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Editors' Choice: Top Five 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show Debuts

Consider the 2015-16 auto show season officially kicked off. The Frankfurt Motor Show offered a great look at the newest crop of production cars and conceptual machines, and brought some old favorites back into the spotlight for a closer look. (The Alfa Romeo Giulia, for example, debuted in June, but this was the first time most of us saw it.) Now that the dust has settled and we're all on flights back to the US, our editors cast their votes for their personal favorites from the Frankfurt show. These are the cars we truly loved seeing the most. But unlike other shows, there was no one runaway winner – all of the Top Five received positive praise from our team. We won't spoil the results, though. Scroll down to see what we liked most from this year's Frankfurt expo. 5th Place – MERCEDES-BENZ IAA CONCEPT View 12 Photos MIKE AUSTIN: The clean lines on this concept have me excited for a more elegant beauty to future Mercedes-Benz vehicles. Next to the Concept IAA, the lovely S-Class Coupe looks like an overstyled barge. DAVID GLUCKMAN: Yeah, the extendable rear is neat and all, but I'm more interested in the front-end styling of this one. It looks like the Tron version of a 300SL, in a good way. I'm hopeful it portends the future of Mercedes design. STEVEN EWING: I was super impressed when Mercedes said that, with the rear end extended, this concept has a drag coefficient of just 0.19. That's crazy aerodynamic. I'm not head-over-heels about the styling, but I think the lessons learned from this concept are really important, and will play a huge role in the future of Mercedes' products. 4th Place – ALFA ROMEO GIULIA View 15 Photos SEYTH MIERSMA: I can hardly express how in love with this car I am. The styling feels creative, modern, and evocative, without going over the top. The proposed performance is spectacular. And the Alfa badge speaks to a legacy of romantic motoring. DAVID GLUCKMAN: Pretty Italian car makes big promises and will probably deliver on about three quarters of them. I think that will still be enough for me. JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: I'm really intrigued by the Giulia. It looks great, sounds awesome, and I'm expecting it to have a load more character than its German rivals. I hope I'm not disappointed. 3rd Place – JAGUAR F-PACE View 15 Photos GREG MIGLIORE: It's the first SUV for Jaguar, and I think they nailed the design, capability, and electronics. It's the right car at the right time.

Honda recalls nearly 350k Odyssey minivans over unintended braking

A problem reported with the Vehicle Safety Assist System has prompted Honda and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to issue a recall for Odyssey minivans from the 2007 and 2008 model years.
The issue revolves around a combination of parts and software that have been reported to cause the vehicle to brake hard and unexpectedly, without illuminating the brake lights. Imagine driving behind one of these vehicles when the malfunction occurs and you can easily understand how an unexpected rear-end collision could ensue.
Unfortunately, Honda won't be able to fix the problem until next spring, at which point the manufacturer will call in the 344,187 units affected into their local dealership for a fix. In the meantime, Honda will instruct owners on how to avoid the situation. For further details, see the full recall notice below.

Honda Fit EV lease drops to $199 a month, but there's a catch

The Honda Fit EV just became a much better deal. When it first launched, Honda offered the car (in California and Oregon only) in 2012, the monthly price was $399. In 2013, the official lease price dropped to $259. Today, Honda announced that the fun little runabout will cost you just $199. The catch? For new customers, this price is only good on used Fit EVs. You can also take advantage of this deal If you're a current Fit EV lessee by extending your time with your car by two years for the new, lower $199-a-month price. The other limitations of the Fit EV lease – the fact that there's no purchase option at the end of the lease and that the car itself is still only available in "designated market regions" – remain, which means that getting this particular electric car is a better deal than it used to be, but it's still not a good Fit for everyone. Related Video: Honda Introduces New Lease Options for Existing and Prospective Fit EV Lessees Mar 23, 2015 - TORRANCE, Calif. Two-year Fit EV lease extension offered to existing lessees New, two-year used Fit EV lease offered to prospective customers Price reduced to $199 a month; no down payment and unlimited mileage, routine maintenance and collision coverage included Honda is extending the reach of its efficient and fun-to-drive all-electric Fit EV (http://automobiles.honda.com/fit-ev/) through new lease programs for both existing and prospective Fit EV customers. For current, eligible Fit EV customers, Honda is offering a two-year lease extension that includes a lower $199 monthly payment1 (previously $259) and extends the unlimited mileage, routine maintenance and collision coverage1 that were included in the original lease. The reduced lease price and matching two-year terms1 will also be available to new customers interested in driving a used Honda Fit EV. Honda shared the news to a group of Fit EV drivers at an event hosted at the Honda Smart Home US (http://www.hondasmarthome.com/) in Davis, CA on Saturday, March 21. "Most Fit EV drivers tell us they love their vehicles, and many have requested lease extensions and this extended lease program is intended to meet their needs," said Steve Center, vice president of the Environmental Business Development Office, American Honda Motor Co., Inc.