1996 Honda Civic Ex on 2040-cars

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NHTSA opens safety investigations into Toyota, GM and Honda crossovers

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is evidently keeping itself very busy these days, as the federal agency has just announced it is launching or renewing investigations into Toyota, Honda and General Motors crossovers.
2006-2008 model year Toyota RAV4 crossovers are under review for allegations of rear tie-rod rust which can result in failure. NHTSA also said it is probing some 35 complaints about 2005 Honda Pilot models with inappropriate activation of the vehicles' stability control system. The alleged malfunction can cause the vehicles to slow down or stop in bad unsafe situations. At the moment, NHTSA is reviewing a petition regarding the Pilot issue, a move that will determine whether it needs to open a full-blown investigation.
In addition, Saturn Outlook and GMC Acadia three-row crossovers built in 2007-2009 are getting looked at for "loss of low beam headlamp" function. One complainant said the wiring in his Outlook overheated and melted. NHTSA says it has received 415 complaints about the problem and a GM spokesman confirmed that the automaker already started a "Customer Satisfaction Program" in December to address the issue.

1991 Acura NSX Luggage Test: Will a Motocompacto fit in the trunk?

I know I know, the wait has been killing you. From the second the Honda Motocompacto electric scooter/suitcase was introduced, you've desperately been begging the universe to answer the following question: "Will the Honda Motocompacto fit in the trunk of a 1991 Acura NSX?" Believe me, the suspense was killing me, too. Well, rest assured, your answer is finally here.  I stumbled upon old friend Tyson Hugie and his predictably pristine 1991 Acura NSX at Radwood Socal two weekends ago. While chatting about my/his old Acura TSX finding a new home with a collector in North Carolina, a gentleman on a Honda Motocompacto whizzed by and finally pulled up to a stop among the small group of people gathered around the NSX and an Integra Type R. We initially thought it had been brought by the Honda PR rep who was attending Radwood (he did in fact have one in his trunk, an Acura 2.3 CL), but it actually belonged to the person riding it. Patrick Vidal had only just got his Motocompacto the previous Monday, but had already put it to work as his last-mile transport. He says it fits behind his seat in his Toyota MR2 Spyder, as if this story couldn't get more rad. As I stood there with Tyson and Patrick chatting about life with Honda's latest creation, I started staring at the back end of Honda's finest creation. Then I looked back at the Motocompacto ... and back again at the NSX.  "Um, do you think that would fit in the NSX's trunk?" I asked, turning to Tyson. "Oh, that's happening," he quickly replied. We asked Patrick if he'd be game, and no shocker, he was. Tyson cleared out the trunk and Patrick started the process of transforming the Motocompacto from a scooter into luggage.  The transformation is certainly not a seamless process. There's lots of steps, and Patrick said that he's still getting the hang of remembering all the bits and pieces. Again, though, he'd only had the thing for five days.  Initially, I doubted the Motocompacto would fit, but as it got smaller and NSX trunk got emptier, I got a lot more confident. "OK, let's do this," said Mr. Luggage Test, rubbing his hands together.  Officially, the 1991 Acura NSX was listed as having 5 cubic-feet of trunk volume. That's actually the same as my 1998 BMW Z3's trunk, but when you're talking about such a small amount, the shape of the space really matters and in this case, the NSX trunk is basically a big rectangular cavity with a protrusion from the engine bay.  OK, let's get to the bags.

Honda working on mid-engine sports car?

The NSX and new Civic Type R might not be the end of Honda's performance push. Patent images obtained by Autovisie in the Netherlands show the Japanese brand's possible design for another mid-engine sports car with what looks to be a removable top. According to Autovisie, the patent was registered on May 27 and was just released. However, nothing else official is known about the vehicle at this time. We can think of several possibilities as to what this might be. Honda is reportedly already working on the design for a future NSX convertible, although these images show significant changes to the overall shape compared to the coupe, which makes this possibility dubious. The automaker is also considering a performance model to slot below its halo car in the future, but without any scale, the size is hard to judge here. The S660 coming to North America is rumored as well, and maybe these shots are a redesign. Of course, the company's designers might just be toying around and patenting the shape for something else. This design definitely has a familial resemblance with the NSX and S660, and it looks great. Let us know in Comments what you think the vehicle might be.