Picture a classic car in your head: likely it’s an American icon like a late ‘60s Mustang or even earlier like a ‘50s Fairlane. Maybe your taste is a bit more exotic and you’re imagining a classic Ferrari or even a British sports car like an MG or Triumph.

Times are changing, however, and so is the definition of what a classic car is. Increasingly the vehicles that come to mind for a younger generation of auto buffs are early, race-bred Japanese classics, like the Toyota 2000GT, Datsun 240z or Mazda RX3.

Don’t laugh at the suggestion. According to classic Japanese car enthusiast Ryan Rudd, prices for Japanese classic cars are steadily rising.

“I believe the Japanese classics will reach the prestige and price of the American and European cars, in fact, in many places, they already have. For instance, a 1970 Nissan Skyline GTR can go for well over $100,000 in Japan.” Rudd said. “In the U.S., the following of classic Japanese cars is growing at a very high rate as well.”

Rudd works at one of a popular Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) restoration shops in Utah. JDM Legends was “born out of passion for JDM cars” and is a go-to place for restored (and modified) classic Japanese cars.

For a long time Japanese cars have been thought of as too common and too cheap to become serious collector material. It seems those ideas are changing.

“As the younger crowd takes its place in the car world, they are going to have the desire to own the cars they loved in their childhood years,” Rudd said, “It is easy to see the different generations, and which cars they loved.”

Traditional outlets for classic cars seem to be oblivious to the changing attitudes. A representative from Barett-Jackson even told us that they “haven’t seen much in the way of Japanese classics at their auctions.”

Rudd, however, does see the trend. “It seems as if the generation that is now starting to have some extra spending money for a classic car, really appreciate the racing heritage of many of these classic Japanese cars, as well as the designs which were coming out of Japan in the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s.”

A recent example of a Japanese classic reaching the prestige of its American and European counterparts is a 1967 Toyota 2000GT, that was sold for $375,000.

The 2000GT is valuable thanks to its racing heritage. Back in the ‘60s the 2000GT set FIA records for speed and endurance in a 72-hours test. Additionally, a pair of 2000GTs competed against the likes of Porsche 911s and Lotus Elans in races sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America.

The success of the cars was not without a strong American connection, however, with the team being run by none other than the legendary Carroll Shelby. Thanks to his expertise, the pair finished the series in second and third place, even though they had less power than their rivals.

Rudd believes that cars like the 2000GT will reach the highest value when it comes to Japanese collectors. He specifically pointed out the Nissan Skyline, Toyota Celica, Datsun 240z, Datsun 510, Honda S600/800 and Mazda RX3. “These seem to be the cars which have the largest followings, and we have seen the price of them begin to climb over the following years,” he said.

Rudd has a specific formula for guessing which cars will be most popular: “I think what really determines which classic Japanese cars will have a high value in the future is, racing heritage, the very low production numbers in comparison to many of the classic American cars, and simply the general styling of the cars.” He explained.

There are other opinions about what makes a desirable classic Japanese car.

“JDM cars can be interesting for rarity, but a very clean or well restored USA-spec car can have a more nostalgic and emotional connection to the Japanese cars we remember from when they were new,” said Randy Nonnenberg from Bringatrailer.com, a site that aims to connect vintage car enthusiasts with the vehicle of their dreams.

“Up and coming classics like period Japanese racing cars and rare models that were not offered in the USA are getting the attention of collectors,” he says.

Nonnenberg sees many cars posted at his site, but mentions “The Japanese vehicles on bringatrailer.com bring just as much response from our readers as the European and American cars.”

He explained that there’s a changing trend in terms of vintage car enthusiasts, which helps with Japanese collector cars.
“The vast majority of our readers have hands on experience with Japanese cars, which isn’t always the case with exotics and more expensive Euro models. The connection to the marques of Japan is often based on real seat-time instead of just posters on your wall as a kid,” Said Nonnenberg.

When asked which cars are likely to reach the prestige of European and American classics, Nonnenberg’s list was exactly the same as Rudd’s.

