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Refreshed 2014 Honda Civic Coupe to bow at SEMA

Honda has announced plans to bring a refreshed, 2014 Honda Civic Coupe to the 2013 SEMA Show, set to kick off on November 5. Honda's struggles with the ninth-generation Civic have been widely publicized, and while the 2013 model year sedan has seen a significant overhaul, the two-door is now getting some additional enhancements for 2014.
Honda has released one teaser image of the Civic Si Coupe to go along with the announcement, but we can discern a few things. The Si Coupe now features a larger rear spoiler, along with a restyled, more aggressive rear bumper, complete with a diffuser. The taillights look smoked, and the wheels look larger than the current Si's alloys.
Besides those details, it looks like we'll be waiting until November 5 to see just what Honda has in store for the Civic. Take a look below for the full press release from Honda.

Honda HR-V Prototype looks awfully familiar

Is there anything quite so exciting as seeing a brand-new vehicle for the very first time? Part of the allure of auto shows is the chance to see new ideas, just before they're fully baked and ready for public consumption. "Prototypes" you might say, of production models that are just around the corner. Or, in the case of the Honda HR-V, already down the block a ways.
Here in Paris, Honda has unveiled its HR-V Prototype, a nearly production-ready version of a "new SUV for Europe." Before we take umbrage with that SUV designation - as far as we can tell the Fit-based crossover isn't much of a mudder - we should address the fact that at this year's New York Auto Show in April, Honda handed over just a few images and specs of the actually production-read HR-V for the US. Presumably this is a "prototype" for Europe, where the NYC car is US-specific, but we're still scratching our heads a bit.
No matter! Here in France, Honda tells us that the utile little hatch will be available powered by both a 1.5-liter gasoline engine (the one American customers will see), and a 1.6-liter diesel unit, both wearing the company's Earth Dreams Technology label and presumably running cleaner and more frugally than ever. In Europe, a standard six-speed manual will come with both mills, while the 1.5-liter will offer the option of a continuously variable transmission.

2016 Honda Pilot to pack 280 hp, new Intelligent Traction Management system

Honda has released a spate of details on the all-new, third-generation Pilot, building on the information that was distributed way back at the car's 2015 Chicago Auto Show debut. Included in this latest release are power figures for the 3.5-liter Earth Dreams V6, a breakdown of trim levels and details on the new Intelligent Traction Management system. Let's start with that V6, which makes the Pilot the latest vehicle to be fitted with Honda's Earth Dreams technology. Regardless of whether it's mated to the standard six-speed automatic or the optional nine-speed gearbox, the 3.5-liter mill produces 280 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. That's 30 more hp and 7 more lb-ft than the current model. While Honda isn't quite ready to release fuel economy figures, we have high hopes for the V6/9AT combo. The other big announcement coming today regards Honda's new Intelligent Traction Management system. The technology functions a lot like Land Rover's Terrain Response, Jeep's Selec-Terrain and Ford's Terrain Management System, providing owners with a number of condition-specific presets for the throttle response, shift mapping and stability control to maximize performance on the selected terrain. What makes the Honda system different, though, is that it's not limited to all-wheel-drive models. That said, the front-drive model is neutered to a degree, with its ITM only offering a Snow mode, compared to the all-wheel-drive Pilot's Mud, Sand and Snow settings. Still, considering the big Honda's role as a family hauler, a dedicated setting for driving in the snow will likely be welcomed by family types, especially in northern climates. Speaking of that AWD model, it uses a new system, called i-VTM4 (short for Intelligent Variable Torque Management for all Four Wheels). If you dig past the marketing speak, though, you'll find this system has a lot in common with the Acura Super Handling All-Wheel Drive system, in that it transfers torque not only between the front and rear axles, but laterally between the rear wheels. We reached out to Honda to see what, if any, differences there are to the system, but they didn't get back to by press time. Check out the official press release from Honda, available below.