1999 Honda Passport Ex Sport 3.2l on 2040-cars

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Honda UK closes pre-order books on NSX, opens for Civic Type R

Most of us would probably deliberate pretty carefully before buying a new car – do a little research, read the reviews, take it for a test drive, compare it to the competition. But that's not everyone. Some buyers will order a new car sight unseen. Some will even place their order – for a performance model especially – before the production model is even revealed. And those buyers in the UK have been flocking to Honda for not one, but two upcoming new products. Even before the reveal of the finished car, Honda's British office has taken over 100 orders for the upcoming new NSX just from within the UK. The orders have been coming in so fast, in fact, that Honda has had to stop taking them for the time being. But don't worry, British enthusiasts: the Japanese automaker has just opened the order books for another yet-to-be-revealed performance model. That, of course, would be the new Civic Type R – a promising new hot hatch that Honda has showcased repeatedly in concept form, but has yet to reveal in production guise. That'll happen sometime in the new year, ahead of the start of production slated to take place at Honda UK's own plant in Swindon, England. But before it does, the company's dealers have started taking GBP3,000 ($4,700) deposits on the hot hatch we drove in prototype form but which does not, we're sad to say, look likely to be offered in North America. DEMAND FOR HONDA HOTS UP! TYPE-R ORDER BOOK IS OPEN Honda is pleased to announce that the Civic Type R is on the starting blocks and gearing up for its much awaited 2015 launch. Due to unprecedented demand, customers wanting to be one of the first behind the Type R steering wheel can now place an order with a GBP3,000 deposit at their local Honda dealer. The all-new hot hatch – due in UK showrooms next year – will be the most extreme and high-performing Type R in the 22 year history of the red 'H' badge, signalling the start of a new performance era for the brand. The all-new Civic Type R has been developed and engineered for European drivers. The car will be built at Honda's state-of-the-art plant in Swindon, UK, arriving in dealerships during 2015. The new Type R will mark the debut of the new '+R' button, for example. Located to the side of the steering wheel, a press activates '+R' mode for the most exhilarating driving experience. Engine responsiveness is heightened, with torque-mapping changed to a more aggressive and performance-focused setting.

Next Honda Ridgeline to eschew weird visuals, go mainstream?

Last year, Honda gave us the first furtive glance at the next-generation Ridgeline with a shadowy photo of it in profile (above), and it promised that the pickup would "come to market in less than two years." That would have put the truck on track for a 2015 debut, but the automaker hasn't said anything more officially about the new model since then.
A new report from USA Today might shed some new light on the mysterious model. It claims that the next Ridgeline has more conventional pickup styling than the original model in a bid to conquest some buyers. You can get that feeling from the sketch, which appears to showing something far more traditional than the unorthodox original Ridgeline, whose odd tapering bedsides terminated in a double-hinged tailgate.
USA Today goes on to claim that the new Ridgeline will go on sale around late 2015 or early 2016. That's a bit later than expected, but fits with an earlier rumor.

Honda invests $215M in Ohio Earth Dreams production

Honda has announced a $215 million investment in a pair of its Ohio operations, taking its total tally for North American operations up to $2.7 billion in three years. The announcement was made at the 2013 Center For Automotive Research Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City.
$180 million of the investment is earmarked for Honda's Anna, OH engine plant. The money will allow the facility to increase its aluminum die casting and increase production of Honda's Earth Dreams Technology engines. Think of Earth Dreams as sort of like Mazda's Skyactiv line, only ED is limited to a new line of engines, rather than a full suite of automotive components. Anna will also be getting a new technical center to train engineers, techs, and line workers on powertrain technology.
The remaining $35 million is slated for Honda's main Ohio operations in Marysville. A 160,000-square-foot facility will be constructed near Honda's current properties, which will house another technical training center to focus on automotive manufacturing. The new building will also house Honda's North American Services group, as well as a new heritage center.