Honda Goes Into High Speed Mode with New Supercharged CR-Z Concept

From day one, we all knew what was missing from the Honda CR-Z – feel free to say it out loud with us: Power, Power and Power. With the exception of some limited-run production models prepared by Honda's in-house tuner Mugen for Japan and Britain, the automaker has not addressed this problem.
At the 2012 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Honda is displaying yet another concept model for a faster and more focused version of the CR-Z, which it describes as, "a further exploration of the performance potential of the CR-Z Sport Hybrid", but does not say if it has any plans for production.
Read more »

2013 Honda Accord Coupe and Sedan Take the Stage at the SEMA Show

Honda says it is "reaching out to the enthusiast community" with two new concepts of the 2013 Accord that were built by independent vehicle tuners and which are on display at this week's SEMA Show in Las Vegas.
The most impressive of the two models is the 2013 Accord Coupe "Grand Touring" developed by Bisimoto Engineering, which upgraded the stock car's 3.5-liter V6 with a supercharger system and a boatload of other goods to lift output to 401-horses.
Read more »

First Photos of Mugen's New Honda CR-V Design Study

Among the many new customized vehicles being prepared by Honda for a world premiere at the Tokyo Auto Salon in mid-January, is the Mugen CR-V Design Study, which was announced, but not included, in the automaker's teaser photo gallery that we shared with you earlier today.

To satisfy our curiosity, we snooped around and found two photos of the Mugen-fettled concept that will most likely lead to a production model sometime next year.

Read more »

Honda Gets Super Busy for 2013 Tokyo Auto Salon with a Barrage of Concepts and Tuned Models

Honda will be unleashing a host of new production and prototype vehicles and motorcycles at Japan's largest aftermarket event, the Tokyo Auto Salon 2013 that runs from January 11 to Sunday, January 13, 2013.

The first car that caught our attention is the S2000 Modulo Climax study of Honda's roadster model that ceased production in 2009.

It's featured in a Candy Red paint and sports a newly designed front end with a chrome brace-like strip, a new rear bumper and a series of other customizations both inside and out.

As one of its newest model series, the "N" family of mini cars that includes the tall, van-like N BOX and N BOX + models and the retro-inspired N ONE hatch, will be under the spotlight, with Honda to display the cars dressed in both production and concept parts from the likes of its in-house tuners, Modulo and Mugen.

Read more »

Honda Teases New Urban SUV Concept Ahead of Detroit Auto Show Debut

A single teaser image along with a very short statement is all we get about Honda's new Urban SUV Concept study that will receive its world premiere in January at the 2013 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit.

Here's what the Japanese automaker told us in the press blurb:

"The Urban SUV Concept, teased in a sketch released today, is a global concept model combining a sporty and dynamic SUV profile with a spacious, functional interior."

Read more »

Automakers Envision Highway Patrol Vehicles of 2025 for LA Show Design Challenge

Have you pondered what the world will be like in, let’s say, 2025? Predicting the future is nigh impossible but one thing’s for sure: law enforcement agencies are still going to be around in one form or another.

If things turn sour, by 2025 we might very well have a Judge Dredd-like scenario with a police state trying to maintain the law in urban jungles. If, on the other hand, all those wishes for world peace eventually come true, police officers will have a much more relaxing job.

Read more »

Honda's Micro Commuter EV Edges Closer Towards Production

Carmakers from Europe and Japan seem to be pushing for the development of diminutive city cars powered by batteries for one or two adult passengers. Renault essentially ignited the trend with the launch of its quirky looking Twizy, which in all fairness, is more quadricycle than car.

Honda wants some piece of the action with the introduction of the new Micro Commuter Prototype that is loosely based on last year's concept of the same name displayed at the Tokyo Motor Show.

Read more »

This is NOT the Production Version of the 2015 Acura NSX, this is the Concept…

Earlier today, a set of monochromatic renderings of the Acura / Honda NSX were posted on China's Sohu website and were quickly picked up by other sites such as Carnewschina and Jalopnik, with all claiming more or less that these pictures are of the 2015 production model and that they were leaked "from China’s patent office".

Well, we can assure you that this is not the case - period. To begin with, the pictures were originally released on the European patent agency on February 22, 2012, a little over a month after the concept was displayed at the 2012 North American International Auto Show.

Read more »

Honda Sports Ute Concept by Daniel Pearson is so Wrong that it Could be Right

In most places around the world, the words "sports" and "utility vehicle" don't make much sense together.

