Automobilemag.com: 2015 Ford F150 Spied in the wild with Interior Spyshots

by Jake Holmes of www.automobilemag.com

Our spy photographer has finally managed to look inside the 2015 Ford F-150, giving us our first look at the cabin of the new pickup that is expected to debut next year. Although elements like chrome trim and toggle switches are missing, several design cues on this F-150 prototype are drawn from the Ford Atlas concept shown earlier this year at the 2013 Detroit auto show.

Like the Atlas concept, this 2015 Ford F-150 prototype has vertical air vents flanking the infotainment system, an angular instrument cluster shroud, and a wide center console with a chunky shifter. Our photographers caught versions of the 2015 Ford F-150 both with a standard Sync-equipped radio and with the MyFord Touch touchscreen interface. The former version has a large grid of plastic buttons at either side of a small display screen, while trucks with MyFord Touch have a large color touchscreen, as well as a smattering of physical preset, volume, and tuning knobs.

Further down the center stack, the 2015 Ford F-150 has large physical knobs for a dual-zone climate-control system. The steering wheel has sprouted no fewer than ten buttons and two five-button pads for controlling the infotainment system and cruise control.

Our previous spy shots reveal that the outside of the 2015 Ford F-150 will also draw heavily from the Atlas concept. The truck’s headlights have a cutout and an angular corner, while the front grille will use a trio of chrome bars anchored by one vertical bar and an enormous Ford Blue Oval badge.Farther back, the new pickup truck will have a boxy design with a slightly angled cab roof and mostly flat body panels. On SuperCab and SuperCrew trucks, the beltline appears to angle upward on the rear door, a styling trend employed on many modern vehicles to create a more dramatic greenhouse shape. Prototypes of the 2015 Ford F-150 also have a plastic air dam hanging below the front bumper, which likely helps reduce the truck’s drag coefficient and boost its fuel-economy ratings.

Ford previously said that the next-generation F-150 could drop as much as 700 pounds by switching out steel for high-strength steel and materials like aluminum and magnesium. Under the hood, expect the next F-150 to continue to offer its current range of V-6, twin-turbo EcoBoostV-6, and V-8 mills, albeit with mild changes for improved power and efficiency. It’s possible the truck will ditch its current six-speed automatic in favor of a ten-speed transmission co-developed with General Motors.

The 2015 Ford F-150 is expected to make its public debut in early 2014 at a major auto show.

Check out this link for a ton more pictures!;
http://rumors.automobilemag.com/2015-ford-f-150-interior-spied-257833.html#axzz2mc58Cpv6

2014 Honda Civic Goes On-Sale Today with a Restyled Coupe, Higher Tech, Better Fuel Efficiency and an Improved Driving Experience (US PRICING, NOT CANADIAN)

12/04/2013 - TORRANCE, Calif.

• Coupe styling changes accentuate the Civic's sporty and youthful appearance
• Available technology additions include a 7-inch touch-screen Display Audio system and next generation HondaLink™ connectivity
• LaneWatch™ blind spot display comes to Civic line-up
• All-new CVT option increases performance and fuel efficiency

The significantly enhanced 2014 Honda Civic goes on-sale today with a manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) starting at $18,190¹ for the Civic LX Coupe and $18,390¹ for the Civic LX Sedan.

Extensive fresh and dynamic exterior styling updates on the Civic Coupe and premium interior refinements to all models further enhance the Civic aesthetic appeal. New available features on the 2014 Civic include the 7-inch capacitive touch-screen Display Audio, LaneWatch™ blind spot monitor and Smart Entry with Push Button start. The 2014 Civic also marks the introduction of the HondaLink™ Next Generation connected-car technology. HondaLink™ is an application-based platform that allows a seamless integration between a user's smartphone and the car, providing access to online and cloud-based content and information.

An all-new CVT is available on the gasoline only powered Coupe and Sedan. The CVT enhances responsiveness by providing quicker and smoother acceleration and due to its wider ratio range and reduced internal friction, the CVT helped the LX Coupe and LX and EX Sedans to an improvement of 2 mpg city and 1 mpg combined for EPA fuel economy ratings of 30/39/33 city/highway/combined².

The Civic Coupe is available in LX and EX trims with a 5-speed manual transmission or the new CVT and EX-L and EX-L Navi versions with CVT. The Civic Sedan comes in LX 5-speed manual or CVT and EX, EX-L and EX-L Navi with CVT. A Civic Sedan HF with CVT is also available. View, build and price at 2014 Honda Civic at automobiles.honda.com/civic.

TRIM	MSRP1	EPA Fuel Economy Ratings2 (city/highway/combined)
Civic Coupe LX 5MT	$18,190	28/36/31
Civic Coupe LX CVT	$18,990	30/39/33
Civic Coupe EX 5MT	$20,290	28/36/31
Civic Coupe EX CVT	$21,090	29/38/33
Civic Coupe EX-L CVT	$22,540	29/38/33
Civic Coupe EX-L Navi CVT	$24,040	29/38/33
Civic Sedan LX 5MT	$18,390	28/36/31
Civic Sedan LX CVT	$19,190	30/39/33
Civic Sedan EX CVT	$21,090	30/39/33
Civic Sedan EX-L CVT	$22,740	30/39/33
Civic Sedan EX-L Navi CVT	$24,240	30/39/33
Civic Sedan HF CVT	$19,940	31/41/35

For More Information
Consumer information is available at automobiles.honda.com/civic. To join the Civic community on Facebook, visit https://www.facebook.com/Honda/Civic. Additional media information including, pricing, features and high-resolution photography of the 2014 Honda Civic is available at hondanews.com/channels/honda-automobiles-civic.

¹MSRP (Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price) excluding tax, license, registration, $790 destination charge and options. Dealer prices may vary.

²Based on 2014 EPA mileage ratings. Use for comparison purposes only. Your actual mileage will vary depending driving conditions, how the vehicle is driven and maintained, battery pack age/condition and other factors.

Source;
http://www.hondanews.com/channels/corporate-headlines/releases/2014-honda-civic-goes-on-sale-today-with-a-restyled-coupe-higher-tech-better-fuel-efficiency-and-an-improved-driving-experience

Stuff.tv: Honda's airbag smartphone case is absolutely insane

Dropping a smartphone is a little like dropping a baby. Ok, maybe not quite, but the first time you see your precious 5in companion skid across a pavement, you feel every scrape and scratch, and your heart sinks. Honda has apparently taken this problem very seriously, and has created the mother of all smartphone cases to ensure that your phone will never be marked again. Well, we say smartphone case, but it's more of a smartphone vault - and it has a built-in airbag. Yes, airbag. The Smartphone Case N as it's called, packs in six airbags which deploy whenever an internal sensor detects a drop, thanks to a compressed CO2 canister. It's crazy, it's bonkers, and it's clearly just a proof of concept. But does that stop us from wanting one? Of course it doesn't. We'll take five. Source; http://www.stuff.tv/hondas-airbag-smartphone-case-absolutely-insane/news

2015 Ford Mustang: The Real Thing, Leaked

by Nelson Ireson of www.motorauthority.com

While we refuse to call a Mustang a 'Stang (or a Camaro a 'Maro, for that matter) that's exactly what Autoweek has called the 2015 Ford Mustang in these leaked images of its next issue.

Sadly, while there is also text alongside the images in the leaked photographs of the magazine (via SVT Performance Forum), the resolution is so low as to make most of it unreadable.

One small area that is legible claims a 200-pound weight loss. That would put the 2015 Mustang at something close to 3,300 pounds in V-6 form. That's an improvement over the last Mustang, but not as svelte as we might have hoped.

We'll have to wait until December 5 for the full official details on the 2015 Mustang (or at least until the next leak), but we expect three engines to be offered: a 300-horsepower V-6, a 310-horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder, and a 420-plus-horsepower V-8. Among the many likely variants are a GT350 model and possibly even a Mach 1.

Source;
http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1088868_2015-ford-mustang-the-real-thing-leaked

2014 Honda Civic review: An almost-HUD without the $1,000 upcharge

by Bill Howard of www.extremetech.com

The Honda Civic advances the state of the art in dashboard technology with an almost-head-up display that costs nothing instead of the usual $1,000-plus for a HUD. Honda relocates the most important gauges to a cluster at the base of the windshield so can see your speed, fuel efficiency, and navigation prompt just by glancing down. Either way, high-end HUD or Honda Civic upper cluster, technology minimizes driver distraction.

Honda’s superior display presentation benefits Honda as well as the user. The Civic has long been a compact car sales leader but others have caught up in performance and desirability, particularly the Mazda 3, Ford Focus, and Hyundai Elantra. The easy-to-read instruments may help keep Honda number one in compact car sales, around 350,000 this year. If Honda brings Apple iOS mirroring to the dash in 2014, replicating the Apple display on the car’s LCD, that will help the Civic’s popularity, too.

How Honda’s almost-HUD works

Honda splits its instrument panel into the traditional instrument cluster seen through the steering wheel spokes, and a row of gauges and displays set back against the base of the windshield. The top row comprises a gas gauge that is a long horizontal strip, economy indicators as vertical bars, a digital speedometer, and a color LCD that can display navigation, phone, entertainment, or fuel economy information. The traditional instrument cluster is reduced to a big tachometer and warning lights. There is also a 7-inch color LCD in the center stack providing more detail on infotainment.

Every time the driver looks away from the road, it’s a distraction, and there’s a brief period of re-acclimation when the eyes return to the road. To read the center stack display, the driver looks both over and down; to read the instrument panel, the driver looks down.

A head-up display is projected onto a mirrored film at the base of the windshield and the information appears to be floating just above the hood of the car, so it’s always in the driver’s line of sight. Honda’s top row of gauges is only a little farther down in the driver’s line of sight than a HUD. If the driver’s main focus drops to the HUD or Honda’s gauges, action on the road can still be tracked.
 
The focal point for a HUD and Honda’s gauges is farther from the driver’s eyes than an instrument panel. A driver whose eyes call for reading glasses to resolve what’s on the instrument panel 18 inches away may be able to focus better on a HUD or Honda’s row of gauges that are 24-36 inches away.

With fewer gauges and indicators in the traditional instrument panel, there’s less around the edges that can be obstructed by the steering wheel. All this adds up to Honda’s top shelf gauge package being a reasonable alternative to the head-up display seen on BMW, Cadillac, Lexus and other premium cars, especially since it’s free.

2013 to 2014: A quick redesign of a redesign, but with more tech

The ninth-generation Honda Civic came out in the 2012 model year. First reviewers said handling was too soft, cockpit materials were too cheap, and overall it wasn’t much of a changes from the eighth generation. Buyers didn’t much notice and in fact made the Civic the fourth best-selling car of the year, ahead of two other competing compact cars in the sales top ten, the then-aging Toyota Corolla and the tech-heavy Ford Focus. But the early reviews stung and Honda whipped out an altered 2013 Honda Civic, which I tested.

On the 2013 Civic, you get standard Bluetooth, a USB jack, Pandora radio, a rear camera, text messages from your smartphone read aloud, and electronic stability control. The cockpit got better materials than the 2012 and a firmer suspension that is still not harsh. Honda continues the low-to-high model range of LX, EX, EX-L and EX-L Navi. Honda typically ties navigation into its costlier trim lines, ignoring people who want a simpler car but still want navigation.

Apple iOS mirroring coming in 2014 Civic

While Honda already announced specs for the 2014 Civic that comes available in December, one 2014 Civic feature was being held for early December announcement: Apple in the Car or Apple iOS mirroring. Honda appears poised to expand beyond Siri Eyes Free, which is the ability to talk to Siri using the car’s push-to-talk button and get spoken responses. With iOS mirroring, the iPhone display is replicated on the new center stack LCD. The touchscreen could control many of the phone’s applications with likely lockouts for video or games.

More than a dozen automakers support or will support Siri Eyes Free. Honda would be a pioneer with iOS mirroring, starting with the 2014 Civic. It remains to be seen how Honda and Apple handle potentially distracting apps, particularly texting and e-mail. Apple’s general description of iOS mirroring notes features already available on virtually all cars (play music, make phone calls, download phone book) and features that would be new. Apple says, “If your vehicle is equipped with iOS in the Car, you can connect your iPhone 5 and interact with it using the car’s built-in display and controls or Siri Eyes Free. Now you can easily and safely make phone calls, access your music, send and receive messages, get directions, and more.” That suggests text messaging would be part of iOS mirroring, along with navigation (“directions”), but no mention of e-mail. The screen and buttons are locked on a phone controlled by the car, so if there’s a feature that isn’t passed through to the car, the only way to access it would be to disconnect the phone.

In a conference call with investors over the summer, Apple CEO said, “Having something [iOS mirroring] is very, very important. It’s something that people want.”

On the road: calm ride, little excitement

The Honda Civic represents transportation more than lifestyle. Driving around town and also on a long highway trip, it was pleasant for driver and passengers. I tested the top-of-the-line Civic EX-L with leather trim and navigation. The 140 hp engine and five-speed automatic provided acceleration more suited to keeping up on freeways than passing on two-lane roads. I got mileage around 33 mpg in mostly highway driving; you might get 35-plus mpg on the highway with more conscientious driving. The car was quiet except when struggling to accelerate quickly. The back seat was spacious, but then the current Civic at 179 inches long is bigger than the first generation of Honda Accords.

Highway cruising was especially pleasant with the row of gauges always within my peripheral vision. The speedometer was a good size. The LCD display or i-MID (intelligent multi information display to Honda) would switch from the audio or phone display to a navigation arrow when a turn came up, so I didn’t have to look over and down to the center stack LCD display. The horizontal fuel gauge, 20 illuminated segments in a long row, wasn’t very helpful because the eye can’t tell at a glance if there are 7 or 11 segments still lit; a semicircle would have been better, that or replacing the blank segments with empty, framed segments. The vertical fuel economy indicator can be useful or distracting, depending on how concerned you are about fuel efficiency. The i-MID is controlled by buttons on a steering wheel that is approaching button overload. The tachometer seemed almost too big and too colorful.

Everything about the car was okay: navigation display, controls, seating comfort, fit and finish. Nothing was spectacular. This is transportation, well done. The 2013 Civic lacks high-tech driver aids that are filtering down to the compact car class: adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, blind spot detection, forward collision warning, and automatic parking assist. Adding satellite radio is a costly $367 dealer option, plus installation. For 2014, the Civic sedan gets half a blind spot warning system, on the passenger side. To be without a fuller suite of Civic driver assistance features will hurt Honda after 2014. Honda can’t wait for the next Civic cycle in 2017 or 2018.

Should you buy? First, shop around

The Honda Civic is one of the better choices among compact cars but it may not be the best. You need to look also at the Mazda3, Ford Focus , Hyundai Elantra and similar Kia Forte, Chevrolet Cruze, Subaru Impreza, and the recently redesigned Toyota Corolla. The Civic’s upper row of gauges makes it easy to see your speed or the distance to the next turn while still keeping the road and traffic in view.

The majority of buyers opt for the gasoline-powered Civic sedan. There is a two-door coupe with the option of a manual transmission. Honda also sells a natural gas Civic with just 110 hp and even gentler acceleration, a Civic hybrid with more power than the mainstream Civic and a 46 mpg EPA combined rating, and a high-fuel efficiency Civic HF with low rolling resistance tires, extra aerodynamics, and 35 mpg EPA combined fuel economy. If you need more power, look to the Civic Si sedan and coupe with a 205 hp four-cylinder engine. The Civic Sedan sells for about $19,000-$24,000 including freight for the 140 hp model.

Wait for the 2014 model if you want blind spot detection (passenger side only) via Honda Lane Watch, a rear-facing camera on the side mirror that was introduced with the current Honda Accord. The right side view looking backwards appears on the center stack LCD when you flick the right turn signal. The automatic transmission for 2014 will be a CVT (continuously variable transmission) and fuel economy will be up 1-2 mpg to 33 mpg (combined EPA rating). The 7-inch center stack LCD on all models except the entry LX is now a capacitive-touch pinch-tap-swipe Display Audio screen you can manipulate like a tablet and the radio volume knob is now an up-down button. The 2014 Civic will be the first Honda with HD Radio.

As for used Honda Civics, the 2012 model that kicked off the current generation isn’t as desirable, so you should expect it to be discounted a bit more than most year-old cars. It does have stability control. The previous generation of Civics, 2006-2011, is a good deal with one important exception: Only high-end Civics offered stability control. That’s an important safety feature, it can’t be retroffited, and if the Civic is being used by a newer driver, ESC is something you really want.

Bottom line: The Honda Civic will likely continue as the sales leader among compact cars. It has few weaknesses. But shop the competition, too, even if they don’t have the unique gauge packaging of the Civic and the possibility of iOS mirroring. The smaller Honda Fit and larger Honda Accord are class leaders in desirability and sales where the Civic leads in sales.

Source;
http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/171812-2014-honda-civic-review-an-almost-hud-without-the-1000-upcharg

New power generation: Honda on the cutting edge

Honda Motor Co. President Takanobu Ito shows Honda NSX hybrid concept car, left, and Honda S660 concept car at the Tokyo Motor Show earlier this month.
(Shizuo Kambayashi/AP Photo)

The Tokyo Motor Show may not be the must-see event it once was prior to the global economic meltdown of 2008, but it still packs a wallop when it comes to showcasing new ideas and new technologies.

For Honda Motor Co., while it’s safe to say certain models in the company’s lineup are unqualified successes – the Accord, for example – it’s equally correct to note that others have fallen far short of expectations.

On its stand at the show was the RA271, the car with which Honda first competed in Grand Prix racing in 1964. A few spots down was the latest prototype version of the Honda/Acura NSX, its highly anticipated sports car, which is due to be released in 2015.

By no coincidence, Honda will return to Grand Prix racing that same year as the exclusive engine supplier to the McLaren Formula One team.

