03 Civic Lx Coupe, 5 Spd Manual, Cloth, Navi, Clean, We Finance! on 2040-cars

Auto blog

New Odyssey ads feature Honda Vac, star power

Honda has released a string of new ads highlighting its refreshed, 2014 Odyssey minivan. While the Japanese brand hasn't started bragging about attaining the first Top Safety Pick+ for minivans, it's all too happy to brag about another first - the world's first van with a built-in vacuum cleaner.
In three spots, anthropomorphic children's rubbish discusses the merits of the new minivan, only to be sucked up by the built-in vacuum, which is only available in the top-end Touring Elite model. There's also quite a bit of star power floating around for those that watch a lot of TV. Neil Patrick Harris from Doogie Howser, MD and How I Met Your Mother voices a character in one of the spots, while Rainn Wilson from The Office stars in another. Take a look below for all three ads from Honda.

Check out the orange McLaren-Honda racecar that might actually win a race

Following the announcement that Fernando Alonso, two-time F1 world champion, would drive a McLaren-Honda IndyCar in this year's Indianapolis 500, we now get to see the car. Naturally, being a McLaren, it's painted in the company's official orange hue. It's actually even more orange than the company's Formula 1 cars, which are two-tone: orange and black. The reveal of the car's livery comes in conjunction with Alonso's first testing day at the Indianapolis Speedway, which you can watch live, here. Alonso has never participated in the Indy 500 before, nor has he been behind the wheel of Indy cars. That doesn't mean he can't win, though. Fellow Formula 1 racer Alexander Rossi took home the win last year, and that was his first time at the 500. Rossi also won in an Andretti-backed, Honda-powered car, just as Alonso will this year. So it isn't unreasonable to think Alonso could win, or at least place well. Certainly his odds are better than driving one of the beleaguered McLaren-Honda F1 cars at Monaco that same weekend. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Honda launches Project Drive-In to save these American icons

Honda wasn't really a major player in the automotive industry when drive-in movie theaters were popular in the US, but the automaker is doing its best to preserve the place where automotive and cinema histories collide. Using Project Drive-In, Honda is helping bring awareness to a story we brought up last month, where we saw how a move away from 35-millimeter film could put some of the few drive-in theaters remaining in the US out of business.
As production studios switch to digital film, theaters are required to upgrade to digital projectors, which Honda says will cost about $80,000 for drive-ins. While Project Drive-In asks people to donate money to the cause or pledge to go to a drive-in theater, Honda will also be donating projectors to five of the remaining drive-ins based on votes received on its website. Scroll down to watch a short video describing Project Drive-In, and be sure to vote, pledge and even contribute to save the drive-ins.