1993 Honda Civic Dx Hatchback 3-door 1.5l on 2040-cars

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America was the unexpected theme at the 2017 Detroit Auto Show thanks to Trump

President-elect Donald Trump was not in attendance at this year's Detroit Auto Show, but it sure seemed like he was the target audience for many of the press conferences and announcements surrounding the event. Several manufacturers chose to play up existing and future commitments to the US in general and American jobs specifically in their presentations to the press, and we're pretty sure that has everything to do with Trump's recent targeting of automakers on Twitter. To us, it seemed automakers were going on the offensive to try and preempt any future tweet-shaming for investing in auto manufacturing anywhere but the US. The pro-America sentiment started the week prior to the auto show, with Ford announcing that it would build several future electrified vehicles at its Flat Rock Assembly Plant in Michigan and also cancel a $1.6 billion factory planned for Mexico. Ford announced the two items on the same day, but the reality is that they likely have no relation to each other; the Mexican plant is being skipped because the company doesn't need the extra capacity to build the Ford Focus right now. Trump was still happy to share the news on Twitter. Then, on Sunday, FCA announced it would invest $1 billion in manufacturing plants in Ohio and Michigan to produce the new Jeep Wagoneer, Grand Wagoneer, and Wrangler-based pickup. It's not as though those potential new jobs were on their way out of the US, necessarily, but FCA took the opportunity to mention that plant upgrades at the Warren Truck Plant would allow the company to build Ram heavy duty trucks, which are currently assembled in Mexico, there. CEO Sergio Marchionne confirmed that Trump and his proposed tariffs had nothing to do with the decision. We certainly believe that, but we also have to believe that the timing of the release, positive outcome for America, and zero gain for Mexico were all orchestrated. Again, Trump sent out a victory tweet as if this had been his doing. Ford then used its press conference at the show on Monday to reiterate the plans for Flat Rock and also confirm that the Ford Bronco and Ranger nameplates will be returning to the US market, and that both will be built at a plant in Michigan. Announcements of manufacturing locations are usually aimed at the UAW, which certainly has a stake in these things, but again this one was broadcast to the auto show crowd in general.

Honda Civic Type-R caught out in the cold

The Honda Civic Type R already has an award winning ad campaign, and the concept keeps showing up at auto shows around the world. What the model doesn't possess yet are firm production specs, and as these latest spy shots show, Honda is still doing cold weather testing in Sweden on its future hot hatch. The striking thing about this test car is just how similar it is to an earlier version wearing no camouflage at all. Both sport a toned down body kit compared to the concepts. The obfuscation makes the exact lines on this latest prototype hard to spot, but the two models appear practically identical. Although, at the rear, the taillights might now be slightly reshaped, compared to earlier. As of the 2014 Paris Motor Show, the Civic Type R was scheduled for a 2015 release in Europe. In concept form, it sported a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder making 276 horsepower and routed power to the front wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox. Adaptive dampers and a system called "steer axis" to reduce torque steer were promised to get the grunt to the ground effectively. The company even had a goal of making the new hatch the world's fastest front-wheel drive vehicle around the Nurburgring Nordschleife, too. Rumor has it, this potent mill might even cross the Atlantic for a Honda product in the US. Until then, check out the gallery to see the latest shots of what the Type R has in store for Europe at some point in 2015.

Mom Accidentally Steals Honda In Brooklyn

The owner of a 1993 Honda Accord that was accidentally stolen by a young Brooklyn woman's mother has the car back in her possession, after amusing posters popped up all over town. Cheryl Thorpe traveled to New York from her home in Houston to watch her daughter's dog while she and her roommates went on vacation, according to New York Magazine. Thorpe was also left the task of moving the three girls' cars to legal parking spots on a street-cleaning day. She dutifully moved the Fiat, Honda CR-V and Accord, but when the trio returned from their vacation something was wrong. The owner of the Accord found her car right where she left it, thankfully free of parking tickets. The Accord Thorpe had moved belonged to someone else. As it turns out, some older Hondas have interchangeable keys. Thorpe was able to use the girl's keys to move Emily Hickert's car while she ate brunch. Hickert spent an entire week thinking a professional car thief had made off with her 21-year-old ride. "In less than 40 seconds she gets in the car and goes," Hickert told The New York Post, after reviewing security footage from a nearby business. "I thought she was a professional." Hickert filed a police report, while Thorpe's daughter posted fliers all over Brooklyn looking for the Accord's owner. Hickert was eventually reunited with her Honda, which had been towed after sitting parked on the street. She says she bears no ill will towards the women involved in the mix up. "I'm not upset with her," Hickert told The Post. "I'm glad it wasn't a thief. I just didn't know why anyone would steal a 1993 Honda." Related Gallery Honda's Redone 2013 Civic Pulls Icon Out Of The Fire Weird Car News Honda