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Listen, the Type R and the WRX STI don't look alike. Here's why.

So following the reveal of the new Honda Civic Type R, we've seen quite a few commenters issuing all kinds of accusations about the Type R looking like a WRX STI. And you know what? They're right. Both cars have four wheels, four-passenger doors, big wings, and scoops. In all seriousness, aside from a passing similarity because they're both flashy sport compacts, they really don't look alike. Let's start with the front and the profile. These areas are technically the most similar, since both cars feature high beltlines and have lower fascias defined by large inlets and a deep chin spoiler. And admittedly, the little kick-ups on the lower rear portion of the side windows are reminiscent of each other. But that's where the similarities end. Up front, the grille is by far the clearest indicator that the Honda is most certainly a Honda. The wide "blade" shape that spans the nose from light-to-light is unmistakably from the company that gave us VTEC. After all, just about every Honda today uses some form of that grille. The Subaru, on the other hand, has a traditional grille that is distinctly separated from the lights. It's not a bad thing, Subarus have had rather anonymous designs in the past, and we've still liked them. It's a Subaru thing. Moving to the scoops, we find more differences. For once, the Type R is more restrained, with a small, low-profile inlet far back on the hood. It will not be mistaken for the massive one on the STI, which looks like it could suck up low-flying fowl. View 58 Photos Along the side, the distinctions continue to pile up. The key here is in the fenders. While the STI has proud, pumped-up fenders compared with its distant Impreza cousin, they aren't nearly as pronounced as those on the Type R. The Honda's flares clearly show that they protrude from the standard hatchback's sheetmetal and closely follow the curve of the wheelarches. The STI's fenders proceed along the body's lines more closely and blend in more. Finally, we come to the rear, where no one should ever get these two vehicles confused. Yes, they both have enormous rear wings and diffusers, but that's it. For starters, one car is a hatchback, and the other is a traditional sedan. Not only that, but the Type R's hatch has a distinctive split rear window. I mean, based on the criteria people have used to compare the Type R with the STI, they should've actually been comparing the Honda to a Prius.

Honda expands Takata airbag recall to 5.4M units in the US

While Honda already announced plans to take its front driver's side Takata airbag inflator recall nationwide, the automaker has now officially reported on the number of affected vehicles and the specific models in need of repair. The expanded campaign covers an estimated 5.4 million units across the US, including those already being fixed under the previous regional actions. That number is an expansion of the five million units initially reported by NHTSA. The affected models under the nationwide recall are the 2001-2007 Accord with a four-cylinder engine, 2001-2002 Accord V6, 2001-2005 Civic, 2002-2006 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2007 Pilot, 2006 Ridegline, 2003-2006 Acura MDX, 2002-2003 TL and 2002 CL. For customers who expressed concern about their vehicle's safety, Honda had already been replacing the inflators nationwide. It's possible for the inflators in these vehicles to rupture when inflating the airbag, spraying metal fragments at occupants. This problem has been blamed for at least five deaths worldwide and at least 139 reported injuries. In its statement, Honda said that it worked with Takata to test the recalled inflators in the original high-humidity recall regions, and there were no abnormal deployments in these evaluations. Honda will begin notifying owners by "over time," according to its statement. Priority will be put on the geographic areas with the highest risk of ruptures. Those in the original recall region were contacted in September. Earlier in December, Honda partnered with Autoliv to supply the automaker with replacement inflators for this campaign. Autoliv predicted it would take six months for deliveries to start. Takata also increased its production of substitute components. Scroll down to read the company's announcement of this nationwide expansion. Statement by American Honda Regarding National Safety Improvement Campaign: Driver's Front Airbag Inflator Supplied by Takata Dec 8, 2014 - TORRANCE, Calif. Honda will voluntarily expand a regional Safety Improvement Campaign initiated in June 2014 (NHTSA No. 14V-351) into a national Safety Improvement Campaign affecting certain 2001 through 2011 Honda and Acura vehicles in the United States to replace the driver frontal airbag inflator, free of charge. Honda is expanding this Safety Improvement Campaign to address concerns raised by its customers whose vehicles were not included in the regional campaign.

Honda could halve its US lineup without crimping its sales much [w/video]

Taking a detailed look at the Honda lineup in the US, it isn't hard to see the strength of some models and the weaknesses of others. A recent report on Autoline Daily points out that its five core models - the Accord, Civic, CR-V, Odyssey and Pilot - make up a full 93 percent of Honda's sales in the US. Through April, Honda has sold 419,798 vehicles, and 389,474 of them were from these core models; not to mention the fact that the Accord was the top-selling car in the US last month.
This means that Honda could technically cut six of its 11 models and only lose about 5,000 sales per month. Of course, this is just some data crunching and there is no reason to believe that Honda is planning to kill off any of its models in the near future. In fact, it seems to be committed to the Ridgeline, while Japanese-made models that may actually lose money for Honda still fill unique voids. Scroll down for the video report - fast-forward to the 1:43 mark for the Honda info.