2008 Honda Civic Hybrid Sedan 4-door 1.3l on 2040-cars

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Honda says Accord is America's best-selling car among actual consumers

The latest round of new vehicle registration data has been good for Honda - three of the Japanese brand's models are retail sales leaders and the Accord was the most registered car built in America in 2013, according to the data compiled by Polk. In fact, 360,089 units of the family sedan were purchased by individual consumers last year, an increase of 12.2 percent.
There was also good news from the Civic and CR-V camps, as those two models topped their respective segments in terms of retail (non-fleet) sales, with each notching over 300,000 registrations. Combined with the Accord, this trio of Hondas accounted for a whopping 1.11 million retail sales last year.
Honda spokesperson Sage Marie reflected on Polk's findings, telling Autoblog:

Asian automakers still reluctant to use more aluminum

There's a logical progression of technology in the auto industry. We've seen it with things like carbon-ceramic brakes, which use to be the sole domain of six-figure sports cars, where they often cost as much as an entry level Toyota Corolla. Now, you can get them on a BMW M3 (they're still pricey, at $8,150). Who knows, maybe in the next four a five years, they'll be available on something like a muscle car or hot hatchback. Aluminum has had a similar progression, although it's further along, moving from the realm of Audi and Jaguar luxury sedans to Ford's most important product, the F-150. With the stuff set to arrive in such a big way on the market, we should logically expect an all-aluminum Toyota Camry or Honda Accord soon, right? Um, wrong. Reuters has a great report on what's keeping Asian manufacturers away from aluminum, and it demonstrates yet another stark philosophical difference between automakers in the east and those in the west. Of course, there's a pricing argument at play. But it's more than just the cost of aluminum sheet (shown above) versus steel. Manufacturing an aluminum car requires extensive retooling of existing factories, not to mention new relationships with suppliers and other logistical and financial nightmares. Factor that in with what Reuters calls Asian automaker's preference towards "evolutionary upgrades," and the case for an all-aluminum Accord is a difficult one. Instead, manufacturers in the east are focusing on developing even stronger steel as a means of trimming fat, although analysts question how long that practice can continue. Jeff Wang, the automotive sales director for aluminum supplier Novelis, predicts that we'll see a bump in aluminum usage from Japanese and Korean brands in the next two to three years, and that it will be driven by an influx of aluminum-based vehicles from western automakers into China. Only time will tell if he's proven right. News Source: ReutersImage Credit: Sean Gallup / Getty Images Plants/Manufacturing Honda Hyundai Mazda Nissan Toyota Technology aluminum

Honda Civic Tourer Concept shows the shape of European things to come [w/video]

Honda will be expanding its European Civic range this year, and our first glimpse at the shape of things to come arrives in the form of this Tourer Concept at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show. According to Honda, this swoopy concept provides a look at the upcoming Civic Tourer production model, which is set to be revealed in Frankfurt this September.
The Tourer Concept very obviously builds on the design groundwork set by the latest Civic hatchback when it first debuted in 2011. That means there are sharp, angular elements found up front and a sloping roofline that rakes down at the rear. Combine that with the large, concept-spec wheels and the funky front lighting elements, and what we have here is a really attractive little wagon - something that will no doubt battle the new Toyota Auris Touring Sports and Volkswagen Golf Variant that are also making their debut here in Switzerland.
It goes without saying, but don't expect to see this Euro Civic show up in the United States anytime soon. After all, we have the "there, I fixed it" 2013 sedan and coupe to keep us happy. Scroll down for all of the wagony details, including a video.