Generally, all the cars they mentioned have similar design cues, many of which are still vaguely present in cars today. In fact, Toyota looked to the design of the 2000GT as inspiration for its latest car, the Scion FR-S/Toyota GT 86. With companies like Toyota looking back to their roots to draw inspiration for more modern machines, these older machines are certain to soon achieve both full fledged classic car status, and value.

Maybe you’ve been in this situation: stuck on the side of a road, a punctured tire needing to be changed out for the spare one in the trunk. You have a pair of options, do you choose to change the tire yourself, or do you call for roadside assistance. Both options can take a while to get you back on the road, especially if you’ve never changed a tire yourself before. And even if you have, sometimes it can take some serious elbow grease.

It’s dilemmas like these that have more car makers offering run flat tires on new cars. Run flats can run for at least 50 additional miles following a puncture, giving you the ability to safely get home, or exit a highway and find a repair shop.

What are Run Flat Tires?

Even though changing a tire is an important skill, the idea of run flat tires sounds pretty handy. The added benefit of losing the weight of a spare tire and tools could help with fuel efficiency too.

There are two main types of run flat tires: Self-Supporting, and Auxiliary Supported. Self-Supporting tires have stiffer and tougher rubber, which can temporarily carry the weight of the vehicle under lower tire pressure. If you do get Self-Supporting tires (see right) you will need a tire pressure monitoring system (which is now government mandated standard equipment on new cars), because a driver may not notice their tire has lost pressure without it. Auxiliary supported tires don’t have stiffer and tougher rubber, but are attached to a special rim which has a steel support ring that is attached to the wheel and can support the weight of the vehicle.

Even though run flat tires have been around in production vehicles since 1994, the adoption as a mainstream replacement for conventional tires has been slow for many reasons. Sheri Hermann, Communication Coordinator from Continental Tire tells us “run flat tires provide convenience to a consumer, but conventional tires are typically lower in cost and have better ride qualities.”

Another top complaint is in regards to price. On average, run flat tires are about one third more expensive than regular tires.

That’s not the only complaint though. While the reduced weight of carrying around a spare might seem like an advantage, run flat tires also have an impact on your fuel economy. Thanks to the tires being heavier and thicker they can reduce fuel economy by 1-2%. Also, due to the stiffer and heavier design, the run flat doesn’t quite perform like its price would indicate. They can often be harsh on the road and don’t provide a lot of grip in low temperatures.

Lastly, when you do get a puncture, or lose tire pressure, it’s not quite as easy to get them repaired. While some run flat tires can be repaired, they need to spend some time off the rim, and need to be inspected to ensure they can be fixed. If they can’t, it’s time to buy new tires. Conversely, most punctures on a conventional tire can be fixed with a simple repair kit that costs just a few dollars.

Despite these obstacles and concerns, run flat tires are increasingly becoming standard equipment on new cars and the reasons are simple: safety and peace of mind. Not only do run flats ease concerns, but they make a vehicle easier to control in the case of a tire blow out.

Why Are Automakers using them?

Monty Roberts from BMW Product and Technology communications tells us that run flat tires are standard on most BMW models with the exception of some BMW M Models. He said specifically that run flat tires have several advantages and that they “Support BMW’s EfficientDynamics Strategy by eliminating the extra weight of the spare tire, jack and tools in the vehicle for better balance, dynamic handling and fuel efficiency.”

When asked about the criticism of run flat tires Roberts said “run flat tires by their design do have stiffer sidewalls than conventional tires, however, all current BMW models that use run flat tires have suspensions that were significantly developed for use with this technology.” He added “These suspensions have been developed and tuned for the best possible ride comfort. The safety benefits of run flat tires are so significant as to outweigh any possible trade-offs.”

When asked if owners could or should swap out their run flats either when a replacement tire is needed or because they’re looking for added performance, Roberts was unequivocal. “We do not recommend replacing run flat tires with conventional tires,” he said, “that deviates away from the original design, safety and suspension calibration technology that the run flats were originally designed for.”

What are customers saying?

