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Honda invests $470 million for new transmission plant in Mexico

Honda has announced that it has made an initial investment of $470 million to build a brand new transmission plant in Ceyala, Mexico. For those keeping track, this is the same city that will also house Honda's new automobile manufacturing facility, which will begin production of the Fit compact beginning in the spring of 2014.
This new transmission plant is expected to come online in the second half of 2015, with an annual production capacity of 350,000 units, though that number is expected to double in the years following the plant's opening. With a 700,000-unit production capacity, Honda says a full 1,500 new associates will be hired at the Mexican plant.
Honda will specifically use this new transmission plant for the production of CVTs for automobiles built in Mexico, as well as for cars produced in facilities around the world. It stands to reason, then, that since the next-generation Honda Fit will be built right around the corner from these new CVTs, the small hatchback - which is expected to grow into a full family of vehicles - could be fitted with continuously variable units in the future.

Honda MC-? will use solar-powered chargers in 'micro' EV tests

Honda is envisioning what it calls a CO2-free society and, not surprisingly, it's a rather sunny one, in one Japanese city, at least. The Japanese automaker is kicking off a test program with the micro-electric-vehicle that will use power generated via photovoltaic energy collected and stored at EV charging stations. Yes, the big old sun will power those little-bitty MC-? cars. MC-? is shorthand for "Micro Computer Beta" and the car is certainly an appropriate vehicle for these tests. The car is 98 inches long (about eight inches shorter than a Smart ForTwo) and has a 43-mile-per-hour top speed as well as an electric motor that delivers a meager eight horsepower. The car is designed to meet Europe's quadricycle regulations and has a 50-mile single-charge range. No word on if or when it'll go into production, of course, but Honda and Toshiba are working with Japan's Miyakojima City on the project, with Toshiba responsible for building three solar-powered EV-charging stations. The Japanese automaker unveiled the latest incarnation of the 1+1 tandem-seating-arrangement MC-? last fall. You can see our "Quick Spin" impressions of the model here and read Honda's press release below. Honda Begins Experimental Test-driving of MC-? Micro-sized EV Using Renewable Energy TOKYO, Japan, January 28, 2014 - Jointly with Miyakojima City and Toshiba Corporation, Honda Motor Co., Ltd. began experimental test-driving of the MC-?, Honda's micro-sized EV, using photovoltaic (PV) energy as part of the Miyakojima City Small-sized Electromotive Mobility Project*1. Through this experimental program, Honda will operate an environmentally-responsible micro-sized EV using renewable energy, and work together with the local community to explore the possibility of a CO2-free society. In November 2013, Honda began separate field tests jointly conducted with Kumamoto Prefecture, Saitama City and Miyakojima City using the MC-?. For the field tests in Miyakojima City, as a part of the initiative as an environmentally-responsible model city, the feasibility of the introduction and utilization of small-sized electromotive mobility products and electricity supply facilities are being verified. For this particular driving experiment in the city using renewable energy, the MC-? will be charged from three new PV recharging stations newly built by Toshiba.

1997 Acura Integra Type R sells for $82,000 on Bring a Trailer

Acura Integra Type R prices are getting ridiculous. The car is absolutely superb, but the latest one to sell on Bring a Trailer went for a cool $82,000. You could likely pick up two old Acura NSXs in average condition for a similar price as the single Integra Type R. But hey, nobody ever said the value of cars made sense. Why did this particular Type R reach unrivaled heights then? A few factors are obvious. It’s a one-owner, 6,000-mile, completely original 1997 ITR (what the cool kids call the Integra Type R for short). WeÂ’re still rather flabbergasted and slightly upset the original buyer only managed 6,000 miles over the approximately 22 years of ownership, but the new owner could fix that quickly. Then again, this could be a purely speculative buy, aiding heavily in the final gavel price. Wait a few months to a year, and the value of this unmolested Type R could increase another $10,000, or more if you donÂ’t add miles. It was only a year ago to date that we wrote in near-shock about a Type R with even fewer miles (1,200) going for $63,800 at Barrett-Jackson. This car blows that previous record straight out of the water. As of now, thereÂ’s no end in sight to the increasing prices of these now-slightly-old hot Hondas. Another clean Acura Integra Type R is listed on Bring a Trailer right now, and the bid is already up to $34,567 with four days left. That car has 19,000 miles on it, and is reportedly being offered by the carÂ’s second owner, who bought it two years ago. A Honda CRX Si recently went for $33,600 on the same website. The NSXÂ’s value jump hit hard a few years ago, but now its successors are following in its footsteps again. Will there come a day when an Integra Type R hits the six-digit mark? At this rate it doesnÂ’t look far away. If you want a whole lot of what the Type R offers, without the eye-watering markup, take a long, hard look at the Integra GS-R. That trim is a great step up in performance over a base Integra, and a few easy mods gets it close to the Type R from a performance standpoint. You wonÂ’t have the cache and bragging rights that come with the R, but you also wonÂ’t be afraid to put miles on it for fear of entirely ruining the carÂ’s value. Happy Honda hunting.