2016 Honda Civic Ex-l on 2040-cars

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Honda, Hyundai and Kia get best word-of-mouth recommendations in US

Forget advertising, incentives and, yes, even our excellently crafted vehicle reviews, sometimes the best way for automakers to sell cars is still good ol' fashioned word of mouth. In an attempt to measure this "word of mouth" power, The Boston Consulting Group, a management consulting firm, has created a new study called the Brand Advocacy Index (BAI). The index takes a look at how various industries perform from person to person. Those industries include automotive, smartphones, grocery, mobile telecommunications and banking.
The study polled more than 32,000 individuals across Europe and in the US to come up with the top 55 brands in these various industries. On the automotive side of things, the top brands in the US were Honda, Hyundai and Kia, all tied at 63 percent. On a global scale, Volkswagen and Toyota scored the highest with a 65-percent BAI rating (both in France). The average BAI for auto industry players tallied 50 percent.
As for companies in other industries, Apple's iPhone was the index's top-rated smartphone, Trader Joe's was the highest recommended grocery store, Virgin was sat atop the mobile telecom industry and USAA was the top retail bank. Scroll down for the full press release on the new study.

Honda MC-? will use solar-powered chargers in 'micro' EV tests

Honda is envisioning what it calls a CO2-free society and, not surprisingly, it's a rather sunny one, in one Japanese city, at least. The Japanese automaker is kicking off a test program with the micro-electric-vehicle that will use power generated via photovoltaic energy collected and stored at EV charging stations. Yes, the big old sun will power those little-bitty MC-? cars. MC-? is shorthand for "Micro Computer Beta" and the car is certainly an appropriate vehicle for these tests. The car is 98 inches long (about eight inches shorter than a Smart ForTwo) and has a 43-mile-per-hour top speed as well as an electric motor that delivers a meager eight horsepower. The car is designed to meet Europe's quadricycle regulations and has a 50-mile single-charge range. No word on if or when it'll go into production, of course, but Honda and Toshiba are working with Japan's Miyakojima City on the project, with Toshiba responsible for building three solar-powered EV-charging stations. The Japanese automaker unveiled the latest incarnation of the 1+1 tandem-seating-arrangement MC-? last fall. You can see our "Quick Spin" impressions of the model here and read Honda's press release below. Honda Begins Experimental Test-driving of MC-? Micro-sized EV Using Renewable Energy TOKYO, Japan, January 28, 2014 - Jointly with Miyakojima City and Toshiba Corporation, Honda Motor Co., Ltd. began experimental test-driving of the MC-?, Honda's micro-sized EV, using photovoltaic (PV) energy as part of the Miyakojima City Small-sized Electromotive Mobility Project*1. Through this experimental program, Honda will operate an environmentally-responsible micro-sized EV using renewable energy, and work together with the local community to explore the possibility of a CO2-free society. In November 2013, Honda began separate field tests jointly conducted with Kumamoto Prefecture, Saitama City and Miyakojima City using the MC-?. For the field tests in Miyakojima City, as a part of the initiative as an environmentally-responsible model city, the feasibility of the introduction and utilization of small-sized electromotive mobility products and electricity supply facilities are being verified. For this particular driving experiment in the city using renewable energy, the MC-? will be charged from three new PV recharging stations newly built by Toshiba.

Trucks with the best gas mileage for 2024

There's no denying that pickup trucks are an integral part of our culture. They've been instrumental in building our infrastructure and giving the public access to remote locations and myriad recreation activities. Trucks aren't known for being particularly fuel efficient though, with boxy silhouettes and considerable weight negatively affecting their gas mileage ratings. The times are changing and not only are trucks getting more economical, but there are also several new smaller alternatives. An efficient tuck doesn't have to by tiny, though. Some of the trucks with the best gas mileage look classically bulky. What is the most fuel-efficient truck? So what's the most fuel-efficient pickup truck on sale in the U.S? It depends on which class of trucks you're looking at. For this list, we're focusing only on internal-combustion trucks. The small crop of all-electric trucks are certainly worth considering, but it's not so easy comparing EVs to ICE trucks here. In most cases, these trucks are the two-wheel-drive versions since they return the best mileage, but there are a few four- or all-wheel-drive models that we call out.  Not surprisingly, the revival of the compact pickup has altered the truck landscape. In many cases, these petite trucks may be just the right size for many shoppers. That's great because most owners would rather not lug around a ton of weight that they don't necessarily need. The simplest answer to the question posed above is the Ford Maverick Hybrid. It tops this list of fuel-efficient truckswith an impressive 37-mpg EPA estimate for combined city and highway miles. With only 191 horsepower and a continuously variable transmission, it's not as capable off-road or for towing as other trucks, but if you just need something to haul stuff around, you really can't do any better. Its 4.5-foot bed has a slight advantage over its only rival, the Hyundai Santa Cruz, which has a 4-foot bed and an estimate of 23 mpg. So now we know what truck uses the least amount of gas. 2024 Ford Maverick 2.5-liter hybrid powertrain 37 mpg combined (EPA estimate) What is the most fuel-efficient midsize truck? While not as popular as their full-size siblings, midsize strike a good balance of utility and drivability. They’re easier to navigate in a crowded parking lot, and fit down more trails earning a set of Arizona pinstripes.