2013 Honda Pilot Touring on 2040-cars

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West Coast labor dispute hampers Japanese automakers' US plants

The ongoing labor dispute between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and port owners along the West Coast is starting to affect more Japanese automakers building vehicles in the US. The issue already forced Honda and Subaru to take the expensive option of airlifting some parts into the US weeks ago, and according to USA Today, Toyota and Nissan have begun doing so, as well. The choice hasn't been cheap, though, and Subaru's chief financial officer estimated that the decision cost around $60 million more per month than sending components by cargo ship. The effects continue to radiate, according to USA Today, and shortages of some models are possible. Honda is slowing production at its factories in Ohio, Indiana and Canada because the automaker doesn't have enough transmissions and electronics for some vehicles. Toyota already cut back on overtime at some factories. Nissan has only seen a small effect from the issue, though, because of its local suppliers. Dock workers and port owners have been negotiating on a new contract since last year, and the union has organized work slowdowns in response. According to USA Today, the automakers could move shipments to Canada or Mexico, but it would take longer for parts to arrive. News Source: USA TodayImage Credit: Mark Ralston / AFP / Getty Images Earnings/Financials Plants/Manufacturing UAW/Unions Honda Nissan Subaru Toyota shipping port labor dispute

2016 Honda Pilot packs more of everything

Honda has come a long way over the course of its history, evolving from motorcycles to automobiles, marine engines, power equipment, robots and even jet aircraft. But its biggest push over the past couple of decades has been in crossovers and SUVs. From the Passport that was rebadged from the Isuzu Rodeo in the early 90s, Honda's high-riding lineup has expanded to include the CR-V, the smaller HR-V, the oddball Crosstour, the soon-to-be-updated Ridgeline pickup, a smattering of luxury crossovers from Acura, and this, the biggest of them all, the Pilot. And Honda has just revealed an all-new version here at the Chicago Auto Show. Now in its third generation, the all-new 2016 Honda Pilot is, like its predecessors, a three-row family-hauler. Compared to the decidedly boxy model it replaces, the new Pilot is certainly more dynamically styled to more closely match the latest crossovers in the Honda lineup, but it may start to resemble the Odyssey minivan (with which it shares its underpinnings) too closely for some tastes. The new Pilot is three inches longer than the model it replaces, primarily to the benefit of cargo space: Honda says you can now fit a full-size 82-quart cooler in the back without infringing on the third row of seats – ingress and egress from which are now enabled by a power folding second row that opens a wider aperture to the back to more easily fit in all eight passengers. (That is, unless you go for the available second-row bucket seats that reduce capacity to seven.) Interior amenities are increased all around, with a proliferation of power outlets and connectivity ports and an available panoramic roof. Despite the growth, though, the new Pilot is 300 pounds lighter than the model it replaces. It is also built on a more solid platform, to the benefit of handling, crashworthiness and NVH insulation. Of course the new Pilot benefits from all the latest safety and driver-assist systems, and Honda anticipates top ratings from both the National Highway Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Power comes from a 3.5-liter V6 with all the tricks in the book (short of a hybrid assist) to make it as economical as possible. The i-VTEC engine has direct injection, cylinder deactivation, stop/start ignition and an automatic transmission with either six or (for the first time from Honda) nine speeds, depending on the trim level. Buyers will also be able to choose between front- or all-wheel drive.

Rumors abound over Honda's mid-engined 'Small NSX'

The "baby NSX" lately in the news has been in Honda's idea cloud since before the 2008 global financial rift. The company called it the "Small NSX" and reports said it "will really be a scaled-back version" of Acura's exotic, including the mid-engine layout and a variation of the hybrid SH-AWD. It even had a price: $50,000 to $60,000. So more than seven years on, when a series of patent images materialize for what looks like an NSX-inspired Honda sports car, it doesn't prove anything, but it fits. Motoring reports that the Small NSX will sit at the top of a lineup of three mid-engined sports cars intended for the Honda brand - but note that Motoring is based in Australia, where our Acura NSX is sold as a Honda. This Small NSX would be a "radical replacement" for the Honda S2000 that ended production in 2009. Beneath it will be a global version of the S660 roadster that could come here as an S1000 with 125 horsepower. The Civic Type R and a much sportier, reimagined CR-Z will put some long forgotten handling chops at other price points in the model mix. Motoring's sources say the Small NSX design work is, "for all intents and purposes, completed." The consistent rumor regarding engine is the 306-hp 2.0-liter turbo VTEC used in the Civic Type R. One electric motor will be in back to help move the rear wheels, two electric motors will hang on the front axle. Overall power output is put at around 400 hp, with 330 hp of that coming from the ICE, working through a nine-speed dual-clutch transmission. An aluminum frame with aluminum and carbon fiber parts will discourage heft, the final product at aiming at a weight under 3,100 pounds. Its price should be competitive with its intended target, the Porsche Cayman. The 2018 Detroit Auto Show is where we might see it, before it goes into production later that year at Honda's Performance Manufacturing Center in Marysville, OH. Related Video: News Source: Motoring Green Acura Honda Coupe Hybrid Performance honda nsx