2016 Honda Pilot Elite on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Is the Acura Legend coming back?

Great news for fans of the Acura Legend: Honda has applied for a trademark in Europe for the word "Legend," pertaining to "Vehicles; Apparatus for locomotion by land; Apparatus for locomotion by air; Apparatus for locomotion by water; Parts and fittings for land vehicles; Parts and fittings for air and space vehicles; Parts and fittings for water vehicles." This trademark was first spotted by AutoGuide.com, and gives more credence to our speculation from a couple months ago about the possibility of the Legend nameplate returning to the Acura lineup in the States. If you were reading closely before, you'll notice that it was actually Honda that applied for the trademark, not Acura. The Legend was sold with a Honda badge on it in Europe back in the day, so this trademark filing in Europe makes perfect sense. In our previous report, we put forth the idea that Acura could bring the Legend name back with a successor to the RLX flagship sedan. Specifically, we were thinking that Acura would use the four-door coupe form previewed by the Acura Precision concept. That story also suggested a new Legend flagship could debut during Monterey Car Week. The 1986 Legend sedan was one of Acura's first two vehicles when the brand launched (the other being the Integra). It had a smooth 2.5-liter V6 that made all of 151 horsepower at the time. A sweet-looking coupe soon followed the sedan. The name Legend would be applied to a second-generation, which is arguably the one best-remembered. The coupe in particular has lived up to its name. Much of that legendary status, though, is the result of what followed: the Legend name and coupe body style dying for 1996 in favor of the RL, a four-door sedan as bland as its name. Acura's flagship has never recovered. We'll be quite pleased if Acura ultimately decides to reveal a totally new Legend to blow us away in Monterey. The return to actual names for the lineup would also be lovely. It's certainly working for Lincoln. Now if they'd only trademark "Integra" ...

Takata, Honda sued in Florida over death of pregnant Malaysian women

The Takata recall debacle keeps spiraling as the father of a pregnant woman killed in Malaysia allegedly due to the malfunctioning airbag has filed suit against both the equipment manufacturer and Honda in a court in Florida. The case reportedly revolves around one Law Suk Leh, 42, who was driving her 2003 Honda City on Borneo Island in Malaysia this past July. She was driving at about 20 miles per hour when her car was struck by another. Her airbag deployed with inordinate force, metal shrapnel sliced her neck and she died in the ambulance en route to the local hospital. The baby she was carrying was delivered after the mother's death, but died three days later. Now her father, Law Ngee Chiong, is suing the airbag manufacturer and the automaker on behalf of the estates of his late daughter and granddaughter in a US federal court in Miami. The suit was reportedly filed in the United States because the faulty inflator is made in LaGrange, GA. US District Judge Federico Moreno is currently evaluating about two dozen such personal-injury and death cases, including the one in question, for pretrial rulings and evidence-gathering. Leh's case is one of six deaths blamed on the defective Takata airbags, which have caused automakers and government regulators to recall an estimated 24 million vehicles around the world.

2012 Honda NC700X

Honda Builds The Crossover Of Bikes
Here in the land of Harleys and highways that stretch to infinity, Americans don't care much for sensible motorcycles. Unlike the majority of global bike buyers, North Americans tend to choose escape over utility, performance over practicality - that's simply how it's been done in the land of the free, at least until a funny thing happened on the way to the global recession.
As bank balances thinned and fuel prices crept skyward, sales of puffed up sportbikes and cartoonishly endowed cruisers plummeted. Americans rediscovered that motorcycles could be used for tasks like workaday commutes and trips to the grocery store, not just for riding into a Marlboro Man-approved sunset, fringe in tow. As consumers matured, manufacturers slowly responded with bikes better suited for purposeful priorities.