Nissan SUV Slams Stationary Honda Civic that was Getting Ready to Street Race [NSFW]

We're not saying it can't happen, but the last thing you expect to see on an open road at night is two motionless vehicles occupying both regular lanes. Is it that difficult to see that this is something extremely dangerous for all parties involved? Apparently, the answer is yes…

Too bad these drivers had to find out the hard way when an unrelated Nissan SUV slammed into a Honda Civic hatchback that was standing still revving its engine as the owner was preparing to race another Civic on an unnamed road in Tampa, Florida.

The person who uploaded the video said that despite the severity of the crash, -fortunately- no one was hurt. You can watch the accident as it happened in the clip that follows after the break (beware; foul language).

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Honda Takes a Look at the Past and Future of the NSX Sports Coupe

Back in the early 1990s when the Japanese auto industry went sports car crazy churning out models like the third generation Mazda RX-7, the Mitsubishi 3000GT, the Nissan 300ZX and Skyline GT-R, and the Toyota Supra, one vehicle stood out from the rest and that was the Honda / Acura NSX.

The NSX taught American and European car manufactures a lesson or two on how to build a high-performance sports car that not only looked good but also was reliable and reasonably priced for what it had to offer.

The fact that it remained in production virtually unchanged for 15 years from 1990 to 2005 is a testament to the innovation of its original design.

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Honda to Display NSX and European CR-V Concept Plus New 1.6L Diesel at the Geneva Salon

Honda today revealed its line-up for the Geneva Motor Show that takes place in March. The highlight of the Japanese firm's display will be the NSX Concept that features a mid-mounted V6 and a hybrid all-wheel drive system. The production version will arrive within the next three years.

The second Honda concept that will make its European debut in Geneva will be the EV-STER, an electric roadster, akin to a 21st century version of the early ‘90s Beat Kei-car.

Much closer to production, and of bigger interest to a most customers, is the European version of the all-new CR-V crossover. Although it will be displayed as a prototype, the new CR-V, which is already available in the U.S., will effectively preview the European model that is set to go on sale this autumn.

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Woman Wins $10K in Spat with Honda over Civic Hybrid's Fuel Economy, Carmaker Says it will Appeal

Lately, fuel economy figures are becoming something of a hot issue in the U.S. After the Consumer Watchdog-Hyundai Elantra debacle we told you about earlier today, we have another case of a car manufacturer accused of misleading customers about one of its model’s fuel economy claims.

Heather Peters, a former lawyer who lives in Southern California, took Honda to a small-claims court. She accused the carmaker of lying about her 2006 Civic Hybrid's fuel efficiency as she never managed to reach the estimates advertised by Honda.

And guess what? Peters won the case and the court awarded her US$9,867. LA Superior Court Commissioner Douglas Carnahan wrote a 26-page decision, which included a long list of misleading statements made by Honda and identified by Peters, such as “amazingly little fuel” and “save plenty of money of fuel with up to 50 mpg during city driving.”

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Honda to Race New European Civic Hatch with 1.6-liter Turbo in the WTCC

Honda is getting ready to put on its racing suit for the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC), in which it will participate with the new European Civic hatchback.

“We have made a decision to enter into the WTCC with the European Civic," said Honda CEO, Takanobu Ito, on the announcement. "We will develop a totally new engine for this project and we are all excited about starting this new challenge."

The Japanese automaker revealed that its Research and Development division will design a bespoke 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder racing engine with direct-injection in accordance with FIA’s Super 2000 regulations.

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Ferris Bueller Takes a Day Off to Enjoy the 2012 CR-V in Honda's New Super Bowl Ad

If you were expecting Matthew Broderick to mark his return as a 50-year old Ferris Bueller with a Ferrari model, you're out of luck as the much publicized teaser turned out to be a commercial for the all-new 2012 Honda CR-V, an extended version of which you can watch after the break.

Honda brought Ferris Bueller's Day Off back to life for the Super Bowl XLVI game with Matthew Broderick playing himself.

The two-and-a-half minute spot that pays homage to the classic 1980's movie shows Broderick skipping out on a day of acting work to enjoy his all-new CR-V.

The Japanese company says that it has hidden over two dozen references to the movie throughout the extended version of the commercial that will air on February 5 during the game. See if you can find them in the video that follows after the break.

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New Limited Edition Honda CR-Z 'Label α' for Japan

Japanese buyers are no strangers to special edition versions with extremely subtle modifications, the newest one coming from Honda with its CR-Z 'Label α' model, which goes on sale this week and will be available for a limited release until May 31.

What makes the 'Label α' special in Honda's eyes is the bespoke burgundy pearl metallic finish on the outside with a matching interior color for the seats, door panels and the stitching on the leather steering wheel and manual gearbox shifter.

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New Four-Cylinder Honda Crosstour Costs $2,685 Less than V6, Starts at $28,465*

Honda is expanding the range of its Accord-based Crosstour model with the addition of a four-cylinder, two-wheel drive version that goes on sale today priced from $27,655, or $28,465 if you include an $810 destination and handling charge. That's $2,685 less than the equivalent V6 model.

The new entry level Crosstour sports a 2.4-liter i-VTEC inline four-cylinder engine that develops 192 horsepower matched to a standard 5-speed automatic transmission, delivering 21 mpg city and 29 mpg highway, an improvement of 3 mpg and 2 mpg respectively over the V6 model.

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Video: Things Honda Car Guys Say [NSFW]

If you regularly surf the internet aimlessly for hours, there's a good chance that you are aware of the new fad to hit YouTube with a string of videos usually titled "Shit –insert something here- Say", and which may or may not have started with the "Shit Girls Say".

Not surprisingly, someone came up with a car-related clip titled "Shit Honda Guys Say" which you can watch right after the break. We must warn you, though, there is some foul language…

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Honda's Cumulative Worldwide Hybrid Sales Surpass 800,000 Units Since 1999

While not as near as successful as its native rival Toyota when it comes to hybrid models, Honda remains a major player in the category having recently topped the 800,000 sales mark.

As we learned today, the milestone came at the end of December 2011 and was achieved 12 years and 2 months after Honda launched the first generation of its Insight hybrids in Japan in November 1999. For the record, last April Toyota sold its 1 millionth Prius in the States.

The first Insight delivered a fuel economy of 35km/liter (equal to 82.3mpg US or 2.9lt/100km) on the Japanese driving cycle, lending it the title of the most fuel-efficient gasoline-powered model of its time - according to Honda.

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Watch Roadside Assistance Pull a Honda Civic from the Top of a Cadillac CTS

We just got our hands on fresh footage from the January 5 accident in Wellesley, Massachusetts, when a 51-year old driver of a Honda Civic sedan slammed the accelerator pedal instead of the brake and hit a curb that sent his car a flying into a garage and on top of a fairly new Cadillac CTS.

Fortunately, no one was hurt from the accident, though both cars were significantly damaged.

The newly released video, which you can watch after the jump, shows the roadside assistance trucks as they were trying to extract the Honda from the parking lot the same way it entered the building.

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Auto Execs Take a Swipe at Each Other at the Detroit Motor Show

Good manners dictate that unless you are provoked, you can politely ignore your adversaries. In the case of those involved in the auto industry, politely point out to your clients and/or the press why and in which areas your products are superior. That's a common practice. Openly attacking your opponents is considered rude.

But Not anymore. At the 2012 Detroit Motor Show, some pretty poisonous remarks were uttered by several executives. BMW North America boss, Ludwig Willisch, dismissed the new Cadillac ATS and Lincoln MKZ saying that, despite their claims, they are simply not in the same league as the 3-Series.

“We don’t produce trucks, nor taxis or buses”, said Willisch. “We don’t produce sofas on wheels – and we don’t take mass-market vehicles and rebadge them as premium.”

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New Acura NSX Concept Meets Old in Gran Turismo 5 Video

Now that was pretty fast. The creators of Sony's wildly successful Gran Turismo racing game series have released a new video that brings to life both the brand-new Acura NSX Concept that was revealed just the other day at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show and the original model, which was marketed under the Honda brand name outside North America. Read more »

Honda Not Warming up Much to the 2012 Tokyo Auto Salon

The Detroit Auto Show hasn't even opened its doors to the public and yet some automakers are already getting ready for the next car show which is the Tokyo Auto Salon 2012 with NAPAC, which will be held from Friday, January 13, to Sunday, January 15. The aftermarket and customization show is Japan's equivalent of the SEMA show.

