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Honda HR-V could spawn Acura variant

We've been saying it for months now, but the compact CUV is the next big thing. Everyone, and we mean everyone, is at least considering getting in on the action, if they aren't already actively designing or selling, and that's true whether they're a premium or mainstream automaker. That, of course, includes Acura, whose parent company, Honda, has a compact CUV of its own coming to market very, very soon. With the arrival of the Fit-based HR-V, that begs the question of whether the near-premium marque will join this burgeoning segment. The idea of building a car below the company's entry level CUV, the RDX, is an appealing one to Honda Executive Vice President John Mendel, who called it "potentially the only place you could go," and would occupy the "white space" the company is looking to fill. While we might chuckle about the idea of a luxurious, Fit-based CUV, it's fair to say it could do well for Acura. It could certainly provide a foil to the very hot selling Buick Encore, and may even capture some sales from the luxuriously outfitted Jeep Renegade Limited/Fiat 500X Lounge. It remains to be seen, though, if Acura could build an HR-V capable of tangling with the new entries from Lexus, Audi and Mercedes-Benz.

Honda and Acura expand CPO offerings to include 10-year-old cars

With valuations having gone ballistic, buyers are spending more than ever to purchase used cars at the same time cars with 100,000 miles or more are now considered just mildly used. Effectively, the market is full of folks splashing what was new-car money not long ago on a vehicle that would have been considered all used up. Nevertheless, used car sales, especially manufacturer Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) programs, are booming. Anything that can help a shopper with peace-of-mind about what they're getting would be a boon to the process, which is why Honda and Acura have revamped their CPO program to include a wider range of used cars.  At the bottom, the new HondaTrue Used tier now accepts vehicles up to ten years old, with no mileage limit. This wasn't the case before. The entire vehicle is covered for 100 days or 5,000 miles after purchase, whichever comes first. Used buyers at this tier also benefit from common CPO perks such as roadside assistance, trip interruption reimbursement (if your new-to-you used car breaks down far from home), and one complimentary oil change within the first year or 12,000 miles. As with the other two tiers, this one offers an exchange policy for another Honda CPO vehicle within three days or 300 miles. Above that, HondaTrue Certified accepts Hondas up to five years old. The entire vehicle is covered for one year or 12,000 miles after the original new vehicle warranty expires, and the powertrain-only warranty runs for seven years from the vehicle’s model year or 100,000 miles on the odometer. This one offers a second free oil change within the first year as well. HondaTrue Certified+ is only for vehicles purchased within their new vehicle warranty coverage period — so, under four years old and with less than 48,000 miles. It provides the same powertrain coverage as HondaTrue. Acura says its CPO division has posted five straight years of growth and had a record-breaking 2021, allowing it to take over Audi's spot at #4 for luxury CPO sales. Its Acura Precision CPO now offers an Acura Precision Used tier for its vehicles up to ten years old, with no limit on miles. After purchase, each Acura Precision Used vehicle gets complete and powertrain coverages for up to six months or 7,500 miles.

Recharge Wrap-up: Tesla is for Mistresses; Yo, free Smart ED rides!

Smart used the Yo app to give free test rides to San Franciscans last week. Yo is a free app wherein users tap a username to send a notification that simply says "Yo" to the recipient. Signs at locations in the Mission and SoMa neighborhoods gave instructions to send a Yo to SmartUSA for a free ride anywhere in the city. Three of the eight Smart vehicles used for the promotion were the Smart Fortwo Electric Drive. The event allowed people to see how well suited the cars are to the city, particularly when it comes to San Francisco's parking problems. It also saved users the fare of an Uber or Lyft hire. Read more at TechCrunch. Zipcar has added the 2014 Honda Fit EV to its UC Davis fleet near Sacramento, California. The cars will go to the school's West Village, a planned zero net energy community, which plans to generate as much energy as it uses within a year. "Innovations like solar power to help generate the electricity needed to charge the EV," says Dan Sperling, founding director of the school's Institute of Transportation Studies, "and fully zero emission car sharing moves us aggressively toward a sustainable future." The addition of the Fit EVs will also give cash-strapped students access to affordable emissions-free driving. Read more in the press release, below. California is one step closer to adding 15,000 new green HOV stickers after a bill was approved by the state Senate. Now the bill must go up before the California State Assembly for approval before it can be signed by Governor Jerry Brown. The bill will raise the total number of the green HOV stickers for plug-in hybrids to 70,000. Raising the cap on the green decals, which allow owners use of the carpool lanes, could encourage more California drivers to buy a PHEV. Read more at Inside EVs. The Tesla Model S made a star appearance on the ABC television show Mistresses. In the episode "Choices," the character Joss receives the car as a gift from her fiance, but is not all too happy about it, seeing it as putting her in a position of dependency. "I could never in a million years afford that Tesla," Joss complains to her friend. "How am I ever supposed to get mad at him when he can hold a Tesla over my head?" The luxury EV makes an on-screen appearance in the episode complete with an interior shot of the car's touchscreen display. See a clip from the episode below or read more at Green Car Reports. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences.