We knew there was a reason we were so attracted to the pretty Pininfarina-designed Alfa-Romeo roadster concept revealed at this month's Geneva Auto Show. And we knew it certainly had nothing whatsoever to do with the Alfa's name, the 2uettottanta.
Possibly, it had something to do with the stunning women who are invariably hired by Italian design houses to stand disinterested next to a concept car. We also can reveal that there lurks among us a shameless Pininfarina lackey.
But there's something about the tapered nose of that Alfa...something in the sharp-edged fender tops.... Now we know. It reminds us of the 15-year-old Honda SSM concept vehicle that became the S2000. The SSM was designed by -- wait for it -- Pininfarina.
Are we crazy or has Pininfarina gone into the recycling business?
Prominent Honda tuner Mugen released official photos and details on its accessory line for the Japanese-spec 2011 Honda CR-Z this week. You'll remember that a Mugen CR-Z brochure leaked out in late 2009.
Of course, the information is all in Japanese and the prices are all in yen, but it's a pretty straightforward line of kit that Mugen will begin selling in Japan in April.
Cosmetic enhancements range from aero pieces to a spherical brushed metal shifter cap.
Functional upgrades look to be pretty mild. You can replace the stock exhaust and airbox, fit a different set of springs (that lower the car about 20mm) and 5-way adjustable dampers, and swap on slotted brake rotors, upgraded pads and stainless steel lines. Of course, there are several wheel options, too -- all 17 by 7 inches.
We'll give you a hint: It's not one of those small, fuel efficient cars that were all the rage six months ago. In fact, only three of the top ten vehicles are considered small cars.
Give up? Don't care? Either way, you should click to the next page to find out what's on top as it's sure to be the topic of more than a few misinformed office conversations in the months ahead.
Well now, this must be embarrassing for Honda. Surely, this little dollop of a concept car, called the 3R-C, was intended to be unveiled at the Tokyo Auto Show and not the Geneva Auto Show, right?
Only at Tokyo's Makuhari Messe would anyone take a single-seat three-wheeled electric transportation pod seriously. How do we know? Well, because we've seen Toyota unveil a curiously similar concept there, at least twice. Oh, and Suzuki unveiled its take on the same exact thing, also at Tokyo. But wait, GM unveiled its electric personal mobility device, the Project P.U.M.A., at the New York Auto Show. Okay, so we stand corrected.
Honda notes that its urban-transport-vehicle-for-people-who-apparently-hate-to-walk has a lockable trunk.
Like you, we're a little skeptical of the Honda CR-Z's ability to uphold the reputation of the CRX that came before it. After all, the CR-Z has a mere 122 horsepower and its hybrid drivetrain probably doesn't help much in the weight department.
Word is the folks at Honda are thinking the same thing, so they've commissioned a serious look into developing a more powerful CR-Z Type R. Don't expect big-time horsepower, though, as the Type R version will retain the hybrid layout and 1.5-liter gas engine.
One scenario suggests a modified version of the 1.5-liter engine that adds another 20 horses or so. The electric side would get a boost, too, with a larger motor that could push the car's total horsepower closer to the 160-170 range.
You may remember the 2011 Mazda 2 shown at the 2009 L.A. Auto Show. It was small, interesting looking and very, very green, at least on the outside. At the time, the interior details weren't quite finished, so there were no cabin photos allowed.
Well, Mazda got around to finishing up the interior design work in its new micro-back and decided to show it off at the Toronto auto show. So what do you think? Better or worse than a Honda Fit?
Are you a Minivan Hesitator? Well, Honda knows you're out there and it's got its sights on you. Also, is Hesitator a word?
Are you the type of person who really wants and needs a minivan but can't bring yourself to be seen in something so prosaic as a minivan? Well, first off, grow up. But Honda loves you, you shallow refuse-to-acknowledge-your-age goof. The company thinks a lower, wider, less-boxy minivan is going to help you get over your insecurities. Hence the Honda Odyssey Concept, which the company believes looks cooler than your average minivan.
