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Honda and Isuzu announce hydrogen partnership for heavy-duty trucks

TOKYO — Japan's Honda and Isuzu on Wednesday said they would jointly research the use of hydrogen fuel cells to power heavy-duty trucks, looking to expand fuel cell use by applying the zero-emission technology to larger vehicles. As part of a two-year deal, Isuzu will test Honda's fuel cell powertrain, which was designed for passenger cars, in Isuzu's commercial trucks, the companies said, which could pave the way for using the technology in a wider range of vehicles. Automakers are looking to develop more electric vehicles (EVs) to comply with tightening global emissions regulations. Many see battery-powered EVs as a solution for passenger cars in urban settings, but a growing number see hydrogen fuel cells as an effective way to power trucks, buses and other big vehicles. "Although we have done extensive R&D into passenger FCVs (fuel cell vehicles), we have not been able to study how best to apply the technology to commercial vehicles," a Honda spokesman told reporters at a briefing. "This partnership will allow us to do that." Fuel cell vehicles generate their own electricity using hydrogen stored in onboard tanks. This enables them to travel longer distances and refuel more quickly than battery EVs, while using less costly energy storage systems. "We think that FCV technology is well suited for heavier trucks which travel longer distances, and this partnership will enable us to examine this further," an Isuzu spokeswoman said, adding that the truck maker was also developing various lower-carbon powertrains including battery-electric technology for shorter-distance vehicles. With its Clarity Fuel Cell sedan, Honda is one of a handful of automakers which have developed and marketed fuel cell-powered passenger cars. Light- and medium-sized truck specialist Isuzu has for years has focused on diesel engine technology and has yet to market fully electric vehicles. But a price tag starting around $70,000 for the Clarity and scant hydrogen fueling infrastructure globally, Honda has seen limited take-up of that model and other FCVs since they began marketing them around 2015. In 2018 Honda sold just 654 Clarity FCVs, which are available only in Japan and the United States through leasing programs, compared with Honda's total annual global sales of 5.23 million cars.

2016 Honda Accord First Drive [w/video]

For the 2016 Accord, Honda abandoned its one-size-fits-most approach to the family sedan and midsize coupe. The goal was to improve on the proven formula while creating a little more differentiation between trim levels. The attention is certainly warranted, since the Accord makes up almost a quarter of Honda's sales in the US. The 2016 refresh brings the usual visual tweaks as well as some new safety and connectivity tech. The trim hierarchy carries over from earlier ninth-generation Accords. Sedans start at LX and progress through Sport, EX, EX-L, and Touring, while coupes are available in LX-S, EX, EX-L, and, for the first time, Touring. A 278-horsepower, 3.5-liter V6 is available on EX-L models and standard on Tourings, while the rest of the lineup uses a 2.4-liter four-cylinder making 185 hp, or 189 hp in Sport trim. Honda mostly left the engines alone, and they continue with the same transmission menu: six-speed manuals are available with both engines on certain trim levels, while most four-cylinders are mated to a continuously variable transmission and the V6 uses a six-speed auto. While they're no more powerful than before, Sport models get upgraded Active Sound Control programming that makes the engine a bit more vocal in the cockpit. The 2016 refresh brings the usual visual tweaks as well as some new safety and connectivity tech. The numbers that matter to most shoppers do get a boost, but only on some models. To improve efficiency, engineers managed friction reduction in the engines as well as the hub bearings. Sedans switch to an aluminum hood, which saves 18 pounds compared to the previous steel piece. The four-doors also got some aero massaging in the form of new closeout panels underneath, a chin spoiler, reshaped bumpers, and an air curtain slot ahead of the front wheels. Those changes don't amount to big needle movement in EPA testing, however; many ratings are unchanged, while the rest net a one-mpg improvement in either the EPA city or highway figure. The more noticeable fiddling concerns the styling. No drastic moves here either, and it's not as though the 2013–2015 models were looking dated, but next to the new car the previous version appears a little soft. The front fasciae, again distinct between sedan and coupe, have a more aggressive look for 2016, but one that's thankfully more restrained than what Toyota visited upon the latest Camry.

Happy 40th birthday, Honda Accord!

The Honda Accord exemplifies the idea that if you make something great, people will flock to it. This is a car that has always offered something for everyone – quality, fuel economy, value, comfort. But why we really love the Accord is because, as former Car and Driver Editor in Chief Csaba Csere says in the video above, "it always drove a little bit better than the competition." Today the Accord turns 40 years old. Over the past four decades Honda sold more than 12.7 million of them, making its iconic sedan the best-selling car in America during that time frame. Honda likes to point out that the Accord is still young at heart, as it's the most popular sedan with the under-35 crowd. View 29 Photos Like most people, the Accord has grown larger and heavier through the years. But the appeal remains strong. The current Accord is one of our favorite family sedans, and a target that the competition rarely hits. It's the car that's synonymous with Honda in America, and in fact the first car built here when the Japanese company started production in Ohio in 1982. Honda has taken a look back at the car with the video above, which chronicles the Accord's history. The video below is a nice (if cheesy) comparison of the original 1976 model and the 2016 Accord Hybrid. And below that there's a neat infographic that compares those two cars as well as what was going on in the world in 1976 versus now. So happy birthday, Accord. We hope we're still going as strong as you when we get to your age.