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Honda Civic Type-R to be confirmed at the Paris Motor Show with debut set for Geneva in 2013  Lotus’ withdrawal from the Paris Motor Show was disappointing, to say the least, but all’s not lost, especially if you’re the optimistic type. Despite the lack of Lotus’ presence, we now know that one automaker will be making an official announcement regarding the state of one of its own cars in Paris. We’re talking, of course, about Honda and the 2013 Civic Type-R. Spy photos of the 2013 Civic Type-R around the Nurburgring have been taken in the past months, but it’s only now that information has come from Honda insiders, who told Autocar of the Civic Type-R’s confirmation notice in Paris and subsequent preview at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show. These same insiders didn’t divulge any further details surrounding the car, which of course brings back speculation on what kind of engine the new Civic Type-R will carry under its hood. We’ve made our guesses that the Civic Type-R could carry an output of about 220-230 horsepower, alluding to our opinion that the car’s track-oriented focus will most likely lead to Honda giving full attention to the car’s chassis, handling, and engine specs. None of this is confirmed, but we’re nevertheless ecstatic to find out that the 2013 Civic Type-R will be officially announced at the Paris Motor Show with the preview set to take place at Geneva next year. Car Infographics: Auto Theft in the U.S.
According to the FBI, we’re coming up to a couple of the hottest months of the year, and we’re not talking about the weather. Turns out, July and August are the top two months for vehicle theft, and LoJack and the International Association of Auto Theft Investigators (IAATI) are doing their part by holding their 6th annual National Vehicle Theft Protection Month. For this year, they have come up with an infographic that provides a few details and stats about car theft, as well as some helpful hints to ensure you are not a victim. First, the facts. In 2010, there were 737,000 vehicle thefts and only 56% of those vehicles were ever recovered. The average loss per vehicle was $6,152. Not exactly a small number by anyone’s standards. What’s worse is that, if you own a Honda Accord, Honda Civic, and Toyota Camry, you are more likely to be a victim because these were the top three vehicles stolen in 2010. The Ford Mustang made up a total of 9,116 instances of car theft in 2010, so we can only imagine how many of the top three vehicles were stolen during that time. Where you live is also a factor. Nine out of 10 areas in numbers of stolen cars are in California and Washington State, with seven of the areas belonging to The Golden State. Being the trusting - or rushed - souls that we are, 68% of people have left their car running when they aren’t in it or have left their car unlocked, while 64% of people have their home address programmed into their GPS system and 32% have left an electronic device or personal documents in plain view. So what can we do to protect ourselves and our vehicles from theft? The number one protection aid is to use COMMON SENSE. Hey, they said it, we only repeated it. The second and third are to use theft protection products and a tracking and recovery system. Check out the rest of the infographic after the jump to get more helpful information and remember to check back with us for the next installment in our Car Infographics series. Full story Video: Awesomeness in Advertising by Hoonigan.com
Way back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, I was a spritely high school graduate heading into my first semester at college as a business administration – I know, my prospective career took a detour. In between Frat parties, sports, and chasing those of the opposite sex, I found myself in classes, some of which were about marketing correctly. The key to marketing is to get your viewers’ attention, flash your product, then leave the viewers with a lasting impression to remember you by. Well, Hoonigan.com absolutely mastered the art of “gaining your viewers’ attention” with its latest attempt to peddle its online wares. Not only does this video contain some hooning awesomeness, but it is bursting at the seams with it. Pretty much every single awesome car video we have seen in the last five (or so) years has a several-second spot in this ad. Hell, there is even some Power Wheels hoonage at the 45-second mark and some bicycle hoonage going on at the 58-second mark. All we can do is tip our collective hats to the folks that put together this video and the countless number of hours that must have been put in watching various videos. Just finding the videos alone must have taken hundreds of hours, but then editing them, dubbing Motorhead’s “Ace of Spades” over it, and splicing it all together, Phew. Some highlights are the Subaru WRX vs. Snowboarder downhill race at to 50-second mark, the Honda Civic passenger running for his life at the 38-second mark, and the worlds greatest drift pass at 1:23. If there is a single short car clip to watch so far this year, this is it!
2013 Honda Civic Type-R
The European version of the new generation Honda Civic made its debut last year at the Frankfurt Motor Show. And today, just a few months after, our spy photographers have the first proof that Honda is preparing a a Type-R version of the new Civic: a mule of the upcoming car has been spied close to the Honda’s technical center near Nürburgring. The first obvious differences are on the exterior. The mule features a big rear wing fitted over the rear window, bigger exhaust pipes and a deeper front spoiler that might indicate that this is just the first mule for the Civic Type-R testing some chassis settings. The production version will also get a deep front spoiler, a new rear bumper with diffuser, wider and bigger wheels and sportier seats. The next Civic Type R is said to be focused on track orientated customers. This means that Honda will focus on improving the chassis and the car’s handling, while the high-revving engine will probably deliver somewhere around 220-230 HP.
Honda releases teaser sketches of Beijing-bound concepts
The Beijing Auto Show is fast becoming one of the biggest events in the automotive calendar and a lot of companies have taken into introducing concept vehicles in Beijing. When its doors open on April 23, 2012, Japanese automaker Honda will be on hand to introduce a pair of new concept vehicles that will make their world debuts. According to Honda, the concepts - one is a sedan while the other is a hatchback - are preview models for the Chinese market. No further details were divulged apart from the two photos, but if the design sketches are any indication on what Honda has up their sleeve, we won’t be surprised if the cars end up being Chinese versions of the Accord and the Civic. Suffice to say, we’re all pretty curious to see these two concepts without their covers. Fortunately, the Beijing Auto Show will kick off on April 23, which means that we won’t have to wait too long to find out what Honda has in store for us.