Even with tougher rubber, run flat tires do wear out quicker than regular tires. Many owners on the AutoGuide Forum Network complained that they were replacing their OEM run-flat tires within 20,000 miles. This prompted a lawsuit, which was settled by BMW and Bridgestone. Members of the settlement will receive a full refund for the purchase of replacement tires if they were needed before 10,000 miles. If replacement occurred between 10,000 miles up through 30,000 miles, reimbursement will be 50 percent or less. If buyers are experiencing wear at around 20,000 miles, that’s less than half the life of an ordinary tire.

Customers though, haven’t responded well to these types of tires. Honda has stopped offering the tires on its vehicles after settling a class action lawsuit last year. The owners of Acura’s RL, and Honda Odysseys claimed unreasonable tire life and unexpectedly high replacement costs.

Run flat tires may have their advantages, but it still seems like their many compromises are stopping the equipment from taking off. BMW and MINI vehicles get them as standard equipment, and owners (especially enthusiasts) are not happy with them. Vanessa Terrier from Bridgestone’s Communications team mentioned that “As of today, the run flat tire market is mainly driven by car manufacturers and original equipment.”

If you’re afraid, or uncomfortable with the idea of replacing a punctured tire with a spare, then the run flat tires are made just for you, but beware of the added costs of ownership. And if you’re convinced that the disadvantages outweigh the benefits, be weary of cars that come equipped with them from the factory, as a non-run flat replacement tire that was never designed for the car might bring with it unique disadvantages.

After Honda lost in its small claims court gas mileage suit, the Japanese automaker filed an appeal on the ruling and headed back to court. Earlier on Wednesday, Honda won the reversal of the small claims loss to Heather Peters.

Back in February, Peters successfully sued Honda claiming that her 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid’s advertised 50 mpg rating was false. She was awarded $9,867 in damages but more importantly, stirred the pot for many other Civic Hybrid owners to follow suit. But the reversal of the lower court’s ruling may impact all those that elected to remove themselves from the class-action suit.

Honda agreed to pay anywhere from $100 to $200 (depending on the model) and up to $1,500 credit towards a new vehicle to all those involved in the class-action suit. About 1,700 Honda owners have since opted out of the class-action settlement hoping to follow in the footsteps of Peters in suing the automaker directly.

In the case, the judge said that most cars are able to get the fuel economy near the EPA estimates and also ordered Peters to pay Honda $75 to recover the automaker’s costs in defending the case.

According to a release by Honda, 17 similar small claims cases involving the Civic Hybrid have been brought to court around the country since January. In 16 of those, Honda has prevailed “based on facts and the law.”

[Source: Detroit News]

The mid-size family sedan segment is one of the most competitive markets in the industry and with many of its rivals recently revamped, Honda is prepping an all-new 2013 Accord.

While we know that the upcoming 2013 Accord is going to be very similar in appearance to the outgoing model, we’ve now found some more information about the car’s deeper changes. Most interesting are the new trim packages: Sport and Touring.

The new Accord Sport package is likely a direct response to the Toyota Camry SE, which is in high-demand. The Camry SE comes equipped with all sorts of sportier options that you wouldn’t expect in the usual Camry, like larger wheels and a retuned suspension, as well as paddle shifters and a transmission that actually rev-matches on down-shifts.

It’s not clear if the Accord Sport will pack any additional performance items and when contacted Honda representatives had no comment.

The 2013 Accord will be available with a 6-speed manual transmission or a brand new continuously variable transmission for the 4-cylinder models. With the V6 model, a 6-speed automatic or manual transmission will be offered.

Expect the new 2013 Accord to hit dealers around September of this year.

[Source: Temple of VTEC]

Honda manufacturing of Alabama is entering the One Lap of America endurance race again this year, running in an Odyssey minivan that pumps out 523 hp.

The race covers 10 states and eight race tracks over a period of seven days, and consists of all types of racing events including straight line time trials, banked oval track timed laps, road course segements and more.

The Honda Odyssey would not be the first choice for most racers, but the engineers at Honda Alabama decided to have some fun with the typical family vehicle and added some pep to the kid carrier. A stock Odyssey runs with a 3.5-liter V-6 that makes 266 hp, while this race version uses a turbocharger and modified version of the same engine to provide 523 hp.

