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Honda to power new Formula Lites open-wheel racing series

Open-wheel racing is almost always incredibly exciting to watch, whether it's the constant passing of the Indy 500 on an oval or the technological tour-de-force from Formula 1. However, both of those disciplines are essentially impossible for a normal person to enter. Of course, there are already cheaper, more amateur-friendly open-wheel competitions, like Formula Vee. A new SCCA Pro Racing series called Formula Lites aims to be a step in the ladder between those, offering a development opportunity to young drivers who want to be professionals.
The series already has some impressive backers. One of the biggest needs is now filled, as Honda has signed on as the engine supplier. All of the cars in Formula Lites will use the company's K24 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine. The automaker didn't specify power output for the competition engine, but in production models the K24 has made in the neighborhood of 190-200 horsepower in many applications. That should make the racers plenty potent.
All of the cars are using the new carbon fiber FL15 chassis from Crawford Composites, and Pirelli is the series' tire supplier. The organizers' goal for the cars is to keep racing costs down, while offering a reliable platform. Formula Lites plans to start racing with a few events later in 2014, and the full calendar begins in 2015. Scroll down to read the full announcement about Honda's involvement.

Honda is first Japanese carmaker to be a net-exporter from US

Over the last decade or so, many foreign automakers have challenged the idea of what defines an "American car," but Honda took things a step further last year by exporting more cars out of the US than it imported in. Reuters is reporting that in 2013, a total of 108,705 Honda and Acura models were exported from the US with only 88,357 being shipped in. This gives Honda a net exporter status here, and makes it the first of such among the major Japanese automakers.
Honda's US imports have been dropping over the last five years while its exports have been steadily increasing. In 2008, the report indicates that Honda shipped 187,000 vehicles to the US and exported only 20,000, and even by 2012 Honda still favored imports with 136,000 imports and 74,000 exports. The article says that US-made Honda and Acura vehicles were exported to 50 countries with most ending up in Mexico, but the big news is that the Honda's US production set a record in 2013 with 1.3 million units built.

2016 Honda Civic pricing leaks, starts at $18,680 [UPDATE]

UPDATE: Alright, we made a mistake. Turns out this "leak" was actually just a mockup done by a CivicX forum member, and we totally went along with it. Sorry, folks. You'll have to wait a little longer for your hot Civic pricing news. The tenth-generation Honda Civic ranks among the most anticipated new models on the way this year, especially after seeing the concept for the design at the New York Auto Show. Now, we might be getting an idea of what the compact actually offers from two leaked spec sheets. According to info posted on 10th Civic Forum, the 2016 Civic Sedan LX starts at $18,680, which is just $190 more than the same trim for the 2015 model. For that, buyers reportedly get standard features like LED running lights, LED taillights and a five-inch touchscreen infotainment system. The SE (Sport) trim upgrades the suspension for $19,995. The EX includes full LED headlights for $21,200, and the EX-L adds leather upholstery for $22,885. A separate sheet purportedly details the coupe, which comes standard with the sport suspension. The base price is the same as the sedan. The EX starts at $20,145, and the EX-L is $22,870. Oddly, both of these sheets only mention the CVT, rather than the previously announced six-speed manual, but they do detail two engines. There's a 2.0-liter four-cylinder with 165 horsepower and 145 pound-feet that can reportedly get to 60 miles per hour in 7.9 seconds. Fuel economy is listed here as 40 mpg highway, 34 mpg city, and 35.5 mpg combined. There's also the 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, and this document suggests that it has 167 hp and 191 lb-ft and can get to 60 in 7.6 seconds. Mileage is shown as 41 mpg highway, 35 mpg city, and 37.5 mpg combined. Both mills are pretty good upgrades over the 143 hp and 129 lb-ft from the current 1.8-liter four-cylinder in the Civic. As leaked documents, we can't be entirely sure how valid any of these numbers are, so take them with a grain of salt for now. In any case, the 10th-gen Civic is supposed to hit dealers this fall, and you can read the full specs in the gallery below.