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The Honda Crosstour is no more

While hardly the most surprising news in the automotive world, it's with sad hearts that we report the passing of any automotive nameplate... even when it's as generally unloved as the Honda Crosstour. In a statement from American Honda, Executive Vice President John Mendel confirms the quirky, sort-of wagon's demise for the 2016 model year. The Crosstour was introduced in 2010 as a compromise between a crossover and a traditional station wagon. However, unlike the popular Subaru Outback with a similar melding of styles, Honda's was never able to really catch on. Honda America's CEO was disappointed with sales as far back as 2011, and an attempt to make the model look a little more rugged didn't work. In 2014, 11,802 Crosstours were sold, a 29.9-percent drop from the year before. In its announcement for the vehicle's discontinuation, Honda says the new HR-V should "play a more significant role as a gateway model." The company thinks the crossover segment today has changed from when the Crosstour debuted. The capacity at the East Liberty Plant in Ohio previously required for Crosstour production will be used for the more popular CR-V, Acura RDX and, as of early 2017, the MDX. Meanwhile, production of the Honda Accord Hybrid will be moved from the Marysville Auto Plant in Ohio to Japan. Statement by John Mendel, Executive Vice President, American Honda Motor Co., Inc. Re: North American Production Portfolio Apr 8, 2015 Honda's growth strategy in North America is keyed to aligning our product portfolio and related production around the needs of our customers and growth segments in the marketplace. This includes the fortification of our light truck line-up with the recent introduction of a refreshed version of America's best- selling SUV, the CR-V, as well as the all-new 2016 HR-V, a new 2016 Pilot, and the next generation Ridgeline truck, coming to market next year. The strategy also includes strengthening our leading lineup of passenger cars with the introduction this fall of an all-new Civic lineup that will include more variants than ever before, including a new five-door model. In order to fulfill this customer-focused strategy, we are making several changes to the lineup of vehicles we build in our auto plants in Ohio.

Top Gear hosts' classic bikes head for auction

The BBC seems quite certain that Top Gear is making a return to television in 2016, but James May and Richard Hammond are extremely unlikely to be among the hosts. Instead, the two of them are probably following Jeremy Clarkson into any future endeavors, but for the time being that leaves the Little One and the Slow One unemployed. They won't have to worry too much about spending money in the meantime, though, because Bonhams is selling 12 motorcyles owned by the former TG stars on April 26. "Just because I'm unemployed now doesn't mean I have to get rid of everything. I was going to sell these bikes anyway. And those paintings, and my collection of Scalextric cars. Honest," May joked to Bonhams. However, the auction house was clear in its announcement that the cycles were consigned to the Spring Stafford Sale in the UK months before the Top Gear fracas. Eight of the bikes come from May's collection and are generally small-bore, Japanese models. They include a 49cc 1974 Yamaha FS1-E and a 1976 Suzuki AP50 E, but there's also a very attractive 1980 Ossa 250cc MAR trials bike. If you're looking for a bit more performance, Hammond's four offering include a 2010 Norton Commando 961SE and a 1970 Triton 500cc cafe racer. He's also selling a Yamaha FS1-E, though a year newer than May's. Unfortunately the Vincent Black Shadow and Honda RC30 the hosts are riding in these photos aren't part of the lots, but the whole list of the available models can be read in the announcement below and checked out in the gallery, above. Bonhams Spring Stafford Sale will include 12 motorcycles belonging to Richard Hammond and James May, former presenters of the popular motoring programme, Top Gear. May and Hammond discussed the sale of their respective motorcycles in their usual humorous manner: "Just because I'm unemployed now doesn't mean I have to get rid of everything," said May. "I was going to sell these bikes anyway. And those paintings, and my collection of Scalextric cars. Honest". Hammond added: "As a serious collector of motorcycles, it's important to review one's stable regularly, and the Bonhams Stafford sale is the ideal opportunity to move bikes on and possibly acquire new ones. I also have a canoe, and some Wharfedale hi-fi speakers, if anyone's interested".

Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Mercedes also under diesel emissions scrutiny

The controversy over Volkswagen's diesel emissions scandal isn't limited to the US. In Europe, where diesel engines are far more popular, the issue is shining a harsh light on the NEDC emissions test. As already known, the evaluation does a poor job of reflecting real-world production of NOx, and it appears a significant number of automakers are affected. The Guardian in the UK has been reporting on real-world test results from a company called Emissions Analytics. After the latest round of checks, vehicles from Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Mazda and Mitsubishi were found to generate far more NOx than they should. The newspaper also published similar results for Renault, Nissan, Hyundai, Fiat, Volvo, Jeep, Citroen, VW, and Audi. On average, the figures are about four times over the limit of producing the pollutant. Unlike VW and its defeat device, these automakers aren't actually breaking the rules. The vehicles perform up to the NEDC lab test for emissions, but those results simply aren't translated to the street. "The VW issue in the US was purely the trigger which threw light on a slightly different problem in the EU - widespread legal over-emissions," Nick Molden from Emissions Analytics said to The Guardian. A big fight to decide the future of this issue appears to be on the horizon. Automakers claim that they can't meet the next round of tightening emissions regulations and are asking for compromises. Although, spokespeople for Mercedes and Honda told The Guardian that the brands would be in favor of the stricter rules. Meanwhile, some European governments began backtracking their support of diesels well before this scandal came to light. The added scrutiny certain hasn't helped the future of the oil-burner. Related Video: