2003 Honda Insight Auto Hybrid 102k on 2040-cars

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Senna's McLaren drives Honda up the wall

Honda is getting excited for its imminent return to Formula One with McLaren. So excited, in fact, that it got its new/old friends from Woking to loan it one of its old F1 cars. But not just any old F1 car...
On display at the Honda stand in Frankfurt this year is the 1988 McLaren MP4-4 in which the legendary Ayrton Senna drove to fifteen out of sixteen grands prix that season to take the championship in spectacular style.
Honda provided the engine for that car, a 1.5-liter turbo V6 with upwards of 600 horsepower to propel less than 1,200 lbs. Of course this being a static display car, it's likely been stripped of its engine, gearbox and most other internal mechanical components. But that doesn't make the sight of it any less memorable.

Honda bundles up CR-V Special Edition with optional extras

The 2016 Honda CR-V Special Edition is based on the LX trim level, but packs a bunch of extra equipment. It gets 17-inch alloys, a two-tone paint job, tinted rear windows, and a security system. That's about the sum total of what makes this special edition special, but then Honda isn't asking much of a premium for it. The new Special Edition trim slots in between the base LX and the higher-level EX – and below the top-spec EX-L and Touring models. It'll be available in either front- or all-wheel-drive configurations, with prices starting at $24,395 for the former and $25,695 for the latter. That's the MSRP without taxes, registration, or the $880 destination charge. What that boils down to is a modest $800 premium over the base model, which doesn't strike us as a whole lot to ask for the extra equipment – never mind the "special edition" handle. Perhaps most telling, though, is that Honda hasn't released any specific photos for the CR-V Special Edition. It has, however, given us a fresh batch of the 2016 model altogether. And you can check it out in the gallery above, along with the details in the press release below. AMERICA'S BEST SELLING SUV CONTINUES MARKET LEADERSHIP WITH INTRODUCTION OF NEW SPECIAL EDITION 2016 HONDA CR-V Coming off a year of record sales and numerous industry accolades, the exceptionally well received Honda CR-V returns for 2016 with a Special Edition trim offering exterior and security upgrades over LX Oct 6, 2015 - TORRANCE, Calif. -- After a major refresh for 2015 that brought a new powertrain, significantly enhanced exterior and interior styling and a long list of new standard and available features, the 2016 Honda CR-V returns with a new Special Edition (SE) trim and a lineup with a starting Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $23,595.1 The new Special Edition CR-V is positioned above the LX trim by adding larger 17-inch alloy wheels with an exclusive two tone finish, second-row and rear privacy glass, and security system. With only an $800 premium over the LX, the SE represents a high-value proposition for the premium look and additional feature content. In addition to the highly prestigious Motor Trend Sport/Utility of the Year honor, the refreshed 2015 CR-V garnered numerous industry accolades. These include: - 2015 ALG Residual Value Award: Best Compact Utility - 2015 Kelly Blue Book Best Buy: Small SUV/Crossover - Kelly Blue Book 2015 Top 10 Best Resale Value award - U.S.

U.S. auto sales fall in July, as Detroit dials back on inventory, rental sales

DETROIT — U.S. carmakers said on Tuesday they continued to slash low-margin sales to daily rental fleets in July as General Motors, Ford and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles struggled to curb a slide in retail sales. July is on track to be the fifth straight month in which the annual pace of car and light truck sales declined from the same month a year ago, in part because of fewer fleet sales, analysts and industry executives said. July 2016 sales hit a strong 17.9-million-vehicle pace. GM said the seasonally adjusted annual sales rate fell to an estimated 16.9 million vehicles in July. At midmorning on Tuesday, GM shares were down 3.4 percent at $34.77, Ford was down 2.8 percent at $10.91, and Fiat Chrysler shares were down 0.3 percent at $12.05 in New York. GM sales dropped 15 percent from a year ago to 226,107 vehicles, as the company cut rental fleet sales more than 80 percent. The automaker said inventories of unsold vehicles at month's end were 104 days, down from 105 days at the end of June. GM has promised investors to reduce inventories to 70 days by year-end. Ford said its July sales dipped 7.5 percent to 200,212 vehicles, as it cut fleet sales more than 26 percent. Inventories fell to 77 days from 79 the previous month. Fiat Chrysler said sales dropped 10 percent to 161,477, as it also cut back sales to daily rental fleets. Among the top Japanese companies, only Toyota reported a year-to-year gain, with sales up 4 percent to 222,057 — just 4,000 units behind GM. Honda sales were down 1 percent to 150,980 — its first-quarter sales continuing to decline in North America but seeing a big increase in China. And Nissan sales fell 3 percent to 128,295. GM, Ford and Fiat Chrysler have cautioned that second-half financial results likely will be lower than first-half results, in part reflecting production cuts in North America and pricing pressures. The automakers this year have been deliberately dialing back sales to rental-car companies, which often generate little to no profit, while struggling to keep retail sales from sagging further, according to industry analysts. Industry consultant LMC cut its full-year forecast for new vehicle sales to 17 million vehicles. Automakers sold a record 17.55 million vehicles in the United States in 2016.