[Source: Birmingham News]

The newest commercial from Honda highlights the brands long history, and the new designs that will carry them into the future.

The spot starts by showing us some old Honda race cars and mopeds parked on a track, and slowly the camera begins to slide left. As the shot progresses, the timeline begins to present itself, showing newer models as time goes by.

We get to see old Accords and Civics that are better left forgotten, but are still the original basis for the cars we still have today.

A small gap that shows no cars is supposed to be equivalent to an equals sign, and demonstrate that all of those classic designs have culminated into the newest generation halo car from the Japanese automakers, the new NSX concept.

Check out the commercial below.

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Honda has been criticized plenty for having lost its passion, building cars that lack the “fun to drive” experience of their predecessors. After the 2012 Civic Si was generally panned it seemed as though Honda got the message, announcing it would revamp the car ahead of schedule.

Another positive sign came when Honda unveiled a new Civic Si race car at last year’s SEMA Show, more recently committing to the SCCA World Challenge series as part of an increased motorsports presence.

This past weekend Honda flexed its motorsports muscle at Miller Motorsports Park in Utah, with involvement from not just dedicated racers, but even from the folks behind the desks. In the inaugural running of the new B-Spec series for sub-compact cars, topping the podium in the third of three races was none other than Sage Marie. Unlikely to be a household name even amongst the most dedicated motorsports enthusiasts, Marie just so happens to be the recently appointed head of Honda public relations in America.

“It’s remarkable that the cars from so many manufacturers were so close right out of the box, and it’s fantastic that the folks at World Challenge
put this class together,” said Marie to AutoGuide.com. “HPD put a great package together for the Fit, and clearly the Honda was the best car today!”

Extolling the virtues of the series, Marie commented that, “It’s a great way to get into pro racing in a competitive, low cost and low maintenance format, and World Challenge puts on a great show.”

Marie was far from the only Honda driver on the podium this weekend with Todd Lamb in the No. 71 HPD Honda Civic Si placing first, third and then second in the three races, while his Compass360 Racing teammate Ryan Winchester in the No. 72 HPD Honda Civic Si placed second, second and third in the three races.

As a result of the strong weekend finish, Honda now sits first int he manufacturer points race in the Touring Car series with 39, followed closely by Mazda with 34. Driver’s Lamb and Winchester sit second and third respectively in the Drivers’ Points.

Honda announced a technology breakthrough today capable of detecting the potential for traffic congestion by actively determining whether the driving pattern of a vehicle is likely to create bottle-necking.

Unlike GPS systems that actively reroute drivers to avoid roads suffering from heavy traffic, Honda’s system passively reacts to congestion situations, monitoring the acceleration and deceleration patterns from the driver to determine whether the car will negatively impact traffic flow. Based on its decision, the system can then guide drivers with the appropriate information for optimal throttle control from devices including on-board color-coded displays.

Working with University of Tokyo’s Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, Honda carried a series of experiments in order to refine its traffic congestion monitoring system. Ultimately, the tests resulted in significant gains in congestion simulation, improving the average speeds of leading vehicles to improve by 23 percent with trailing vehicles also benefiting from an 8 percent improvement in fuel economy.

Honda didn’t end testing there. By applying Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) and combining the system with on-board terminals to cloud servers, Honda experimented with a network of communicating vehicles that can synchronize driving patterns in a wider scale. According to Honda, this resulted in a further 16 percent increase in the average speed of trailing vehicles and an additional 5 percent improvement in fuel economy compared to the results recorded when not using ACC and cloud technology.

Rather than focusing on hybrids and alternative energy as the only solution to emissions reduction, Honda found that solutions to driving behavior can curb traffic congestion and minimize its tendency to cause a higher potential of rear-end collisions, delay arrival times, and increase CO2 emissions.

Honda intends to introduce its technology into the market soon but will first conduct real-world testing in Italy and Indonesia during May and July.

As promised back in March after Heather Peters won her settlement concerning the Honda Civic Hybrid’s MPG claims, Honda is heading back to court to appeal the small claims decision.

