2021 Honda Pilot Special Edition on 2040-cars

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The time our long-term Honda HR-V didn't get into an accident

I was driving our long-term 2016 Honda HR-V to its final day at the Autoblog office when a Kia Sephia in front of me hit the curb and spun into traffic. The driver overcorrected and the car jumped back over the curb. I could practically feel the impact I was facing down as I stomped on the brakes. The HR-V stopped seconds ahead of what would have been a two-car accident. It was another non-event in its year with us. Luckily, the lady in the Kia was all right, though her Sephia might not ride again. I was fine too, obviously. The incident renewed my enthusiasm for the little crossover. Yes, there are more impressively equipped vehicles in the compact-CUV segment, some of which will apply the brakes for you when they sense an impending collision, but the Honda HR-V is great for what it is – a sturdy, efficient, and versatile car with good fuel economy and a low sticker price. Car enthusiasts are vocal about CUV burnout, as one after another hits the market, but honestly, these vehicles aren't for the gearheads. They're for people who think of their vehicles as tools that enhance their daily lives. The HR-V is a fine and dandy tool, one that those pesky, anti-car millennials will find attractive as they start to buy houses and start families while grappling with paying down student loan debt. There's a reason the HR-V beats the related Honda Fit in sales month after month, and we saw it first hand. The HR-V was the workhorse of the Autoblog office. This unassuming CUV has been through a lot over the past year. I used it when I moved three times in six months. I was surprised to find that a CUV based on the tiny Fit could pack away so much stuff. When I finally escaped the cycle of crummy, law-flouting landlords, the HR-V was the vehicle that hauled the first load of stuff to my very first house. Of course, the CVT is nothing to write home about but the overall driving dynamics aren't actually bad. And, as I learned that last morning with the HR-V, it has no problem going from 45 mph to a dead stop when you need it to. Related Video:

Honda China struggling with high-end Accord because Chinese covet German cars, too

It's not particularly unusual to see cheap cars in China, or those with designs stolen from foreign competitors, but increasingly the best-selling vehicles there would be very recognizable to just about any auto enthusiast. There appears to be one fact of life whether looking at car buyers in Sacramento, Stuttgart or Shanghai: People who can afford to buy premium cars often look first at the Germans.
Honda recently thought that it could challenge this perceived wisdom by including a premium Accord in the ninth-generation sedan's Chinese launch last year. The market-exclusive version was priced against the Audi A4. The venture failed, miserably.
According to Automotive News China, sales for the new Accord in China are down 37 percent through May of this year. Honda's overall sales are actually up by about 11 percent there on the strength of smaller, less profitable models. However, the company is still off its forecast 19-percent rise.

2023 Japan Mobility Show Mega Photo Gallery: All the highlights and reveals from Tokyo

The 2023 Japan Mobility Show managed to serve up a surprise heap of exciting and futuristic designs and production reveals. Our staff was on the ground in Tokyo for this year's show, where we captured not just all of the latest automotive trends, but some genuinely weird and fascinating stuff.  Browse: Some Delightful Oddities of the 2023 Japan Mobility Show But on to the cars. This year's show featured introductions from Daihatsu, Honda, Lexus, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru, Suzuki and Toyota. Some are weird; some are wild; most are probably destined to change significantly before production or merely fade into the void with the rest of the industry's vaporware, but if even a few of these make it to showrooms, we'll consider it a win. Scroll on down for our live galleries of each of the show's major debuts (and cars we're only now seeing in person for the first time). Enjoy!   BMW X2 and iX2 BMW X2 View 6 Photos   Daihatsu me:MO Concept Daihatsu me:MO concept View 14 Photos   Daihatsu Vision Copen Concept Daihatsu Vision Copen View 7 Photos   Daihatsu Osanpo Concept Daihatsu Osanpo View 6 Photos   Daihatsu Uniform Concept Daihatsu Uniform concept View 6 Photos   Honda Prelude Concept Honda Prelude concept View 5 Photos   Honda Sustania-C and Pocket Concepts Honda Sustania-C and Pocket Concept View 8 Photos   Honda CI-MEV Concept Honda CI-MEV View 3 Photos   Infiniti Vision Qe Concept Infiniti Qe concept View 14 Photos   Lexus LF-ZC Lexus LF-ZC View 8 Photos   Lexus LF-ZL Lexus LF-ZL View 10 Photos   Mazda Iconic SP Mazda Iconic SP concept View 8 Photos   Mitsubishi D:X Concept Mitsubishi D:X Concept View 8 Photos   Nissan Hyper Force Concept Nissan Hyper Force concept View 11 Photos   Nissan Hyper Tourer Concept Nissan Hyper Tourer concept View 6 Photos   Nissan Hyper Punk Concept IMG_6533 copy View 8 Photos   Subaru Sport Mobility Concept Subaru Sport Mobility Concept View 7 Photos   Suzuki Swift Suzuki Swift View 5 Photos   Suzuki eWX Suzuki eWX Concept View 3 Photos   Suzuki eVX Suzuki eVX concept View 4 Photos   Toyota Land Cruiser Se Concept Toyota Land Cruiser Se concept View 4 Photos   Toyota FT-3e Concept Toyota FT-3e View 6 Photos   Toyota FT-Se Concept Toyota FT-Se View 7 Photos     Tokyo Motor Show Honda Infiniti Lexus Mazda Mitsubishi Nissan Subaru Suzuki Toyota