2004 Honda Civic Hybird Sedan on 2040-cars

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Petrolicious profiles an 'original fanboy' and his 1987 Honda CRX Si

Christopher Hoffman is a guy I'd like to meet. He's profiled in the latest installment of Petrolicious, titled Original Fanboy, because of his love and dedication to his 1987 Honda CRX Si. And that's something I can relate to.
My personal car is a black 1988 Honda CRX Si. Road & Track executive editor Sam Smith sold it to me in December 2010 with some 93,000 miles on the odometer (and one bum tire!), and though I don't drive it nearly as much as I should, I'm madly in love with my little Honda. I take immense pride in owning this car, despite my recent neglect. As soon as we're done with this Polar Vortex crap here in the midwestern United States, I'm going to pull the CRX out of its wintertime storage and show it the love it deserves.
Like me, Hoffman fully understands the beauty of the CRX. It's not super powerful, or even quick (when it was new, its 0-60 time was just over 9 seconds), but it's extremely light, and comes from an era when Honda was churning out brilliantly simple cars. The steering is incredibly precise, the transmission perfect, and the chassis superb. Nearly 26 years after its birth, I adore every moment behind the wheel of my CRX. And thanks to this Petrolicious special, I know I'm not alone. Scroll down to watch the full episode.

Honda opening first new motherland plant in almost 50 years

Despite opening dozens of overseas plants in the past several decades in locations all over the globe, Honda Motor Co. has not expanded its car manufacturing capabilities in its home market of Japan since opening a facility in Sayama back in 1964.
But all of that is set to change this July when Honda opens the doors to a new assembly plant in Yorii, about two hours north of Tokyo. According to Bloomberg, the new facility has a projected annual capacity of 250,000 vehicles. The plant is part of the automaker's reorganization efforts, plans that include scaling back its older Sayama plant and bringing Yorii online with more efficient and innovative technology. There are additional benefits, too, as the Yorii plant is expected to create 3,800 jobs, both on-site and at its suppliers, and boost the local economy as other businesses ramp up to accommodate the influx of new workers.
While the automaker has not released specifics about which models will be produced at Yorii, Honda is expected to consolidate production of models including the Fit, a best-seller in its domestic market.

Toyota raises Japanese base wages for first time since 2008

Toyota is on track for record profits, and in return, its Japanese workers are receiving their first increase in base wages since 2008, plus higher pay based on seniority and a larger bonus for 2014. The Japanese automaker predicts the average laborer will net a 2.9 percent income gain.
The average Toyota employee will earn 2,700 yen ($26.28) more each month, a 0.8 percent increase from last year. Workers will also receive about 7,300 yen ($71.09) more monthly based on seniority and promotions. Finally, the company's union pushed through a median bonus of 2.44 million yen ($23,768) for 2014, the highest in 6 years.
The pay boost comes as Toyota forecasts a record 1.9-trillion yen ($18.5 billion) profit for the fiscal year ending on March 31, according to Bloomberg. It has been helped by the Japanese government's efforts to weaken the yen on international markets and expand inflation. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been asking businesses to increase compensation to end years of deflation and offset upcoming higher sales taxes. Honda and Nissan have also raised their wages there in recent months.