2001 Honda S2000 on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Honda trademarks ZSX, could be for baby NSX

While there have been many rumors dating back to 2008 about a mid-engined sports car from Honda, last year's report was provided the most detail about what seemed to be a scaled-down version of the NSX hybrid supercar. Honda may have added some fuel to the rumor-fire by recently filing a trademark application for "ZSX," reports Australia's Performance Drive. The trademark application was sent to the European Union Intellectual Property Office late last month and is obviously close to the NSX nomenclature. The Australian outlet also reports that an unnamed source within Honda claims the ZSX, whatever it may be, could be revealed as early as next year. The anonymous employee also claims that the ZSX will be offered as a coupe and a hard-top convertible variant, with both being powered by the automaker's 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine from the Honda Civic Type R. Just like the NSX, the ZSX is rumored to get electric motors on the front and rear axles. Previous reports match the unnamed source's claims, as the ZSX was expected to be a replacement for the Honda S2000 that ended production in 2009. It now sounds like it'll be more of a mini-NSX, with rumors pointing towards one electric motor powering the rear wheels, while two motors would be on the front axle. Patents from last year, which are pictured above, match the rumors of a mid-engined sports car. The ZSX trademark is for Europe only as of right now, while the automaker's previous patents and trademarks included the US, as well. Only time will tell if "ZSX" really stands for a sports car, or if Honda actually goes through with its plans. Remember, Nissan ditched similar plans for a small rear-wheel-drive sports car recently. Related Video: Featured Gallery Honda ZSX Patent News Source: EUIPO, Performance DriveImage Credit: autovisie Green Acura Honda Coupe Hybrid Performance trademark rumor honda nsx

2015 Acura NSX burns to the ground at the 'Ring [w/video]

Assuming all goes to plan, automakers test their vehicles to the breaking point in the months and years leading up to that vehicle's actual release into the public. Which is good, because it's much better for a car to break in glorious fashion in the hands of the company that produces it than in the driveway of an owner who just spent their hard-earned cash to get it. Such was the case with this production-guise Acura NSX prototype that we saw running around the Nurburgring just the other day. We can't be 100-percent certain, but the burned-out carcass is wearing the same number plate as the car that was spotted earlier, so it's likely the very same NSX. We have no idea what was the cause of the blaze that turned this Acura into the car-b-q you see pictured above, but our spy shooters on the ground in Germany say it was not involved in any collision, having caught on fire all on its own with engineers behind the wheel. The good news is that nobody was hurt, though the car is quite clearly a complete loss. We're sure there's another ready to to test in the burned car's place... just as soon as the engineers at Honda figure out exactly what went wrong. Have a look at the smoldering aftermath up above, and feel free to scroll down below to see a video of the car in much better circumstances.

2017 Honda Accord Hybrid comes with $300 price hike

The 2017 Honda Accord Hybrid went on sale at US dealerships today with an MSRP of $29,605, or $300 more than the 2016 model. Among other new bells and whistles, the sedan, which is available in three trims, includes features such as front and rear parking sensors, remote engine start, heated rear seats, and rain sensing wipers, not to mention the "elegantly contoured" aluminum hood. Honda Sensing driver-assist features are now part of the standard equipment package, while the EX-L version includes touchscreen interface with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability. Honda revealed details about the model in April, saying at the time that it had a combined fuel-economy rating of 48 miles per gallon. Honda notes that rating can't be compared to the 2016 model-year's fuel economy because of "new more stringent ratings requirements enacted by the US EPA," though has estimated that, apples to apples, the fuel-economy of the 2017 version is up about four percent. That, even though the car's horsepower is also increased about eight percent to 212. The new price tag means the Accord Hybrid will start about $1,600 higher than the Toyota Camry Hybrid. That model kept its pricing at $27,625 for the 2017 model year. Regardless, Honda is hoping to goose its hybrid sales with the updated model. Honda and its Acura division's hybrid sales through May plunged 79 percent from a year earlier to 1,975 units. Last year, Honda sold 11,063 Accord Hybrids, down 21 percent from a year earlier. By comparison, Toyota sold 30,640 Camry Hybrid's last year, marking a 22 percent drop from 2014. Meantime, take a look at Honda's press release below. Related Video: Honda Launches 2017 Accord Hybrid: America's Most Sophisticated, Powerful and Fuel Efficient Midsize Hybrid Sedan Jun 15, 2016 - TORRANCE, Calif. Next-generation two-motor hybrid powertrain with class-leading 212 horsepower and top-in-class EPA fuel economy ratings of 49/47/48 mpg1 Dynamic new styling and advanced features including standard Honda Sensing™ technology, plus available Display Audio with Apple CarPlay™ and Android Auto™ America's best-selling midsize sedan bolsters its resume for 2016 with the arrival of the restyled and reengineered 2017 Accord Hybrid, America's most powerful and fuel-efficient midsize hybrid sedan, launching today at Honda dealerships nationwide.