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Honda aiming for new mpg-record on European hypermile drive

Here's a warning that there will be a Honda Civic clogging up the right lane of a bunch of highways throughout Europe next month. Honda wants to set the Guinness World Record for best fuel economy for a car going through the European Union's 24 contiguous countries. To do so, we can't expect any high speeds on the autobahn. Two of Honda's finest from its UK factory will hit the road June 1 for a 25-day journey in a Honda Civic Tourer that will take the pair through two-dozen countries in 25 days. That means about 370 miles of very measured driving per day. The Civic Tourer will be equipped with a tracking device and other telematic services, and the goal is to see what kind of fuel economy the pair can get from the car's 1.6-liter i-DTEC engine. Honda isn't saying what kind of fuel-sipping figure it's looking to achieve over those three-plus weeks, which will take the car through countries such as the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, France and Spain, but the Japanese automaker is shooting for a fuel economy record irrespective of any type of powertrain, hybrids included. Take a look at Honda's press release below, and if you want to avoid or find the car en route, you can watch it on this tracker site. Honda targets new GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title for fuel efficiency with 8,500mile drive across Europe Honda will put the real-world fuel economy of its super-efficient 1.6 i-DTEC engine to the ultimate test in an 8,500mile drive across all 24 contiguous EU countries, with the aim of setting a new GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for fuel efficiency. On Monday 1st June 2015, two members of Honda's European Research & Development (R&D) team will climb into a Honda Civic Tourer and set out on an epic journey from Aalst, Belgium. Heading towards the Netherlands and Germany, their trip will see them navigate the Continent in a clockwise direction, with the aim of returning to their starting point some 25 days later, on June 25th, having covered a planned total of 8,459miles. The GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title attempt comes on the back of several independent tests which have proven Honda's 1.6 i-DTEC engine to consistently out-perform its quoted fuel efficiency in real-world driving conditions. Keen to once again underline this performance and in the challenging spirit for which the brand is famed, Honda aims to set a benchmark with a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title never before attempted in Europe.

Honda Civic 5-Door mule spotted testing

Rather than the current split between the North American Civic and the European version, Honda is taking the popular compact model global for its new generation. We've already caught glimpses of the next coupe in patent documents, covered in camouflage, and even in concept form in New York. However, the promised five-door hatch to be assembled in the UK but available in the US has remained more of a mystery – at least until these great spy shots. There's no mistaking that this mule started life as an Acura ILX, but the luxury sedan is highly modified for this duty. At the front, look closely to see where Honda's engineers tack on extra width around the wheel arches. Of course, the big star here is the rear end. The back is completely covered in camo, but the concealment isn't good enough to hide the hump of the hatchback. The sliced-off shape is actually somewhat reminiscent of Europe's current Civic five-door. Also, note that the taillights on this test car are similar to the ones on the concept in the Big Apple. Honda promises coupe, sedan and five-door body styles, and the next-gen Civic will be powered in the US by a turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder with the choice between a six-speed manual and a CVT. The first of them go on sale here this fall, although not all the variants will likely launch at the same time.

Honda rolls out various oddities for 2015 Tokyo Auto Salon

On January 9 the doors at the Makuhari Messe in Chiba will open for the 2015 Tokyo Auto Salon. and you know what that means, boys and girls: that's right, all sorts of strange mod jobs. Not to be confused with the Tokyo Motor Show that's Japan's main automotive expo, the Tokyo Auto Salon is the Nipponese equivalent of SEMA. Honda is among the first to announce its lineup for the show, and, well... let's just say they're not all hideous and leave it at that. The H brand has got a whole array of customized machinery in store for the tuner expo, starting with the new N-Box Slash that just went on sale in Japan as the company's latest Kei car. One version of the tall wagon on the tiny wheelbase is obviously inspired by America, or at least a Japanese impression of what American car culture is like: it's decked out in red with racing stripes, flame graphics, a highway road sign and strange checkerboard wheels. Another N-Box Slash dubbed the Cyber Code:89 concept looks like something from anime, all decked out in futuristic graphics and glowing lights. A third example is rather more tastefully done up in teal with yellow accents. Of course Honda hasn't put all its eggs in the Slash basket, turning its attention as it has to other models in the JDM lineup. There's a retro N-One concept with a low-key grey and white exterior but with a zany multicolor interior, a tasteful white N-WGN with Modulo accessories, an Odyssey Absolute 20th Anniversary edition minivan, a take on the NM4 cruiser bike that'd look right at home in Akira and – one of our favorites from the lot – a Mugen take on the Honda Legend that we know as the Acura RLX. Whether your plans will take you to Tokyo for the show or not, you can scope 'em all out in the high-res image gallery for a closer look.