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Honda Jazz looks like a good fit for Paris

The quirky, utilitarian little hatchback that we know as the Honda Fit in the US carries the more melodious Jazz name in Europe. And while the newest Fit is already on sale in our market, folks are still waiting for it across the pond. Honda is unveiling its new Jazz Prototype to the 2014 Paris Motor Show in October, and it's nearly identical to what is currently on sale in North America. In fact, it's hard to image Honda changing much from this "prototype" before launching it for Europeans.
The Jazz's design is exactly what you would expect after even a glance at the current North American Fit. Except for a different wing at the rear, a shark fin antenna and a new set of wheels, this Jazz plays the same tune we've heard before.
The one thing keeping the Fit and Jazz from truly being identical siblings is that the European model packs Honda's new 1.3-liter i-VTEC Earth Dreams engine under the hood, rather than the 1.5-liter used in North America. But just like our Fit, the Jazz will be available with a six-speed manual or CVT. The Japanese automaker says that the Jazz goes on sale in the summer of 2015. Scroll down to read the company's announcement for its upcoming hatch.

Don't drive some 2001-03 Hondas and Acuras with Takata airbags, feds say

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on Thursday warned owners of certain 2001-03 Honda and Acura models to stop driving their vehicles immediately due greater risks posed by their defective Takata airbags. NHTSA says the airbag inflators have up to a 50-percent chance of exploding in an accident. Dangerous ruptures are more likely to occur in vehicles that spend a significant amount of time in high humidity. About 313,000 vehicles are affected. They are: The 2001 to 2002 Honda Accord and Civic, the 2002 to 2003 Acura TL, 2002 Honda CR-V and Odyssey, 2003 Acura CL, and 2003 Honda Pilot. All of these vehicles were recalled from 2008 to 2011 for being equipped with Takata inflators, but the feds are urging immediate action due to the elevated risk. The inflators in this group of cars have a manufacturing defect that "greatly increases the potential for dangerous rupture when a crash causes the airbag to deploy," NHTSA said. "The air bag inflators in this particular group of vehicles pose a grave danger to drivers and passengers that must be fixed right away," NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind said in a statement. Related video: News Source: NHTSA, Automotive News Auto News Honda Minivan/Van SUV Sedan airbag

Consumer Reports says infotainment systems 'growing first-year reliability plague'

The Consumer Reports Annual Auto Reliability Survey (right) is out, and the top two spots look much the same as last year's list with Lexus and Toyota in first and second place, respectively. However, there are some major shakeups for 2014, with Acura plunging eight spots from third in 2013 to 11th this year, and Mazda replaces it on the lowest step of the podium. Honda and Audi round out the top five. This year's list includes six Japanese brands in the top 10, two Europeans, one America and one Korean.
Acura isn't the only one taking a tumble, though. Infiniti is the biggest loser this year by dropping 14 spots to 20th place. Other big losses come from Mercedes-Benz with an 11-place fall to 24th, and GMC, which declines 10 positions to 19th.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, it's not traditional mechanical bugs hauling down these automaker's reliability scores. Instead, pesky problems with infotainment systems are taking a series toll on the rankings. According to Consumer Reports, complaints about "in-car electronics" were the most grumbled about element in new cars. Problem areas included things like unresponsive touchscreens, issues pairing phones and multi-use controllers that refused to work right.