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Honda says it's 'not lost' in F1, but McLaren is losing patience

MONTREAL (Reuters) - Honda has responded to criticism from Formula One partners McLaren by saying it was going in the right direction despite the team having failed to score a point so far this season. "It is unfortunate I can't convince them we are going in the right direction. But I am confident we are not lost," Honda's Formula One chief Yusuke Hasegawa told motorsport.com at the Canadian Grand Prix. "We still need some more time but we are doing the right thing. We are doing many things to speed up our development but I don't disclose what." Former champions McLaren, the second most successful team in the sport in terms of race wins, are last in the championship and the only outfit yet to score after six races. The British-based team's executive director Zak Brown told Reuters on Wednesday that the Japanese manufacturer seemed "a bit lost" and indicated the partnership was reaching break point. The American's comments were widely reported and provided a major talking-point in the Montreal paddock. "I was not surprised," said Hasegawa of Brown's comments. "It's no wonder he has complained and he is frustrated. I'm frustrated, I'm disappointed, the team is disappointed. This is a very difficult, tough situation." (Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Ed Osmond) Image Credit: Mark Thompson/Getty Motorsports Honda McLaren Racing Vehicles F1

Honda overhauls North American operations with eye towards more autonomy

The increasing sales success of Honda North America (HNA) has led to Honda brass in Japan reorganizing regional operations here. The management shuffling here and in Japan is intended to both streamline and confer more responsibility on HNA "as the region assumes a larger role in shaping Honda's global business," and as Honda builds more facilities that serve several roles in the product development pipeline.
Honda's executive vice president and president of HNA Tetsuo Iwamura was named COO of automotive operations, taking over a position that had been handled by company president Takanobu Ito. Iwamura's new role puts him in charge of anything Honda makes that has four wheels, which Automotive News says equates to 78 percent of the company's global revenue.
The current company CFO, Fumihiko Ike, will fill the now-vacant role of company chairman and Kohei Takeuchi will take his place. Takeuchi is presently the operating officer, general manager of the accounting division. The executive swaps take effect April 1, 2013.

Honda Civic Tourer Concept shows the shape of European things to come [w/video]

Honda will be expanding its European Civic range this year, and our first glimpse at the shape of things to come arrives in the form of this Tourer Concept at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show. According to Honda, this swoopy concept provides a look at the upcoming Civic Tourer production model, which is set to be revealed in Frankfurt this September.
The Tourer Concept very obviously builds on the design groundwork set by the latest Civic hatchback when it first debuted in 2011. That means there are sharp, angular elements found up front and a sloping roofline that rakes down at the rear. Combine that with the large, concept-spec wheels and the funky front lighting elements, and what we have here is a really attractive little wagon - something that will no doubt battle the new Toyota Auris Touring Sports and Volkswagen Golf Variant that are also making their debut here in Switzerland.
It goes without saying, but don't expect to see this Euro Civic show up in the United States anytime soon. After all, we have the "there, I fixed it" 2013 sedan and coupe to keep us happy. Scroll down for all of the wagony details, including a video.