1996 Honda Civic Hx Model 35 Mpg on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Honda to spool up turbos, workforce with F1 tech

Honda has had a longer and more tumultuous relationship with Formula One than just about any other automaker. It had only been building cars for four years before it entered F1 in 1964 as the first Japanese team in the series, winning its first race the following season but shuttering the program a few years later. Honda came back to power the likes of Williams and McLaren to several World Championships in the '80s and '90s, but things took a downturn when it started a partnership and ultimately took over British American Racing. After pouring untold billions into the effort, the economy tanked, and Honda ultimately sold the team, which subsequently claimed the championship - under new ownership and Mercedes power. Now Honda is gearing up to return in 2015 with a new turbocharged V6 hybrid powertrain it's supplying initially to McLaren, which in turn is switching back to Honda from nearly two decades with Mercedes.
So why return to F1 now? That's precisely what Autoblog asked Honda's Global President and Chief Executive Takanobu Ito (pictured above with McLaren chief Martin Whitmarsh) while visiting his office in Tokyo. While he wouldn't reveal specifics (like when his company's new engine would be available to other teams, as it most certainly will in the long run), Ito-san was clearly happy to discuss the motivation behind the move and the value he feels it brings to the company and its products.
Ito pointed toward the proliferation of motors within Honda's powertrains as a development he hopes to take to road from track

2015 Honda Fit configurator will let you have it your way

Honda has released the online configurator for the all-new, 2015 Fit - a vehicle that was scheduled to launch earlier, but was delayed until this month. As is the case with the rest of the Japanese manufacturer's builders, there's not a lot to this one - pick a trim, transmission (where applicable) and a color, and you're all set.
The 2015 Fit will come in three grades, with the base LX offering up both manual and continuously variable transmission, air conditioning, Bluetooth, USB connectivity, a 60/40 split-rear seat and a four-speaker stereo, among lesser items. The LX starts at $15,525, not counting a $790 destination charge. Next up is the $17,435 EX, which adds 16-inch wheels, push-button start and a seven-inch display audio system complete with Pandora and text-message functionality. Like the LX, the EX can be had with either a manual or CVT, with the two-pedal setup commanding an $800 premium, regardless of trim.
The top-of-the-line EX-L, however, cannot be had with a manual. Getting the king of the Fit line will lock you into the CVT, although it adds an assortment of cow-based products, in the form of heated leather seats and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. Heated wing mirrors are also included in the $19,800 starting price. Navigation is an optional goodie, which tacks $1,000 onto the price and is only available on the EX-L. HD Radio and satellite radio are also included on the EX-L.

It turns out Takata isn't willing to expand airbag recall nationally after all

There have been "approximately 0.000006 failures per air bag deployment, which is far below the failure rate" of most recalls, Takata claims. Takata has seemingly made an about face following reports that it would expand its regional airbag recall into a nationwide repair effort, issuing a scathing, four-page letter rebutting allegations by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and its Office of Defects while simultaneously attacking the government's handling of the situation. The Japanese supplier claims in its letter that the "currently available, reliable information does not support a nationwide determination of a safety defect," arguing that there were "approximately 0.000006 failures per air bag deployment, which is far below the failure rate in the vast majority of the thousands of recalls," The Detroit News reports. Takata then breaks down the two specific incidents mentioned in NHTSA's original recall request letter, a 2005 Honda Accord and 2007 Ford Mustang. Referencing the two crashes, NHTSA Administrator David Friedman said last month "one incident is an anomaly, but two are a trend." The supplier, though, argues the Honda issue is already being covered by that company's soon-to-be-national recall (more on that in a moment). The company then goes on to point out that neither Takata nor NHTSA has been able to analyze the Mustang's airbag inflator, saying that such a lack of examination meant there was "no way to ascertain what actually occurred during the incident, whether any inflator ruptured, and whether any inflator rupture that may have occurred was related to the incidents that led to the current regional campaigns." Takata alleges that NHTSA has disobeyed its own statutes. Takata also took the opportunity to take a few swipes at NHTSA's behavior during the airbag scandal, saying it was "very surprised to receive" a recall request letter because the ODI had yet to even receive the company's responses to a pair of special orders. It also alleged that NHTSA was disobeying its own statute, which says only manufacturers of vehicles and replacement equipment can "decide in good faith whether their products contain a safety related defect," and that the government can only "issue an initial decision that a safety-related defect exists" to those same entities.