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Hyundai-Kia claims 'greenest' title from Honda, Big Three still big losers

Let's start with the good news. On average, any new car you buy in the US today will be 43 percent cleaner than any average new car in 1998. Here's some more good news, for Korea anyway, Hyundai-Kia has been named the cleanest automaker in the latest study by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), which looked at 2013 model year vehicles sold between October 2012 and September 2013 from the top eight automakers (by volume). The bad news? The big three Detroit automakers are, on average, still making the dirtiest cars in the showroom. The big three Detroit automakers are, on average, still making the dirtiest cars in the showroom. The problem for Ford, General Motors and Chrysler lies in their trucks, which sell well but tend to have pretty bad fuel economy (compared to sedans, at least). The UCS calculates its list by averaging "the per-mile emissions for each light-duty vehicle sold by each automaker" and then factors in "the fuel economy, fuel type, and sales volume of each type of vehicle sold by each automaker" and "the upstream global warming emissions from producing and distributing the fuel used by each vehicle, as well as emissions from the vehicles themselves." That all means that, the more trucks you sell, the worse you're gonna do. Then again, the more trucks you sell with 18 mpg, the more you're helping drivers put CO2 into the air, so the UCS is doing a fair comparison of the things that this study is trying to track. More details on the methodology are available on page six of the study PDF. In case you were wondering (we were), UCS did make sure to use the revised mpg numbers for Hyundai and Kia models that were originally overstated. Hyundai has apologized for and fixed those figures and even with the new, corrected numbers, Hyundai's total emissions are dropping at a rate of about three percent a year, enough for it to take the greenest company title for the first time. In fact, this is the first time that an automaker other than Honda has come out on top in the UCS ranking, which has been released six times now, including the first one in 2000 (which looked at 1998 model year data). In 2010, Honda was almost knocked off the winner's perch by both Hyundai and Toyota, but managed to hold on. Chrysler, on the other hand, came in dead last (again) in the ranking of the top eight automakers, snagging the "dirtiest tailpipe" award once (again). Read the UCS' press release below.

Acura to roll out NSX Prototype for Mid-Ohio IndyCar race

Acura will tease us yet again with its next-gen NSX when it makes an appearance at Mid-Ohio Raceway before the circuit's IndyCar race early next month. To be fair, the car's in-motion debut won't take the form of a production model - that's still a ways off - the vehicle will be a prototype. It'll be sporting custom graphics and an eye-catching paint (wrap?) job to draw the attention of the spectators, but really, we just want to hear this thing rounding the legendary road course at full chat.
The NSX prototype doesn't look to be much different from the various showcars we've seen over the last couple of years, with the same mid-engined, hybrid V6 power and all-wheel drive all present and accounted for.
The display will take place before the Honda Indy 200 IndyCar Series on August 4. The race itself starts at 3:00 pm and will be shown on NBC Sports Network.

Honda issues stop sale on 2016 Civic with 2.0-liter engine

Honda has issued a stop sale on the 2016 Civic with the 2.0-liter four-cylinder for a problem that might allegedly lead to engine failure. The company also plans to recall and inspect the examples already with customers. Honda spokesperson Chris Martin tells Autoblog that the issue doesn't affect any Civics with the 1.5-liter turbocharged engine. "While the specific details of this action are still being determined, American Honda has provided preliminary information to the NHTSA and intends to provide more details in a formal notification to NHTSA on Friday, February 5," Martin said. After the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration acknowledges the details, Honda will issue an official statement about the problem. A post on the CivicX forum purports to have a Honda document detailing the fault. Some of the 2.0-liter engines may have missing or miss-set piston pin snap rings, which could cause damage to the pistons and other internal parts. The issue reportedly affects roughly 34,000 examples of the 2016 Civic. If the document from the CivicX forum are accurate, dealers will use a borescope to inspect the pin snap rings on the potentially affected engines. According to the forum, replacement parts are not yet available, and Honda expects to notify customers about the recall in March. Autoblog drove the turbocharged version of the 2016 Civic late in 2015 and came away fairly impressed. We loved the new engine and quiet interior but weren't so enamored with the CVT. In any case, if you're in the market for a new Civic, you may now have one more reason to consider the new turbo mill. Related Video: