Honda considers F1 come back!

OK, now that's a paradox. Honda quit F1 at the end of 2008 season having already developed a car capable of winning the title in 2009. The financial meltdown was blamed and Honda wanted to focus on green cars instead. Oh, the NSX development under way at those days was also canceled, but we got the Insight instead... a very promising model that proved to be simply disappointing.

Now though, the F1 rules will change in 2013 and it seems that 1.6 L turbocharged engines will be used. Renault's managing director Jean-François Caubet said that companies will have to start from scratch with the upcoming new rules and he stated that a third manufacturer will join F1 in 2013. He said that a likely return of BMW is too premature and VW still hesitates. Caubet said that the third company will be a Japanese one and Honda is seriously considering a come back...

Last orders: Honda Civic Type R (FN2)

A very nicely written article. Check it out!

Last orders: Honda Civic Type R « PetrolBlog
 

Nissan Leaf’s dynamic online digital brochure

Check out the Leaf's dynamic online digital brochure! It describes every innovation that makes up this historic car.

Yet another rendering of Subaru's FT-86 version (216A)

This is another rendering I came across and although it doesn't seem like a good one, I just thought that it would be nice to share it. Auto Express published recently a rendering (earlier post) and you can check out also my detailed post which includes a large number of magazine scans and a lot of info. If you are not familiar with the code "086A", it's the internal code of the Scoobi version for the Japanese market.

Ariel Atom tuned by Mugen is coming!!!

Ariel's super fast Atom is well known, but now it's coming tuned by Mugen (無限)!!! The Mugen version, which is coming out to celebrate the model's 10th anniversary, is going to be powered by a Mugen-tuned Honda K20Z Type R engine, an engine that has been used in regular Atoms since 2007. Power will be increased by 25 hp and total output will be 270 hp!

Only 10 cars will be built, each featuring a special livery and a numbered plate signed by the Mugen and Ariel technicians responsible for its build. The Ariel Atom Mugen will be shown at the Autosport show in January, when full prices and final spec will be announced.

[Source: Autocar]

Proper mobile version of "Japanese Car Design Corner / 日本自動車設計角" blog now available

Blogger has finally released the highly anticipated mobile version today and although it's still beta, you can now visit the mobile version of my blog via your mobile phone using the same address, which you can also obtain by scanning the updated QR code on the left sidebar. If you want to preview the mobile version on your computer, just visit the following address:

http://jp-cardesigncorner.blogspot.com/?m=1
 

Airbags may not work in 1 out of 100 cars?!

According to a report published by Response, an investigation involving 100,000 vehicles (Lotus was also involved in the investigation) showed that fault codes related to SRS were logged in 1.29% of the vehicles and ABS faults in 5.72% of them. This means that in approximately 1 out of 100 cars the airbags may not work properly in the case of an accident!

2011 USDM Honda Odyssey named best redesigned vehicle

Well, I wasn't aware that such a title exists, but apparently it does. To be honest, the most difficult thing is to replace an already successful model and it seems that Honda has managed to do it with the new Odyssey. So, Kelly Blue Book has named the 2011 Honda Odyssey its Best Redesigned Vehicle for 2011.

“The 2011 Honda Odyssey improves on its predecessor in every way imaginable, offering a better-looking, more contemporary exterior design, a sumptuous interior stuffed with innovative features, and class-leading fuel economy,” said Jack R. Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com.  ”Its safety, refinement, resale value and trouble-free nature are combined with a surprising level of fun-to-drive, so it is not difficult to see why Honda refers to the 2011 Odyssey as the ‘ultimate in family transportation.’”

Although the USDM version looks good, I would rather have the JDM one pictured below.

[Source: egmCarTech]