Honda Accord on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2016 Honda Civic is a newly competitive compact [w/video]

It's fair to call the last-generation Honda Civic, built from 2012 to 2015 (with a quick refresher in the middle), a disappointment. It came out using an old compact car formula – going cheap and lightly equipped – at almost the exact moment its competitors embraced high technology and refined, expressive designs. We spent some time today with the vehicle meant to correct this mistake, the all-new, tenth-generation Civic. Easily the most discussed thing about the new Civic is its handsome new sheet metal, which we actually showed you last week. The expressive profile, with strong arches over the front wheels and a handsome, almost fastback-like roofline is a major departure from the duller, three-box look of the current Civic. The front fascia's highlight is the prominent chrome grille, backed by the optional LED headlights. In back, that tiny decklid is outshined – no pun intended – by a set of LED taillights that should present a very impressive look at night. The overall balance of the design is impressive. The ninth-generation Civic was widely panned for its crummy interior quality. Designed at a time of global financial crisis, Honda opted for more affordable materials that lacked the soft-touch goodness of many competitors. The new Civic addresses this shortcoming, fitting not only more impressive plastics, but the technology to back them up. From the EX trim on up, the instrument cluster's focal point is a large TFT display, flanked by a pair of traditional gauges. Yep, that's right. Honda is getting rid of the Civic's multi-tiered dash, and we couldn't be happier. On the center console, there's a seven-inch touchscreen display that uses the same Android-based operating system as the new Pilot. And speaking of Android, the Civic will play nice with both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. As for the actual driving experience, we can't tell you much about it for another couple weeks, but we can talk briefly about the seats. The hip point has been dropped by a full inch in front, and has the effect of creating a sport-driving-ready seating position. Those seats are comfortable, too, although we'll need more than the few minutes we got with the new Civic to make an informed judgment. We don't, however, need any extra time to talk about the backseats. That plunging roofline is not conducive to rear headroom, a fact that overshadows the extra two inches of rear legroom. You're probably wondering when we'll talk about the powertrains.

Honda replaces CEO Takanobu Ito with Takahiro Hachigo

At its upcoming shareholders' meeting in June, Honda is set to make a raft of changes to its senior personnel, including new board members, directors, auditors and operating officers. But the most pivotal of the new appointments will see the replacement of its president and chief executive. That job currently belongs to Takanobu Ito, who will step down in June and hand the reins over to Takahiro Hachigo, subject to ratification by the shareholders. Hachigo-san has been with Honda since 1982, rising up the ranks and holding a series of key executive and R&D posts with the Japanese automaker in locations around the world – including here in the United States, where he spearheaded development of the original Odyssey minivan and directed the company's American R&D center. He subsequently headed Honda's European operations and currently serves as its most senior officer in China. He's 55 years old. He takes over from Ito-san after a tumultuous period for Honda. Ito, 62, joined Honda in 1978 and similarly rose through the R&D ranks, holding some of the same positions along the way that Hachigo would later, albeit more focused on the company's operations at home in Japan. Ito took over as president and CEO in 2009, steering Honda through a difficult period marked by fluctuating currencies, the tsunami disaster of 2011 and flagging quality issues that have forced Honda to issue unprecedented recalls, focusing much criticism on Ito's leadership. Honda recently recalled millions of vehicles that were fitted with Takata's faulty airbag inflators, which had the unpleasant tendency to spew shrapnel at consumers. Ito will remain on board as a director and advisor, but what we'll be most interested to see is the direction in which Hachigo will take the company. Under Ito's leadership, Honda has brought back performance icons like the NSX and Civic Type R, launched innovative environmental technologies, delved into aerospace with the HondaJet and re-entered Formula One. One of Hachigo's first priorities will undoubtedly be to restore the company's reputation for quality, but we'll have to wait and see what (if any) sort of new and exciting developments he'll spearhead once he takes office. Honda Motor Co., Ltd. Announces New President & CEO Tokyo, February 23, 2015 --- Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Design Handbook explains the difference between design and styling

It's easy to confuse the terms 'design' and 'style,' but Jim Hall attempts to explain the difference between the two in his latest Design Handbook video column for Autoline. Before relating the terms to cars, Hall first uses other, non-automotive-related examples to prove his point, such as a well-designed glass versus a well-styled glass. Both do their job well as a result of good designs, he claims, but one stands out more because it also was styled.
When he relates his lesson to cars, he uses the 2013 Honda Accord and the new Chevrolet Impala as examples, but you'll have to watch the video below to find out which car he thinks is merely designed and which one has been styled.
We've also included a gallery of the Honda and a gallery of the Chevrolet so you can decide for yourself which one of these vehicles has been designed, and which one has been styled.