1997 Honda Accord Lx Sedan 4-door 2.2l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Beleaguered Takata unlikely to seek automaker assistance

Takata is continuing to deal with the massive airbag recall for millions of vehicles, but even if it doubles production, it could take years the company to build enough replacement parts to properly repair all of the affected models. If the supplier takes a hard enough financial hit whether through fines, lawsuits or just the cost of making the components, then the business might not be able to keep up production. Such a situation could put automakers in the very difficult predicament of deciding whether to provide Takata with financial assistance. Honda for one has little interest in lending further support to the beleaguered supplier, according to The Wall Street Journal. The Japanese automaker recently dropped its annual sales targets to put a larger emphasis on vehicle quality, partially in response to the inflator recall. It also struck a deal with another company for replacement parts and was rumored to abandon Takata for some future business. Honda CEO Takanobu Ito did leave the door barely cracked for possible aid. "Takata itself needs to figure out how to fulfill its duties, but if it makes any request to automakers, then we would think about that," he said, according to The Wall Street Journal. There isn't much likelihood of Takata needing a bailout, though. According to The Wall Street Journal, analysts aren't concerned about the company's short-term fortunes, and the supplier had about $728 million in cash as of last September. News Source: The Wall Street Journal - sub. req.Image Credit: Toru Yamanaka / AFP / Getty Images Earnings/Financials Recalls Honda Safety Takata airbag recall

2015 Green Car Of The Year finalists announced, run alt-fuel gamut

The 2015 edition of the Green Car of the Year award is following right in the footsteps of previous years with a variety of alt-fuel powertrains making the just-announced finalists list. You've got your plug-in vehicle (the BMW i3), your compressed natural gas (the Chevy Impala Bi-Fuel), your high-efficiency diesel (the Audi A3 TDI), your 40+ mile-per-gallon gas engine (the Honda Fit) and, finally, a car that can do a little bit of everything (the VW Golf). The Golf is available – at least in some parts of the US – with three different powertrains: a 2.0-liter diesel, a gasoline engine and all-electric drive. The Impala can burn either natural gas or gasoline in its 3.6-liter engine. The A3 is an efficiency champ, able to get 73.5 mpg on some European tests. The i3 can be a pure electric vehicle or come with a short range extending engine. And the Fit brings 41 miles to the gallon in a practical, affordable package. The GCOY award is announced every year at the Los Angeles Auto Show by Green Car Journal. The committee doesn't just take the fuel-saving technology into account, but also a vehicle's "availability to the mass market." Last year, the Honda Accord Hybrid/Plug-In Hybrid won top honors, following up on wins from the Ford Fusion models (plug-in hybrid and hybrid) for 2013, the Honda Civic Natural Gas for 2012 and the Chevrolet Volt for 2011. FINALISTS ANNOUNCED FOR 2015 "GREEN CAR OF THE YEAR"" Green Car Journal to Reveal Winner of 10th Annual Award at LA Auto Show" Press & Trade Days, November 20 LOS ANGELES, CA (October 21, 2014) – Green Car Journal has announced its five finalists for the magazine's high-profile 2015 Green Car of the Year® program. The 2015 models include the Audi A3 TDI, BMW i3, Chevrolet Impala Bi-Fuel, Honda Fit, and VW Golf. The Green Car of the Year® award, an honor widely recognized as the auto industry's most important environmental accolade, celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. An increasing number of vehicle models are considered for the Green Car of the Year® program each year, a reflection of the auto industry's expanding efforts in offering new vehicles with higher efficiency and improved environmental impact. Green Car Journal has been honoring the most important "green" vehicles every year at the LA Auto Show, since its inaugural award announced at the show in 2005.

Honda and Mario Andretti cite pedestrians for excessive slowness

Honda and the Andretti family have a lot to celebrate at the moment. Andretti Autosport driver Ryan Hunter-Reay won the 2014 Indianapolis 500 in his Honda-powered car, and Marco Andretti, Mario's grandson, also managed to take the third step on the podium. Apparently, the victory is making them feel magnanimous because Honda and Mario Andretti are giving the chance to ride with him in a two-seat, open wheel car.
To promote the contest, they created the Honda Speed Patrol to ticket anyone going too slow. It's an interesting idea, and the chance to ride with Andretti would be the opportunity of a lifetime. Perhaps the biggest shock of the video, though, might be when you realize how short Mario is when you see him milling about in public. Scroll down to watch one of America's most respected racers cite people in Chicago for being too slow.