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Fire up your 3D printer! Honda releases data for several of its past concepts [w/video]

Futurists have been treating 3D printing like it is the second coming of the Industrial Revolution for years. Everyone will have a 3D printer in their garage and be able make practically anything at home before you know it, right? Well... not quite.
While we can imagine a piece of trim breaking on our car and being able to download the file to print a new one at home, the reality is that 3D printing is still in its earliest stages as a consumer device. Still, Honda is capitalizing on the technology by allowing people to make models of its concept cars at home.
The Honda 3D Design Archive currently consists of five models based on the Fuya-Jo, FSR, Kiwami, Puyo, and NSX concepts. The printer files can be downloaded from the web and carry Creative Commons 4.0 licenses, which allow them to be freely shared. Honda promises that more files will be added to the archive soon.

Honda audit says Takata manipulated airbag inflator data

Takata is already feeling the pressure of being tied up in the automotive industry's largest recall ever, which affects millions of vehicles worldwide, but an ongoing audit by Honda recently revealed that engineers manipulated airbag inflator test results. According to a report by Reuters, the audit found widespread manipulation of test results, but showed no safety risks for vehicles that were not involved in the recall. The audit, which Honda claims started last October, examined Takata-made airbag inflators and was led by former IIHS president Brian O'Neil. According to Automotive News, O'Neil found that Takata engineers had removed test results to make airbag inflator performance more favorable. In an interview with Automotive News, O'Neil stated that the audit results indicated that engineers selectively edited results to make the reports, which were given to Honda, shorter and prettier from the supplier's standpoint. So far, the automaker has received preliminary information from the first phase of the audit, with Honda and US regulators getting a full report later this week. There's no word on how much Takata will have to pay to fix the faulty airbag inflators, but some automakers have decided to drop the supplier for another source. The New York Times also reports that Takata CEO Shigehisa Takada would be stepping down after the company becomes stable. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. News Source: Automotive News-sub.req., Reuters, The New York TimesImage Credit: Yoshikazu Tsuno/AFP/Getty Government/Legal Recalls Honda Safety Takata airbag recall

Lewis Hamilton has Vettel in crosshairs at Canadian Grand Prix

MONTREAL - The Canadian Grand Prix has been a happy hunting ground for Lewis Hamilton, and he will look to bag a sixth career win on the island circuit on Sunday to refuel his hopes of another Formula One drivers title. With 14 races remaining on the calendar, it is far from do-or-die for Hamilton, but the pressure is mounting on the Briton and Mercedes with arch rival Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari threatening to widen the gap at the top of the championship standings. Only Michael Schumacher has won the Canadian Grand Prix more times (seven), and Hamilton intends to close the gap further in Montreal as the race marks its 50th anniversary. Hamilton needs to do so, at the scene of his first ever Formula One victory a decade ago, to reel in Vettel after the German led a Ferrari one-two in Monaco and powered 25 points clear. "Montreal has been a great hunting ground for me in the past, and I plan for it to continue," the triple world champion told reporters. With five wins and five poles from previous visits to Quebec, Hamilton would normally be the favorite, but champions Mercedes are no longer the dominant team. "The Ferrari seems to work everywhere. The next 14 races are going to be very, very difficult," he said after struggling to seventh place in Monaco. "They have had arguably the strongest car all year. They look like our car which just worked everywhere last year." The race will also mark the return of twice world champion Fernando Alonso to the Formula One grid after the Spaniard skipped the Monaco Grand Prix last month to chase IndyCar glory at Indianapolis 500. Alonso turned in an impressive performance at the famed Brickyard, qualifying fifth fastest and running at the front but late in the race suffered a familiar fate with his Honda engine giving up. Little has changed at struggling McLaren during Alonso's brief sabbatical with the team still hampered by an uncompetitive Honda engine. There is plenty of reason to party around the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve this week with the city celebrating its 375th anniversary, Canada its 150th birthday and the Canadian Grand Prix its 50th. Williams driver Lance Stroll will be hoping to contribute to the party atmosphere. For the first time since the days of 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve, the Canadian Grand Prix will have some true home interest with teenager Stroll on the starting grid for Williams.