American Honda’s lawyers are hoping to overturn the highly publicized court award to Heather Peters, who netted $9,867 after suing Honda stating that her Civic Hybrid failed to get the promised 50-mpg. As a result of her successful small claims suit, 1,700 Civic Hybrid owners have opted out of a class action settlement, presumably to take Honda to small claims court themselves.

Honda will be heading back to court on Thursday and the court will once again hear testimony from both sides in what is basically a retrial. But unlike the small claims trial, Honda has legal representation and Peters will be presenting new evidence she has discovered. Peters also renewed her law license and has already testified in the first part of the hearing with Honda’s lawyers questioning her.

The Japanese automaker is hoping the appeal will curb other Civic Hybrid owners from filing their own small claims suits similar to what Peters did successfully.

[Source: The Detroit News]

Acura just announced pricing for its new ILX sedan, which will start at $25,900 and runs all the way to $34,400 for the highest-priced hybrid model. 

Ranging from a 2.0-liter inline four cylinder engine in the base model to the 2.4-liter powerplant sourced from the Honda Civic Si and topped out cost-wise with the 1.5-liter hybrid drivetrain, the ILX will go on sale at dealerships starting May 22.

As part of Acura’s effort to move away from previous mundane and near-indistinguishable models, the ILX is essentially a re-dressed Civic, albeit with a host of luxurious features that make it easy to forget those roots.

Drivers may opt for a luxury package that further differentiates the ILX from its Verano competitor with leather seats, seat heating, an eight-way adjustable drivers seat, upgraded sound system, 17-inch wheels and more. An optional $2,200 technology package (only available on the 2.0-liter model) adds a navigation system that takes advantage of real-time traffic updates to reroute around busy streets, real-time weather updates and more.

The higher end 2.4-liter model doesn’t provision for the technology package, but it is available on the hybrid as a $5,500 option.

Slotting in close to its slightly larger cousin, the TSX, Acura’s newest addition seems a little redundant, but that will likely change as coming iterations of the TSX move upmarket, leaving the entry-level ILX looking decidedly more attractive to young buyers.

GALLERY: 2013 Acura ILX

Honda announced today that it will start a mass-production recycling program to extract rare earth metals from used car parts. 

Partnering with Japan Metals & Chemicals Co., the automaker will begin extracting the materials, which are 95 percent controlled by China. The majority of material harvesting will be from nickel-metal hydride batteries collected from used hybrid vehicles sourced from Honda’s massive dealer network.

Currently, China’s near-monopoly over the material is causing drastic price inflation, but finding a way to circumvent that cost is obviously advantageous.

The project will extract 80 percent of the nickel-metal hydride from used hybrid batteries and will eventually use the process for other components as well.

Price, looks and size… these are the few factors that used to decide what vehicle you’d park in your driveway. Looking for a cheap and small car? A Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic will do. Need something bigger, perhaps a mid-size Hyundai Sonata or an SUV. Things used to be pretty easy.

With increasingly high gas prices and an overall movement towards green, fuel efficient vehicles, fuel economy has become more important. In fact, for many price, looks and size are now completely trumped by fuel economy.

“Buyers just look at the MPG on the sticker,” says IHS Automotive Analyst Devin Lindsay commenting that car buyers are now completely mesmerized by the EPA sticker label.

Take a look at the Toyota Prius, for example. It’s not terribly big, is fairly expensive, and looks… well… weird. But that didn’t stop three million of them from being sold, all thanks to a hybrid gas-electric engine that provides excellent fuel economy.

The Prius isn’t the only option for someone looking for a fuel efficient car, however; especially those in search of a more engaging driving experience. If you want to cut down on trips to the pump, and still drive a fun, powerful, good looking car, your best bet might just be in a diesel powered vehicle. That does mean you’ll almost certainly have to drive German, although a flood of new diesel-powered vehicles are about to hit our shore.

Despite the popular misconception, diesel fuel is readily available at numerous gas stations with most of the major chains dedicating at least one pump to diesels. “Finding diesel is not really a big problem anymore,” says Lindsay. “If one station doesn’t have it, the one across the street certainly will.” And there’s a good reason for the popularity of diesel pumps too. Ford, Chevy and Ram easily sell in the tens of thousands of the diesel versions of their popular pickups each year.

