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Honda opening first new motherland plant in almost 50 years

Despite opening dozens of overseas plants in the past several decades in locations all over the globe, Honda Motor Co. has not expanded its car manufacturing capabilities in its home market of Japan since opening a facility in Sayama back in 1964.
But all of that is set to change this July when Honda opens the doors to a new assembly plant in Yorii, about two hours north of Tokyo. According to Bloomberg, the new facility has a projected annual capacity of 250,000 vehicles. The plant is part of the automaker's reorganization efforts, plans that include scaling back its older Sayama plant and bringing Yorii online with more efficient and innovative technology. There are additional benefits, too, as the Yorii plant is expected to create 3,800 jobs, both on-site and at its suppliers, and boost the local economy as other businesses ramp up to accommodate the influx of new workers.
While the automaker has not released specifics about which models will be produced at Yorii, Honda is expected to consolidate production of models including the Fit, a best-seller in its domestic market.

Junkyard Gem: 2000 Honda Passport 4WD

The suits at American Honda Motor Company must have spent the bulk of the 1990s tearing out their hair in frustration as their rivals raked in big money from the sales of ever-more-profitable SUVs, even as American car shoppers lost interest in sedans and hatchbacks. Oh, sure, the Civic-based CR-V appeared here for the 1997 model year and sold well enough, but the lack of a larger SUV pained Honda more with each passing year. With the Acura MDX and Honda Pilot not ready for showrooms until the 2001 and 2002 model years, respectively, some stopgap had to be found. Isuzu stepped up and made a deal with Honda: the Rodeo would get Honda badges and become the Passport, while the Trooper would show up in Acura showrooms with SLX badges (for the 1994 and 1995 model years, respectively). Here's one of those Passports, found in a Denver-area self-service yard. Things got even weirder in the Isuzu/Honda world around the turn of the century, with the Honda Odyssey getting Isuzu badges and being sold as the Oasis. Fast-forward to 2009, and the only Isuzu-badged vehicles available new here were rebadged Chevrolets: the I-Series pickup (Chevy Colorado) and the Ascender (Chevy Trailblazer). The Passport name has some interesting American Honda history, stretching back to the first Honda vehicle sold here (and the biggest-selling motor vehicle in human history): the Super Cub. American Honda Motor Company couldn't use the Super Cub name on our shores, because Piper Aircraft had been selling a small plane called the Super Cub since 1949, so the motorcycle was called the Honda 50 over here. Eventually, this bike got a 70cc engine and became the Honda C70 Passport, sales of which continued through the middle 1980s. That means the Passports sitting in your local Honda dealership right now got their name from a one-cylinder motorcycle. General Motors has a Passport connection as well; when GM created the Geo brand to sell rebadged Isuzus, Suzukis, and Toyotas in the United States, it created a marque called Passport to sell the Daewoo LeMans as the Optima in Canada (all the other vehicles sold by Passport dealers were Isuzus). So, Honda's need to offer SUVs in its American dealerships led to an arrangement with GM-connected Isuzu to sell these trucks with a model name bearing links to both companies. So much history in the junkyard! Just as Geo-badged Toyota Corollas (mostly) got Delco radios, so did the Passport get Honda radios.

Pair of perfect Honda NSX Type Rs go up for auction in Tokyo

While the original Acura NSX is a brilliant supercar in any of its iterations, we never got the best version of it here in America: the Type R. Those came with Honda badges and are right-hand drive only. Unless you're in Japan or are lucky enough to come see an imported example elsewhere, you're not going to come across one of these. To see two practically perfect examples go up for auction at the same time is an even rarer sight. Some first-generation NSX Type R models (1992-1995 model years) can be imported to the U.S. now that they have surpassed the 25-year mark. However, this 1995 model is still a hair too new. Should that stop you from buying it and waiting a few months to take U.S. delivery? Certainly not. This car being offered at Tokyo's BH Auction with a grand total of 534 miles on its odometer. The seller claims it's 100% original and in pristine condition. Honda did a lot to transform the NSX into the first Type R of many to come. To start, engineers cut 308 pounds out of the car by using aluminum in even more places than before, deleting sound deadening, eliminating the A/C and stereo and using carbon-kevlar Recaro bucket seats. The 3.0-liter V6 was balanced and blueprinted. Then the suspension was given a full makeover with stiffer dampers, springs, bushings and a larger front sway bar. There were plenty of other little things throughout, but we'll spare you the long list. The number you need to know most is the estimated auction price. BH Auction thinks this NSX Type R will go for $227,000 - $272,000. 2005 Honda NSX-R View 21 Photos Next up is the ultra-rare 2005 Honda NSX-R. This R was based-off the NA2 NSX, so it has a 3.2-liter V6 and six-speed manual transmission with the new bodystyle that ditches the pop-up headlights. The 2005 model year was the last for the first-gen NSX, meaning this R is just about as new as they come. Many of the modifications that Honda did for the first Type R were repeated here. This model used carbon fiber more judiciously, though, replacing the hood, deck lid and spoiler with the lightweight material. The auction house claims just 140 NA2 NSX-Rs were made, so this is an incredibly rare car. Sadly, nobody here will be able to import it and drive it on American roads for quite some time yet. The price is estimated to come in at $345,000 - $436,000. That's pricey but this NSX has an even lower odometer reading than the other at just 348 miles.