2011 Honda Pilot Ex-l Sport Utility 4-door 3.5l on 2040-cars

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McLaren, Honda confirm F1 divorce, coupling with new partners

The news broke recently that McLaren F1 and its engine partner Honda would split ways after the 2017 season. Neither party commented the news initially, but there is now a confirmation from both sides. In addition, McLaren confirmed today that they will be using Renault engines for the next three F1 seasons. This will be the first time that a McLaren Renault F1 car will compete. McLaren's Executive Chairman Shaikh Mohammed bin Essa Al Khalifa praised Honda in his statement, while acknowledging that the 2015-2017 joint venture hasn't been successful enough: "Although our partnership has not produced the desired success, that does not diminish the great history our two companies have enjoyed together, nor our continued efforts to achieve success in Formula 1. At this point in time, it is in the best interests of both companies that we pursue our racing ambitions separately." Zak Brown, McLaren's Executive Director echoed that statement, adding that "It is certainly not for the want of effort on the part of either Honda or McLaren," and that the company hopes to see Honda get back to the top. At the moment McLaren has achieved 11 points and ninth place in the standings, with Honda power. Regarding Renault, Brown said, "Today's announcement gives us the stability we need to move ahead with our chassis and technical program for 2018 without any further hesitation." This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. As for Honda, they announced today that an agreement was reached on providing engines for Scuderia Toro Rosso for the 2018 season. As Honda's president Takahiro Hachigo said, "Toro Rosso is an experienced team with a youthful energy and history of nurturing the stars of the future. Everyone at Honda is looking forward to working with Toro Rosso." About McLaren, Hachigo said, "Honda will continue the fight together with McLaren all the way to the end of the 2017 season, and then continue its F1 racing activities in 2018 and beyond." Related Video: News Source: Honda, Formula 1Image Credit: Xavier Bonilla/NurPhoto via Getty Images Motorsports Honda McLaren Renault Racing Vehicles F1 toro rosso renault sport scuderia toro rosso takahiro hachigo

2014 Honda Odyssey first minivan to earn Top Safety Pick+ award [w/video]

You know an automaker is confident about the safety of its vehicles when it asks one of the top crash test agencies to destroy one of its newest models. That's exactly what happened with the 2014 Honda Odyssey. According the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Honda requested that the agency run the updated Odyssey through its full barrage of tests, and for good reason.
Aside from slight styling upgrades and a new optional HondaVac built-in vacuum cleaner, the 2014 Odyssey was also given a more rigid passenger compartment using high-strength steel to help better protect occupants. It obviously worked. Following the crash tests, the 2014 Odyssey became the first minivan to earn a Top Safety Pick+ rating, but, more importantly, it did so with "Good" ratings in all five crash categories (four "Goods" and one "Acceptable" are enough for the TSP+). Impressive.
Scroll down for the crash-test video from the IIHS along with a press release.

180,000 new vehicles are sitting, derailed by lack of transport trains

If you're planning on buying a new car in the next month or so, you might want to pick from what's on the lot, because there could be a long wait for new vehicles from the factory. Locomotives continue to be in short supply in North America, and that's causing major delays for automakers trying to move assembled cars.
According to The Detroit News, there are about 180,000 new vehicles waiting to be transported by rail in North America at the moment. In a normal year, it would be about 69,000. The complications have been industry-wide. Toyota, General Motors, Honda and Ford all reported experiencing some delays, and Chrysler recently had hundreds of minivans sitting on the Detroit waterfront waiting to be shipped out.
The problem is twofold for automakers. First, the fracking boom in the Bakken oil field in the Plains and Canada is monopolizing many locomotives. Second, the long, harsh winter is still causing major delays in freight train travel. The bad weather forced trains to slow down and carry less weight, which caused a backup of goods to transport. The auto companies resorted to moving some vehicles by truck, which was a less efficient but necessary option.