Honda‘s manufacturing plants will remain closed, while the heart of their company, the research & development facility in Tochigi, Japan, will undergo months of repairs after being severely damaged by the earthquake that devastated Japan earlier in March.

Honda originally planned to keep their plants closed until March 27th but has decided to extend the closures until April 3rd. Workers at Tochigi will be transferred to other locations.  The company released a statement claiming “based on the expectation that it will take several months until the complete recovery of these facilities, Honda decided to temporally transfer some functions such as the automobile product development, development of manufacturing technologies and procurement to Honda operations in other locations such as Sayama, Suzuka, and Wako.”

Supplies of vehicles like the Honda Fit, CR-V and Acura TSX will be affected by the production delays. One person died and 30 were injuried when a wall at a cafeteria at the Tochigi facility collapsed. Honda held meetings at a nearby restaurant after employees were barred from entering the building for safety reasons. Honda’s parts suppliers have also told the company that it will take a week for them to resume normal production schedules.

[Source: Automotive News]

Look at any statistics regarding vehicle accidents or traffic violations and there’s no question that a good deal of those result from young drivers. Over confidence, lack of awareness and inexperience can often be a dangerous mix.

That’s something that Mercedes-Benz is hoping to change, by launching it’s first ever driving academy in the U.S., later on this year. The purpose of the academy is to teach young drivers, especially teens on how to be better, safer motorists by using a combination of interactive classroom sessions, online learning and also practical driver training.

Mercedes-Benz says that it has adopted an innovative driver education program that reflects the best teaching methods from around the world, but tailored to meet US motorists.

According to Alexander Hobbach, a Senior Manager with Daimler AG;  ”despite the dramatic changes in vehicles, highways, and the driving environment over the past 60 years, driver education remains relatively unchanged in the U.S.  The skills required to simply get a license do not fully prepare young drivers to meet the demands of the road. Mercedes-Benz recognizes this issue and as a result is creating an educational program for the U.S. that is based on the best teaching methods and tools available.”

In fact standard driver training in the US consists of just 30 hours of classroom learning and 6 hours of practical driving.

The US driving academy isn’t actually the first the company has opened; back in 2009 it launched a program in the UK. To date, more than 4500 students have enrolled in that program and the academy has achieved a pass rate among students of 79 percent, more than double the national average for first time driving tests in Britain.

Given that US teens are four times more likely to be involved in vehicle related accidents than older drivers (according to information released by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), any auto manufacturer that looks for ways to improve driving standards should be lauded for their endeavors; it certainly makes a refreshing change from simply adding more and more driver aids to the vehicle, which can have the knock on effect of essentially reducing driver skill and responsibility in many cases.

[Source: Mercedes-Benz]

The Cadillac CTS coupe might be the newest American sports coupe on the market, but that doesn’t mean the engineers are now sitting idly by.

According to latest industry news, GM engineers are already designing the 2015-model CTS coupe, which will be based on their new ATS small-car chassis. The move to this platform will enable GM to build a convertible version without having to lose too much structural rigidity.

The new Alpha-platform will be able to accommodate different lengths for the wheelbase. Insiders suggest that the next CTS coupe will get the longest wheelbase on this platform. The next Camaro will also get this platform but with a shorter wheelbase, and the ATS sedan will be shorter still.

Reports also suggest that the next CTS sedan will have its own platform, and chances are the wagon variant will get killed off  - much to the dismay of auto writers everywhere.

[Source: Motor Trend]

Volkswagen‘s Spanish subsidiary SEAT is preparing to take on the task of assembling Audi‘s Q3 compact crossover, at their plant outside of Barcelona.

The move comes as a bit of a quid pro quo for Audi, since SEAT’s Exeo flagship is a re-badged Audi A4, and with SEAT’s flagging sales presenting an issue for Volkswagen’s overall profitability, the excess production capacity could be put to good use building a product that will surely be a hit. The move will also add between 700 and 1,200 jobs in a region that has been hit hard by the global recession.

The Q3 will share a platform with the upcoming Porsche Cajun, but the P-Car will be built at a separate facility in Leipzig, Germany.

[Source: SEAT]

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Dr. Dre’s long awaited new album Detox has had more false starts than the Toyota FT-86, but the legendary hip-hop producer has finally released a single, titled I Need A Doctor. If you like hip-hop music, you’ve doubtlessly heard the song by now, but you might not have seen the video, which involves a horrific crash involving a Ferrari 360 Modena.

