2012 Honda Civic Ex Sedan Automatic Sunroof Alloys 19k Texas Direct Auto 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?

Autoblog Podcast #317

Mitsubishi Mirage, Toyota thinks of beefing up US production, Marchionne on Alfa, Dart and minivans, Ford Atlas concept, Honda Gear concept
Episode #317 of the Autoblog Podcast is here, and this week, Dan Roth, Jeff Ross and Michael Harley bookend the other podcast topics with a pair from the Montreal Auto Show, the Mitsubishi Mirage and Honda Gear concept, and in between we talk about Toyota building all its US-market cars stateside, Hyundai building a Nurburgring test facility, Sergio Marchionne's latest words about Alfa Romeo, Dodge Dart powertrains and the future of Chrysler vans. Some chatter about the Ford Atlas concept finishes up the meat of the 'cast and then we wrap with your questions. For those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. Keep reading for our Q&A module for you to scroll through and follow along, too. Thanks for listening!
Autoblog Podcast #317:

Honda museum opens at company HQ in SoCal, first public day is next month

You don't see too many ordinary cars in automotive museums, and it makes sense. Rare luxury models, iconic muscle cars and obviously collectible vehicles are far more likely to get preserved and find themselves parked upon a climate-controlled pedestal someday. And yet, even if they may not be as collectible, everyday cars typically strike a stronger emotional and nostalgic chord in all of us. They firmly recall a specific time in our lives; what we were doing and where we were. Even if we never owned the car in question, ordinary cars were bound contribute to the overall landscape of your world.  Which is why finding a museum devoted to ordinary cars such a treat. Now, "ordinary" can have negative connotations, so perhaps "ubiquitous" is better to describe what you'll find in the new American Honda Collection Hall at the company's headquarters in Torrance, Calif. As you can see in the gallery above, there are pristine examples of the Hondas we grew up in, learned to drive in, brought us to college ... and those are just my own personal examples. Of course, there are also decidedly less ordinary examples such as the S2000 CR, Civic Type-R Limited Edition and Acura NSX, but apart from perhaps the latter, it would be rare for you to see such "Radwood-era" cars in a museum. You can also see some of the cars we've actually had the chance to review here on Autoblog: the 1999 Honda Prelude, the 1999 Honda Civic Si, the 1985 Honda CRX Si, and a handful of others.  According to Carl Pulley, who is the steward of the collection, the cars on display are just a taste of what is actually available since space was limited within the Collection Hall that's adjacent to HQ's primary lobby. He'll be able to swap different cars in or adopt a theme such as prominent examples from Honda's motorsports endeavors. Indeed, it isn't just Honda and Acura road cars -- we're just focusing on those because, you know, Autoblog. There are race cars, noteworthy motorcycles and even power equipment such as marine engines, generators and weed whackers.  While most car companies have a collection stored someplace, this one will actually be open to the public on a limited but regular basis. There will be scheduled "Cars, Bikes & Coffee" events hosted at the Collection Hall where people are invited to drive or ride their own piece of Honda history (all makes and eras are still welcome) to show off in Honda HQ's vast parking lot and come inside to check out the Collection Hall.