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Honda tunes HR-V, shows Baja Pilot pre-runner at SEMA

Honda has a lot more at the SEMA Show than just it's tough looking, Baja-prepped Ridgeline, but the automaker isn't really saying a whole lot about them. Even though the company has a massive gallery of photos showing off these aftermarket creations, Honda has kept details about their mods quite sparse. While the Ridgeline Baja Race Truck guns for the checkered flag, the Pilot Baja Chase Vehicle is going along for the ride in case any assistance is necessary. The crossover wears a similar Honda Racing livery as its turbocharged sibling, and the company outfits the machine with an LED bar, bumper guards, and off-road tires to get through the desert. Honda also wants buyers to know that there's tuning potential from their new HR-V. To show what's possible from the little crossover, tuners like Bisimoto Engineering, MAD Industries, Tjin Edition and Fox Marketing have some wild creations on display. The weirdest of the bunch definitely is the bizarre pink example above. The little CUV tries to look tough with a wide-body kit, new front bumper, big side sills, and a lowered suspension over metallic gold wheels. Other takes on the model make it ready for the track or to haul Honda's Grom motorcycle. Finally, the 2016 Pilot Elite Concept "Black Edition" wears production and concept components from Honda Genuine Accessories. Darkened parts for the wheels, grille, and trim give the crossover a handsome, monochromatic aesthetic. You can check out the whole SEMA cavalcade in the gallery above. Vehicles on Display in the Honda Booth at the 2015 SEMA Show Nov 3, 2015 - LAS VEGAS In additional to the Ridgeline Baja Race Truck announced today, Honda also showcased accessorized and customized versions of multiple new Honda models, including: Pilot Baja Chase Vehicle – a specially tuned 2016 Honda Pilot, in desert racing livery, which will operate as a support vehicle in Honda's SCORE Baja 1000 campaign. Pioneer 1000 – Honda's newest and most powerful side-by-side offering, also in custom desert raving livery, will accompany the Pilot Baja Chase Vehicle on the Baja peninsula to assist in the racing effort. 2016 Honda CR-Z hybrid sports coupe – making its North American debut and boasting new styling, upgraded equipment and features and a new EX-L Navi trim. 2016 Honda HR-V -- four custom-designed HR-Vs from top U.S.

Recharge Wrap-up: BYD unveils 60-ft electric bus, Honda sticking with hybrids in Europe

BYD has debuted a 60-foot electric bus at the American Public Transportation Association Expo in Houston, TX. The Lancaster bus, as it is called, has a 120-passenger capacity and can drive over 170 miles on a single charge. The articulated bus features low floors and no steps, thanks to in-wheel hub motors. BYD also displayed a 40-foot electric bus that drove the 1,500 miles to the show under its own power (recharging along the way, of course). Read more in the press release below. Honda says it will continue to sell hybrids in Europe, despite the fact that it has stopped selling the CR-Z and Insight due to slow sales. "Our focus at the moment is on our 1.6-liter diesel but we haven't forgotten about hybrid technology," says Honda Europe's Philip Ross. Honda will sell the next-generation Fit (badged as the Jazz) in Europe when it launches next summer, and will sell the next-gen hybrid version beginning in 2016. Honda sold 4,500 of the Jazz hybrid in Europe last year. Read more at Automotive News. XL Hybrids is selling its XL3 Hybrid Electric Drive System in California. The news comes after the California Air Resources Board issued an executive order allowing the aftermarket hybrid conversion for 2012-2014 Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana vans. The XL3 Hybrid regenerative braking conversion increases real-world mpg by about 25 percent. Read more in the press release below. NRG eVgo has finished installing 60 charging stations at the Sony Pictures Entertainment studio lot and offices in Culver City, California. The Level 2 chargers, which will be managed by NRG eVgo, allow employees to charge their EVs during the workday. An average of 90 EVs and PHEVs park at the studio headquarters every day, thanks in part to Sony Pictures' Alternative Vehicles Incentive program for its employees. Learn more in the press release below. Pennsylvania's Public Utility Commission will allow operators of EV charging stations to set prices based on kilowatt hour usage. This change ensures that drivers pay for the actual energy they use, rather than the time they spend charging, since different cars can charge at different speeds. Car Charging Group has already begun using the per-kWh fee structure at its charging stations throughout the state. Other states that allow kWh pricing are California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Virginia and Washington. Read more in the press release below.

New death linked to Takata airbag crisis, Honda recalls 170k vehicles overseas

The safety crisis surrounding Takata's exploding airbags continues to expand. In the latest revelation, Honda confirms another death linked to the faulty parts, and the company is expanding its recall of the components. However, none of the newly added vehicles are in the United States.
With the confirmation of this report, there are now five deaths linked to the faulty airbags. According to The New York Times, a pregnant woman in Malaysia was killed on July 27 in a 2003 Honda City when she crashed into another vehicle, and the inflator ruptured. This was the first announced case outside of the US.
The faulty part in the woman's car was reportedly made at a now-closed Takata factory in Georgia, according to the NYT, and it's the first known example from that location. In response, Honda recalled about 170,000 vehicles in Europe and Asia to replace the potentially bad inflators. The latest campaign brings the total number of recalled vehicles worldwide to around 14.3 million units.