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Honda goes big for bikes: Concept CB, Super Cub [w/video]

Unlike similar many major automobile shows around the world, the Tokyo includes a significant number of motorcycles in addition to the new, four-wheeled vehicles on display. Showing its standing as a major player in the two-wheeled world, Honda has quite of slate of intriguing concept bikes at the show this year. With its futuristic, razor-sharp styling, the Neowing concept wouldn't look too out of place in a sci-fi anime. However, the bike's layout lets it lean into turns, while still offering riders three-wheeled stability. Power comes from a flat-four engine with hybrid assistance. Honda also takes its little Grom 50 motorcycle and adds some dirt bike aesthetics. The Scrambler Concept-One does that with vintage-inspired details like the pads on the tank and holes in the muffler guard. Meanwhile, the Scrambler Concept-Two goes for a more modern look and some military-inspired green paint. For another retro look, the company also imagines two new versions of the classic Cub. The EV-Cub Concept replaces the engine with an electric motor for short-distance commuting. Alternatively, the blue Super Cub Concept sticks with gasoline for fuel but tries to get the best economy possible for longer rides. Finally, the CB Concept updates the already classically inspired CB1100. Up front, the headlight now uses an LED, and the air-cooled inline-four gets a new, two-chamber exhaust to replace the current three-chamber design. As the photos above show, the chrome trim really makes the bike pop on stage. Check out the videos below for a closer look at the Grom 50 and Cub concepts. Honda Announces Overview of Exhibit for the 44th Tokyo Motor Show 2015 - Exhibiting Original Honda Mobility Products Under the Concept of "The Power of Dreams" - TOKYO, Japan, September 30, 2015 - Honda Motor Co., Ltd. today announced its lineup of production and concept-model automobiles and motorcycles as well as other highlights for its exhibit at the 44th Tokyo Motor Show 2015, which will take place at Tokyo Big Sight. (Press days: October 28-29, 2015, Public days: October 30 - November 8, 2015). Using its global brand slogan - The Power of Dreams - as the booth concept, Honda will exhibit a broad range of items including innovative mobility products that are useful in people's daily lives as well as a lineup of mobility products topped by racing machines that pursue excellence in driving performance.

Made in America | These cars top the most-American list

The car with the most American/Canadian content for 2022 is ... cue the drumroll ... the Lincoln Corsair, in both standard gasoline-fueled and plug-in hybrid guise. Both versions of Lincoln's compact luxury crossover earned a score of 86 — due to 72% of its parts coming from one of the two aforementioned countries — in the American University Kogod Business School's annual "Made in America Auto Index." Last year's leader, the 2021 Ford Mustang GT (when equipped with a manual transmission) fell all the way to 22nd place with a 50% rating due to a switch in transmissions sourced from Mexico. In case you're interested, that puts Ford's red-blooded American ponycar below vehicles like the Kia Sorento, Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class SUV and Lexus ES. If you're wondering how an American car that's assembled within the borders of the United States could rank below a model from a Korean, German or Japanese automaker, well, we'll let Kogod explain: "The components of the index are based on research performed by the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor Michigan regarding the economic value of different components of auto manufacturing. For example, the highest ranked cars are made by U.S.-based manufacturers using American engines and transmissions, and with a high AALA percentage of U.S. and Canadian parts." There are 25 total vehicles listed in the Top 10 (there are lots of ties this year). Here's the full list: (1) Lincoln Corsair: 86 (1) Lincoln Corsair PHEV: 86 (2) Tesla Model 3 Long Range: 82.5 (3) Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray: 81 (4) Chevrolet Colorado: 80.5 (5) Jeep Cherokee Latitude 4x4: 80 (5) Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk: 80 (5) Tesla Model 3 Performance: 80 (5) Tesla Model Y: 80 (6) Dodge Durango Citadel: 79.5 (6) Dodge Durango Blacktop AWD: 79.5 (7) Honda Passport Trailsport: 78.5 (8) Ford F-150 2.7L, 3.3L, 5.0L: 77.5 (8) Ford Ranger: 77.5 (8) Ford Bronco automatic: 77.5 (8) Tesla Model S: 77.5 (8) Tesla Model X: 77.5 (9) Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 3.6L: 77 (9) Jeep Grand Cherokee L LTD: 77 (9) Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland 3.6L: 77 (9) Chevrolet Camaro automatic: 77 (10) Honda Odyssey: 76 (10) Honda Ridgeline: 76 (10) Honda Pilot: 76 There's a whole long list of reasons for the above scores, with seven criteria that include factory location, headquarters location and where its various bits and pieces come from.

United States drivers buying fewer Mexican-made cars

Crossovers and pickup trucks are not only growing in market share, they're also more profitable than cars. A crossover on the same platform as a sedan retails for thousands more, despite similar components. It's one of the reasons we've seen automakers rapidly shifting production of their sedans and hatchbacks to Mexico, where cheap labor preserves the thin profit margins on these inexpensive vehicles. But as the market continues to shift in the United States, Mexico is getting burned by its lack of product diversity. The country's auto exports, which are heavy on cars, suffered a 16-percent drop last month, Automotive News reports. In total, year-over-year exports fell from 233,515 to 197,020 last month, while year-to-date exports are down by 7.4 percent, from 922,029 to 854,118. The number one culprit? America – which usually accounts for 75 percent of Mexico's exports – and its appetite for crossovers and pickup trucks bolstered by cheap gas prices. While Mexico does build some light truck models – AN specifically calls out the Ram 2500, Honda HR-V, GMC Sierra, and Toyota Tacoma as export leaders – the vast majority of vehicles rolling out of its factories are sedans and hatchbacks. In fact, the three biggest drops in Mexican exports came from companies whose south of the border factories only build cars – Ford (Fusion/Lincoln MKZ and Fiesta), Mazda (Mazda3), and Volkswagen (Golf and Jetta). Mexican Automotive Industry Association President Eduardo Solis told AN the export shortfall will likely be sorted out sooner rather than later, thanks to a pair of new factories – a Kia car factory and an Audi SUV plant – that are coming online by year's end. The two facilities will add around 100,000 vehicles to the country's export totals, which Solis said should leave the industry on the verge of breaking another export record in 2016. But how sustainable will these record-breaking years be? Slapping an "Hecho en Mexico" sticker on a new German SUV won't be enough to change the fact that Mexico's product mix is tilted too heavily towards body styles that are not growing in volume. Mexico's record-breaking export years probably aren't at an end, but we'd argue they're certainly under threat. News Source: Automotive News - sub. req.Image Credit: Omar Torres / AFP / Getty Images Plants/Manufacturing Ford GMC Honda Mazda RAM Volkswagen Truck Crossover SUV Mexico