However, there are some exceptions, notably Australia, which through Ford's local division gave birth to the coupe utility category in the early 1930s and continues to be represented to this day by the Ford and Holden Utes, and of course, North America, with its most famous model being the Chevrolet El Camino.

To put it simple, a Coupe Utility vehicle is a passenger car model with two doors and an open cargo bed, the purpose being to bond (...or compromise) two different worlds into one automobile.

A Coupe Utility is what Daniel Pearson, a third year design student from the UK, had in mind for his Honda project aptly named the "Sports Ute". The two seater study was designed to be 4.7 meters long (185 inches) riding on a lengthy 3,025mm (119.1 inches) wheelbase, all while looking like it belongs to the same family of cars as the NSX.

Read more »

Honda Teases New Civic Station Wagon and Shows New Civic 1.6L Diesel in Paris

Honda appears to be full of surprises these days. Just last week, the Japanese automaker's CEO confirmed the development of several cars including a Civic Type R hot hatch for Europe, a new Jazz / Fit supermini that will also spawn an SUV derivative, and a 'sporty' roadster.

Today, Honda's European President Manabu Nishimae revealed plans to add a new model to the carmaker's range during his Paris Motor Show press conference.

The vehicle announced today is a new derivative of Honda's European Civic in the form of a station wagon model. Honda went one step further and released a teaser image of the pre-production concept that will be shown next year, most likely at the Geneva Salon in March or the Frankfurt Motor Show in September.

Read more »

Breaking: Honda Confirms New Civic Type R, Jazz / Fit Based Small SUV and Sports Roadster

There's a whole lot of news - but unfortunately, no pictures, coming out today from Honda's headquarters in Japan where the company's CEO Takanobu Ito outlined the product, technology and business developments through 2015.

We are going to start with the new Honda Civic Type R sports hatchback based on the European market model that is currently undergoing development for an introduction in 2015.

Honda said that this model is designed specifically for the European market, though we could see it being exported to Japan at some point. More importantly, the Japanese carmaker's CEO stated that the Type R is being developed "with the goal of becoming the fastest front-wheel-drive vehicle on the Nürburgring race course".

On a more global note, Ito said that Honda will roll out an all-new replacement for the Fit, also known as the Jazz in Europe, in 2013. Within two years after the initial market presentation, the Japanese automaker will launch a small SUV model based on the underpinnings of the new Fit/Jazz as well as a replacement for the related City small sedan.

Read more »

Design Student Envisions New Honda S2000 Roadster for 2020

Back in the 1995, when Honda was still producing and developing cars that drivers liked to drive, the automaker displayed a concept model called the SSM (for Sports Study Model) at the Tokyo Motor Show.

Three years later, Honda revealed the production model of that concept named the S2000 in celebration of its 50th anniversary.

The rear-wheel drive roadster with the manically revving 240hp (243PS) F20C 2.0-liter 4-cylinder DOHC-VTEC engine went on sale in 1999 and remained in production for a decade selling more than 112,000 units worldwide.

We've heard many rumors about a replacement for the S2000, but unfortunately, nothing concrete. Naturally, design students are not bound by any production plans and are free to visualize their ideas like Michael Mcgee who took part in a Honda sponsored project for the creation of an S2000 for the year 2020.

Read more »

Honda Concept S to Form the Base for a New Production Minivan

Joining the Concept C sedan at Honda's 2012 Beijing Motor Show booth is the Concept S minivan. According to the Japanese carmaker, the 'S' in the design study's name stands for "Stylish," "Smart" and "Surprise".

Honda tells us that the Concept S is motivated by an unspecified hybrid powertrain and that it features a spacious cabin without providing any information on the number of passengers that it can accommodate.

Read more »

Honda's Beijing Auto Show Concept C Previews New Mid-Size Sedan for the Chinese Market

One of the star attractions at Honda's stand at the Auto China 2012 in Beijing is the new Concept C study that gives consumers a first look at the company's upcoming family saloon model that will go on sale in the country next year.

Honda says that the "C" in the car's name represents "Cool," "Challenge," and "China." The production version of the distinctively styled four-door concept will launch exclusively in China and will be built by the company's local joint venture, Guangqi Honda Automobile.

According to the Japanese automaker, the product planning for the family sedan was led by Honda's Chinese associates and the development was done through cooperation between development teams in China and Japan.

