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Honda gets weirdly R-Rated with new Civic Type-R launch video

Honda is still about a year away from bringing back the Civic Type R to challenge Europe's hot hatch ranks, but the wait isn't stopping the brand from starting its promotion in the UK with a truly strange ad campaign.
Titled R-Rated, the marketing plays with the idea of Honda's Type R badge not being something for every driver, and its 60-second short film Disruption definitely isn't for everyone. The teaser video is meant to personify the spirit of the hot Civic by combining aggressively weird imagery with a glimpse of the new model. It cycles through things like a pack of wolves, androgynous models, a lady with a samurai sword and a flaming speed camera before getting to what we all want to see - the car. It's a weird, by turns creepy, video that feels like it's trying to be outlandish without always showing there's much thought behind the madness.
Perhaps the most frightening thing about the Civic Type R is that there are still major doubts about whether its 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with an estimated 280 horsepower will make it to North Ameircan showrooms. We understand the business case may be tough, especially when the CTR's hatchback bodystyle isn't sold in America at all, but we think Honda's North American showrooms could use a bit more performance edge, and an affordable halo car like the Type R could do just that.

Florida teens flee police, ram deputies with stolen car

Three Hudson, Florida teens are in juvenile detention today after leading law enforcement on a dangerous high-speed chase in a stolen Honda. According to WFTS, the three unnamed youths were allegedly breaking into cars on the evening of Saturday, April 30 in the Bayonet Point neighborhood in Hudson, FL. Pasco County sheriff's deputies responded to calls about their activities, and when the deputies arrived on the scene, the teens hopped into a stolen Honda and sped off. This prompted a high-speed chase throughout central Pasco County involving both PCS deputies and officers from the Florida Highway Patrol. Bodycam footage released by law enforcement shows officers chasing the reckless teens, ages 13, 14, and 15, throughout the county at speeds approaching 100 miles per hour, where they crashed through barbed wire fences and hopped curbs in an effort to elude pursuit. Eventually, law enforcement cornered the teens on a dead end street, but they refused to give up. In an effort to escape, the driver smashed into four police cruisers before officers finally stopped them. The three alleged car thieves were cuffed and taken into custody on the scene. Luckily, no one was injured during the chase. This is not the youths' first run-in with police. According to the Pasco County Sheriff's office, the three teens, two of whom are brothers, are well-known serial offenders. They are facing a number of charges, including aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, and are currently being held at the Pasco Juvenile Detention center. Related Video: News Source: WFTS Government/Legal Weird Car News Honda Driving Police/Emergency police chase

Weird Honda patent shows robot arm to charge an EV while driving

Despite big leaps in electric car range and charging times, EVs still haven't reached the point of being as convenient as gas-powered cars. A recently published patent from Honda seems to offer a possible, if questionable, solution to electric charging and range. The patent shows and describes a strange system in which a car would be equipped with a deployable arm with an electrical contact on the end. When extended, the arm would ride in a grooved rail along the side of the road. This rail would be connected to the electrical grid, and would allow the car to charge as it drives along. The idea is similar to old electric trolleys and buses that connected to overhead power lines. While novel, we're not sure that this would be a better solution than wireless charging systems that have also been proposed. Honda's idea would likely be easier and cheaper to build and maintain than a wireless system with electromagnetic coils embedded in the pavement. However, there are many potential issues. For one, that arm is just begging to be broken off. At some point, someone will forget it was deployed, or the retracting mechanism will break, and that driver will snap it off on a something like a street light. And while the charging rails would be easier to reach for maintenance, they might need more of it. In heavy snow, the rails may have to be cleared to be usable, and since the contacts will be rubbing against the rails all the time, people will have to inspect them to make sure they still work. We still have to give Honda some credit though. This is an interesting idea for solving the issues of range and charging. We just think there are other technologies that would work better long term. Related Video: Image Credit: United States Patent and Trademark Office Green Weird Car News Honda Technology Electric Future Vehicles patent