2015 Honda Pilot Touring on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Automakers drop support for Trump effort against California emissions

WASHINGTON — Toyota, Fiat Chrysler (now known as Stellantis following its merger with Peugeot) and other major automakers said on Tuesday they were joining General Motors in abandoning support for former President Donald Trump's effort to bar California from setting its own zero emission vehicle rules. The automakers, which also included Hyundai, Kia, Mitsubishi, Mazda and Subaru, said in a joint statement they were withdrawing from an ongoing legal challenge to California's emission-setting powers, "in a gesture of good faith and to find a constructive path forward" with President Joe Biden. The automakers, along with the National Automobile Dealers Association, said they were aligned "with the Biden administrationÂ’s goals to achieve year-over-year improvements in fuel economy standards." Nissan in December withdrew from the challenge after GM's decision in November shocked the industry and won praise from Biden. On Monday, the Justice Department asked the U.S. Appeals Court for the District of Columbia to put the California emissions litigation on hold to "ensure due respect for the prerogative of the executive branch to reconsider the policy decisions of a prior administration." Biden has directed agencies to quickly reconsider TrumpÂ’s 2019 decision to revoke CaliforniaÂ’s authority to set its own auto tailpipe emissions standards and require rising numbers of zero-emission vehicles, as well as Trump's national fuel economy rollback. Asked to respond to the automakers' action, White House climate adviser Gina McCarthy said in a statement that "after four years of putting us in reverse, it is time to restart and build a sustainable future, grow domestic manufacturing, and deliver clean cars for America." California Governor Gavin Newsom praised the automakers on Twitter for "dropping your climate-denying, air-polluting, Trump-era lawsuit against CA" and urged them to join the voluntary framework. TALKS WITH BIDEN Separately, an industry trade group on Tuesday proposed to start talks with Biden on revised fuel economy standards that would be higher than Trump-era standards but lower than ones set during the prior Democratic administration. The Trump administration in March finalized a rollback of U.S. Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards to require 1.5% annual increases in efficiency through 2026, well below the 5% yearly boosts under the Obama administration rules it discarded.

Honda to offer $184k street legal version of MotoGP racer [w/videos]

Fancy yourself a motorcycle racing talent on par with MotoGP factory riders like Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez? Have $184,000 to spend on a bike to prove it? Then get an order in on the Honda RC213V-S when the Japanese motorcycle maker begins taking global reservations on July 13. RC213V-S is designed to be the closest thing possible to legally riding Honda's two-time championship winning RC213V MotoGP racer on the street. Outside of the US, buyers can even spec an optional kit to make the bike track-only but raise the performance even higher. All versions use a 1.0-liter V4 and six-speed gearbox making 157 horsepower and 75 pound-feet of torque or over 212 hp and 87 lb-ft with the tuning package. That's not as much power as the Kawasaki Ninja H2R, but the Honda is a lightweight at 375 pounds for the street version or 353 lbs with the kit. In comparison, the factory racing example weighs just 348 lbs and produces over 235 hp. Being rideable on the road means losing some of the race bike's high-tech features, though. For maintenance reasons, the engine now uses coil-sprung valves, rather than the pneumatic units in MotoGP, and the seamless-shift transmission is replaced with a traditional one. Also there's some added equipment for legal reasons like lights, mirrors, and a muffler, plus useful things like a speedometer and starter. Honda has put out a few videos showing Marquez riding an RC213V-S and one opening up on track. Both are embedded below. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. HONDA TO LAUNCH RC213V-S BY TURNING RC213V COMPETING IN MOTOGP RACES INTO A MODEL FOR PUBLIC ROAD RIDING 11/06/15 The RC213V is a machine exclusively for racing that has won consecutive championships in the MotoGP class of the FIM Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix (hereinafter called "MotoGP") in 2013 and 2014. Honda has made changes to some of the specifications of the RC213V, and will now introduce this as the RC213V-S. It is possible to ride the RC213V-S on public roads, and Honda will start accepting order entry for this new model on July 13, 2015. In 1954, Honda declared its intention of participating in the Isle of Man TT races, which were a part of the Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix at the time.

Honda says it's 'not lost' in F1, but McLaren is losing patience

MONTREAL (Reuters) - Honda has responded to criticism from Formula One partners McLaren by saying it was going in the right direction despite the team having failed to score a point so far this season. "It is unfortunate I can't convince them we are going in the right direction. But I am confident we are not lost," Honda's Formula One chief Yusuke Hasegawa told motorsport.com at the Canadian Grand Prix. "We still need some more time but we are doing the right thing. We are doing many things to speed up our development but I don't disclose what." Former champions McLaren, the second most successful team in the sport in terms of race wins, are last in the championship and the only outfit yet to score after six races. The British-based team's executive director Zak Brown told Reuters on Wednesday that the Japanese manufacturer seemed "a bit lost" and indicated the partnership was reaching break point. The American's comments were widely reported and provided a major talking-point in the Montreal paddock. "I was not surprised," said Hasegawa of Brown's comments. "It's no wonder he has complained and he is frustrated. I'm frustrated, I'm disappointed, the team is disappointed. This is a very difficult, tough situation." (Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Ed Osmond) Image Credit: Mark Thompson/Getty Motorsports Honda McLaren Racing Vehicles F1