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Honda favoring turbo over hybrid for US-market Vezel

While Honda gears up to unveil the new Fit to the US market at the Detroit Auto Show next month, back in its home market, the car's crossover cousin is just going on sale. The Vezel was unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show last month and already has a three-month waiting list in Japan, where Honda projects that 90 percent of customers will opt for the hybrid version. Not so in the United States, however.
When the Vezel reaches American showrooms, there'll be a number of key differences. For starters, it will carry a different name, though Honda isn't saying what that will be. For another, it will be built for North American consumption at Honda's new plant in Mexico, roughly half of whose production capacity is reportedly being allocated to the new crossover. And finally, it'll have a different engine.
In Japan the Vezel is being offered with a 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine, with or without electric assist. Honda won't offer the hybrid version here - at least not initially - but it is preparing to offer a turbo option. Although it has yet to announce US specifications and options, the 1.5-liter turbo four (also unveiled at the Tokyo show) is considered a stronger likelihood than the 1.0- or 2.0-liter versions.

Minnesota tinkerer selling off 500-plus motorcycles, dirt bikes and scooters

For 25 years, Tony Joslyn's entire life has orbited around motorcycles. After getting into bikes at an early age, Joslyn turned his passion into Road Rash, a salvage house where Joslyn would buy and sell two-wheelers and their parts. He wasn't picky with his workings, either, as he has accrued motorcycles across a huge range of decades and brands. And now it's all up for sale.  Suzukis, Yamahas, Harley-Davidsons, Hondas, Kawasakis, and more from the '60s, '70s, '60s, '90s, and '00s are all currently listed on K-Bid.com. There is a variety of size, styles, colors and setups, and a press release says most of the bikes are 'complete and ready for restoration or a tuneup." For Joslyn, the collection just became too much to deal with after all these years.  "It's time to clear the herd and slow down," Joslyn said in a release. "Once it starts to feel like a job, you lose some of the joy. I'm looking forward to getting back to working a few motorcycles now and then. ... It's hard to pick a favorite out of the collection, as I am partial to all of them, but I've always enjoyed the Kawasaki 3-cylinders." The bikes are located in Clarks Grove, Minnesota, directly south of Minneapolis roughly near the Iowa border. Interested parties can visit and inspect the bikes before purchasing, and there's plenty of time to do so. Open now, the auction will close October 2, 2019.  This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Auto News Honda Suzuki Auctions Motorcycle honda scooter Harley-Davidson Yamaha Kawasaki

Half of Chinese car buyers won't shop Japanese over hard feelings

The hard feelings between China and Japan is no real secret. Besides modern-day disputes, the two countries have had a long-running enmity that dates back to well before the atrocities of World War II. All things considered, then, it shouldn't be a shock that half of Chinese car buyers wouldn't consider a Japanese car. This survey, conducted by Bernstein Research, found that 51 percent of 40,000 Chinese consumers wouldn't even consider a Japanese car – which, again, isn't really surprising, when you consider stories like this. According to Bernstein, the most troubling thing is the location of these sentiments – smaller, growing cities where the population is going to need sets of wheels. We imagine it wouldn't be as big of an issue in traffic-clogged Shanghai or Beijing, but these small cities are going to become a major focus for automakers. "Nationalistic feelings are an impediment. [Japanese] premium brands will struggle," analyst Max Warburton wrote in a research note, according to The Wall Street Journal. Things will improve for Japanese makes, although China will remain a challenge, with Warburton writing, "the one thing that comes out most clearly is that most Chinese really want a German car. While we expect Japanese brands to continue to recover market share this year, ultimately the market will belong to the Germans." There are a few other insights from the study. According to WSJ, Japanese brands are viewed better than Korean brands, and they're seen as more comfortable than the offerings from Germany or the US, despite the fact that everyone in China apparently wants a German car. This is a tough position for the Japanese makes to be in, as there's really not a lot they can do to win favor with Chinese buyers. It will be interesting to see how this plays out, particularly as the importance of the PRC continues to increase year after year. News Source: The Wall Street Journal - sub. req.Image Credit: Kazuhiro Nogi / AFP / Getty Images Honda Mazda Nissan Toyota Car Buying