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Judge allows class-action lawsuits against Honda, automakers

Millions of plaintiffs in 2014 brought a class-action lawsuit in against Takata and Honda, and the airbag manufacturer and carmaker petitioned to have the case thrown out. A US District Judge in Miami ruled against the companies on December 3, allowing the case to proceed. The case in question, Craig Dunn et al vs. Takata Corporation et al, is thought to be the first class action filed in the ongoing airbag imbroglio. Other cases have been filed, but on behalf of individuals. Takata and Honda are named defendants in the case, but the 453-page suit is also aimed at BMW, Ford, Mazda, Nissan, and Subaru. The plaintiffs claim violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act specifically by Takata and Honda, alleging that those two companies conspired to hide information about airbag inflators that could rupture and spray shrapnel around a car's cockpit. Honda said Takata hid information from it and ceased doing business with the airbag company, while a recent Wall Street Journal review of documents indicated that Takata changed testing information to suppress actual results from Honda. The class-action suit charges violations of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, too. Meanwhile, Takata has strengthened its legal team with the addition of Lanny Breuer, a partner at Covington & Burling LLP. Breuer was a US assistant attorney general from 2009 to 2013, heading the criminal division. Honda has been dealing with individual cases out of court, with litigation in cases of five out of six US deaths settled for undisclosed sums.

Honda UK closes pre-order books on NSX, opens for Civic Type R

Most of us would probably deliberate pretty carefully before buying a new car – do a little research, read the reviews, take it for a test drive, compare it to the competition. But that's not everyone. Some buyers will order a new car sight unseen. Some will even place their order – for a performance model especially – before the production model is even revealed. And those buyers in the UK have been flocking to Honda for not one, but two upcoming new products. Even before the reveal of the finished car, Honda's British office has taken over 100 orders for the upcoming new NSX just from within the UK. The orders have been coming in so fast, in fact, that Honda has had to stop taking them for the time being. But don't worry, British enthusiasts: the Japanese automaker has just opened the order books for another yet-to-be-revealed performance model. That, of course, would be the new Civic Type R – a promising new hot hatch that Honda has showcased repeatedly in concept form, but has yet to reveal in production guise. That'll happen sometime in the new year, ahead of the start of production slated to take place at Honda UK's own plant in Swindon, England. But before it does, the company's dealers have started taking GBP3,000 ($4,700) deposits on the hot hatch we drove in prototype form but which does not, we're sad to say, look likely to be offered in North America. DEMAND FOR HONDA HOTS UP! TYPE-R ORDER BOOK IS OPEN Honda is pleased to announce that the Civic Type R is on the starting blocks and gearing up for its much awaited 2015 launch. Due to unprecedented demand, customers wanting to be one of the first behind the Type R steering wheel can now place an order with a GBP3,000 deposit at their local Honda dealer. The all-new hot hatch – due in UK showrooms next year – will be the most extreme and high-performing Type R in the 22 year history of the red 'H' badge, signalling the start of a new performance era for the brand. The all-new Civic Type R has been developed and engineered for European drivers. The car will be built at Honda's state-of-the-art plant in Swindon, UK, arriving in dealerships during 2015. The new Type R will mark the debut of the new '+R' button, for example. Located to the side of the steering wheel, a press activates '+R' mode for the most exhilarating driving experience. Engine responsiveness is heightened, with torque-mapping changed to a more aggressive and performance-focused setting.

Do you guys like trucks?

Do you guys like trucks? If the answer is yes, boy do we have the show for you! The 2018 North American International Auto Show is lousy with 'em. Yeah, we saw the new Ram 1500, Chevy Silverado and Ford Ranger, but that's just scratching the surface. There are big trucks, little trucks, clean trucks, dirty trucks, old trucks, new trucks, red trucks, blue trucks. It's like a Dr. Seuss book. Anyway, we made a little video for you truck nuts (see what I did there?). Check it out above, and if you're looking for more serious coverage of the Detroit Auto Show, we've got it, along with a ton of images and other videos from the show floor. Enjoy! Related Video: Humor Detroit Auto Show Chevrolet Ford GMC Honda Lincoln Nissan RAM Toyota Truck Videos Original Video 2018 detroit auto show