Honda, Prelude, H22, Dohc, Excellent, Power Windows, Sunroof, New, Good on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Carmakers ask Trump to revisit fuel efficiency rules

Car companies operating in the US are required to meet stringent fuel efficiency standards (a fleet average of 54.5MPG) through 2025, but they're hoping to loosen things now that President Trump is in town. Leaders from Fiat Chrysler, Ford, GM, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, Toyota and VW have sent a letter to Trump asking him to rethink the Obama administration's choice to lock in efficiency guidelines for the next several years. The car makers want to revisit the midterm review for the 2025 commitment in hopes of loosening the demands. They claim that the tougher requirements raise costs, don't match public buying habits and will supposedly put "as many a million" jobs up in the air. The Trump administration hasn't specifically responded to the letter, although Environmental Protection Agency nominee Scott Pruitt had said he would return to the Obama-era decision. The automakers' argument doesn't entirely hold up. While the EPA did estimate that the US would fall short of efficiency goals due to a shift toward SUVs and trucks, the job claims are questionable. Why would making more fuel efficient vehicles necessarily cost jobs instead of pushing companies to do better? As it is, even a successful attempt to loosen guidelines may only have a limited effect. All of the brands mentioned here are pushing for greater mainstream adoption of electric vehicles within the next few years -- they may meet the Obama administration's expectations just by shifting more drivers away from gas power. This article by Jon Fingas originally appeared on Engadget, your guide to this connected life. Related Video: News Source: ReutersImage Credit: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images Government/Legal Green Chrysler Fiat GM Honda Hyundai Nissan Toyota Volkswagen Fuel Efficiency CAFE standards Trump

Honda reveals IndyCar aero kit

The IndyCar Series is stepping into a new era of competition that won't quite see manufacturers building their own chassis like they do in Formula One, but it's inching closer. This season, participating automakers will provide their customer teams not only with engines as they have in the past, but with complete aerodynamic packages. Chevy revealed its new aero kit last month, and now Honda – the only other automaker currently in the series – has followed suit with its own. Like Chevy's package, the new Honda kit is designed specifically for road courses and short ovals with a high degree of downforce that would hamper high-speed running around super speedways. The lower-drag package will likely be revealed sometime before the Indy 500 that will be the first speedway race on the calendar when it kicks off in May. The design of the package is a result of what Honda describes as an exhaustive development process that borrowed from the company's experience with Le Mans prototypes. It started out using CAD and CFD software before being validated on simulators, tested in wind tunnels and run on track with participation from Andretti Autosport. The aerodynamic appendages will be affixed to the existing Dallara chassis and powered by Honda's V6 engines, allowing individual teams to tweak the elements to their own requirements. With the manufacturers now allowed a greater degree of participation, series organizers will undoubtedly be hoping for more of them to join in on the action. The last time there were more than two automakers participating was in 2005, before Toyota pulled out. Ford was the sole engine supplier in the Champ Car series from 2003 until the series reunited with the Indy Racing League to form the current IndyCar Series. Honda Unveils 2015 IndyCar Series Aero Kits Mar 9, 2015 - TORRANCE, Calif. - Road Course/Short Oval package shown - Efficient development utilized CFD and multiple simulation tools - Wide range of aerodynamic tuning options available to teams Honda today debuted the package of aerodynamic upgrades and components its teams will use in the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series, as the manufacturer seeks to add to an already impressive list of accomplishments in American open-wheel racing. The 2015 Honda Indy car "aero kit", produced by Honda Performance Development, Honda's racing arm in North America, includes nearly 200 individual pieces that can be fitted to the existing Honda-powered Dallara Indy car chassis.

Takata airbag victim looked like she had been stabbed

We generally take certain principals for granted. The more water you drink, for example, the healthier you'll be. The more time you spend reading car news on Autoblog, the better informed you'll be. And the more airbags your car has, the safer you'll be. Because airbags equal safety. But that's not what some unfortunate drivers of vehicles equipped with Takata airbags are finding, and tragically finding out the hard way.
In what could be the most startling incident resulting from the airbag debacle so far, a woman named Hien Tran of Orlando, FL, was killed by what looked at first like stab wounds on her neck. It later emerged that the fatal injuries could have been inflicted by the faulty airbag on her Honda Accord. Tran bought her Honda secondhand, and may not have been aware that the airbag issue had not been addressed by its previous owner in a previous recall in 2009.
The Orange County Sheriff's Department is investigating the death, but it wouldn't be the only injury resulting from the malfunctioning Takata airbags. The units, employed particularly by Japanese automakers like Honda (which owns part of Takata) and Toyota, are the subject of a massive recall involving some 14 million vehicles from 11 different automakers.