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Acura NSX bodywork to be sheathed in zirconium e-coat, fewer paint layers

Automakers make halo cars to drum up excitement and show off what they can do, but there's more to it than that. Advanced platforms allow a company's engineers to experiment with all sorts of technologies. And in the case of the upcoming new Acura NSX, that includes new paint processes.
Speaking with Autoline in this video interview, Honda's North American Senior VP Jon Minto talked about an innovative zirconium e-coat which it's applying to the new NSX. Unlike some experimental paints developed for Formula One, however, this coating is not designed to minimize drag or enhance cooling: it's designed to be more environmentally friendly.
It's one of a few measures which Honda is implementing on the NSX before expanding it to more accessible models, along with another process that uses fewer coats to reduce energy consumption by 40 percent. Watch the interview with Autoline host John McElroy right here.

Honda reveals updated rest-of-world Civic hatchback

The rest of the world's most recent Honda Civic was introduced for 2012, and it looks much the same as the 2014 model Honda will release in January to European and Asian markets. In fact, not much has changed, but a retuned power steering system, revised front and rear damping rates and rear wheel toe and camber adjustments are touted to make the hatchback drive better, World Car Fans reports.
There are some small visual changes, such as privacy glass for the lower rear window, a piano-black front bumper that previously was dark gray and piano-black trim replacing body-color pieces around the license plate area, tailgate and lower bumper. Inside, white stitching adorns the seats, steering wheel and knee pad along with aluminum and gloss-black accents placed around the center console area.
Of course, Honda won't be exporting this particular Civic to the US (or the recently unveiled Civic Tourer), so check out the photo gallery to see it in all its not-for-you glory.

Honda, Hyundai and Kia get best word-of-mouth recommendations in US

Forget advertising, incentives and, yes, even our excellently crafted vehicle reviews, sometimes the best way for automakers to sell cars is still good ol' fashioned word of mouth. In an attempt to measure this "word of mouth" power, The Boston Consulting Group, a management consulting firm, has created a new study called the Brand Advocacy Index (BAI). The index takes a look at how various industries perform from person to person. Those industries include automotive, smartphones, grocery, mobile telecommunications and banking.
The study polled more than 32,000 individuals across Europe and in the US to come up with the top 55 brands in these various industries. On the automotive side of things, the top brands in the US were Honda, Hyundai and Kia, all tied at 63 percent. On a global scale, Volkswagen and Toyota scored the highest with a 65-percent BAI rating (both in France). The average BAI for auto industry players tallied 50 percent.
As for companies in other industries, Apple's iPhone was the index's top-rated smartphone, Trader Joe's was the highest recommended grocery store, Virgin was sat atop the mobile telecom industry and USAA was the top retail bank. Scroll down for the full press release on the new study.