09 Navigation Leather 3rd Row Bluetooth Sunroof 4wd Carfax Rear Cam on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Acura is bringing back one of the first-gen NSX's coolest colors

Between 1997 and 2003, about 20 percent of first-generation Acura NSXs wore the color Spa Yellow, also known as Indy Yellow in some markets. As the legend of the NSX grew, so did the shiny color's reputation, and today, it's one of collectors' favorites. That's why it was odd that the second-generation NSX has not offered yellow paint ... until now. Acura announced the 2020 NSX will offer Indy Yellow Pearl, a similar-but-new take on the classic. Acura currently offers eight colors on the NSX: Nouvelle Blue Pearl, Valencia Red Pearl, Casino White Pearl, Source Silver Metallic, Thermal Orange Pearl, 130R White, Curva Red, and Berlina Black. Of those, Berlina Black is considered the only heritage color, and now it's getting a partner in Indy Yellow Pearl. Although Berlina Black can be ordered as a standard color, Indy Yellow Pearl will cost an extra $1,000, which seems completely worth it. Spa Yellow, which was the fifth-most-popular first-generation NSX color, was one of two yellows offered back then. For the 2004 and 2005 model years, the last two years of first-gen NSX production, Spa Yellow was replaced with Rio Yellow. The announcement comes ahead of California's famous Monterey Car Week, where the car will make its global in-person debut. It will be shown next to an NSX GT3 Evo racecar on the main strip in downtown Carmel-by-the-Sea, California.  The 2020 Acura NSX starts at $159,495, including destination.

Honda airbags are being stolen

The latest hot target for car thieves might just be the airbag mounted inside your steering wheel. And late-model Honda and Acura vehicles are a particularly hot target right now, for reasons not well understood. USA Today reports that criminals across the country are stealing airbags out of relatively new Honda models for apparent resale online or to black market repair shops. It's a trend that has caught the attention of law enforcement agencies in cities like Miami, New York City and Washington D.C. The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) estimates that around 50,000 airbags are stolen each year. In Miami-Dade County, thieves stole 875 airbags in 2017, up from just 13 in 2013, according to police records obtained by USA Today. In the Virginia suburbs outside Washington D.C., thieves recently smashed the windows of 10 Hondas at an apartment complex to steal the airbags. Second Lt. Jonathan Bryant told the local Fox affiliate that stolen Honda airbags often end up in chop shops and can command between $300 and $500 each. A quick search of eBay listings for Honda steering wheel airbags turns up results being sold for as high as $700, though most are listing for hundreds less than that. New replacement versions purchased from dealerships approach $1,000. Many dishonest repair shops install the stolen airbags as new and charge the owner or their insurer full price for the replacement, a version of insurance fraud. Last year, police in Coral Springs, Fla. published an alert on the neighborhood social networking site Nextdoor urging residents who own a Honda or Acura to park in a garage or well-lit area, "or if you have another vehicle, pull it as close to your driver's side door as possible," they wrote. "We have seen an increase in airbag thefts, primarily in Acura and Honda models," the posting added. "The suspect(s) often disarm the alarm by cutting the battery, punch the driver side door lock or smash the window. It is believed these criminals take approx. 5-10 minutes to steal the airbag." One theory for the apparent rise in airbag thefts is that a spate of airbag recalls in recent years — including the ongoing recall of nearly 50 million potentially explosive Takata airbag inflators that left suppliers scrambling to make new parts — may have boosted demand for replacements. Most of the vehicles involved are late-model Honda Civics and Accords, but it's not clear exactly why Honda is being targeted.

Honda demonstrates new Vehicle-to-Pedestrian safety tech [w/video]

We're fresh from a balmy rooftop deck in downtown Detroit, where Honda held a meeting this week to discuss and demonstrate a few upcoming advanced safety features. A clear focus of the mini event was the company's new Vehicle-to-Pedestrian (V2P) technology, with a suite of Vehicle-to-Motorcycle (V2M) tech a significant second course.
With spirits still high from announcing the 2014 Odyssey as the first minivan to win the Top Safety Pick+ status from IIHS - and after seeing the application of new high-strength-steel sections of the Acura MDX body structure - Honda shared the fruits of some safety tech that is still in the research phase.