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Inside Honda's ghost town for testing autonomous cars

On the edge of the San Francisco suburb of Concord, California sits a ghost town. Dilapidated buildings and cracked roads are framed by overgrowth and slightly askew street signs. The decommissioned five acre portion of the Concord Naval Weapons Station that once housed military personnel and their families is now home to squirrels, jack rabbits, wild turkeys and Honda's mysterious testing lab for autonomous vehicles. This former town within a Naval base – now dubbed "GoMentum Station" – is the perfect testing ground for Honda's self-driving cars. An almost turn-key solution to the problem of finding somewhere to experiment with autonomous vehicle inside an urban area. Thanks to the GoMentum Station, the automaker has access to 20 miles of various road types, intersections and infrastructure exactly like those found in the real world. Just, you know, without all the people getting in the way. While the faded lane markers and cracked asphalt might initially make it difficult for the car to figure out what's going on around it, that's exactly what you want when training a self-driving system. Many roads in the real world are also in dire need of upkeep. Just because autonomous vehicles are hitting the streets doesn't mean the funding needed to fix all the potholes and faded lane markers will magically appear. The real world doesn't work that way and the robot cars that will eventually make our commutes less of a headache will need to be aware of that. Plus, it's tougher to train a car to drive downtown than to barrel down the highway at 80 miles per hour. A company is going to want to get as much practice as possible. While semi-autonomous driving on the everyone-going-the-same-way-at-a-constant-speed freeway is already a reality, navigating in an urban environment is far more complex. If you've driven on the streets of Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Chicago or Seattle you know that driving downtown takes far more concentration than cruising down the interstate. With all that in mind, Honda's tricked out Acura RLX did a good job during an (admittedly very controlled) hands-free demo. It didn't hit either of the pedestrians walking across its path. It stopped at stop signs and even maneuvered around a mannequin situated in the middle of the road. The reality is, watching a car drive around the block and safely avoid stuff is boring. Not to metion, Google has been doing this for a while in the real world.

Chevy Bolt EV, Chrysler Pacifica, Honda Ridgeline take 2017 NACTOY prizes

Every year the 2017 North American International Auto Show kicks off with the North American Car of the Year Awards. We say "awards" after all those mentions of our home continent because it's not just cars. This year, in fact, the awards spread out to three separate honors: Car, Truck, and Utility. And without further ado, here are the winners. The 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV is the Car of the Year, the Honda Ridgeline is the Truck of the Year, and the Chrysler Pacifica is the Utility of the Year. Honda's win is perhaps the biggest surprise, upsetting favorite the Ford F Super Duty for the win. The second-generation Ridgeline rides on a unibody platform and is offered in front- or all-wheel-drive, which is unconventional for a pickup. But the layout also offers a cargo bed with an in-floor trunk and solid fuel economy figures of 19 city, 26 highway in its most-efficient form. The Chevy Bolt EV, however, was probably the easiest winner to predict. Its 238-mile range and sub-$30,000 starting price after tax credits make it a breakthrough in the landscape of electric vehicles. With the Chrysler Pacifica available in a plug-in hybrid form, this year's award illustrates the industry's shift towards efficiency and electrification. And with Ford's recent announcement on future EVs, it might not be long will it be until we see a hybrid truck on the award stage as well.Related Video:

Honda to reveal new Civic Coupe in LA

Honda will reveal 2016 Civic Coupe next week at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The company isn't saying much, but promises the two-door will "showcase even sportier lines" than the sedan that launches this week. The coupe will also feature the same engines as the four-door model, which is powered by either a 2.0-liter inline-four or a 1.5-liter turbo. These will just be the tip of the iceberg in what Honda promises will be "the most diverse and innovative lineup in Civic's 43-year history." Additional variants to follow, including a five-door hatchback, a warmed-up Si model, and a smokin' hot Type R version that will be the first of its kind to be offered in the US. The first sedans will begin arriving at dealers this month, with the coupes to follow in the new year. For now, the 2016 Honda Civic Coupe will be showcased alongside the new Clarity FCV that debuted in Tokyo last month and will be marking its North American debut in LA. Honda to Debut 2016 Civic Coupe and Next-Gen Clarity Fuel Cell at 2015 Los Angeles Auto Show Nov 10, 2015 - TORRANCE, Calif. - World debut of all-new 2016 Civic Coupe elevates sporty styling and dynamic performance on 10th-generation Honda Civic platform - 2016 Civic Coupe marks next step of ambitious cadence in new Civic lineup - Clarity Fuel Cell vehicle makes North American debut in advance of U.S. launch in 2016 Honda will reveal details on two exciting new expressions of its Clean, Safe, Fun brand values at the 2015 Los Angeles Auto Show with the world debut of the all-new 2016 Civic Coupe, the second in a line of new 10th-generation Civic models that will be launching over the next 18 months, and the North American debut of the all-new Honda Clarity Fuel Cell sedan, providing an early look at Honda's next-generation approach to low-carbon mobility, scheduled to launch in the U.S. next year. 2016 Honda Civic Coupe Built on the same athletic Civic platform that underpins the highly anticipated 2016 Civic Sedan that goes on-sale at Honda dealerships nationwide on November 12, the 2016 Civic Coupe will showcase even sportier lines, with an intimate, high-tech interior and engaging powertrain options to continue Honda's focus on launching the sportiest and most expansive Civic lineup in brand history.