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Honda Fit EV lease drops to $199 a month, but there's a catch

The Honda Fit EV just became a much better deal. When it first launched, Honda offered the car (in California and Oregon only) in 2012, the monthly price was $399. In 2013, the official lease price dropped to $259. Today, Honda announced that the fun little runabout will cost you just $199. The catch? For new customers, this price is only good on used Fit EVs. You can also take advantage of this deal If you're a current Fit EV lessee by extending your time with your car by two years for the new, lower $199-a-month price. The other limitations of the Fit EV lease – the fact that there's no purchase option at the end of the lease and that the car itself is still only available in "designated market regions" – remain, which means that getting this particular electric car is a better deal than it used to be, but it's still not a good Fit for everyone. Related Video: Honda Introduces New Lease Options for Existing and Prospective Fit EV Lessees Mar 23, 2015 - TORRANCE, Calif. Two-year Fit EV lease extension offered to existing lessees New, two-year used Fit EV lease offered to prospective customers Price reduced to $199 a month; no down payment and unlimited mileage, routine maintenance and collision coverage included Honda is extending the reach of its efficient and fun-to-drive all-electric Fit EV (http://automobiles.honda.com/fit-ev/) through new lease programs for both existing and prospective Fit EV customers. For current, eligible Fit EV customers, Honda is offering a two-year lease extension that includes a lower $199 monthly payment1 (previously $259) and extends the unlimited mileage, routine maintenance and collision coverage1 that were included in the original lease. The reduced lease price and matching two-year terms1 will also be available to new customers interested in driving a used Honda Fit EV. Honda shared the news to a group of Fit EV drivers at an event hosted at the Honda Smart Home US (http://www.hondasmarthome.com/) in Davis, CA on Saturday, March 21. "Most Fit EV drivers tell us they love their vehicles, and many have requested lease extensions and this extended lease program is intended to meet their needs," said Steve Center, vice president of the Environmental Business Development Office, American Honda Motor Co., Inc.

McLaren MP4-30 marks Honda's hotly anticipated F1 return

McLaren's Formula One fortunes have drastically dropped in performance over the past couple of seasons. The Formula One team with a dozen Drivers' Championships, eight Constructors' Titles and 182 grand prix victories to its name hasn't won a race since 2012, and finished the past two seasons down in fifth place. But now it begins a new era – or rather, restarts one. And this is the machine that's kicking it all off. After a 23-year parting of ways, McLaren has brought Honda back onto the grid for this season, and will be the only team running the Japanese automaker's brand-new RA615H turbocharged hybrid power unit. Both parties are undoubtedly hoping the rekindled partnership will bring them back to the winning days of the late Eighties when Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost memorably drove their equipment to four consecutive World Championships. Largely an evolution of last season's Mercedes-powered MP4-29, the new chassis features a new front-end design to comply with the latest adjustment to the regulations from the FIA, and also incorporates a slimmer rear end built around the new Honda engine and gearbox. It also features a revised livery that adds more black to the red and silver color scheme, and does without a title partner for the time being, but includes the logos of sponsors Mobil1, SAP, TAG Heuer, Johnnie Walker, Hilton, CNN and KPMG, as well as that of Honda. Though this season will likely be more of a transition and development year for McLaren and Honda, all eyes will surely be fixed on the team to see how the new MP4-30 will fare. Fortunately, they've lined up a compelling roster of drivers, lead by former World Champions Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button. McLAREN-HONDA BEGINS NEW ERA WITH MP4-30 #McLarenHonda #MakeHistory McLaren-Honda – the name evokes stirring memories of the past; of Ayrton Senna battling Alain Prost for supremacy; of classic red and white machines dominating for season upon season; of an iconic team writing one of the defining chapters in the motor racing history books. Reuniting such an illustrious partnership brings with it the heavy weight of expectation, but all at McLaren and Honda are working to write a fresh chapter in Formula 1, one that respectfully nods to the past, but boldly looks to the horizon. Today's reveal of the new McLaren-Honda MP4-30 – McLaren's first Honda-powered car for 23 years – speaks volumes about the progressive nature of both companies.

James Glickenhaus' SCG 003 undisguised in street and track form

For James Glickenhaus buying a factory-made supercar isn't good enough; he wants to develop his own. Following up on the Ferrari Enzo-based P4/5 and later the P4/5 Competition, Glickenhaus' latest project is appropriately called the 003, and he's finally displaying it in road trim. These first undisguised photos of the SCG 003S show off a supercar with a front end reminiscent of a Ferrari Enzo. However, the rear evokes the look of a modern endurance racer with a fin running along the spine. A wing at the back connects it all together, and the massive diffuser should keep things planted too. Development of the 003 has been going for over a year by Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus, but the company has set quite a challenge for itself to get just right. Glickenhaus wants his latest project to be a true racecar for the street. That idea gets thrown around a lot, but it might be true in this case. In motorsports trim, the SCG 003C (pictured inset) packs a mid-mounted Honda Performance Development twin-turbocharged V6, but the engine sits in a detachable rear subframe. When the time comes for the road, the car converts to the SCG 003S and allegedly swaps in a twin-turbo W12. It makes the vehicle the best of both worlds – at least in theory. SCG reportedly plans to show the 003 at the Geneva Motor Show, so we should get a better look then. Glickenhaus also wants to take the car racing in the 24-hour events at the Nurburgring and Spa later this year.