Clean on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Honda slowing US production due to ports dispute

The labor dispute that idled 29 ports on the West Coast last the weekend, including Los Angeles and Long Beach, CA, is about to make its effects felt on the showroom floor, according to Reuters. Honda, Toyota and Subaru have been trying to work around the labor disagreement, cutting overtime and airlifting parts to factories, but Honda says parts shortages at plants in Indiana, Ohio and Ontario, Canada, are now severe enough to impede production. The lack of transmissions and some electronic components will slow output of the Honda Accord, Civic, and CR-V – as well as unnamed Acuras. The three affected factories will rework their production schedules from Feb. 16-23. The ports have reopened this week, and US Labor Secretary Tom Perez has flown to San Francisco to mediate a new agreement between the 20,000 dockworkers represented by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association, which represents the terminals and shipping companies. Talks have been going on for almost nine months and the issues aren't settled; meanwhile, the West Coast ports that handle half the nation's maritime cargo and 70 percent of cargo from Asia are putting all kinds of industries on the ropes, and it's estimated to cost the economy $2 billion a day. Related Video: News Source: ReutersImage Credit: MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images Government/Legal Plants/Manufacturing UAW/Unions Acura Honda Crossover Sedan

2019 Acura RDX undercuts rivals with base price of $38,295

The all-new 2019 Acura RDX will hit dealers on June 1, 2018, and it'll come with a window sticker bearing a base price of $38,295. That's for a front-wheel-drive RDX; adding all-wheel drive brings the base price to $40,295. Standard equipment includes the AcuraWatch safety and driver assistance package, which bundles automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist, and road departure mitigation. All RDX models, regardless of trim, are powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that sends 272 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque through a 10-speed automatic transmission to the drive wheels. That's more power than rivals like Audi Q5, BMW X3, Mercedes-Benz GLC300, and Volvo XC60, all of which are cited by Acura as key competitors in the small premium crossover segment. The EPA has given the 2019 RDX estimated fuel mileage ratings of 22 city, 28 highway, and 24 combined, or 21/27/23 with all-wheel drive. That's better than the AWD 2018 RDX's 19/27/22 rating, but under the class-leading 22/29/25 figures of the BMW X3, though the Bimmer has less horsepower and torque than the RDX. Perhaps even more important than the low-for-its-class starting price is the reasonable increase in cost as the trim level rises. Opting for an RDX with the Tech Package will cost $41,495 and bring with it navigation with real-time traffic, perforated leather seating surfaces, an ELS Studio audio system with 12 speakers, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic monitor, and front and rear parking sensors. The new RDX A-Spec package branches off the Tech trim level and adds sportier styling with blacked-out accents replacing chrome, 20-inch wheels, 4-inch exhaust tips, an ELX Studio audio system with 16 speakers, heated and ventilated seats, LED fog lights, and sport seats trimmed in leather and Ultrasuede. A red interior package is optional. At the top of the RDX pyramid sits the Advance trim for $46,395. That model gets cool stuff like a high-tech adaptive damper system, 16-way power driver and passenger seats (heated and cooled up front and heated in the rear), a head-up display, surround view camera, genuine wood trim, and a hands-free power tailgate. It's worth noting that since the A-Spec is based on the Tech and not the Advance trim it's not possible to get the adaptive dampers or fancy front seats packaged with the sportiest-looking RDX model. Here's hoping those bits are added as A-Spec package options at a later date.

Acura NSX to race in GT3 or GTE

Honda is reportedly planning to roll out a racing version of the new Acura NSX. It just hasn't decided yet on which class it wants to enter it into, to whose specifications it will build it, and which department will be tasked with the project. The original NSX competed principally in Japan's own Super GT series. So did the subsequent HSV-010 GT that was originally designed to be the NSX's replacement. But Acura's new supercar is as much an American vehicle as a Japanese one, and as such it looks more likely to compete on American soil. The options which Honda is considering boil down to GTE and GT3. What's the difference, you ask? Until just a few years ago, international sports car racing was split between GT1, GT2, GT3, and (to a lesser extent) GT4 classes. GT1 was phased out in 2009, GT2 was reformatted into GTE (with both Pro and Am categories), while both GT3 and GT4 carried on. Today GTE is run at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and its associated championships around the globe: the FIA World Endurance Championship, the European Le Mans Series, the Asian Le Mans Series, and the United SportsCar Championship. Meanwhile GT3 is run in series like the Blancpain Endurance Series and a growing number of regional championships. (GT4 is run in lower-level series for amateur racers.) Acura currently runs the TLX-GT in the Pirelli World Challenge here in America. But as the series moves to GT3 specifications as well, the company is facing the decision of either adapting the existing racer to the new regulations (and coming away with a potentially compromised package), or replace it entirely. The NSX could prove just the ticket, however the GTE class may ultimately give it more exposure. Whichever rulebook Acura opts to play by, it likely won't be running under hybrid power – an element which would add complication but not necessarily much benefit under current regulations. The automaker will also have to decide who will develop the new NSX racer, with both California-based Honda Performance Development (HPD) and Italian outfit JAS Motorsport (which fields Honda's WTCC team) eyed as potential candidates. Related Video: