Could the Advanced Sports Car Concept possibly be the next NSX? Is the wait almost over? The answers to these two questions are: "yes" and "no one knows." What we do know is that the dynamically styled sports car concept is the current design direction of the successor to the Acura NSX. It's what's on Honda's mind.
Designed by Acura's Los Angeles-based design team, the Advanced Sports Car Concept is low and wide and has a 108.8-inch wheelbase. There are 19-inch wheels on the front and 20's in the back. The cabin is constructed entirely of tinted glass and sits flush against the body. Few subtle cues-such as the slim LED headlights, which are meant to mimic the old NSX pop-ups, and the wraparound rear taillights-link it to the NSX. Outside of that, all bets are off.
"Our intention was to design an exotic sports car that gracefully combines advanced technology and strong emotion," explained Jon Ikeda, the principal designer at the Acura Design Center, which will open the doors to its new facility this summer. "The technical, machined surfaces and keen-edge design are balanced with sweeping curves and dramatic lines, all of which result in the ultimate exotic sports car."
The Advanced Sports Car Concept features a new high performance rear-wheel-drive version of Acura's Super Handling All Wheel Drive. Interestingly enough, the Advanced Sports Car Concept is powered by a V10 engine that has been mounted in the front. We'll see more at the Tokyo Motor Show in October.
Power CoupeIf the styling holds up, the next Honda Accord Coupe is going to be one mean ride.
Whoa, this is an Accord? Designed with a fastback roofline, a longish hood and a six-sided grille, the Accord Coupe Concept is the sexiest Accord to date. It's also the first Accord concept that Honda has revealed at a major auto show.
"The Accord Coupe Concept demonstrates the styling direction for the upcoming, eighth-generation Accord," said John Mendel, senior vice president of American Honda.
Don't believe the hype-this concept looks production-ready. It features a more powerful and lower-emissions V6. The engine incorporates Honda's next-gen Variable Cylinder Management technology, which means it will provide higher fuel efficiency. Pretty cool stuff, but the real story is the car's hottie body.
Tokyo CoolHonda displays three concept rides at the Tokyo Auto Salon.Honda's slogan at the Tokyo Auto Salon was "Be Cool, Be Chic." And while much of the aftermarket extravaganza is about fast, modified racers and drift cars, Honda focused on stylish people transportation or "getting around with class." The three concept vehicles on display showed off Honda's experiments in AVN-Audio Visual Navigation-and the use of LED lights to create interior mood.
Person Of The YearStephan Papadakis wins award at SEMAStephan Papadakis has added another trophy onto the mantel, alongside his trove of drag racing awards. At the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Papadakis was named the 2006 Person of the Year by the SEMA Sport Compact Council.
The award recognizes creativity, integrity, industriousness and accomplishments in the sport compact industry over the past year. Nominees come from all segments of the industry including manufacturing, motorsports, retailers, and media. Other nominees this year were Raceway Park's Javier Ortega, and Scion brand manager Sheila Swanson.
"It's such an honor to be recognized for your accomplishments, especially when you are chosen by your peers in the industry that you live, love and work," Papadakis, who is devoting 2007 to drifting in the Formula Drift series, said. "I get so caught up in our team and company goals sometimes that I forget people are paying attention to what we are doing, which is what makes this recognition so meaningful."
Splash And DashFor the tenth year in a row, Honda's worldwide production increased from the previous year. And Honda achieved an all-time calendar year record for worldwide production. Production in Japan experienced its third consecutive year-on-year increase, and Honda set a new all-time calendar year record for production in North America.
After a year of hype, a fully functional Honda FCX concept car made an appearance at the Detroit auto show. Built with Honda's latest high-efficiency FC Stack, the FCX concept shows the design direction of a totally new fuel cell vehicle. Limited marketing of this new vehicle will begin in 2008 in Japan and the U.S.
It may have looked like the same old robot, but it was a brand spanking new Asimo that made its debut at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The latest and greatest Asimo moves quicker and smoother. It has enhanced human interaction skills and runs at nearly 4 mph.
Full Of BullTwo friends from Oak-town and their '96 Civic take on super rich people in tight shirts driving European cars in the Bullrun.Honda tuners like to talk about how their cars can match up against Porsches and BMWs. But none have put their cars to the test the way that Sean Yarbrough and Paris Jackson did last summer. The friends from Oakland entered their '96 Civic in the Bullrun cross-country rally. The carrot at the end of the stick-an 18-day-long stick-was a grand prize of $200,000. Their competition: muscle cars and exotics.