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Honda sending two NSX racers and new EV concept to Pikes Peak

Honda is always good for a few interesting Pikes Peak entries. In 2015, Acura supplied a 2017 NSX prototype for pace-car duty. This time around, two NSXes will compete alongside a reconfigured version of the company's four-motor electric racecar. Those aren't the 2016 entries above. The one on the right is last year's pace car and the one on the left is a first-gen NSX that did the hillclimb the past few years. The 2016 cars haven't been unveiled yet, but we know that one will be in the Time Attack 2 Production class, which is mostly stock with the addition of items like a roll cage, and the other will be in Time Attack 1. TA 1 allows modifications to the powertrain, additional aero aids, suspension changes, and other tweaks, so expect to see a lot more power and a big wing on the back. The cars will be driven by James and Nick Robinson, brothers who work for Honda R&D in Ohio. Honda will use a version of the four-motor electric powertrain from its 2015 CR-Z Exhibition class entry in a new EV. (We got to drive a non-race tune of this setup in Japan last year.) The 2016 version, which will wear a different body, moves to the Electric - Electric Modified class of last year's frontrunners. We're told this car is aiming for an overall win at the 2016 race; the CR-Z took 11th place overall in 2015. The EV will again be driven by Tetsuya Yamano, a Japanese Super GT driver. Oh, and there will of course be a factory entry or two from Honda's Powersports division. Honda engineer Keith Steidl will ride a 2015 TRX1000 ATV in the Pikes Peak Challenge - Exhibition Powersport class. In the past, Honda has fielded plenty of other neat stuff in the Race to the Clouds. In 2012, it ran an NSX fitted with a twin-turbo V6 from an LMP2 car, and the 2013 race saw the very practical 532-horsepower turbocharged Odyssey minivan join the Exhibition class. The 2016 race marks the Pikes Peak hillclimb's 100th anniversary (but not the 101st running since competition took some breaks back in wartime). We're looking forward to June already. Related Video: Image Credit: Honda Green Motorsports Acura Honda Electric Hybrid Racing Vehicles pikes peak exclusive

Honda profit targets tumble in wake of Takata scandal

Takata's massive airbag inflator recall will likely do some damage to Honda's bottom line this year, according to the Japanese automaker's latest forecasts. The company will allocate 50 billion yen ($425 million) to fulfill costs related to the safety campaigns, Reuters indicates. The decision will reduce estimated operating profit by about 6.5 percent to 720 billion yen ($6.1 billion US) for the fiscal year ending March 31. In addition to lower profits, Honda also cut back its sales estimate for the year to 4.45 million vehicles from the previous 4.62 million, according to Reuters. This was largely due to lower-than-expected demand in Japan. "We are not seeing a big impact on sales in North America from the airbag issue," company vice president Tetsuo Iwamura (pictured above) told Reuters. The decreased forecasts come at the same time as the possibility of another death in a Honda vehicle from the Takata parts. According to Automotive News, a man in Florida died in a crash in his 2002 Accord, but investigators have not yet determined whether the inflator was the cause. However, the vehicle was included in a 2011 recall for the part and was not repaired. The family intends to file a lawsuit alleging the inflator ruptured, spraying metal shrapnel into the driver's neck. Reportedly, the owner was never notified of the recall. While the Takata inflator recall is affecting many companies with alleged links to at least five deaths and 139 injuries worldwide, Honda has it among the worst. Including vehicles covered under the previous regional repair campaign for the issue, the automaker needs to repair roughly 5.4 million vehicles just in the US. Honda has taken action by employing suppliers other than Takata to supply some of its replacement parts for the recall. The business is also reportedly switching airbag suppliers for the next-gen Accord and possibly the 2016 CR-V and Odyssey.

2016 Honda Pilot earns IIHS Top Safety Pick+ score

The 2016 Honda Pilot earned a Top Safety Pick+ rating after tests by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The crossover scored the agency's top Good score in all five evaluations, including the often tricky small-overlap frontal crash. The latest results give the 2016 Pilot the highest possible results from both NCAP and IIHS. In the small-overlap frontal crash, there were only four inches of intrusion in the passenger compartment, and the airbags did their job of protecting the dummy's head. Sensors showed a low risk of significant injuries. In comparison, the IIHS gave the 2015 Pilot Good scores in four tests, but the CUV had a Poor rating, the agency's lowest, in the small-overlap test. The optional Honda Sensing suite of safety functions put the Pilot over the top for the + score, and the tech earned a superior rating from the IIHS. The system combines a windshield-mounted camera and radar behind the grille and is available on the EX trim and above. It includes collision mitigating braking, a forward collision warning, lane keeping assist, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, and road departure mitigation. Related Video: All-new 2016 Honda Pilot Earns a 2015 TOP SAFETY PICK+ Rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Aug 21, 2015 - TORRANCE, Calif. 2016 Pilot offers the most comprehensive set of advanced safety and driver-assistive technologies ever available on a Honda vehicle Available Honda Sensing™ suite of advanced safety and driver-assistive technologies combines camera and radar systems to help detect vehicles, pedestrians and roadway markings Honda's aims to reduce collisions, injuries and fatalities involving its vehicles, using Honda Sensing™ technology The fully redesigned 2016 Honda Pilot (automobiles.honda.com/pilot/) has received a 2015 TOP SAFETY PICK+ rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) when equipped with optional front crash prevention, bringing Honda one step closer to fulfilling the company's goal to be the first three-row mainstream SUV with the highest available U.S. government (NCAP) and IIHS safety ratings. This IIHS distinction includes a top rating of GOOD in five IIHS crash test modes including a top score of GOOD in the Insurance Institute's stringent small overlap frontal crash test.