2009 Honda Ex-l on 2040-cars

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2014 Honda Odyssey set to clean up in NY with world's first in-car vacuum

Much of the minivan segment's volume has been sucked up by the industry's ever-increasing appetite for crossovers, but a few major players are hanging in there, eager to serve as beasts of burden for America's families. Chief among those players is Honda, which is showing its revamped 2014 Odyssey at this week's New York Auto Show with a potential game-changing feature - an in-car vacuum.
Co-developed with Shop-Vac, the HondaVAC system will come standard on the range-topping Touring Elite model. The system includes a replaceable filter and canister bag, along with a range of attachments located in the cargo hold. Honda says this first-ever feature includes a hose that is long enough to clean the entire interior. Better still, the vacuum will run for up to eight minutes after the vehicle is turned off, so you can get every last Cheerio out of the seat cushions, and it never needs plugging in or recharging, as it runs off of the vehicle's electrical system.
In other news, the 2014 Odyssey gets a new aluminum hood and fenders to pair with its revamped grille and lower fascia. Headlamps get a more sinister look thanks to darker surrounds, and there are new LED taillamps out back, as well as revamped side mirrors on the doors. Underneath the skin, Honda says the 2014 Odyssey has received structural changes to help it ace the Insurance Institute For Highway Safety's new small-overlap frontal crash test, and it's also added active safety features like lane departure warning and forward collision warning to the optional features list.

Carmakers, NHTSA to unveil auto-emergency braking agreement tomorrow

Happy St. Patrick's Day Eve. Tomorrow, there will be green beer, corned beef and cabbage, and automatic emergency braking for all. Weird combo, we know. But on St. Patty's we can expect an official announcement from a pact of automakers making auto-braking systems standard equipment by 2022. That's per a report from Reuters, which cites three sources familiar with the plans. Originally announced in September 2015 by 10 automakers and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the agreement is expected to be even larger when the details are unveiled tomorrow. According to Reuters, the manufacturers of 99 percent of the US domestic market's vehicles will be represented by the new agreement. It's believed that standard AEB systems could prevent thousands of accidents across the country. Expect more on the official announcement when it's made. Related Video:

Recharge Wrap-up: Eberhard helps Chinese EV maker in US, 'Hail a Honda' at Austin City Limits

Honda is partnering with nonprofit ridesharing service Ride Austin to provide "Hail A Honda" service during the Austin City Limits Music Festival. For both weekends of the festival (Sept. 30 – Oct. 2 and Oct. 7 – Oct. 9), attendees can ride to the event for free in a special liveried 2016 Honda CR-V. The Ride Austin app will feature a "Honda at ACL Festival" tab to hail rides, and users will get a free bandana and water. 2016 marks Honda's eighth year as an Austin City Limits sponsor, and the automaker hosts its own stage at the event. Read more from Honda. Tesla cofounder Martin Eberhard is helping a Chinese EV company enter the US market. Chongqing Sokon Industry Group says it has hired Eberhard as a consultant with a two-year contract. Sokon has created a US-based subsidiary called SF Motors, and Eberhard will manage "the integration of the world's top talent for new energy vehicles, to promote the company's product positioning, R&D, design, technical innovation, talent pool, marketing, in the United States." Since helping to found Tesla, Eberhard has worked on EVs with Volkswagen, Atieva, and as an investor in Alta Motors. Read more at Electrek. A supplier for the Tesla Model 3 describes the automaker's perfectionism. Fuji Technica, a die maker supplying aluminum dies for the Model 3, describes its relationship with Tesla in an article from the Nikkei Asian Review. The company calls Tesla a demanding customer, asking for very specific shapes despite the difficulty of working with aluminum. Fuji Technica must work some dies by hand to achieve Tesla's "meticulous specifications." The company is proud of its achievements, though, especially considering its turnaround after years of financial troubles. Read more from the Nikkei Asian Review, and at Inside EVs. Related Gallery Tesla Model 3 View 18 Photos News Source: Honda, Electrek, Inside EVs, Nikkei Asian Review Green Marketing/Advertising Honda Automakers Tesla Transportation Alternatives Electric recharge wrapup