Read more »

Acura Roadster Concept Featured in The Avengers Movie is Built on the First-Generation NSX

If it wasn't for a new batch of photos posted by Edmunds, we would have probably never guessed that the unnamed Acura roadster model featured in the upcoming film 'The Avengers' is actually built around the first generation of Acura's (Honda for the rest of the world) much lauded NSX coupe.

Even though the exterior styling is very similar to the NSX Concept we saw in Detroit earlier this year, if you take a look at the extensive gallery, you'll see that Tony Stark's ride features the same exact interior and mid mounted V6 powerplant as the original NSX.

Read more »

Honda Outlines Plans for China, will Debut Two New Concepts at the Beijing Auto Show

Honda has important plans set for the Chinese market over the next few years, as it will enhance its range with the introduction of more than 10 brand new or redesigned models from 2013 to 2015, while also increasing its local production capacity.

We'll get a taste of what Honda has in store for Chinese consumers at the 2012 Beijing Auto Show, as aside from the presentation of the CR-Z, Insight and Fit hybrid models that will all be launched onto the market this year, the company will also debut two new concept models.

The Japanese automaker isn't willing to reveal anything about the two studies yet, but it did release a pair of sketches that outline the shape of a minivan and a what is most likely a sedan model.

Read more »

2013 Honda Crosstour Concept Shows up with a Fresh Face at the New York Auto Show

If you were looking for Honda to present a brand-new Crosstour model at the New York Auto Show, you lucked out.

What Honda brought to the Big Apple is essentially a subtly refreshed version of the current Crosstour, which launched in the market in December of 2009 amidst snarky criticism about its looks.

Most changes can be found up front where the Crosstour gets a new chrome grille that's pushed back along with a more rugged-looking bumper with pronounced fog lamp housings and a protective plate.

At the back, even though you may not notice it, Honda says there's a revised tailgate that sports "a more horizontal design to add visual width to the sculpted lines at the rear", while the bumper has also been redesigned and features the same black moldings as the front bumper.

The new contrasting moldings on the doors and the redesigned alloy wheels complete the exterior revisions for the 2013 model.

Read more »

First Official Photos of the Honda Crosstour Concept, 2013 Ram 1500 and 2013 Lexus ES Leaked?

The automotive pundits over at Cheersandgears seem to have scored a hatrick of scoops publishing what they claim to be, the first official shots of the Honda Crosstour Concept, the 2013 Ram 1500 pickup truck and the 2013 Lexus ES sedan, all of which are set to make their world premiere at the New York Auto Show on Wednesday, April 4.

Beginning with Honda's concept model, if this image is indeed real, then the Crosstour study is nothing more than a light facelift of the current model with a revised snout sporting a new chromed grille and a more rugged-looking front bumper, plus different wheels and protective black cladding all around.

The second picture allegedly shows us the 2013 Ram 1500 pickup truck, which looks like it gains a reshaped crosshair grille with a full-chrome treatment (at least on this edition), new headlamp fixtures, possibly featuring LED daytime running lights, and a redesigned bumper with new fog lamps.

The Chrysler Group has already revealed that the 2013 Ram 1500 will get a new 3.6-liter V6 Pentastar V6 matched to an 8-speed automatic transmission.

Read more »

New Honda Crosstour Concept to Debut at the 2012 New York Auto Show

It seems like only yesterday that Honda presented the Accord Crosstour, which soon after dropped its Accord moniker and is now simply known as the Crosstour.

To be precise, it's been two years and a couple of months since its market launch in the States, which is very short time in automotive years, but not soon enough for a replacement if you ask (most) Honda fans.

Today we learn that Honda has green lighted a successor based on the soon-to-be revealed ninth generation Accord, the coupe version of which was previewed through a concept model at this year's Detroit Motor Show.

Read more »

Honda Brings CR-V, NSX and EV-STER Concepts to the Geneva Motor Show

With the exception of the special edition Jazz Si, Honda didn't really have something new per se to share with us at the Geneva Motor Show as all three concept models displayed at its stand have already received their world premieres.

The most interesting prototype if of course the NSX, which is exhibited in Geneva with Honda instead of Acura badges. Seen for the first time in Detroit this past January, the study previews the design and technology direction for the second generation of the NSX.

Some of the highlights include the new hybrid all-wheel-drive system that utilizes a mid-mounted V6 engine and three electric motors.

Honda's second concept foreshadows the next CR-V for the European market that will make its official debut in production trim at the Paris Salon in the fall of 2012. No need to wait to see how it looks though as the 4th generation CR-V is already on sale in North America and Japan.

Read more »