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Honda CR-Z carbon-fiber prototype

When Honda rolled out the CR-Z a few years ago, it hoped to bridge the gap between those who would save the planet and those who would rather burn all of its resources in a glorious cloud of tire smoke. But enthusiasts recalling the CRX of 1980s vintage balked, imploring Honda to ditch the heavy battery packs and electric motors in favor of a lighter-weight, more conventional powertrain. At this point it seems less likely that Honda would do so at one end of the market than Porsche would ditch the hybrid component of its 918 Spyder at the other. But that doesn't mean Honda isn't still cooking up ways to curb the CR-Z's weight. And it had just one such idea waiting for us when we visited its Japanese R&D center at Tochigi last week.
Nestled in between the JDM hatchbacks, powertrain test mules and new technology prototypes Honda rolled out for us sat the experimental CR-Z you see here. While it may look mostly like the hybrid sport-hatch you can pick up at your local dealer (albeit blacked out), nearly all of this prototype's bodywork has been completely replaced, as have its basic underpinnings, with carbon-fiber reinforced plastic. The exotic material is usually reserved for high-end exotics, but like BMW is democratizing its use in the new i3, so too is Honda researching ways to implement the use of carbon fiber on a mass scale. This one-of-a-kind CR-Z prototype stands, for the time being, as the embodiment of that effort.
Driving Notes

2014 Honda Accord Hybrid priced from $29,155*

Honda has announced pricing for the new, 50-mile-per-gallon 2014 Accord Hybrid today, with three trims - Hybrid, Hybrid EX-L and Hybrid Touring - for owners to choose from. Prices for the base car start at $29,155, while the mid-range model will run $31,905. The top-of-the-line Touring trim starts at $34,905. Prices do not include the *$905 destination charge.
Regardless of which model is chosen, Accord Hybrid owners will be able to net 50 mpg in the city and 45 on the highway, numbers that compare favorably with the Ford Fusion Hybrid (47/47 mpg) and the Toyota Camry Hybrid (43/39). The Accord does cost a bit more than the competition, but if out-and-out fuel economy is your goal, the Honda wins based on these numbers.
It's also notable how much Honda was able to trim off the Accord Hybrid's price when compared to the Accord Plug-In. That car starts at $39,780, meaning the Hybrid variant is over $10,000 less, while matching that PHEV's 47-mpg combined rating. Take a look down below for the official press release from Honda.

NHTSA Probes Nearly 400,000 Infiniti, Honda Vehicles Over Steering Faults

As many as 391,000 vehicles from Honda and Infiniti may eventually need to be recalled as a result of two, separately announced Preliminary Evaluations from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to ascertain the scope of the potential safety hazards. In one of the queries, NHTSA is looking into 24 reports from drivers of the 2013 Honda Accord who say they had total loss of their power steering or experienced a sudden increase in the necessary effort to turn the wheel. In four cases, the problem may be linked to crashes. According to the claims, 13 people reported seeing a warning message during the failure. Turning off the car and restarting it would fix the issue in some cases. If a recall is necessary, it could affect an estimated 374,000 Accords. The second investigation is much smaller in scope. The safety agency is investigating the 2008 Infiniti EX35 after two complaints of the steering wheel shaft separating and the vehicle losing the ability to steer. Both reports say the steering became loose when driving and then completely failed once the vehicle was stopped. A recall for the problem would affect an estimated 17,000 vehicles. Recalls Honda Infiniti Safety NHTSA steering