2001 Honda Civic Ex Coupe 2-door 1.7l V-tech Gold Excellent Automatic Loaded on 2040-cars

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New fuel-cell sedan leads Honda's Tokyo lineup

It's time to talk Tokyo Motor Show friends, and as is so often the case, there's going to be some weird stuff arriving at this year's event. From Honda, we have a few important pieces of news. Arguably the most exciting is a new fuel-cell vehicle, called the FCV. Don't worry, Honda calls that remarkably unimaginative name "tentative." Looking like a mix of the new Civic sedan, a Nissan Maxima (that roofline!), and a Tesla Model S, this four-door coupe offers room for five, a 434-mile driving range, and motivation from at least two electric motors. Details are remarkably scarce, but all signs point to this being a vehicle worth getting excited about. That's not the only big news, though, as Honda will also show off the new production version of the Odyssey hybrid. Honda didn't provide any images of the fuel-sipping minivan, but did let slip that it uses a Sport Hybrid-iMMD system. Again, there isn't a lot of information, but the iMMD, short for "intelligent Multi-Mode Drive," has been used on other Honda products before. While Honda is also bringing out vehicles we're familiar with – both the new Civic Type-R and NSX will make appearances in Tokyo – the company's motorcycle arm is bringing a trio of interesting concepts. First, and perhaps most exciting, is the EV-Cub Concept. If that names sounds familiar, it's because Honda showed a bike with the same name in 2009. Drawing inspiration from the original (and legendary) Super Cub, the EV-Cub situates a battery and electric motor low and in the center of the body for optimum weight distribution and in turn, easy riding dynamics. Next, we have the Neowing. Featuring a three-wheel layout with a four-cylinder boxer engine and a hybrid powertrain, there's a lot to like about this concept's mechanicals. Unfortunately, there aren't any images of the Neowing yet. That's also the case with the Light Weight Super Sports Concept, although unlike the trike, mechanical details are wholly absent, too. So for this one, you'll have to wait until we're actually on the ground in Tokyo. What is pictured, though, are a pair of new concepts – the Wander Stand and Wander Walker. Again, details are scarce – if you're sensing a theme, you're not alone – but based on the images, the Wander Stand looks like a waiting room on wheels and the Wander Walker is a mobility scooter. Here's hoping more info is released before press days on October 28 and 29.

Takata allegedly hid failed airbag rupture tests in 2000

New evidence suggests Takata engineers knew about the dangers of the supplier's ammonium-nitrate-propelled airbag inflators as early as 2000, but employees hid or even destroyed test results. The allegations came out in a pre-trial hearing in a civil suit from a woman who claims that a forcefully deploying airbag in her 2001 Honda Civic paralyzed her. The pre-trial hearing included an examination of a deposition from Thomas Sheridan, a former Takata airbag engineer, to see if the evidence was admissible for the case, according to the New York Times. Sheridan alleged that Takata created a report for Honda in June 2000 that showed the parts failed, but the supplier hid the testing data. The company also reportedly got rid of the ruptured components so that there was no physical evidence. "But when I went to look for the parts, because some of the parts had come apart, they were no longer available. They had been discarded," he said in the deposition, according to the Times. Takata disputes these allegations, and one of the company's lawyers asserts the inflators in the 2001 Civic are safe. "None of them have ruptured, zero," attorney David M. Bernick told the Times. "We have no evidence, in fact we have evidence to the contrary, that this inflator was defective at the time of the accident." However, Honda has recalls for the driver's side airbag in the 2001-2005 Civic. Previous reports also indicated some Takata employees allegedly knew the inflators were dangerous. For example, an investigation by the Wall Street Journal in 2015 cited internal memos from US employees in 2000 that complained that their counterparts in Japan altered or hid the results of failed validation tests. The New York Times also found evidence of engineers joking about manipulating results. The first Takata inflator recall came on Isuzu models in 2001, and automakers have recalled millions of vehicles around the world since then. Several companies, including Honda, have pledged to stop using Takata's inflators, and he US government fined the supplier $70 million last year. Related Video:

Weekly Recap: Chrysler forges ahead with new name, same mission

Chrysler is history. Sort of. The 89-year-old automaker was absorbed into the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles conglomerate that officially launched this fall, and now the local operations will no longer use the Chrysler Group name. Instead, it's FCA US LLC. Catchy, eh? Here's what it means: The sign outside Chrysler's Auburn Hills, MI, headquarters says FCA (which it already did) and obviously, all official documents use the new name, rather than Chrysler. That's about it. The executives, brands and location of the headquarters aren't changing. You'll still be able to buy a Chrysler 200. It's just made by FCA US LLC. This reinforces that FCA is one company going forward – the seventh largest automaker in the world – not a Fiat-Chrysler dual kingdom. While the move is symbolic, it is a conflicting moment for Detroiters, though nothing is really changing. Chrysler has been owned by someone else (Daimler, Cerberus) for the better part of two decades, but it still seemed like it was Chrysler in the traditional sense: A Big 3 automaker in Detroit. Now, it's clearly the US division of a multinational industrial empire; that's good thing for its future stability, but bittersweet nonetheless. Undoubtedly, it's an emotion that's also being felt at Fiat's Turin, Italy, headquarters as the company will no longer officially be called Fiat there. Digest that for a moment. What began in 1899 as the Societa Anonima Fabbrica Italiana di Automobili Torino – or FIAT – is now FCA Italy SpA. In a statement, FCA said the move "is intended to emphasize the fact that all group companies worldwide are part of a single organization." The new names are the latest changes orchestrated by CEO Sergio Marchionne, who continues to makeover FCA as an international automaker that has ties to its heritage – but isn't tied down by it. Everything from the planned spinoff of Ferrari, a new FCA headquarters in London and the pending demise of the Dodge Grand Caravan in 2016 has shown that the company is willing to move quickly, even if it's controversial. While renaming the United States and Italian divisions were the moves most likely to spur controversy, FCA said other regions across the globe will undergo similar name changes this year. Despite the mixed emotions, it's worth noting: The name of the merged company that oversees all of these far-flung units is Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Obviously the Chrysler corporate name isn't completely history.