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Petrolicious profiles an 'original fanboy' and his 1987 Honda CRX Si

Christopher Hoffman is a guy I'd like to meet. He's profiled in the latest installment of Petrolicious, titled Original Fanboy, because of his love and dedication to his 1987 Honda CRX Si. And that's something I can relate to.
My personal car is a black 1988 Honda CRX Si. Road & Track executive editor Sam Smith sold it to me in December 2010 with some 93,000 miles on the odometer (and one bum tire!), and though I don't drive it nearly as much as I should, I'm madly in love with my little Honda. I take immense pride in owning this car, despite my recent neglect. As soon as we're done with this Polar Vortex crap here in the midwestern United States, I'm going to pull the CRX out of its wintertime storage and show it the love it deserves.
Like me, Hoffman fully understands the beauty of the CRX. It's not super powerful, or even quick (when it was new, its 0-60 time was just over 9 seconds), but it's extremely light, and comes from an era when Honda was churning out brilliantly simple cars. The steering is incredibly precise, the transmission perfect, and the chassis superb. Nearly 26 years after its birth, I adore every moment behind the wheel of my CRX. And thanks to this Petrolicious special, I know I'm not alone. Scroll down to watch the full episode.

2014 Honda Odyssey gets some tidy tweaks [w/video]

Here in New York, Honda is offering up a refreshed version of its well-liked Odyssey minivan, bringing with it a slew of updates including the segment's first in-car vacuum. It looks to be a neat little feature, one that families will no doubt get a lot of use out of. Kids are spill-machines, after all.
On the outside, the Odyssey gets a revised front end with dark headlamp surrounds, shiny cross-bars in the grille, and an aluminum hood and bumper. We think the blacked-out grille trim looks fine on this charcoal model, but question how smart it will look on models with lighter paint tones. Out back, there are new LED taillamps, and it looks like a new wheel design will be on offer, too.
Other changes for the 2014 Odyssey include some structural reinforcements for improved safety and some new available nannies like lane-departure warning and forward collision warning. Inside, buyers will find new finishes inside the cabin, a redesigned center stack and pushbutton start. Scroll down for the full details in an official video and in Honda's press release, and have a look at new images live from the show floor in the gallery above.

Analysts say Honda's growing woes in Europe not just the economy

There is no denying that the European auto market is taking its lumps right now - just ask Peugeot - but Honda might be taking this downturn on the chin a little harder than some of the other Japanese automakers doing business on the continent. Automotive News Europe is reporting that things have gotten so bad for Honda that it will be cutting 800 workers from Swindon, England plant that builds the CR-V, Civic and Jazz (a.k.a. Fit). This will be the first time Honda has made such cuts in more than 20 years.
Despite an increase in output last year over 2011 (165,607 units compared to 97,459), the Swindon plant is still running well below its full capacity (250,000/year), and its 66 percent capacity is less than the expected breakeven point of industry analysts (75 to 80 percent). Unlike in the US, however, Honda's new CR-V and Civic aren't selling well, and the similarly sized Nissan Qashqai is outselling the CR-V at a rate of more than five to one. Slow CR-V sales are blamed on a relatively high price and the crossover's conservative styling. On the complete opposite side of the spectrum, the report notes that Nissan continues to experience growth at its UK operations, leading analysts to suggest that Honda can't blame the sour economy for much of its woes.