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Mid-engine Honda sports car surfaces in EU patent drawings

Based on new patent drawings, Honda clearly isn't done with sports cars. The design you see above was registered and published by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) and was first reported by AutoGuide. The drawings show a rakish, angular sports car design that is very clearly mid-engine. It could almost pass for a Lamborghini. But the name on the design is Honda Motor Company, and aside from the name, it bares a strikingly similar appearance to a mid-engine design found in a Honda patent two years ago. In fact, the only major difference between this car and the older one (seen below) is the lack of a windshield and top. The shape of the lights and the grille, as well as the front fender vent and character lines running from it, are reminiscent of the S660 kei roadster for Japan. The large, angular intakes look more related to the Acura NSX, though. View 6 Photos Unlike the previous patent renderings of the car, this one has an interior, and the inclusion of it may be why the top and windshield are absent. The interior also leads us to believe that this design is for an upcoming concept. The steering wheel is a small, rectangular piece similar to what you would find in an F1 car or Indy car. The seats also look like thin buckets designed to be as sporty and light as possible. A production version would probably have a bit more cushioning and a round wheel. It does look like there is a pushbutton transmission setup in the center console like current Acuras, though. So what does this mean? Honda is clearly still working on this design, and based on some of the more radical design choices for the interior, we're likely looking at a concept car that will show up in the next couple of years. Whether a concept will lead to a production car is tough to say. There's definitely room in Honda's global sports car roster between the S660 and NSX for something in between, and Honda has reported that it's getting pressure from dealers for sporty cars. The exterior design isn't so extreme it couldn't be tweaked for production, either. There have also been rumors that Honda is preparing a mid-engine hybrid sports car with the Type R's turbocharged four-cylinder. Honda also holds a trademark for the name "ZSX," which fits the naming scheme of the NSX and old RSX, but at least in Europe, Honda has held the trademark since 2009. We'll just have to wait and see what Honda does.

Acura recalling 19.5K cars over automatic braking problem

Acura is recalling 19,502 vehicles to fix a software issue with their Collision Mitigation Braking System on the 2014-2015 MDX and RLX, plus the 2014 RLX Sport Hybrid. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration the technology can falsely interpret things like metal fences and guardrails along the side of the road as obstacles and unexpectedly apply "emergency braking force." Obviously, that would be rather disconcerting while driving. Number of Auto Recalls by Model Year | AxleGeeks According to the detailed documents from NHTSA, the first account of this happening came from Japan in November 2013, and that vehicle was rear-ended when the system suddenly braked. Another incident was identified there in June 2014. However, there have been no reports of this happening in the US. The fix is quite simple, though and just requires a software update for the system. Affected owners will be notified by mail, and the repair will be done at no charge. Related Video: RECALL Subject : Activation of Collision Mitigation Braking System Report Receipt Date: MAY 20, 2015 NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V301000 Component(s): FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE Potential Number of Units Affected: 19,502 All Products Associated with this Recall Vehicle Make Model Model Year(s) ACURA MDX 2014-2015 ACURA RLX 2014-2015 ACURA RLX HYBRID 2014 Details Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) SUMMARY: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Acura MDX 2WD and AWD, RLX and 2014 Acura RLX Hybrid vehicles. In certain driving conditions, the Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS) may incorrectly interpret certain roadside objects such as metal fences or metal guardrails as obstacles and unexpectedly apply the brakes. CONSEQUENCE: If the CMBS unexpectedly applies emergency braking force while driving, there is an increased risk of a crash. REMEDY: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will update the CMBS software, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule. Owners may contact Acura customer service at 1-800-382-2238. Honda's numbers for this recall is JQ4, JQ5 and JQ6. NOTES: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

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 Nürburgring 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.