2007 Honda Cr-v Lx Sport Utility 4-door 2.4l on 2040-cars

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Honda to lead Rose Parade with hybrid tech

What are you doing New Year's Day? We're probably going to watch Urban Meyer's retirement bash the Rose Bowl, but we love a nice parade, too. To kick the day off, Honda will be leading the 130th Rose Parade with its own float, an Insight hybrid and an Acura RDX crossover. Not only will Honda be celebrating the new year, it'll also celebrate its 60th anniversary in the U.S. As such, the main float will be shaped like a 25-foot-tall birthday cake. And 60 band members from the historically black colleges and universities' marching bands — which recently took part in a battle of the bands sponsored by Honda — will represent the candles on the cake. It'll also be decorated to re-create the look of the automaker's first storefront in Los Angeles. The float will be called "Celebration of Dreams," a fitting title for a company whose founder Soichiro Honda famously said, "The day I stop dreaming is the day I die." (The first thing you see when entering the amazing Honda Collection Hall at Twin Ring Motegi is a large, circular glass sculpture with the word "Dream" and Soichiro Honda's signature). For the parade, the Honda Insight will serve as the official pace car, while the Acura RDX will play the role of sound car. The float itself will be propelled by a modified Honda hybrid powertrain. The main float will be flanked by five "satellite" floats, each representing facets of the company. These will include a Honda Super Cub motorbike; a floral representation of a 1975 Civic CVCC; a float with crash test dummies and an arch with five stars to represent safety; a Honda Accord, which is built in the U.S.; and a float incorporating elements from the HondaJet to represent the future. The Rose Parade broadcast begins bright and early at 8 a.m. Pacific on Jan. 1. Check out the rendering at the top of the page to get a sense of what to expect. Related Video:

Honda bringing LMP2 racer to Pikes Peak

Pikes Peak always brings out an array of interesting entries. Honda has fielded quite a few of its own, but will take the unusual step this year of entering a Le Mans prototype. The new ARX-04b is the latest in a line of prototypes which Honda Performance Development and Wirth Research developed to compete in the LMP2 class in series like the FIA World Endurance Championship, the United SportsCar Series and at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Though it's designed to race on closed circuits, Honda has announced that it'll be taking on the 156 turns and 12.42 miles of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb this year. Driving duties will be handled by Justin Wilson, an accomplished British circuit racer who's competed in Formula One and won races in the IndyCar Series and in Champ Cars before it. He's also tried his hand at Formula E and competed in Le Mans prototypes before as well. Though it will be entered in the Unlimited class, it won't be gunning directly for the record set by Sebastien Loeb two years ago in the Peugeot 208 T16. At least not just yet. "This is an exploratory effort," said HPD chief Art St. Cyr, "to learn as much as we can in advance of a possible future assault on the outright record." We're looking forward to seeing what she'll do when the event takes place later this month. Honda-Powered HPD ARX-04b to tackle Pikes Peak Jun 17, 2015 - TORRANCE, Calif. - Indy car veteran, race winner Justin Wilson to pilot LMP2 machine - New coupe design debuted at 24 Hours of Daytona - Utilizes production-based 3.5 liter Honda V6 engine A number of different types of Honda and Acura vehicles have taken part in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in recent years, ranging from the Acura NSX to the Honda Fit, and even a high-speed Honda Odyssey, but Honda Performance Development has upped the ante this year by entering one its newest sports cars in the race up the 14,110-foot mountain. The new Honda-powered HPD ARX-04b LMP2 coupe that competed in this year's Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona has been entered in the 2015 Pikes Peak event, and will be driven by Verizon IndyCar Series race winner and former Formula 1 driver Justin Wilson. The ARX-04b will be the first full-carbon monocoque vehicle ever sanctioned for PPIHC entry and will be fitted with a 3.5-liter V6 twin-turbocharged engine. The ARX-04b will compete in the Unlimited class, which features highly-modified cars that can navigate the 156 turns of the 12.42-mile course in under 10 minutes.

Honda renders three-row MPV for Jakarta reveal

In preparation for the Indonesia International Motor Show coming up in September, Honda has released a teaser sketch (click to enlarge) of a new three-row MPV - specifically designed for this region - set to debut at the show. Honda says this yet-to-be-named people mover will be positioned in the entry-level MPV segment, which it says is a crucial part of the Indonesian auto market.
While there is no way to tell the size of the vehicle based off this rendering, it does appear to be far more stylish than the Honda CR-V, although the stepped-down beltline and the pinched shape of the rear quarter window have us thinking that Honda designers have been staring at the BMW i3 a little bit too much. The New Honda MPV will be powered by a 1.5-liter gas engine, and it goes on sale (and production) in Indonesia early next year. Honda has released a short press release for the new model, which is posted below.