2012 Honda Civic Si by Bisimoto EngineeringIf you want to talk about taking a mild-mannered 2012 Honda Civic Si and tuning it up to a whole new level, you might have found the car that will serve as inspiration for your over-the-top fantasies. Bisimoto Engineering, an aftermarket company based in Ontario, California and run by Bisi Ezerioha, has prepared a completely modified Civic Si for the 2011 SEMA Auto Show. You know how there are always those cars in SEMA that just blow you away because of the sheer audacity and lunacy behind its program? This is one of them, and for all the right, albeit crazy, reasons. Bisimoto designed this car to be the ultimate-do-everything racer. It can drag race, it can hit the touring scene, and it can even do a little time-attack. So how is it capable of all that considering that the stock version of the Civic Si "only" carries a 2.4-liter inline 4-cylinder engine that produces 201 horsepower? To address that, Bisimoto Engineering dropped a huge Turbonetics turbocharger to the Civic SI’s powertrain, resulting in a complete shattering of minds horsepower output to the tune of 1,004 ponies. On top of that, the car also received a fancy exterior graphics design, a comprehensive body kit program, and a retooled interior that includes a full body roll cage. Check out the man himself, Bisi Ezerioha, talk about his prized creation by clicking on the photo above. 2012 Honda Civic Si Coupe Compass 360 Racing HPDWith the recent unveiling of the ninth generation Civic in early 2011, there’s was no doubt in our minds that Honda would make the coupe its SEMA star. Among the many other cool packages Honda displayed in Vegas, the Compass360 Racing HPD Civic Si Coupe Racecar sat gleaming in its tri-color scheme. The work on the Compass360 Racing HPD started earlier this year with the Civic bodies-in-white, a program that offers a significant cost and labor savings to race teams. This program offers teams a bare bones chassis to eliminate the time and money spent on breaking down production models for racing. Sales of the body-in-white shells began in July 2011, and HPD has delivered a number of them to licensed race teams thus far, each priced at $3,500. Since the program began, the company has been busy working on this Compass360 Racing prototype that provides details on the company’s new racing performance parts program specifically designed for the 2012 Civic. These racing parts are tailored for use in the SCCA World Challenge and Grand Am’s Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge. They will be available early in 2012, and full details and pricing will be released at that time. 2012 Honda Civic Si Coupe by Honda Factory Performance
Honda isn’t leaving any stones unturned with their Honda Civic Si line-up at the 2011 SEMA Auto Show where they’re presenting a steady diet of custom-modded Civics ranging from the mildly customized all the way to the purely insane. The Civic Si Coupe by Honda Factory Performance falls in the in-between. The model, which has been fitted with a limited edition HFP package, will be limited to only 500 kits that are now on sale at Honda dealers across the country. Anybody who’s interested in the program will receive a program that includes a full HFP aerodynamic body kit; high-performance springs that reduce the car’s overall ride height by 15 mm; high-performance dampers tuned for enhanced road handling and decreased body roll; and, a set of 18" HFP alloy wheels. Inside the Civic Si Coupe, HFP outfitted the interior with red ambient interior illumination, HFP carpet floor mats, and HFP emblems. The car that’s currently on display at the 2011 SEMA Auto Show will give you a pretty good idea on all the custom parts available on the Civic Si Coupe HFP. Be sure to check it out, and if you’re interested, scoop up one of the 500 kits available before they sell out. 2012 Honda Civic Sedan by Honda Factory Performance
By far the tamest of all the Honda Civics being displayed at the 2011 SEMA Auto Show is the Civic Sedan by Honda Factory Performance. It doesn’t come with any unique graphics and doesn’t have a monster under its hood, but what it does is prove that you can have your cake and eat it too. Short of saying, performance and style can still be had, even if you’re driving a sedan. Among the modifications given to this Civic, include a rear spoiler, splash guards, a cargo net, cargo hooks, a trunk tray, all-season floor mats, and a set of 18" Honda Factory Performance alloy wheels. The program, which comprises mostly of Honda Genuine Accessories and built by the boys of HFP, will come with a three-year/36,000-mile warranty - just like the car itself - if the program is purchased and installed at the same time of new vehicle purchase. Chances are, this particular program will translate to a lot of orders real soon, especially after it was proudly displayed at an event the stature of SEMA. 2012 Honda Civic SI Tjin Edition
It seems that this year’s SEMA Auto Show has kept Tjin Edition pretty busy the past couple of months. Next to a special Ford Mustang GT 5.0 and a Ford Explorer, the tuner has also displayed in Las Vegas a Honda Civic SI developed in cooperation with Honda North America. According to the tuner, this particular Civic SI was developed with form, function and family in mind. The first thing you will notice about the car is a special Wraptivo wrap done by the guys at Daley Visual. Apparently, this wrap was the last roll in existence making the Civic SI even more impressive. Next to it there will also be a set of 19″ Rotiform Concave BLQ wheels. The Civic’s center of gravity is brought down via Function and Form fully adjustable coilovers, and tucked away behind the concave wheels are a set of Baer brakes. After its debut in SEMA, the car will tour the country via the 2012 Tjin Edition RoadShow. UPDATE: 11/01/11: This review has been updated with official photos UPDATE 11/07/2011: We have added live images from the SEMA Show. Find them in the picture gallery. | Honda Civic latest reviews:Find us on Facebook | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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