1992 Honda Accord Lx Sedan 4-door 2.2l Only 70k One Owner Pristine Condition on 2040-cars

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Japan could consolidate to three automakers by 2020

Sergio Marchionne might see his dream of big mergers in the auto industry become a reality, and an analyst thinks Japan is a likely place for consolidation to happen. Takaki Nakanishi from Jefferies Group LLC tells Bloomberg the country's car market could combine to just three or fewer major players by 2020, from seven today. "To have one or two carmakers in a country is not only natural, but also helpful to their competitiveness," Nakanishi told Bloomberg. "Japan has just too many and the resources have been too spread out. It's a natural trend to consolidate and reduce some of the wasted resources." Nakanishi's argument echoes Marchionne's reasons to push for a merger between FCA and General Motors. Automakers spend billions on research and development, but their competitors also invest money to create the same solutions. Consolidating could conceivably put that R&D money into new avenues. "In today's global marketplace, it is increasingly difficult for automakers to compete in lower volume segments like sports cars, hydrogen fuel cells, or electrified vehicles on their own," Ed Kim, vice president of Industry Analysis at AutoPacific, told Autoblog. Even without mergers, these are the areas where Japanese automakers already have partners for development. Kim cited examples like Toyota and Subaru's work on the BRZ and FR-S and its collaboration with BMW on a forthcoming sports car. Honda and GM have also reportedly deepened their cooperation on green car tech. After Toyota's recent buyout of previous partner Daihatsu, Nakanishi agrees with rumors that the automotive giant could next pursue Suzuki. He sees them like a courting couple. "For Suzuki, it's like they're just starting to exchange diaries and have yet to hold hands. When Toyota's starts to hold 5 percent of Suzuki's shares, this will be like finally touching fingertips," Nakanishi told Bloomberg. "I absolutely do believe that we are not finished seeing consolidation in Japan," Kim told Autoblog. Rising development costs to meet tougher emissions regulations make it hard for minor players in the market to remain competitive. "The smaller automakers like Suzuki, Mazda, and Mitsubishi are challenged to make it on their own in the global marketplace. Consolidation for them may be inevitable." Related Video:

2017 Honda Civic rolls into dealerships Monday starting at $20,535

Honda announced pricing for the British-built Civic hatchback today as well as availability. Starting this Monday, you'll be able to walk into a Honda dealership and pick up a hatch for as low as $20,535. For that price, you can take home a base-level Civic LX with the 1.5-liter, turbocharged engine and a 6-speed manual transmission to channel the 174 horsepower and 167 lb-ft of torque to the pavement. Stepping up to the Sport trim adds a dual-outlet center-mounted exhaust and brings the power total to 180 and torque up to 177. The price also jumps to $22,135. Adding the CVT to either trim adds an extra $800 and, although horsepower ratings remain unchanged, the torque output drops down to 162 on both models. The highest Civic hatchback trims are the EX, EX-L with navigation and Sport Touring, and they are all only available with a CVT. The EX and EX-L trims start at $23,635 and $26,135 respectively, and bring niceties including heated seats and dual-zone climate control. The new Sport Touring trim tops the range and takes everything the EX-L and normal Sport trims have and adds red illuminated instruments, and a 540-watt 12-speaker sound system. Unlike the other trims, the Sport Touring model will not be available until later this year and pricing hasn't been announced yet. Compared with other hatchbacks in the compact car segment, the Civic hatch has a slightly higher starting price. Most of the competition starts at just under $20,000. However, the Civic does effectively top the charts for horsepower. The only car that beats it is the Mazda3 hatchback with the 2.5-liter engine, which produces 184 horsepower. However, you'll have to spend at least $26,280 to get that version of the 3. The next closest model is the VW Golf with 170 horsepower and a starting price of $20,715, and the rest of the competition produces 160 horsepower or less. So if you're looking for some pep on a budget, the Civic looks like a solid choice, and if it drives like the sedan and coupe, it looks even better. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2017 Honda Civic hatchback Image Credit: Honda Honda Hatchback Economy Cars pricing honda civic hatchback compact cars civic hatchback

2014 Honda Ridgeline keeps on truckin' with new special edition model

Like many smaller trucks, the Honda Ridgeline has been left to stagnate on the market for far too many years. With production of the current model reportedly winding down later next year before production of the next-gen model picks up in 2016, Honda is sending the 2014 Ridgeline out with some style courtesy of a new Special Edition trim level.
The new Ridgeline SE essentially adds cues from the Ridgeline Sport to the luxurious RTL trim level. The means features like black-trimmed 18-inch alloys and matching interior trim arrives as a no-cost option. This new model carries the same starting price as the RTL at $37,505 (*not including $830 for destination), and all other trim level pricing is carried over unchanged from the 2013 model year. The new SE model won't be available until November, and it is not pictured in the image galleries (all of which seem to be identical to previous model years).
Speaking of carryover products, Honda has also released pricing for the unchanged 2014 Pilot and 2014 Acura TL, which will continue to be priced from $29,670 and $36,030, respectively (Acura's destination charge is $890). Scroll down for press releases on the 2014 Ridgeline, Pilot and TL.