NSX team that could stand to keep the American-made Japanese supercar on the knife's edge and out in front of the competition, which Klaus identified as including the Ferrari 458, Audi R8 V10 and Porsche 911 Turbo. The previous model bred the NSX-R two years after its release (in the Japanese domestic market anyway), benefiting from a 265-pound weight reduction, a stiffer suspension, and though never officially confirmed, a long-suspected bump in output. Related Video:

2017 Honda Accord Hybrid launches with best-in-class fuel economy

After a one-year hiatus, the Accord Hybrid is back. Billed as a 2017 model, it goes on sale this spring. Honda has not detailed pricing for the new version, but American Honda Executive Vice President John Mendel says it will be similar to the 2015 model. The big items are 212 horsepower, an increase of 16, and EPA fuel economy ratings of 49 city, 47 highway, and 48 combined miles per gallon. All of those numbers are class-leading for midsize hybrid sedans. On paper the city figure is lower than the previous Accord Hybrid, rated at 50 mpg, but there's a reason. In 2017 the EPA is revising the fuel economy numbers downward to bring them more in line with real-world results. A similar adjustment happened in 2008. The new Accord Hybrid is certified for 2017, while competitors like the Chevrolet Malibu (47 city/46 hwy/46 combined) and Toyota Camry (43/31/39) use the current rules. Honda says the improvement is about four percent, so if the new car carried a 2016 sticker, the highway figure would be as high as 52 mpg. View 19 Photos Honda's reveal is light on other details about the new Accord Hybrid. The company stated only that the fuel economy gains come from a total re-engineering of the powertrain that includes new electric motors and a revised 2.0-liter Atkinson-cyline gasonline engine. A lithium-ion battery pack in the trunk eats up about two cubic feet of cargo space. The physical layout of the hybrid drive is the same as in the previous Accord, with two motors and a single-speed transmission for the gas engine. An explanation of the three drive modes is below. Honda engineers clarified that while the generator motor near the engine usually charges the battery it will also assist the drive motor in sending power to the front wheels at high speeds or loads. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Honda Sensing, the brand's name for its suite of autonomous and electronic safety system, is standard in the Accord Hybrid. That includes lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, and blind-spot warning. You can't tell that the Accord Hybrid has an aluminum hood by looking, but sharp eyes will pick up the unique wheel and blue accents to the headlights and taillights. Otherwise the 2017 Accord Hybrid looks and feel exactly like a conventional Accord, save for the "EV Mode" button on the right side of the center console.