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Honda returning to F1 as McLaren partner

Honda must really love Formula One racing, as evidenced by today's announcement that the Japanese automaker is returning to the world's most popular motorsport for the fifth time in its history. Honda has entered into a team partnership with McLaren to develop and manufacture power systems - the engine and energy recovery system - for the 2015 F1 season. McLaren will be in charge of chassis development and running the day-to-day operations of this newly formed team, which will be called McLaren Honda.
Honda says its decision to reenter F1 racing had to do with new regulations for the 2014 season that require cars to be powered by a 1.6-liter direct-injection turbocharged V6 engine paired with an energy recovery system. Apparently the chance to develop this particular powertrain for F1 racing was too enticing for Honda to pass up, which suggests it has bigger plans for the knowledge learned while developing these systems beyond just winning races.
As mentioned, this is Honda's fifth foray into F1 racing, the first being back in 1964 when it participated as its own team through 1968. Its longest stint came from 1983-1992 as an engine supplier, during which time it partnered with many teams, including McLaren, and won six Constructor Championships. Honda then returned from 2000-2005 as an engine supplier for British American Racing (BAR) before buying that team outright and running it as Honda Racing from 2006-2008. Then the global economic crisis hit. Honda's return to the sport will surely be welcomed by fans as its partnership with McLaren should produce a formidable team. It's a strong signal that the company has returned to health after a few tumultuous years, and hopefully its rediscovered motorsports mojo will help yield more passionately engineered street cars.

2017 Honda Ridgeline enters the landscape block war

In the test of pickup truck beds, if steel is apples and aluminum is oranges, Honda wants you to know that composites are pineapples. Chevy recently performed a test in which its own Silverado was pitted against its most obvious competitor, the Ford F-150. A loader dropped over 800 pounds of landscaping blocks into the two truck beds, and Ford's aluminum bed ended up with more damage than Chevy's steel bed. Check that test out right here. Honda apparently wasn't content to let Chevy throw stones alone. In a new test, the Japanese automaker replicated the block-drop test using its brand-new Ridgeline truck, which features a composite bed. As you'll see in the video above, there was very little damage to the high-strength plastic bed of the Ridgeline after a similar load of landscaping blocks were dropped from a loader. Without being on hand at any of these tests, we can't say with any degree of certainty that they match up in severity. But they all look pretty similar, and this is actually a test that Honda performed in front of journalists ( ourselves included) earlier this year. We visually inspected the composite bed of a Ridgeline after a demonstration just like the one on video above, and can confirm that there was basically no damage to Honda's truck. Chevy went an extra step by flinging a heavy toolbox into the Silverado and F-150; Honda didn't match that particular test. Does any of this matter? That's up to truck buyers and owners to decide, naturally, but we doubt anyone would actually dump a load like this into their own truck. And it's also worth noting that a heavy-duty spray-on bedliner would probably minimize damage to the metal surface below, whether steel or aluminum. If nothing else, it's memorable marketing. Related Video:

Honda to show off conceptual new Ridgeline truck at SEMA

The SEMA show is coming up fast, and Honda is not about to miss out on the festivities. To that end, the Japanese automaker has announced a raft of customized vehicles it's bringing to the tuner expo in Vegas early next month. Potentially one of the most enticing debuts will be the Ridgeline Desert Race Truck. Following the preview sketch (seen above) of the next-gen pickup released at the Chicago Auto Show earlier this year, the new concept is set to give us an even better glimpse at the 2017 model of the four-door, short-bed crossover pickup to come. The vehicle's debut will also mark the factory's return to off-road competition, which ought to come as a welcome development for racing fans. The Ridgeline won't be Honda's only debut at the SEMA show this year, however. There'll also be four modified versions of the HR-V compact crossover, each customized by a different American aftermarket firm, and custom takes on the CR-Z hybrid, Civic sedan, and Pilot crossover. Look for the Powersports and HPD divisions to showcase their latest at the event as well, while the Acura division does its own thing. Honda to Showcase Ridgeline Desert Race Truck Concept, HR-V Tuner Project Program, Refreshed 2016 CR-Z and more at 2015 SEMA Show Oct 23, 2015 - TORRANCE, Calif. - Honda Ridgeline Desert Race Truck to showcase design direction for all-new Ridgeline pickup debuting next year - HR-V project vehicles will bring extreme performance and personality to the compact crossover segment - Updated 2016 Honda CR-Z sport hybrid coupe to make first appearance on North American soil - Honda Powersports hits show floor, including Moto GP Race Replica RC213V-S, Pioneer 1000 and more - Honda to once again host the Honda Soiree at Hakkasan Nightclub Honda will ignite the floor at the 2015 SEMA Show with a full portfolio of performance products, including race bikes, HR-V project vehicles, and the debut of the Ridgeline Desert Race Truck. The Ridgeline Desert Race Truck will offer a first look at the styling direction of the highly anticipated 2017 Honda Ridgeline pickup. The "racing Ridgeline" also marks Honda's re-entry into Honda Performance Development (HPD)-powered factory off-road racing. Also within the Honda display will be four Honda HR-V project vehicles, built in partnership with several highly creative U.S.-based automotive tuning houses.