1993 Honda Civic Si Hatchback 3-door 1.6l Fully Built And Turbocharged on 2040-cars

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Who can really claim first mass-produced fuel cell vehicle delivery in US?

Last month, Hyundai said that the initial deliveries of the Tucson Fuel Cell vehicles in California meant that, "For the first time, retail consumers can now put a mass-produced, federally-certified hydrogen fuel cell vehicle in their driveways." But try telling that to Jon Spallino. In 2005, Honda leased a hydrogen fuel cell FCX, a small hatchback, to the Spallino family (as far as we know, he parked it in his driveway). The company did the same thing again in 2008 with the FCX Clarity, a sleek new design based on the FCX Concept, and others signed for the H2 ride as well, including celebrities. No matter how you slice it, Honda has been in the fuel cell delivery market for almost a decade now. Just look at this. Or this. Or this. Oh, and other automakers (General Motors in Project Driveway in 2006 and Mercdes-Benz with the F-Cell in 2010, for example) have delivered fuel cell vehicles in the US as part of short-term test programs. But let's get back to Hyundai's claim. There's little question that the first delivery of a "fuel cell vehicle for the US market" has already taken place (and they were federally certified, too), which means that the debate revolves around the definition of mass-produced and whether "mass production" is about a number or about the process? Let's investigate below. First, lets review Honda's bona fides. We can start with the official version of Honda's fuel cell history, which is missing the pertinent detail that Honda build the Clarity on a dedicated assembly line and established a small network of three dealerships to lease the FCX Clarity in 2008. All of the FCX Clarity vehicles in customer hands in the US were leased through these dealerships. Sure, Honda started with hand-built stacks in its hydrogen vehicles, but went to automated control of some parts and components with series production. "It is good to see others doing today what we've been doing since 2008" – Steve Ellis, Honda Or, as Honda's Steve Elllis put it to AutoblogGreen regarding Hyundai's fuel cell deliveries: "This was exactly as prescribed by the creation of the California Fuel Cell Partnership. It's the very essence of 'co-op-itition.' We at Honda, as do many others, continue to push forward on many technologies, both the battery and the fuel cell. And society is the beneficiary." Then he added, "It is good to see others doing today what we've been doing since 2008." Now, how does Hyundai compare?

4.5 million Hondas, Acuras are being recalled worldwide to fix a fuel pump defect

Honda is recalling more than 4.5 million cars worldwide because of a fuel pump problem that could lead to engine failure or stalling in traffic, which could cause an accident. The recall includes 2.54 million vehicles in the United States. The automaker had previously recalled 628,000 U.S. vehicles in 2021 and 136,000 in 2020 for the same issue. Honda issued recalls over the same issue earlier this month in China and Japan. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recall documents say the impellers inside fuel pumps of 2017-2020 Hondas and Acuras were improperly made, meaning they “can deform and interfere with the fuel pump body” over time. This could prevent the engine from starting, or can cause a stall while driving, which depending on the situation in traffic, could be dangerous. Fortunately, Honda says it hasn't received any reports of crashes or injuries. To remedy the problem, Honda will replace the in-tank fuel pumps, at no cost to owners, in the entire U.S. recall population of 2,539,902 vehicles, though the defect may be present in only 1 percent of those cars. Because of the size of the recall, repairs will be done in phases, with first owners receiving notification letters in February. Dealer notifications began this week. “Countermeasure replacement parts are not available in sufficient quantities for all recalled vehicles at the time of this announcement, and American Honda intends to notify vehicle owners in stages," Honda wrote. Meanwhile, owners wishing to confirm that their vehicle is included can enter their VIN at the NHTSA recall site or at American Honda's and Acura's recall platforms.  NHTSA's campaign number for the recall is 23V858000. Honda's numbers for this recall are KGC and KGD. Owners may also contact Honda customer service by phone: 1-888-234-2138.

2014 Honda Odyssey sucks it up for our editor

When we heard that the 2014 Honda Odyssey would be getting the world's first in-car vacuum, we had to check this thing out for ourselves. Called HondaVAC, this tidy little sucker was co-developed with Shop-Vac, and it's actually pretty neat. It comes standard on Odyssey's top-trim Touring Elite model and can be fitted with a wide range of attachments all housed in the cargo area. Honda notes that the vacuum hose is long enough to reach surfaces in every part of the Odyssey's cabin, and that it will even run for a full eight minutes after the vehicle is turned off.
Good thing, then, that Honda chose to show off the new 2014 Odyssey here at the New York Auto Show, as Autoblog west coast editor Michael Harley clumsily managed to spill some snacks all over the cargo area (we tried to convince him to give himself a hickey, but he declined on grounds that his wife might not let him attend any more auto shows). Take a look at the video below to see just how well the new minivan cleans up.