The intro to the video has Dre driving the 360 along some twisty mountain roads while reflecting on his earlier rap career, followed by the Doc losing control of the car and crashing violently. While the crash scene is pivotal to the entire video, we were a little surprised that the crash was real, and not done via CGI or any other method. Then again, with video budgets reaching higher and higher, a used 360 is probably a fraction of what it costs to put together the actual video.

[Source: Carscoop]

Behind the scenes video after the jump

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Given the aftermath of the horrendous earthquake and Tsunami in Japan, the Japanese economy, not surprisingly has been struggling to stay on track.

For Japanese automakers, the situation has proved particularly problematic, even for their overseas operations as ongoing problems at home affect the global supply chain. Toyota has warned that production of vehicles in the US and Canada could be affected because  supplies of some parts from Japan are running low.

In fact, the company issued an internal memo to employees declaring “our supply line has reached a point where it is clear we will incur some non-production time.” Though the actual amount of this ‘non-production’ time still remains uncertain.

Having said that, the company is also assuring both its North American employees and retailers that it had reopened parts facilities in Japan and was doing everything it could to make sure vehicles were available to customers.

[Source: Automotive News]

With the launch of a microsite dedicated to the new Aventador LP700-4, Lamborghini is eager to point out just how well-received its new supercar is. With an initial claim that the first year was already sold out, CEO Stephan Winkelmann has now stated that, “Interest in the Aventador has been unprecedented and we have orders for far more than one year.”

Lamborghini does state that those who are interested can spec-out their Aventador at a dealer, but that the new microsite allows them to have a look at all the options before hand. Plus, it lets those of use who can’t afford the $380,000 700-hp carbon chassis beast to have some fun window shopping.

GALLERY: Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4

See video of the Aventador from its Geneva debut after the jump:

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Ford has just released a new sport appearance package for the 2012 Fiesta, adding some exterior goodies and perhaps even a slight improvement in acceleration.

The package comes complete with black mirrors and a black grille surrounds, as well as a rear roof spoiler and some 16-inch wheels. As for the improvement in speed, well, the Fiesta doesn’t get any more power, but does come with a more aggressive 4.25 final drive ratio (compared to 4.07 for the standard car) for the 5-speed manual transmission.

Other available goodies now include custom graphics and LED lighting, plus on SEL and SES trim levels you can pick one of two different two-tone interiors. Both Oxford White and Race Red are available, paired with black.

GALLERY: Ford Fiesta Sport Appearance Package

Scott Burgess’ story of journalistic integrity has come to a satisfying conclusion with The Detroit News auto critic returning to his position at the paper after a tumultuous week.

Burgess resigned his position a week ago when the paper bowed to threats by an advertiser and subsequently edited some of the writers work in its online edition. While it didn’t change the overall theme of the piece, the edited review of his Chrysler 200 Convertible review was significantly less impactful.

In a memo sent to his colleagues at the paper, Burgess writes that, “the reason for me to come back has everything to do with all of you. The Detroit News is filled with world caliber reporters in every department. And the strength of your character and commitment to journalism has shined — in all of the notes I received, the phone calls and overwhelming support not simply by saying nice things to me, but speaking your mind, worries and concerns. The Detroit News is not a building or even a newspaper, it’s a group of people I am proud to call my colleagues and friends.”

Score one for integrity.

[Source: Jalopnik]

Despite reports to the contrary, the team at Car & Driver are reporting Chevrolet has no plans to introduce a Cruze SS model. But that doesn’t mean a more powerful version isn’t in the cards.

Wait? So wouldn’t a more potent Cruze be a Cruze SS, you’re asking? Not exactly.

Rather than a sport-compact-style machine, designed to compete with cars like the Honda Civic Si or Mazda3, a more powerful Cruze would be targeted as more of an up-scale machine. It could, however, make use of either the 182-hp 2.4-liter 4-cylinder currently found in some GM models. Better yet, it could also get the 2.0T that makes anywhere from 220 to 260-hp.

How this would differ from the new Buick Verano is then hard to see.

As for a sport-compact machine designed to appeal to a young male audience, look toward the sub-compact Sonic to fulfill that niche for GM.

[Source: Car & Driver]

Read AutoGuide’s 2011 Chevy Cruze Review here