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Honda to lead Rose Parade with hybrid tech

What are you doing New Year's Day? We're probably going to watch Urban Meyer's retirement bash the Rose Bowl, but we love a nice parade, too. To kick the day off, Honda will be leading the 130th Rose Parade with its own float, an Insight hybrid and an Acura RDX crossover. Not only will Honda be celebrating the new year, it'll also celebrate its 60th anniversary in the U.S. As such, the main float will be shaped like a 25-foot-tall birthday cake. And 60 band members from the historically black colleges and universities' marching bands — which recently took part in a battle of the bands sponsored by Honda — will represent the candles on the cake. It'll also be decorated to re-create the look of the automaker's first storefront in Los Angeles. The float will be called "Celebration of Dreams," a fitting title for a company whose founder Soichiro Honda famously said, "The day I stop dreaming is the day I die." (The first thing you see when entering the amazing Honda Collection Hall at Twin Ring Motegi is a large, circular glass sculpture with the word "Dream" and Soichiro Honda's signature). For the parade, the Honda Insight will serve as the official pace car, while the Acura RDX will play the role of sound car. The float itself will be propelled by a modified Honda hybrid powertrain. The main float will be flanked by five "satellite" floats, each representing facets of the company. These will include a Honda Super Cub motorbike; a floral representation of a 1975 Civic CVCC; a float with crash test dummies and an arch with five stars to represent safety; a Honda Accord, which is built in the U.S.; and a float incorporating elements from the HondaJet to represent the future. The Rose Parade broadcast begins bright and early at 8 a.m. Pacific on Jan. 1. Check out the rendering at the top of the page to get a sense of what to expect. Related Video:

Alonso and Button try out Honda's Uni-Cub mobility scooter

As two of the best racing drivers in the world, Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button have some pretty serious wheels at their disposal. They'll both be driving the latest McLaren-Honda MP4-30 on the track this year, will likely have access to supercars like the new Acura NSX or McLaren 650S for toying around with when they're not working, and probably each have an enviable motor pool of their own at home. This, then, must have been quite a change of pace for them both. As you can see from this video tweeted by McLaren, the two highly accomplished F1 drivers hopped on a very different set of wheels recently: namely, Honda's Uni-Cub "personal mobility device." The experimental electric motorized bar stool is controlled by shifting your weight to and fro (like a Segway), but stands just two feet tall and tops out at less than four miles per hour. At that rate, it would take them almost an hour to take one lap around the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, TX, where the 2015 United States Grand Prix will be held in October. In that same time span, for perspective's sake, they'd be lapped more than 30 times by their rivals... so they'd better stick to the racing machinery once the championship gets under way. What happened when @alo_oficial and @JensonButton got hold of a UNI-CUBAcA?A¦ https://t.co/YP8r9z1OsG - McLaren (@McLarenF1) February 10, 2015

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.