Confirming speculation, Honda has revealed the new 2012 Honda Civic Si with a 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine making 200-hp. A slight increase of 3-hp over the outgoing model, the larger displacement engine (by 0.4-liters) makes 170 lb-ft of torque, a more drastic jump of 31 lb-ft.

While perhaps not the massive jump forward that some would like, it’s exactly the engine Honda fans have been calling for for years.

Available as both a coupe and a sedan, Honda is claiming 31-mpg highway for the sports coupe.

Along with the Si, Honda has also revealed the rest of the 2012 Civic lineup, with a 45-mpg Civic Hybrid, Civic Sedan, Coupe, high-mileage HF version and natural-gas powered model.

GALLERY: 2012 Honda Civic Si

Get more news and info on the 9th generation Honda Civic at 9thGenCivic.com

Read AutoGuide’s 2012 Honda Civic Si Review here

Think the $41,400 sticker price for a BMW 335i is bad? Be glad you don’t live in Singapore where the same model will run you $260,000, about what an Italian exotic would retail for in the United States.

Singapore residents who want a private vehicle must pay for a special permit that allows them to keep the car for a decade – the permit alone costs $55,000 USD,  as much as a Porsche Boxster would in America. In 2008, the permit cost about $2,000. On top of that, buyers must pay a 150% duty on the vehicle upon importation. Not surprisingly, car ownership rates in Singapore sit at around 15%, compared to 82% in the United States.

Singapore is ruled by an authoritarian regime (famous for outlawing chewing gum in the name of etiquette and cleanliness), and is strongly pushing for residents to adopt mass transit as a practical solution to reduce congestion, and cut down pollution. While Singapore boasts outstanding air quality, it fears that it could become similar neighboring islands like Hong Kong, which has fewer restrictions on vehicle ownership but is riddled with heavily polluted air.

The structures in place leave car ownership as a privilege for the wealthy, and car dealers are now looking to peddle premium brands to the wealthy, since they are largely unaffected by an increase in ownership costs. “The extra $20,000 to S$30,000 on the [new vehicle permit] is nothing when the total car price is $300,000 or more,” one dealer told Bloomberg. No wonder that companies like Lamborghini do well in the tiny Asian country, with a special preview for their upcoming LP-7004 Aventador being held exclusively for that market.

[Source: Bloomberg via Zero Hedge]

Honda is well aware that it has a strong following of enthusiasts who love to modify their cars and with the launch of the 9th generation Civic expected later this year, the Japanese automaker is catering to its fan base, displaying a few tuner cars at the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto.

Flanking the new Civic Si Concept and Civic Sedan Concept are what Honda is calling the REMIX CR-Z and REMIX Accord Coupe, built in association with Performance Auto & Sound Magazine (PASMAG).

As expected with PASMAG, both cars have big audio systems, but otherwise the builds are surprisingly clean, both using matte white and matte black paint, with tame aero kits, suspension drops and some nice Enkei wheels. For all the details, hit the jump for the press release, and check out the galleries below.

GALLERY: Honda REMIX Accord Coupe

GALLERY: Honda REMIX CR-Z

Official release after the jump:

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You’ve always wanted to be a rock star, but you could never get the hang of playing the guitar and those tight, shiny pants tend to chafe. But now, you can get the next best thing – Gun ‘N’ Roses guitarist Slash’s Chevrolet Corvette Stingray and Harley-Davidson Motorcycle.

It seems like Slash is starting his spring cleaning early this year and getting rid of a few choice items from his home. He’s putting pieces such as furniture, personal items and his 1966 Chevrolet Corvette and 2007 Harley Davidson V-Rod VRSCAW Twin Racing Street Custom Cruiser on the auction block.

If you’re interested, they will be auctioned off at Julien’s Auctions, which specializes in entertainment memorabilia, on March 26 in Beverly Hills. But bring your cheque book, because this is going to cost you. The Harley is expected to go for $8,000 to $10,000, while the car (complete with a big-block 427 cubic inch V-8 engine with 435 horsepower and a four-speed manual transmission) will cost you up to $100,000.

If you decide to get the Harley, you can complete the look with Shash’s lash is selling his custom Marc Vachon leather motorcycle jackets, including one adorned in a Velvet Revolver “Libertad” theme, and a pair of Ray-Bans.

[Source: USA Today]

Honda Canada today announced the first vehicle to wear the Honda Factory Performance (HFP) badge at the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto. While most of the upgrades are aesthetic, it is a bit of a shame that this limited Accord Coupe is a Canada-exclusive package, as it’s not all just about the new aero kit.

