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Honda to ax Civic Hybrid, CNG models

Honda will kill off the Civic Hybrid and Civic Natural Gas models at the end of the 2015 model year as part of a massive product overhaul, a top executive said Monday in Detroit. The moves come in response to consumer preferences as the Japanese automaker prepares to launch the 10th generation of the Civic later this year, said John Mendel, executive vice president, American Honda Motor Co. "These moves will allow greater focus on Civic's sporty new driving character," Mendel said. Honda revealed the close-to-production Civic concept this spring at the New York auto show and confirmed it will include Si and Type R variants. The powertrain lineup will feature a new turbocharged inline four-cylinder engine, a short-throw six-speed manual, and a continuously variable transmission. The Type-R is expected in 2017, Mendel said. Though the new car marks a return to more athletic Civics, some versions will still get more than 40 miles per gallon in highway driving. The changes come as Honda pivots toward an expanded fuel-cell strategy with a new model set to launch in 2016. "We're creating the strongest and most balanced vehicle lineup in our history," he said. In addition to tweaking the Civic line, Honda has discontinued the plug-in hybrid Accord to focus on the updated Accord Hybrid, which launches in early 2016. Eventually, the plug-in Accord will be replaced by a new plug-in model in 2018, Mendel said. The changes come as Honda pivots toward an expanded fuel-cell strategy with a new model set to launch in 2016. The automaker has spent $14 million with California company FirstElement Fuel to set up 12 hydrogen filling stations. The new Civic is part of an influx of new products set for 2015-2016. The next-gen Ridgeline will arrive in 2016 with a more traditional truck design, Mendel said, admitting the styling of the current generation was divisive. "Design was polarizing," he said. "No one wants to have to explain why they bought what they bought." The next-generation Odyssey will also launch after the Ridgeline in 2016, Mendel said. He was also asked about a 'baby NSX' sports car by a reporter in the wake of trademark drawings that leaked last week, though he declined to elaborate. "No I can't tell you anything about the baby NSX," he said. "I mean I could, but I'd probably be fired." In other news, Mendel said Honda continues to work with airbag supplier Takata as it grapples with the massive recall and increased attention from the NHTSA.

Honda Civic Type R Concept is the shape of hot things to come

Soon, kids. Soon. The next-generation Honda Civic Type R is finally coming, and we're getting another preview of the hot hatch here at the Paris Motor Show. Of course, this one probably won't be headed to the United States (boo!), but it doesn't mean we can't get excited. After all, we're big fans of little turbo hatches, and from what we know right now, this one sure sounds sweet.
Underneath that new blue paint and red decals is a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four, reportedly good for 276 horsepower. Honda tells us there's a "steer axis" system with adaptive dampers, and with the push of its +R button, the suspension, steering and torque mapping are all altered to make this Type R even more Type R-ier than before. In fact, Honda says this Civic will surpass every Type R that came before it - that means every Integra, Accord, Civic and even the NSX. Hot diggity.
We've got a fresh batch of images of the Type R Concept up top, and Honda's press release is available below. Hopefully it won't be long before the production car is finally revealed.

2nd annual Automobile Advertising of the Year Awards revealed

There was some absolutely fantastic auto advertising in 2014, ranging from funny to inspiring. Marking the best of it from the past year, the Second Annual One Show Automobile Advertising of the Year Awards were announced during the 2015 Detroit Auto Show (full disclosure: Autoblog was among the award's sponsors, and Editor-in-Chief Sharon Carty was a voter). Unlike previously, there were no brands with dominance over the list this time. Presented by The One Club, the awards have an international scope and hand out honors in a variety of categories. In the Broadcast TV group, there were three winners this year. First, there was The Scripted Life from Audi for the Q3 about breaking out of life's monotony. Also, Dad's Sixth Sense from Hyundai marketed the safety features in the Genesis. Finally, Unbreakable Drivers showed manly men being tested for the Toyota Hilux in Australia. The Online Video prize went to the fantastic The Epic Split spot from Volvo Trucks starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. The best Interactive ad was the Honda video titled The Other Side for the Civic Type R, and the Experiential Advertising nod was for the Volkswagen Eyes on the Road clip that showed the dangers of texting and driving to a theater full of moviegoers in Hong Kong. Finally, the Public Choice Award went to the BMW commercial called Hello Future using the words of sci-fi author Arthur C. Clarke for the i8. In the award not for videos, Jeep won the Print/Outdoor category for its Upside Down campaign. Check the ads out below, which show different animals when upside down. Also, look farther down for all of the winning videos and read their full announcements. View 3 Photos Automobile Advertising of the Year Winners Announced New York, NY (January 13, 2015) – The One Club (www.oneclub.org), producers of the prestigious One Show Awards and Creative Week, today announced the winners for the 2nd Annual One Show Automobile Advertising of the Year Awards. In partnership with the North American International Auto Show (www.naias.com) in Detroit, The One Club today unveiled the best automotive ads from around the world in five categories: broadcast TV, online video, interactive, experiential advertising, and print & outdoor. Winners will be presented on-stage at a special event during the NAIAS Press Preview on Tuesday, January 13, 2015, at the Cobo Center in Detroit at 4:55 p.m. The event is sponsored by AOL's Autoblog.