What happens when a long retired Formula 1 driver goes for a nice afternoon drive with his wife? If you are Ricardo Patrese, you might just happen to take her for a tour of the track at Jerez. Of course, when you put a man of such considerable talent behind the wheel of a Honda Civic Type R, the drive may be a bit brisk. Ricardo’s wife is a woman of considerable talents herself but it seems she has never considered what her husband used to do for a living. While I don’t understand Italian, I’m pretty sure there was something along the lines of an F-bomb in there and the hand gestures pretty much tell the tale. I get the feeling that Mr Patrese has a mean streak or a score to settle!
One of the most titanic battles since Godzilla vs. Mothra is about to unfold in Japan. Honda might have been on top in sending the Insight, the first gas-electric hybrid to the U.S. back in 1999, but the Prius evolved into the undisputed King of Green.Honda, still doing the slow burn from being left at the starting gate, has decided to do battle and try to make a monster move against Toyota.
Company president Takeo Fukai says Honda is investing heavily in hybrids and insists the battle “has just begun.” The technology’s first phase was all about cultivating a green image, Fukui says. The next phase will emphasize making the vehicles more affordable and fuel efficient, he says, and Honda has two cars in the pipeline that he promises will challenge Toyota’s clean and green supremacy. Continue reading →
Despite Car and Driver magazine including the Honda Pilot in its annual selection of “5 Best Trucks” for six consecutive years, the SUV has fallen on hard times. Last year, Pilot sales rose 6.1 percent to 152,154 vehicles sold, but took a nosedive, down 22.2 percent so far this year as the vehicle nears the end of its model life.
Honda announced, certainly in the nick of time, that it will reveal a prototype of the next-generation Honda Pilot full-size sport-utility vehicle at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit next month
Honda stated that the new Pilot, which goes on sale next year, will feature bolder styling emphasizing its SUV attributes as well as new fuel-efficiency technologies.
They say capital punishment is on hold in California. Lethal injection is being called cruel and unusual punishment. I guess the court overlooked the one loophole in the law that allowed a 1995 Honda Civic hatchback to be executed in Long Beach last month.
California authorities destroyed a 1995 Honda Civic that belonged to 18-year-old Clifford Sung, a few weeks after he was arrested in Long Beach for having a vehicle with an illegal engine. This is the first time in Long Beach’s history that an illegally modified car has been crushed. Continue reading →
A curious issue seems to be developing within the cross border car shopping process. More and more 2007 & 2008 model cars are showing up on the RIV’s list of cars that are not admissible to Canada from the States.
The Registrar of Imported Vehicles lists all the vehicles that are eligible to be imported into Canada. For the smart cross border shopper, it is the first place you should visit before heading south of the border to pick up a new car. The funny thing is that the list is showing a growing number of 2007/8 vehicles apparently do not meet a new law mandating immobilizer systems on new cars. That law came into play in early September, and now certain manufacturers seem to be using that as a definitive road block to cross border traffic. Continue reading →
Automotive manufacturers and energy companies continue to tout hydrogen as a zero polluting fuel of the future. But just how far away is that future?
The United States has hopes to fill American roads with hydrogen-powered cars in two decades, but the clean fuel must be cheap and practical to make before it can replace oil.
Many energy gurus are now saying that twenty years might be too ambitious a goal. In order to start producing hydrogen like gasoline, and to organize the infrastructure needed to build and supply the number of fueling stations needed, we are most probably looking at closer to one hundred years to have hydrogen make a significant impact. Continue reading →
The American International Auto Dealers Association has reported on findings by AutoPacific that studied which cars are more masculine or feminine by nature.
If you end up on the opposite end of the gender scale from your God given attributes, it might be time you traded in your current drive before neighbors start talking.
King of macho appears to be the testosterone laden Chevy Silverado heavy duty pick-up. Statistics show that 93% of truck buyers are men. The clincher for the Silverado lies in the stat the 9 out of 10 heavy duty pick-ups on the road are owned by manly men. And those dudes love the Silverado.
Have you noticed that since “greening” your automobile has become the in thing for many Gore types the real greening is starting to take place in the pockets of automakers? I support a cleaner environment and more fuel efficient vehicles, but in order for me to smell the flowers in the future automakers are smelling cash.
Nothing wrong with that of course. Everyone deserves to make a buck, especially our beloved Detroit 3, but certain indications are showing that green friendly is no longer cash friendly. Continue reading →
More and more consumers are realizing that they want to drive something with a bit more pizazz than a minivan these days. While we might all want to drive a sports car, for most of us reality dictates that we need something with a bit more utility. These opposing needs are what has fueled the growing CUV market. Smaller than a full size SUV, less seating than a minivan, this niche offers good looking, sporty vehicles that can haul some gear. The newest player is the attractive 2007 Ford Edge which combines a sporty look and feel with a healthy dose of utility. In fact, the Edge offers more utility than the FX-35 that we spent time with earlier this year. Continue reading →
Press day at the Canadian International Autoshow opened yesterday with the announcement of the winners of the AJAC Canadian Car of the Year awards. Beating out the Honda Fit and Mazdaspeed 3 for top honours was the 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid.
You can read the full AJAC press release after the break Continue reading →