To help in the handling department, the Limited Series Black Accord HFP Coupe gets a new suspension setup that lets the car sit 1-inch lower to the ground. Also included are a nice set of 19-inch HFP wheels. No engine upgrades are included, but the Accord already delivers a potent kick thanks to a 271-hp V6 engine.

Available with either a 5-speed automatic or a 6-speed manual, the Accord is only available in black with just 200 models set to hit dealers. Priced at $37,890 it’s not cheap, but not a huge increase over the current top-trim Accord Coupe offering in Canada.

It’s not yet clear if Honda plans to offer additional HFP models and if they will make their way to the U.S.

GALLERY: Honda Accord HFP Coupe

With any Disney movie comes an onslaught of merchandise to go along with the release, and the upcoming Cars 2 film is no exception.

Of course, the main character, Lightning McQueen, voiced by Owen Wilson, is front and center in this new push of toys. We’re not sure if your kids will be amazed or freaked out by the 1:55 scale car that talks, wobbles and shakes. What’s different about this toy is that its mouth actually moves when it talks, while his eyes move side to side. Just pat him on the head and he’ll always have something witty to say.

This toy also drives itself. He can go around in circles, backward and forward, all while chatting away. We’re not sure if this is pretty cool or gives us Christine-esque heebie jeebies. We may need an office full of people around before we play with this car. You can watch him in action after the jump. And let us know – does it give you the creeps or are we just wusses?

[Source: Gizmodo]

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While it didn’t quite make it on to the radar of mainstream movie-goers, Sofia Coppola’s new film Somewhere featured a Ferrari 360 Modena as one of the film’s main props. The lack of dialogue and music coupled with the very long shots and dearth of quick cuts meant that the 360 is seen in frequent takes, cruising around Los Angeles, blasting up Mulholland drive and Route 101 with its engine sounds faithfully captured with the kind of fidelty unseen in most Hollywood productions.

Since the car used in the film doesn’t have quite the same provenance as, say, the Ford Mustang used in Bullit, the car was repainted and sold through Ferrari of Beverly Hills. Interestingly, the Ferrari was considered to be more than a mere prop, as Roman Coppola, producer of the film, noted that “He has this incredible car, he has wealth and fame and opportunity, but he’s stifled in some way. The fact that you would have a car that goes 200 mph that you can only drive at 35 mph seems to relate to that character trait.”

The indie/art-house nature of Somewhere might be off-putting to some, but even if you’re not a film buff, seeing the car on screen, and hearing the Italian V8 roaring through a proper movie theatre’s sound system is absolutely worth the $10 admission. The first three minutes could easily be classified as “car porn”,  and honestly, the movie’s pretty good too.

[Source: AutoTrader]

Hyundai revealed the first photos of their i40 Tourer, a European market station wagon that stands a good chance of coming to our shores as a Sonata wagon.

European media were given a preview of the vehicle, and initial reports are crammed with the usual nauseating marketing fluff, but we do know that with the rear seats up, there’s roughly 20 cubic feet of cargo space, increasing to 60.7 with the seats folded down. Available features include Bluetooth, a navigation system, lane-departure warning, 9 airbags and heated rear seats. A stop-start system is also available.

[Source: AutoExpress]

Revealed today at the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto, Mazda has confirmed that the SkyActiv-equipped Mazda3 will arrive at dealers in the U.S. and Canada this Fall. In addition, a diesel SkyActiv engine will be available a year later, with Mazda joining Volkswagen as the only non-premium automaker to offer a diesel in a passenger car.

Robert T. Davis, Senior VP for Quality, Research and Development at Mazda made the announcement and provided a few more details on the new technology and the SkyActiv gasoline engine, confirming that it is a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder that makes use of direct injection.

Compared to the current Mazda3, the SkyActiv model will achieve a roughly 20 percent improvement in fuel economy, with 15 percent coming from the engine itself, while an additional four to seven percent improvement is attributed to the new SkyActiv-drive transmission.

Davis commented that price makes electric and hybrid technology prohibitive and so Mazda is pursuing improvements to its internal combustion engines and will look to add start-stop systems and cut weight in the near future. Speaking to reporters he explained that Mazda will deliver the fuel economy of a B segment car in the C segment, the fuel economy of a diesel engine in a gasoline one, and the fuel economy of a hybrid in a diesel.

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Any time a hot new car is released, the inevitable race to squeeze every last dollar from consumers starts almost immediately, and the Chevrolet Volt is no exception.

With supply extremely limited and demand strong, Chevrolet dealers seem to be taking advantage of market conditions. An investigation found that prices ranged from $46,923 in Michigan to a whopping $65,590 in Florida. Since dealers are independent franchises, they’re technically free to set whatever prices they want, and the Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price is just that.

[Source: Ward's Auto via Autoblog]