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Autoblog Minute: New Civic, FCA UAW Agreement, Frankfurt

FCA reaches a tentative agreement with the UAW, Honda reveals the all-new 2016 Civic, and the Frankfurt Motor Show dazzles us again. Autoblog senior editor Greg Migliore reports on the Weekly Recap edition of Autoblog Minute. Show full video transcript text [00:00:00] FCA reaches a tentative agreement with the UAW, Honda reveals the all-new 2016 Civic, and the Frankfurt Motor Show dazzles us again. I'm senior editor Greg Migliore and this is your Autoblog Minute Weekly Recap. FCA reached a tentative labor agreement with UAW leadership. The major focus of the new deal reportedly includes: the eventual elimination of the two-tier pay scale [00:00:30] and pooling worker health care. Now that a leadership agreement is in place, the deal will be sent to FCA's rank-and-file. FCA has about 36,000 hourly employees. We got a first look at the interior and exterior of the 10th-generation Civic. Honda expects the new sedan to dominate the C-segment when it hits dealerships later this fall. Civic coupe, five-door hatchback, Si and Type R will all come later. The 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show is in the books and there was a lot of news to get excited about. [00:01:00] Porsche introduced a fully electric concept car in the Mission E. If they make this car, Porsche could give Tesla nightmares. We also saw SUVs from Jaguar and Bentley. There were two beautiful Italian convertibles from Ferrari and Lamborghini. Meanwhile, Mercedes introduced a concept of their own in the IAA - a vehicle that experiments with adaptable aerodynamics. Those are the highlights from the week that was. Be sure to check out my full recap this Saturday. Plus we'll have some added insight on General Motors' deal to [00:01:30] avoid federal prosecution. For Autoblog, I'm Greg Migliore. Autoblog Minute is a short-form video news series reporting on all things automotive. Each segment offers a quick and clear picture of what's happening in the automotive industry from the perspective of Autoblog's expert editorial staff, auto executives, and industry professionals. UAW/Unions Frankfurt Motor Show Bentley Chrysler Ferrari Honda Jaguar Lamborghini Mercedes-Benz Porsche Rolls-Royce Tesla Convertible SUV Concept Cars Electric Supercars Autoblog Minute Videos Original Video porsche mission e concept

2016 Honda Civic is a newly competitive compact [w/video]

It's fair to call the last-generation Honda Civic, built from 2012 to 2015 (with a quick refresher in the middle), a disappointment. It came out using an old compact car formula – going cheap and lightly equipped – at almost the exact moment its competitors embraced high technology and refined, expressive designs. We spent some time today with the vehicle meant to correct this mistake, the all-new, tenth-generation Civic. Easily the most discussed thing about the new Civic is its handsome new sheet metal, which we actually showed you last week. The expressive profile, with strong arches over the front wheels and a handsome, almost fastback-like roofline is a major departure from the duller, three-box look of the current Civic. The front fascia's highlight is the prominent chrome grille, backed by the optional LED headlights. In back, that tiny decklid is outshined – no pun intended – by a set of LED taillights that should present a very impressive look at night. The overall balance of the design is impressive. The ninth-generation Civic was widely panned for its crummy interior quality. Designed at a time of global financial crisis, Honda opted for more affordable materials that lacked the soft-touch goodness of many competitors. The new Civic addresses this shortcoming, fitting not only more impressive plastics, but the technology to back them up. From the EX trim on up, the instrument cluster's focal point is a large TFT display, flanked by a pair of traditional gauges. Yep, that's right. Honda is getting rid of the Civic's multi-tiered dash, and we couldn't be happier. On the center console, there's a seven-inch touchscreen display that uses the same Android-based operating system as the new Pilot. And speaking of Android, the Civic will play nice with both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. As for the actual driving experience, we can't tell you much about it for another couple weeks, but we can talk briefly about the seats. The hip point has been dropped by a full inch in front, and has the effect of creating a sport-driving-ready seating position. Those seats are comfortable, too, although we'll need more than the few minutes we got with the new Civic to make an informed judgment. We don't, however, need any extra time to talk about the backseats. That plunging roofline is not conducive to rear headroom, a fact that overshadows the extra two inches of rear legroom. You're probably wondering when we'll talk about the powertrains.

Honda sending two NSX racers and new EV concept to Pikes Peak

Honda is always good for a few interesting Pikes Peak entries. In 2015, Acura supplied a 2017 NSX prototype for pace-car duty. This time around, two NSXes will compete alongside a reconfigured version of the company's four-motor electric racecar. Those aren't the 2016 entries above. The one on the right is last year's pace car and the one on the left is a first-gen NSX that did the hillclimb the past few years. The 2016 cars haven't been unveiled yet, but we know that one will be in the Time Attack 2 Production class, which is mostly stock with the addition of items like a roll cage, and the other will be in Time Attack 1. TA 1 allows modifications to the powertrain, additional aero aids, suspension changes, and other tweaks, so expect to see a lot more power and a big wing on the back. The cars will be driven by James and Nick Robinson, brothers who work for Honda R&D in Ohio. Honda will use a version of the four-motor electric powertrain from its 2015 CR-Z Exhibition class entry in a new EV. (We got to drive a non-race tune of this setup in Japan last year.) The 2016 version, which will wear a different body, moves to the Electric - Electric Modified class of last year's frontrunners. We're told this car is aiming for an overall win at the 2016 race; the CR-Z took 11th place overall in 2015. The EV will again be driven by Tetsuya Yamano, a Japanese Super GT driver. Oh, and there will of course be a factory entry or two from Honda's Powersports division. Honda engineer Keith Steidl will ride a 2015 TRX1000 ATV in the Pikes Peak Challenge - Exhibition Powersport class. In the past, Honda has fielded plenty of other neat stuff in the Race to the Clouds. In 2012, it ran an NSX fitted with a twin-turbo V6 from an LMP2 car, and the 2013 race saw the very practical 532-horsepower turbocharged Odyssey minivan join the Exhibition class. The 2016 race marks the Pikes Peak hillclimb's 100th anniversary (but not the 101st running since competition took some breaks back in wartime). We're looking forward to June already. Related Video: Image Credit: Honda Green Motorsports Acura Honda Electric Hybrid Racing Vehicles pikes peak exclusive