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Race recap: 2015 British Grand Prix is a testament to timing

In front of his home crowd, Lewis Hamilton actually had to work for pole position at the British Formula One Grand Prix. The World Champion couldn't get on top of the setup for his Mercedes-AMG Petronas on Friday, lapping behind teammate Nico Rosberg and the two Ferraris. Come Saturday, after a few alterations and a whole lot of wing to clamp down on understeer, Hamilton returned to his regular program at the front, taking pole position by just over a tenth of a second from his teammate. Williams, thought to be headed for another stretch in the weeds a few races ago, showed its best strength all year. The Grove team got both cars on the second row and in front of the Ferraris, Felipe Massa qualifying ahead of teammate Valtteri Bottas, but they were eight and nine tenths behind the Mercedes'. Kimi Raikkonen out-qualified Ferrari teammate Sebastian Vettel for the second time this year, and only the first time in a straight-up battle with two healthy cars. But more than a second behind the two cars at the front, and with two nearly-impossible-to-pass Williams' in front, neither the Finn nor the German is happy with where they are. Daniil Kvyat claimed seventh, his side of the garage at Infiniti Red Bull Racing having got through the weekend to that point without a single complaint about their Renault power unit. Carlos Sainz, Jr. put a single Toro Rosso inside the top ten in eighth position, ahead of Nico Hulkenberg who did the same for Sahara Force India by slotting in ninth. The second Infiniti Red Bull driven by Daniel Ricciardo did have an unspecified engine complaint – his car kept "bleeding power" on the straights – but even so he managed to qualify tenth with his second-fastest lap. The stewards deleted his best lap because he ran three centimeters outside the track limits at Copse, an infraction that stung a few other drivers as well. Up in front, what would sting the Mercedes-AMG Petronas drivers the most was the start. That's when a dearth of grip struck both Hamilton and Rosberg, allowing Massa and Bottas to slide right up the middle between them and take the first two places. The leapfrogging was so surprising that it looked like the Mercedes drivers were giving the Williams drivers a head start. They diced through the first corners, Hamilton sliding past Bottas into second place halfway through the lap. And then the safety car reported for duty.

2016 Honda Civic Coupe is a functional, fuel-efficient fastback

Listen, everyone was all excited when Honda introduced the new Civic Sedan, because it was a huge step forward over the previous generation. But while everyone was busy praising the new styling, more refined interior, and turbocharged engine, they were secretly pining for a more literal translation of the New York Auto Show concept car. People wanted the Civic Coupe. We wanted the Civic Coupe. And ahead of the 2015 Los Angeles Auto Show, Honda has delivered. The new Coupe shamelessly apes the Civic Concept from New York, featuring a similarly svelte front end. In back, the fastback roofline and overarching taillight compete for attention without appearing busy or unnecessary, while the profile presents a more rebellious take on the greenhouse and character lines of the current Accord Coupe. Like the Civic Sedan, the Coupe gets an overhauled interior that puts emphasis on material quality and focuses on tech. That includes soft-touch, contrasting details, as well as more practical stuff like the optional TFT main gauge and seven-inch touchscreen display. Expect the powertrain options to mirror the Civic Sedan, with a naturally aspirated, 2.0-liter, four-cylinder as a base entry and a turbocharged, 1.5-liter four-pot as the higher-end engine. Outputs and fuel economy figures are identical to the four-door Civics, while CVTs remain the transmission of choice – the only way you can snag a manual box is with the 2.0-liter engine. If you were one of the fans hoping Honda would see the light and at least offer the turbo with a manual trans for Coupe buyers, we understand that this is rather devastating news. We feel your pain. And we're sure you, like us, are looking forward to sportier iterations of Honda's little coupe, specifically the Si and Type R. Honda has provided an array of images of the new two-door, although you can count on our live images in the near future. Take a peek up top for the stock stuff, and then scroll below for the official press release. Dynamically Styled, More Powerful and Fuel-Efficient 2016 Honda Civic Coupe Makes First Public Appearance at Los Angeles Auto Show Nov 17, 2015 - TORRANCE, Calif.

New death linked to Takata airbag crisis, Honda recalls 170k vehicles overseas

The safety crisis surrounding Takata's exploding airbags continues to expand. In the latest revelation, Honda confirms another death linked to the faulty parts, and the company is expanding its recall of the components. However, none of the newly added vehicles are in the United States.
With the confirmation of this report, there are now five deaths linked to the faulty airbags. According to The New York Times, a pregnant woman in Malaysia was killed on July 27 in a 2003 Honda City when she crashed into another vehicle, and the inflator ruptured. This was the first announced case outside of the US.
The faulty part in the woman's car was reportedly made at a now-closed Takata factory in Georgia, according to the NYT, and it's the first known example from that location. In response, Honda recalled about 170,000 vehicles in Europe and Asia to replace the potentially bad inflators. The latest campaign brings the total number of recalled vehicles worldwide to around 14.3 million units.