While Honda couldn't be absent from the event, the Japanese carmaker's offerings won't be drawing that much attention.

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2013 Honda Accord Coupe Concept Previews 9th Generation Model, Coming this Fall [Video]

Like its Acura sibling, Honda is previewing one of its upcoming production models at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show with the presentation of the Accord Coupe Concept, which paves the way for the ninth-generation 2013 Accord series set to go on sale in North America this fall.

As you can see for yourself, the only conceptual parts of the Accord Coupe are the dramatically styled front and rear bumpers along with the side skirts and alloy wheel designs. Take out those and you have the next Accord Coupe, which truth to be said, doesn't really look all that new.

In fact, if Honda didn't tell us that it's the ninth generation model, we'd be inclined to think it's a facelift of the current series as the only changes to the design concern the fascia that gets new headlamps and a simpler, four-sided grille, a more sculptured beltline, pronounced rear wheel arches and newly shaped tail lamps.

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Oops…Honda Civic Driver Flies Onto a Cadillac CTS at a Parking Lot

Unless we knew better, we'd say that some drivers are purposely trying to get their automobiles airborne…

Following a bizarre incident earlier this week when a thief managed to perfectly land a stolen car on the roof of an apartment building in California, another driver, this time in Massachusetts, somehow piloted his burgundy colored Honda Civic sedan onto a Cadillac CTS at an office parking lot in Wellesley.

The Civic driver allegedly stepped on the gas instead of the brake pedal and hit a curb, which slung the car into a parking lot and onto the Cadillac.

Officer Chris Cunningham of the Wellesley Police Department said that no one was hurt from the accident that took place on Thursday morning. Video follows after the jump [pun intended…].

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2011 U.S. Sales: Detroit's Big 3 and Koreans Report Strong Gains, Honda and Toyota Feel the Pinch

In the year that just ended, some automakers have a lot to be grateful for while others including Japan's biggest car brands would rather forget due to the Tsunami as well as the Thailand floods that significantly hurt their production lines during 2011.

Starting with the American carmakers, General Motors saw its U.S. sales rise 13.7 percent last year to 2,503,820 units. Chevrolet led the way with 1,775,812 units (+13.4%) followed by GMC at 397,986 (+18.8%), Buick at 177,633 (+14.3%) and Cadillac at 152,389 (+3.7%).

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Polk Estimates Global Vehicle Sales to Reach 77.7 Million Units in 2012, and 96.3 Million in 2016

The analyst gurus at R. L. Polk & Co have issued a new forecast for global vehicle sales in 2012. The automotive market intelligence firm predicts that sales are expected to rise 6.7 percent over 2011 volumes to 77.7 million vehicles, thanks to the global economy riding out the European debt crisis and consumers returning to showrooms.

However, this does not mean that the European car market will recover. On the contrary, Polk estimates that Europe will be the only region where sales will be flat or slightly down to just over 19 million units due to the tight financial plans enforced by most governments.

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Honda Orders Dealers to Halt Sales of Certain Used Models until Airbag Problem is Solved

An airbag-related issue has made Honda tell its dealers to stop sales of certain used cars until a recall campaign to fix the defect is carried out.

Honda took the decision in spite of the fact that federal law requires automakers only to stop selling new cars when a recall campaign is issued, as it does not demand the same for used vehicles.

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The Worst Performing Auto Stocks of 2011

The year that is ending tomorrow night has certainly been a strange one for investors: while the Standard & Poor’s 500 will end flat, stock prices of the automotive industry have experienced a great fall.

After all that’s happened this year with the Euro debt crisis and the U.S. avoiding one at the 11th hour, this was more or less to be expected.

What is surprising though is that the worst performer in terms of stock price is the car company that has regained the number one position globally and rolled out many new competitive products. And yes, we are talking about General Motors, which saw its share price drop by 46 percent!

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