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British automakers take costly precautions as Brexit 'no deal' fears grow

LONDON — Carmakers in Britain have triggered some Brexit contingency plans, such as certifying models in the EU, and are working on redrawing production schedules and stockpiling more parts to defend against any loss of unfettered trade after Brexit. The moves are aimed at ensuring plants, which rely on the just-in-time delivery of tens of thousands of components, can keep operating after Brexit on March 29, but will add costs and bureaucracy which could risk their long-term viability. London and Brussels hope to agree a deal by the end of the year to avoid tariffs and trade barriers, but Prime Minister Theresa May's proposals have been criticized by both Brexiteers, who want a cleaner break from the bloc, and the European Union. McLaren Automotive is looking at having its cars certified by both a British and an EU agency to smooth sales. It is also planning to stockpile critical components and change shipments into the EU around Brexit if there is disruption. "I will sell a little more in January and February and plan to pick the volume up in May and give us a leaner period through the change point," Chief Executive Mike Flewitt told Reuters. BMW, which said last week it would move the annual summer-time shutdown of its British Mini plant next year to April, is looking for lorry parking areas and warehousing on both sides of the channel and is seeking to sign contracts to lease certain locations, a spokesman said. It is also investing in IT systems to handle any new red tape as carmakers estimate tens of thousands of new documents could be needed if tariffs and customs are imposed. The German carmaker's Brexit plans are costing millions of pounds, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters. But Honda, which builds 10 percent of Britain's 1.67 million cars at its Swindon plant in southern England, is not in the market to buy "huge amounts of warehousing space," its Europe boss Ian Howells told Reuters. "It's been a very precise calculation or estimation of what components need to be brought in," he said, adding the firm could also alter its output to sell more into the EU at the start of next year. Waste of money? Many British carmakers have also asked suppliers to look into how they would handle delays at ports, executives told Reuters, as thousands of parts, engines and finished models move between Britain and the continent every day.

Honda Civic Type-R caught out in the cold

The Honda Civic Type R already has an award winning ad campaign, and the concept keeps showing up at auto shows around the world. What the model doesn't possess yet are firm production specs, and as these latest spy shots show, Honda is still doing cold weather testing in Sweden on its future hot hatch. The striking thing about this test car is just how similar it is to an earlier version wearing no camouflage at all. Both sport a toned down body kit compared to the concepts. The obfuscation makes the exact lines on this latest prototype hard to spot, but the two models appear practically identical. Although, at the rear, the taillights might now be slightly reshaped, compared to earlier. As of the 2014 Paris Motor Show, the Civic Type R was scheduled for a 2015 release in Europe. In concept form, it sported a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder making 276 horsepower and routed power to the front wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox. Adaptive dampers and a system called "steer axis" to reduce torque steer were promised to get the grunt to the ground effectively. The company even had a goal of making the new hatch the world's fastest front-wheel drive vehicle around the Nurburgring Nordschleife, too. Rumor has it, this potent mill might even cross the Atlantic for a Honda product in the US. Until then, check out the gallery to see the latest shots of what the Type R has in store for Europe at some point in 2015.

2017 Honda Civic rolls into dealerships Monday starting at $20,535

Honda announced pricing for the British-built Civic hatchback today as well as availability. Starting this Monday, you'll be able to walk into a Honda dealership and pick up a hatch for as low as $20,535. For that price, you can take home a base-level Civic LX with the 1.5-liter, turbocharged engine and a 6-speed manual transmission to channel the 174 horsepower and 167 lb-ft of torque to the pavement. Stepping up to the Sport trim adds a dual-outlet center-mounted exhaust and brings the power total to 180 and torque up to 177. The price also jumps to $22,135. Adding the CVT to either trim adds an extra $800 and, although horsepower ratings remain unchanged, the torque output drops down to 162 on both models. The highest Civic hatchback trims are the EX, EX-L with navigation and Sport Touring, and they are all only available with a CVT. The EX and EX-L trims start at $23,635 and $26,135 respectively, and bring niceties including heated seats and dual-zone climate control. The new Sport Touring trim tops the range and takes everything the EX-L and normal Sport trims have and adds red illuminated instruments, and a 540-watt 12-speaker sound system. Unlike the other trims, the Sport Touring model will not be available until later this year and pricing hasn't been announced yet. Compared with other hatchbacks in the compact car segment, the Civic hatch has a slightly higher starting price. Most of the competition starts at just under $20,000. However, the Civic does effectively top the charts for horsepower. The only car that beats it is the Mazda3 hatchback with the 2.5-liter engine, which produces 184 horsepower. However, you'll have to spend at least $26,280 to get that version of the 3. The next closest model is the VW Golf with 170 horsepower and a starting price of $20,715, and the rest of the competition produces 160 horsepower or less. So if you're looking for some pep on a budget, the Civic looks like a solid choice, and if it drives like the sedan and coupe, it looks even better. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2017 Honda Civic hatchback Image Credit: Honda Honda Hatchback Economy Cars pricing honda civic hatchback compact cars civic hatchback