1995 Honda Civic Ex Coupe 2-door 1.6l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Honda Civic Coupe to join 2016 Red Bull Global Rallycross season

Red Bull Global Rallycross is about to get another competitor. Honda has announced that it will campaign the 2016 GRC season with its new Civic Coupe, and rather than just put out a press release, it's gone ahead and given us a look at the two-door's racing livery. Ford, Chevrolet, Volkswagen, and Subaru – be prepared. Based loosely on the production Civic Coupe, Olsbergs MSE and Honda Performance Division put in the wrench time to turn the ho-hum standard road car into a 600-horsepower, all-wheel-drive monster that can hit 60 in a hypercar-humiliating 1.9 seconds. And like all GRC cars, it will have no trouble managing some serious jumps. Piloting this hilariously potent coupe will be Sebastian Eriksson and 2014 series champion Joni Wiman. Wiman is Finnish, so his GRX championship should come as no shock. We have to say, compared to the GRX cars found in Europe, this Civic looks remarkably tame. We'd have no issue visualizing the body tweaks on this racer on a production Civic Type R. Then again, we're comparing it with the last big-time GRX entry we heard about – Ken Block's Ford Focus RS, which is running in FIA rallycross. According to Honda, OMSE and HPD will have the Civic Coupe GRX car ready for the season opener on May 21 and 22 at Phoenix's Wild Horse Pace Motorsports Park. View 4 Photos Related Video: Honda Debuts 2016 Civic Coupe Racing Livery to Compete in 2016 Red Bull Global Rallycross Series Will campaign the all-new Civic Coupe in partnership with Red Bull and Olsbergs MSE Mar 22, 2016 - NEW YORK Today Honda unveiled the new racing livery for its Civic Red Bull Global Rallycross racecar, announcing plans to campaign the all-new turbocharged 2016 Civic Coupe in the 2016 series in partnership with Red Bull and championship-winning race team Olsbergs MSE. The Honda Civic Red Bull GRC team will begin racing on May 21 in Phoenix at the first event of the season. Developed from a production-model 2016 Civic Coupe chassis by renowned builders and racers Olsbergs MSE (OMSE) with technical assistance from Honda Performance Development (HPD), the all-new Civic Red Bull GRC car is built to withstand the rigorous demands of racing in a series that emphasizes repeated aggressive acceleration and varied terrain. The car will boast more than 600 horsepower, turn in a 0-60 mph time of 1.9 seconds and is designed to handle the 70 foot table-top jumps featured on each racetrack.

Recharge Wrap-up: BYD e6 taxi in Canoas, BMW wins award for second life battery project

BMW has won a 2015 Energy Storage North America (ESNA) Innovation Award for its second life battery project. The BMW i ChargeForward project takes batteries that have been retired from automotive duty, and puts them to work as stationary energy storage for a solar energy system. It also integrates BMW EVs into the grid, and uses software to manage charging based on grid load. "The goal of the BMW i ChargeForward project is to show how electric vehicles with smart charging capability and stationary second life applications of EV batteries can provide valuable flexibility that would make it possible for utilities to maximize the effectiveness of the existing electricity grid, which we expect to ultimately lower total cost of EV ownership for consumers," says BMW Advanced Technology Engineer of Sustainable Mobility, Dr. Simon Ellgas. Read more from BMW. Honda will add 120 EV chargers at the campus of its Torrance, California headquarters. Honda is also adding a DC fast charger adjacent to the campus that is accessible to the public. "Making workplace charging ubiquitous and accessible is the cornerstone of an effective public charging strategy that supports the maximum number of vehicles," says Honda's Environmental Business Development Office VP, Steven Center. "This expansion will make commuting in an EV a convenient option for the vast majority of Honda associates in Torrance, including those without access to charging at their homes or apartment buildings." Read more from Honda. The city of Canoas, Brazil has begun testing the BYD e6 electric taxi. The city will evaluate the EV taxi over a period of 60 days. "This may translate into vital savings for our survival," says Sergio Oliveira, President of the Taxi Driver Union in Canoas. "With today's high fuel prices, our operation is becoming unfeasible. This car's cost-benefit seems to be worth it. Now we need to get to know the car better by trying it out in the street, but so far we're quite pleased with what we've seen." The test of the electric taxi is part of a larger effort to electrify transport in Canoas. Read more in the press release below. Another Brazilian City Embraces a BYD Electrified Public Transportation Solution In a bid to offer its citizens a more economical and sustainable alternative in public transportation, the Brazilian city of Canoas has recently started testing the BYD e6 BEV as taxi.

Honda rolls out production S660 roadster in Japan

Honda doesn't do convertibles often, but when it does, they tend to be pretty small. No Cascadas or Continentals here; just nimble little two-seat roadsters like the S2000, del Sol and the legendary Beat. That's the line into which it tapped with the reveal of the S660 concept at the Tokyo Motor Show late in 2013, and now it's rolling it out in dealerships across Japan. Picking up where the Pininfarina-designed Beat left off in 1996, the S660 is heir to a proud tradition of Japanese roadsters like the Suzuki Cappuccino and Daihatsu Copen – two-seat convertibles designed to Japan's Kei car specifications and even smaller than the Mazda MX-5 Miata or Toyota MR2 Spyder. The new S660 joins Honda's minicar lineup alongside the N Series and adopts the same 660cc inline-three, but spins it around to mount it amidships and adds a turbocharger. It's got a roll-up canvas roof and a two-tone cabin that gives driver and passenger seats of different shades. 45/55 front-rear weight distribution promises to keep it fun but friendly, with brake-based torque vectoring to keep it all under control - all wrapped in a package that has barely changed any on the road to production. The Japanese automaker has still yet to reveal full specifications, including overall dimensions, output and performance. But while it won't be outperforming the Civic Type R or new NSX anytime soon, the combination of turbo power and compact dimensions promise to deliver what we can only imagine will be a fun ride. And imagine is what we'll just have to do, because for the time being, Honda will only offer the S660 in its home market. There buyers will be able to choose between a six-speed manual or continuously variable transmission, two trim levels, six paint colors and even a Concept Edition that adopts a similar color scheme as the show car. The manufacturer expects to move 800 of these little roadsters every month, but no more than 660 examples of the special edition. Related Video: Honda to Begin Sales of All-New S660 Open-top Sports-type Mini-vehicle TOKYO, Japan, March 30, 2015 - Honda Motor Co., Ltd. will begin sales of the all-new Honda S660, a 2-seater open-top sports car, on April 2, 2015, at dealerships across Japan. In addition, on the same day Honda will begin sales, in a limited quantity, of the S660 CONCEPT EDITION, a special model that commemorates the market launch of the S660. Only 660 units of this special edition will be sold in Japan.