2007 Used 1.5l I4 16v Automatic Fwd Hatchback on 2040-cars

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Honda and Michael Bolton wish you happy holidays, social-style

There's nothing like landing a big celebrity for a high-profile advertising campaign to say to the world "Our brand has still got it!" Dodge, for instance, has been getting huge publicity by landing Will Ferrell as Ron Burgundy, to pitch its entire lineup on TV and on YouTube. Honda meanwhile, has reeled in the biggest fish in the 1990s Soft Pop category, the ineffable Michael Bolton. (We're assuming that Kenny G was booked.) We don't see how this can backfire, Honda.
In an effort to promote its annual holiday-season sales event, Honda has tapped the multitalented Bolton - he sings, acts and stares longingly at you from across the room - to dangle himself as a prize for ardent social media users. That's right, for the next few days (November 18 to 22), people that use the hashtag #XOXOBolton on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or Vine, will be entered to win one-of-a-kind "musical greeting cards" from the now very blond crooner.
Not enough Bolton for you? Don't worry, Honda's got Michael booked for six TV commercials to air throughout the holiday season, too. Scroll down to get lost in Bolton's luxuriant eyes watch the promotional video from Honda.

2015 Honda Civic Type R to sire next-gen CR-Z?

Salt shakers at the ready, boys and girls. There's a rumor out of Australia claiming the next Honda CR-Z will be based on the forthcoming 276-horsepower, turbocharged Civic Type R. Apparently Honda's research and development bigwigs have been unnerved by the reception of the Scion FR-S/Subaru BRZ twins and are eager to return fire.
Now, don't get too excited - Honda isn't following the Volkswagen model of offering virtually unchanged mechanicals in a different bodyshell (Beetle Turbo and GTI, for example). Instead, the report says the future CR-Z will retain its hybrid powertrain, albeit with a serious kick in the pants. A prototype is said to already be zipping around Japan with a turbocharged, direct-injected, 1.5-liter, four-cylinder engine and the current CR-Z's electric motor and battery pack. With a reported 221 horsepower mated up to a seven-speed, dual-clutch transmission (say buh-bye to the CVT and six-speed manual) and the next-gen Civic platform underneath, the rumored CR-Z has all the makings of a hot hatch riot.
Of course, this all sounds wonderful. This is also the point where you should be enjoying that salt. We really like the idea of a properly hot CR-Z that can compete with John Cooper Works Mini models and the new Ford Fiesta ST, but the three-door hybrid has been such a slow seller for Honda in the US that it might not field a second generation here, no matter how improved it might be. Let us know what you think of an amped-up CR-Z in the comments. Is it a good idea, or is this one Honda model that's just too far gone?

Are you the 2014 Honda Fit?

Despite being the oldest model in North America's subcompact sweepstakes, the current Honda Fit remains a paragon in its segment, offering unparalleled packaging, good road manners and robust reliability. In fact, even with far more modern competitors like the Chevrolet Sonic, Ford Fiesta, Hyundai Accent and Nissan Versa Note on the scene, it may well still be the best of the bunch.
All of which explains why we're so nervous about the next-generation model, shown in these apparently leaked stock shots scanned from an in-country magazine (no, that rear end really isn't that wonky, it's the page curl distorting the image).
Will the next Fit retain the current car's incredible seating flexibility? Will it still offer a sweet-shifting manual transmission and a four-cylinder seemingly happy to bounce off its rev limiter all the livelong day? We won't know until we try it, but if these shots are representative of what we can expect in North America, it certainly will look very different. While the same two-box shape with roughly the same greenhouse remains, the front end looks much more aggressive than before, with squinty-eyed headlamps blending into a Civic-like grille, all sitting over a lower fascia with unusually oversized air intakes. The profile view is dominated by the front quarterlight and a new sharply rising character line that originates in the front fenders and terminates in the headlamps.