2000 Honda S2000 Convertible 2-door 2.0l Vtec on 2040-cars

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April 2014: The ramping-up-for-summer edition

Americans appear to be gearing up for further increases in US gas prices, as green-car sales last month had their largest year-over-year gains of 2014. Domestic customers bought almost 56,000 hybrids, plug-ins and diesels in April, marking a 2.6 percent increase from April 2013. Plug-in sales were particularly strong, jumping 41 percent from a year earlier, as sales of the Chevrolet Volt extended-range plug-in and Nissan Leaf and Tesla Model S battery-electric vehicles all showed gains. April's big winner among the automakers was Honda, moving 1,442 units of its newer Accord Hybrid And April's big winner among the automakers was...Honda? Yes, Honda, which has long operated in the advanced-powertrain shadow of fellow Japanese automakers Toyota and Nissan, came up big by moving 1,442 units of its newer Accord Hybrid. And while sales of the Civic Hybrid, CR-Z and Insight all fell, the Accord Hybrid drove Honda to boost its green-car sales by 78 percent from a year earlier to 2,839 units. Per usual, Nissan and Tesla also showed year-over-year gains. Nissan boosted Leaf sales by 7.8 percent to 2,088 units. And while Tesla won't release its first-quarter results until May 7, the California-based automaker would've increased Model S sales by 34 percent to 2,300 just by maintaining its fourth-quarter 2013 sales pace. Volkswagen and low-volume advanced-powertrain vehicle makers like Audi, Porsche and Daimler AG's Smart division also fared well in April. VW increased its diesel and Jetta Hybrid sales by 25 percent to 9,583 units. Audi's diesel sales quadrupled to 2,088 units. Smart sold 203 units of its newer Smart ED battery-electric vehicle. Such gains more than offset sales declines from General Motors, Ford and Toyota, though Toyota's April was less painful than previous months. GM's big mild-hybrid sales declines more than offset the 19 percent increase in Chevy Volt sales to 1,548 units and the sales of 491 Chevrolet Cruze Diesel vehicles. All told, GM's green-car sales declined 25 percent to 3,103 units. Fusion Energi Plug-in Hybrid sales doubled and C-Max Energi PHEV sales jumped 28 percent. Ford's green-car sales were down 12 percent to 7,554 vehicles. While Fusion Energi Plug-in Hybrid sales doubled and C-Max Energi PHEV sales jumped 28 percent, Fusion Hybrid sales were little-changed while C-Max Hybrid sales tumbled 50 percent to 1,586 units.

2017 Honda Ridgeline boosts fuel economy by 5 mpg

The 2017 Ridgeline brings Honda back into the pickup segment later this spring, but the automaker has so far kept quiet about many of the new truck's specs. Thanks to the government, we now have fuel-economy ratings for the new model, and they compare well to the competition. Front-drive versions of the new Ridgeline get 19 miles per gallon in the city and 26 mpg highway. If you opt for all-wheel drive, the numbers are a point lower, at 18/25 mpg. That's are a decent upgrade over the last-gen truck, which was only offered with all-wheel drive and had ratings of 15/21 mpg for the 2014 model year. The related Honda Pilot crossover, which was new for 2016, does a touch better, with maximum fuel economy of 20/27 mpg on a front-drive model with the optional nine-speed automatic. Comparing the Ridgeline with the fresh crop of updated midsized pickups, the Honda fares well. For comparable models with a V6 engine, automatic transmission, and four-wheel drive, the Toyota Tacoma is the closest competitor, at 18/23 mpg. The Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon aren't too far behind that at 17/24 mpg. The Honda actually comes pretty close to the ratings of four-cylinder, rear-drive versions of its competitors, beating some on the highway. Honda will exclusively offer the 2017 Ridgeline with a 3.5-liter V6 and a six-speed automatic. The company doesn't yet have powertrain specs, but the same engine makes 280 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque in the Pilot, so expect similar figures for the pickup. An in-bed stereo system is among the truck's innovative features, which should make the Ridgeline a great vehicle for tailgating and outdoor parties, and now we at least know it won't use that much fuel getting there. Related Video:

2014 Honda Civic Coupe

Honda lifted the covers off its refreshed Civic Coupe at SEMA earlier this month, showing off its updated styling and redesigned 18-inch wheels, but didn't unveil its interior or mechanical upgrades until today at the LA Auto Show. Eager to show off its latest arrival, Honda allowed me to check out and drive the new coupe a few weeks ago.
The interior, which was hidden beneath heavily tinted glass at SEMA, features new colors, upgraded seating materials and new technology. The interior themes are now more color coordinated and feature upgraded Tricot soft weave. Black is the standard interior color, with a choice of black or gray seats. A new display audio system is also found on the EX/EX-L trims. The seven-inch capacitive-touch screen, with a matte finish to reduce the annoyance of greasy fingerprint marks, allows users to not only tap once for a function, but to double-tap, slide, flick and pinch - as if they are using a familiar smartphone or tablet. The new infotainment interface not only accepts USB and Bluetooth data exchange, but has also been configured with HDMI for future upgrades. Some of you may have also noticed the exterior mirrors on the SEMA car, as they were fitted with cameras for Honda's blind spot minimizing Lanewatch system. It is now offered on the Civic Coupe for EX trims and above.
Mechanically, the new Civic Coupe rides on an upgraded suspension system that features revised spring rates (front up by four percent, rear up by three percent), a stiffer rear stabilizer (up by 25 percent) and larger 16-inch wheels (wearing 205/55R16 tires). The engineering objective was to improve handling and responsiveness while flattening cornering. According to Honda, the tweaks should give the Civic Coupe better linear steering feel than either the Hyundai Elantra or the Ford Focus.