 “The regulations in Formula One are going through major changes right now,” Takanobu Ito, Honda’s CEO, said through an interpreter during an exclusive roundtable interview session. “And they are changing in a very encouraging way for a manufacturer like Honda.”

The changes include a move away from the series’ naturally aspirated 2.4-litre V-8 engine to a turbocharged 1.6-litre V-6, as well as greater use of energy recovery technology. The expected specifications for the NSX reveal that Honda is on the same page: the hybrid will rely heavily on a turbocharged V-6 engine and on energy regeneration.

This technology, in a different form, was on display at the company’s R&D facility in Tochigi where journalists got a crack at the forthcoming Acura RLX Sport Hybrid SH-AWD (super handling all-wheel drive). The next flagship for Honda’s luxury division, which will arrive in Canada in 2014, employs a 3.5-litre V-6 gas engine linked to no fewer than three electric motors – one in the front and one at each rear wheel.

The motors in the back trigger a torque vectoring system that sends power to the outside wheels to help with cornering. While many all-wheel drive cars show a tendency to understeer in such situations (they don’t want to turn when you want them to turn), the RLX hybrid did not. In fact, a few quick laps around one of the test facility’s tracks revealed that the strength of the Acura could be its predictable, smile-inducing handling.

The RLX Sport Hybrid powertrain produces 377 hp, promises superior fuel economy to the non-hybrid version and showcases Honda’s first dual-clutch automatic transmission – so it will be a technological tour de force for the manufacturer. The NSX will also incorporate a hybrid all-wheel drive system, although details have yet to be released.

The SH-AWD system was just one of three hybrid powertrains that Honda has developed and all three were on display in Tochigi. We also sampled the i-MMD (Intelligent Multi-Mode Drive) system that is used in the largely wonderful Honda Accord Hybrid (on sale in Canada) and the Accord Plug-In Hybrid (which we may not receive).

“Hybrids will generate fuel efficiency that internal combustion alone will never give us,” Ito said. “We will see wide adoption of hybrids over the next 10 years.”

Hybrids comprise 40 per cent of the market in Japan, but a smaller percentage in Canada. Hybrids prove most popular when the price is not significantly greater than that for the non-hybrid equivalent, as is the case with the Hybrid Fit in Japan. In Canada, only the next-generation gas-powered Fit will arrive next year.

In parallel with the company’s continued focus on hybrid powertrains is its intention to develop “downsized” turbo engines, more Continuously Variable Transmissions, a smattering of diesels and, in the long term, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

“The hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle is the ultimate expression of personal mobility,” Ito said. “We believe it’s the best in terms of environmental performance. Until [it’s ready], there will be a number of efforts in other areas, including improvements to the internal combustion engine.”

Honda is at the crossroads – some of the car technologies being developed will have a limited shelf life, others may never bear fruit and still others could drive future success for decades.

Source;
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-drive/new-cars/auto-news/new-power-generation-honda-on-the-cutting-edge/article15637882/

Next Gen Honda City Revealed

Honda has unveiled the next-generation City today and the unveiling had happened in New Delhi. This is the first time that a City has been unveiled in India than Thailand. This is the fourth-generation City for India and this will be the first one to come plonked with a diesel engine. The first generation made its way into India in 1998 and since then it has been one of the best sellers for Honda and also the segment-leader until the petrol prices shot up and the sales of diesel cars increased.

Source;
http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-cd/new-honda-city-unveiled-cardekho-gets-funding-113120200542_1.html

Honda's 2014 WTCC Civic revealed

Honda has released the first visual of its 2014 World Touring Car Championship challenger reflecting the all new technical regulations for the FIA WTCC which will come into force next year.

The Honda Civic WTCC render shows the 'subtle style of the wheel arch extensions, larger diameter wheels, sleeker aero package and extended rear spoiler'. Add all this to increased engine power and the 2014 Honda WTCC racer is clearly an 'ambitious' car designed to retain Honda's Manufacturers World Championship crown and enable its drivers to challenge for the World Champion title.

Two works cars will be run by JAS Motorsport for Gabriele Tarquini and Tiago Monteiro next season with further Civics to be entered by private outfits Zengo Motorsport and Proteam Racing for Hungary's Norbert Michelisz and Moroccan Mehdi Bennani respectively.

This announcement follows hot on the heels of the recent unveiling of the new 2014 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship Civic Tourer racer, with Matt Neal and Gordon 'Flash' Shedden confirmed as the Honda Yuasa Racing drivers for another season.

Source;
http://www.crash.net/wtcc/news/198722/1/hondas_2014_wtcc_civic_revealed.html