That's between you and the man in the mirror. What is more likely to convince a potential Odyssey buyer is that the 2011 production Odyssey (which will look essentially like this "concept") will have a more spacious interior without adding length to the vehicle. One might also be swayed by the fact that the 2011 model will be able to accommodate three child-safety seats in the third row, compared to only two in the current Odyssey. That, at least one version of the production model should return 19 mpg in the city and 28 on the highway, according to Honda's estimates, is also attractive. All Odysseys will be powered by the same size V6, so the trim line that achieves that figure might have more gears in the transmission or be powered by fairy dust. Probably one or the other.
Quite an interesting January as the domestics gained while there were mixed results for imports. You might have heard about that Toyota recall thing? Yeah, that news dinged Toyota's sales a good 16%, could be even worse in February if the situation doesn't improve.
On the flip side, both Ford and GM improved their year-over-year sales in January. Credit some of those gains to incentives designed to get the attention of wary Toyota consumers. Nissan and Hyundai also picked up some nice gains in January. For a full run down on all the stats, check out the full report on AutoObserver.
Think Honda was feeling jealous that Toyota was hogging all the bad publicity? Not likely, but it decided to announce a small recall of its own.
Turns out there's a small problem with the window motors on what we know as the Honda Fit in the U.S. Under harsh weather conditions, water can seep into the window compartment and cause damage to the main wiper switch. The switch then becomes susceptible to fire from overheating.
Honda said the move covers Fit/Jazz cars made between 2002 and 2008 in Japan, China, Brazil, Thailand, Malaysia and India. About 646,000 Fits fall into this category.
You into minivans? Probably not, but there are still those who need them, sometimes even want them as their ability to haul the family is unsurpassed by any other vehicle on the road.
For some time now, the Honda Odyseey has been the van of choice. It's huge, yet drives much smaller. There's more than enough passenger/cargo room and all the right features are there too.
At the 2010 Chicago Auto Show, a concept version of the 2011 Honda Odyssey will be shown for the first time. And knowing Honda, it will be about one shade of paint and a couple overly shiny taillights away from the production version.
The production version of the 2011 Honda CR-Z was just introduced at the 2010 Detroit Auto show, but a magazine in Japan has already taken a test drive on a closed course. Here's a translated version of their thoughts on the car.
"The production version of the car looks sharp sitting on the track thanks to well balanced proportions. The character line that runs down the side of the car looks more pronounced on the silver paint than it does on a red or blue color. The tires and wheels are noticeably less spectacular then the ones from the show car as the wheels are only 16-inches in diameter with 195/55R16 tires. That said, the wheels look of high quality and don't make the car look cheap.
Now we climb into the cabin. The tachometer sits at the center of the instrument cluster with a digital speedometer readout located immediately beneath it. The entire dashboard layout has a distinct sporty look and feel to it, leaving no doubt in the driver's mind that he's sitting in a performance-oriented car. Despite the car being labeled a 4-seater, the rear seats are quite cramped and look just large enough to fit two children.
The shift knob of the 6-speed manual transmission slides into each gear with a resounding click. We throw the lever into 1st gear and launch. The car leaves the line spritely, but accelerates in a milder way than anticipated. You can feel the presence of the electric motor, but it's quite subtle almost transparent. Continued after the jump.
We hope we don't have to file this one under "Engineers Writing Checks the Production Car Can't Cash." In this subtitled video, Honda engineers in Japan talk about the development of the 2011 Honda CR-Z, noting that they benchmarked its handling off the Mini Cooper and Volkswagen Scirocco.
Sounds great, but remember that the 122-hp Honda CR-Z is saddled with a bunch of nickel-metal hydride batteries and a torsion-beam rear suspension.
The engineers also let it slip that they had a Lotus Elise on hand "for inspiration."
