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Honda working with new supplier Autoliv for Takata inflator recall

Takata is fighting against US regulators over whether to expand its airbag inflator recall nationwide, but the affected automakers are continuing to broaden their own campaigns to get these vehicles fixed. Honda is the first company to take the bold move of partnering with another supplier for its replacement parts. It just announced plans to work with Autoliv to create components for models needing repaired in the US. "The agreement is made in order to meet the expanded supply of inflators needed by Honda and is subject to definitive documentation," Autoliv said in a statement. The company plans to add the extra capacity for these replacement parts at its existing factories, and deliveries are expected to begin in six months. The decision to switch suppliers was quite surprising because the choice was largely considered impractical previously. Automakers believed that changing manufacturers could take as long as a year or more to implement. However, Autoliv apparently found a way to accelerate that. According to Reuters, Honda said at a hearing in the House of Representatives on December 3 (pictured above) that it was in talks with Autoliv and another supplier called Daicel about building more inflators. The extra parts are sure to come in handy for Honda, as it is now officially expanding its driver side inflator recall nationwide. Although, that that option was already available to any concerned drivers who asked for the remedy. Even with added capacity, Takata had estimated it would take two years to manufacturer enough replacements to fix all of the affected vehicles from all of the automakers. Scroll down to read Autoliv's statement on its new role. Autoliv to supply replacement airbag inflators to be used by Honda (Stockholm, December 3, 2014) – – – Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE: ALV, and SSE: ALIV sdb), the worldwide leader in automotive safety, will supply replacement airbag inflators to be used by Honda Motor Company in support of the ongoing field action initiatives in the United States. The agreement is made in order to meet the expanded supply of inflators needed by Honda and is subject to definitive documentation. In order to be able to meet increased demand, Autoliv will build additional inflator capacity in its existing manufacturing facilities. Deliveries are estimated to commence after a period of about six months from today.

FIA levels F1 playing field for Honda

Formula One may place a high emphasis on technical innovation, but it also demands an equal playing field. So after the FIA regulations handed Mercedes a technical advantage for next season, a loophole was opened up to allow Ferrari and Renault to update their engines throughout the year. That left engine-supplier-to-be Honda in the dust, but now the motorsport governing body has awarded the Japanese automaker the same courtesy. As is often the case, the issue revolves around the specific wording of the regulations. Ferrari and Renault successfully argued that, contrary to its spirit, the letter of the law (or regulations, in any event) didn't actually specify when existing engine suppliers had to complete their revisions for the upcoming championship. The thing is that the rules were more clear when it came to new suppliers, so Honda was told that it would have to complete its design before the start of the season – unlike Ferrari, Renault and Mercedes, which would be allowed to continue development (albeit on a limited basis) throughout the year. Recognizing the inherent injustice of the resulting regulations, the FIA has consented to Honda's request that it be afforded the same opportunities as its rivals. The Japanese manufacturer, which returns to the paddock this season with McLaren, will therefore be allowed to make adjustments to its engines as its first season back on the grid progresses, just like the other engine suppliers. News Source: AutosportImage Credit: McLaren Motorsports Honda McLaren F1 fia regulations

Fernando Alonso denies giving McLaren a Honda-or-me ultimatum

MONZA, Italy — Fernando Alonso has denied telling McLaren to choose between him and Honda as the Spaniard considers his future with the Formula One team. The two-time world champion also dismissed media speculation that he retired from last weekend's Belgian Grand Prix without there being anything technically wrong with his car's power unit. Some reports this week suggested that Alonso had run out of patience after three years of unreliable and under-powered engines and had told McLaren he would leave if it stayed with Honda. "Absolutely not true," the Spaniard, who won his titles with Renault more than a decade ago, told reporters at the Italian Grand Prix on Thursday. "I have absolutely not decided. More than anything I'm not bigger than a team," added the 36-year-old, who has said he will decide his future in September. His current contract expires at the end of the season. McLaren has sounded out Renault and has also indicated it would support Honda moving to Red Bull-owned Toro Rosso. Honda said after Spa that it could find nothing wrong with Alonso's race engine, but the driver expressed surprise that anyone could suggest he had faked a failure. "It seems people forget that I'm racing here for three years, giving my maximum ... I tried to race with a broken rib in Bahrain," he said, explaining that sensors had started to fail and something had felt wrong. "We retired the car, and they checked the whole engine and it seems everything is fine ... so we will try to fit that engine tomorrow (in the second practice). If it blows up, we will change it," he said. Alonso expects to start Sunday's race at the back of the grid due to penalties for further engine changes. Regarding his future, he said he would start discussing with the team and Honda their expectations for next year and look at what was on the table. "I think we do have now some ingredients to be champions," he said. "I think the team did improve a lot in the last three years ... I think we have the talent in the team, we have the facilities. "We just miss (being) more competitive. We will see what the numbers are saying for next year and after that try to make a decision." Asked whether he thought Honda could be competitive in the short term, he replied: "I think you never know. It could be possible. Why not?" Reporting by Alan BaldwinRelated Video: