2007 Honda Civic Ex on 2040-cars

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Consumer Reports' first motorcycle reliability report finds Japanese brands ahead

Consumer Reports has released its first ever study of motorcycle reliability, and students of its ratings on cars might notice a suspicious similarity - Japanese brands require fewer repairs than the leading American or German brands.
The study analyzed the reliability of 4,680 bikes owned by CR subscribers and found that Yamaha had the best ratings, with just one in ten bikes built between 2009 and 2012 requiring a repair over a four-year period. The makers of the R1 and R6 sport bikes were closely followed by Kawasaki and Honda, while one out of every four of the rumbling bikes from Harley-Davidson experienced an issue. BMW had the worst rating of the brands represented, with one in three bikes having problems.
According to CR, neither Suzuki nor Triumph owners provided enough information for a reliable rating. Based on the responses received, though, Suzuki would have finished with the other Japanese brands and Triumph, being English, would have been one of the less reliable makes.

Honda patents show technology that could give you X-ray vision

A pair of patent applications from Honda appear to show technology that will bring us one step closer to augmented-reality driving. The patents involve head-up displays (HUDs) and technology that can show people and vehicles that would otherwise be obscured. It'd be like being Superman behind the wheel. The first of the patents is for pedestrian detection. Many vehicles have a version of pedestrian detection that will alert a driver of a possible collision and automatically brake. This system from Honda would go a step further. Rather than just intervening when someone steps in front of the car, the proposed system would be able to detect multiple pedestrians and display their locations on an augmented reality HUD. It would also be able to locate pedestrians that are out of the driver's field of view, whether obscured by blind spots or something else. With this system, drivers would have information that would allow them to actively avoid a situation before the car has to intervene. The second patent adds vehicle-to-vehicle communications for keeping track of cars in traffic. In the patent, Honda explains how the system would work with a line of three cars. Provided the cars were connected with a V2V system, the lead car would communicate with the middle car to calculate the distance between them. Then, the middle car would relay that information to the last car, which would display an icon representing the lead vehicle with its position and status on the augmented reality HUD. This would allow the driver to effectively see through the middle car to know where the lead car is and what it's doing. The system would also be able to keep track of when the lead car starts braking, giving the driver advance notice and more time to react to a sudden slowdown or stop. This isn't the first time Honda has looked into advanced pedestrian technology or short-range communications. A few years ago, the company experimented with a system that would allow a car to communicate with pedestrians' cell phones to see their position, even when the sensors couldn't. The detection technology described in the first patent appears to rely only on sensors. Honda also experimented with V2V communication on motorcycles, so it's possible that project laid some groundwork for the augmented reality system in the second patent.

Honda Civic Type R on track to smash 'Ring record, eclipse NSX

Honda has made some serious performance machinery over the course of its history, but few products have been as hotly anticipated as the upcoming new Civic Type R. Following a deep and proud history of Type R Hondas, the latest Japanese hot hatch is continuing its long striptease at the Paris Motor Show this week. But before it does, Honda has released this video clip featuring project leader Suehiro Hasshi - and he has some bold claims to make.
For one, he says it'll be the best Type R yet - and that's quite a statement considering some of its predecessors, including the almighty NSX Type R. Hasshi-san also reiterates Honda's aim of snatching the front-drive lap record at the Nürburgring away from the likes of Renault and Seat, and reports that the Honda team is on track to chew every bit it's biting off. In short, the new Civic Type R ought to be sensational.