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Five signs Honda cares about enthusiasts, again

It's a great time to be an enthusiast. From high-horsepower Hellcats to the purist BRZ, engaging automobiles are found in nearly every segment of the market. Everyone wants to join the performance parade. Everyone it seemed, but Honda. The company that built some of Formula One's most successful engines, helped launch the tuner market and gave the world a seminal supercar, has watched competitors of all stripes surge by it for the hearts, minds and dollars of enthusiasts. Until now. Honda put the rest of the auto world on notice at the New York Auto Show, revealing a jaw-dropping Civic concept, confirming the Type R will come to the United States and even adding a hatchback to the 2016 Civic line. Throw in the Acura NSX and much-improved ILX for Honda's luxury sibling, and it's undeniable the company is regaining its swagger. Once again, Honda is serious about performance, and here's five reasons why enthusiasts should believe. The Honda Civic Concept Looks Great We're psyched about the Civic concept, which was a surprise reveal earlier this month at the New York Auto Show. Clad in bright neon green, the concept edged out the Lincoln Continental for first place in our Editors' Choice awards at the show. As Editor-in-Chief Sharon Carty put it, "The color hurts so good." Yes, the green is blinding, but you don't have to squint to see the 10th generation of the Civic. Honda's concepts are the real deal, and this is the car (mostly) that will launch this fall. It's attractive, with a long hood, curvaceous sides and a simple but sporty grille. The powertrain lineup will include a 1.5-liter VTEC turbo four-cylinder paired with a six-speed manual, which should be a treat for enthusiasts. With its fresh looks and intriguing mechanicals, the concept previews an everyday driver you can get excited about. Obviously, we are. The Hatchback Returns Yep, the Civic is getting a five-door hatch in the United States. It's been a while. Honda last offered a Civic hatch for a brief time in the mid-2000s, and only as the lower-volume Si model. The new hatch will be produced at Honda's factory in the United Kingdom and imported to the United States. That's a win-win for Honda: it's using excess capacity in the UK to satiate a niche market for US buyers. The annual hatch production is reportedly expected to be 30,000 to 40,000 units, which is a drop in the bucket for the Civic lineup and its massive though declining sales.

2016 Acura NSX aimed at Ferrari 458 for the price of Audi R8

Acura has done a good job of keeping the next-generation NSX under the wraps for the past few months, especially after a fiery little incident during testing at the Nürburgring earlier this year. But UK's What Car? recently got a chance to speak with development boss Ted Klaus, and he unleashed a few new details about the much-anticipated supercar to make it even harder for us to wait.
Among the info was a strong estimate of the NSX's performance potential. "We have to achieve the type of acceleration that the customer is achieving with the Ferrari," said Klaus to What Car?. "More importantly we have to achieve this every day and also at the Nürburgring." Assuming Acura's supercar is as actually quick as a 458 Italia, then it could hit 60 miles per hour in around 3.5 seconds.
Klaus also claims that the wickedly fast performance could come at a relative bargain for the class. The price is reportedly being benchmarked against the Audi R8, which would put the NSX around $130,000 in the US. While hardly cheap, it would still be a healthy discount off a 458.

Honda making hydrogen from solar power in UK

Honda is going to launch a hydrogen-powered production vehicle (its second, really) next year, but the all-important H2 infrastructure question hasn't been fully answered yet. One possible solution is being tested over in the United Kingdom, where Honda is turning solar energy and water into hydrogen at its Swindon plant. SHD Logistics says the plant is the UK's "first commercial-scale hydrogen production and refuelling facility powered by solar energy." Despite the presence of an FCX Clarity in some pictures from the ribbon cutting, it's unclear if the station will be able to fuel any passenger cars. SHD Logistics talks about sending the hydrogen from where it is generated on the Honda plant grounds into the plant using 300-meter underground pipes so that hydrogen forklifts can refuel as needed. Two hydrogen fuel cell trucks used by Briggs Equipment UK, Honda's partner in the station, will also refuel at the plant. Honda said earlier this year that it, along with partner GM, would work to reduce the costs of a hydrogen refueling infrastructure. Solar-powered hydrolysis – which is what the Swindon facility uses – doesn't sound cheap to us, but at least it reduces the overall environmental costs, compared to using electricity generated from fossil fuels.