Historically, diesel cars were known for being smelly, hard to start in cold weather and not environmentally friendly. For those most part those issues have been solved, with improvements made to quiet the engines (though they are still noticeably louder than gasoline engines), while special emissions filters and exhaust after treatment systems have been devised to reduce pollution – though at an expense that’s handed down to the consumer.

Volkswagen has been offering diesel options for years, and in key areas, their diesel vehicles are better than the gasoline powered ones.

Take for instance the Golf. The TDI diesel option offers 6 more miles per gallon in the city over the gasoline model (30 mpg vs. 24 mpg) and 11 more miles per gallon on the highway (42 mpg vs. 31 mpg) all while still looking great and keeping its trunk space (something many hybrids can’t say.)

In defence of hybrids, average fuel economy on a Civic Hybrid is 44 mpg while the Prius is 50 mpg. The Golf TDI may have a solid 42 mpg highway rating, but average fuel economy is a less impressive 34 mpg.

Volkswagen sees diesel as an important part of becoming a more environmentally friendly car company. Mark Gillies, Product and Technology PR manager at Volkswagen America tells us “Diesel is part of our future powertrain strategy and you will likely see more models with a diesel option in the future.”

He explains that diesel can appeal to many drivers “The more practically minded will love the excellent highway mileage and range, which are perfect for the way that so many Americans drive.”

Gillies also explained his personal preference of diesel powered cars “As a car enthusiast, I love the torque of a diesel, which is perfect for mid-range passing performance, merging onto on-ramps, and for towing.”

Gillies’ torque-love is well-founded. The TDI Golf makes a noticeable amount of additional torque: where the normal gas Golf makes just 177 lbs-ft of torque at 4250 rpm, the TDI model makes 236 lbs-ft or torque at 1750-2500 rpm.

All that extra diesel-y goodness comes at a price though. Literally. Diesel fuel costs slightly more at the gas station and most diesel cars are more expensive than their gasoline stable mates. In the case of the Golf, a gasoline model starts at $17,995 while the diesel version costs $24,235, a difference of $6,240. To help off-set this cost, VW tends to better equip its TDI models. If you’re on more of a budget, Volkswagen also offers a Jetta TDI for about $2,000 less.

As mentioned, diesel models often require expensive emissions systems, which can also result in added maintenance, and cost. Two of VW’s models use what the company calls AdBlue, a chemical solution (often generally referred to as DEF or Diesel Exhaust Fluid) used to help the vehicles’ emissions stay environmentally friendly. The AdBlue liquid must be refilled at regular service intervals (every 10,000-15,000 miles) and are covered under VW’s three-year/36,000-mile Carefree Maintenance Program.

But it is something to keep in mind, as prices of refilling a car’s DEF vary between manufacturers. Consumer Reports has mentioned paying $241.50 to refill 7.5 gallons of DEF for a diesel Mercedes-Benz GL Class. That’s $32.20 per gallon! Volkswagen apparently sells the same solution for much cheaper, with reports of customers paying just $5.40 per gallon.

Other automakers take a different approach to their diesel powertrains. Take a look at Mercedes-Benz’s E350 models, which are also available with either a gas or diesel engine. The diesel version gets only meager gains over the gasoline engine, earning one more mile per gallon in the city, and two more on the highway. That’s far less impressive than the difference on VW models.

However, in comparison to the Volkswagen vehicles, the diesel E-Class isn’t much more expensive than the gas version. In fact, it’s just $1,200 more, a much more favorable price difference. While the fuel economy doesn’t significantly favor the diesel E-Class, the torque numbers are eye-opening: 400 lb-ft of torque in the diesel compared to 273 lb-ft in the gas model.

As a result, Mercedes markets its diesel models as more of a V8 than a V6 alternative. In Mercedes’ SUVs this means that buyers can enjoy the high torque of a V8, but with the fuel economy and environmentally friendliness of a V6. Mercedes’ offers diesel engines for its ML, GL and R-Class trucks.

The selection of diesel offerings is expanding, and not just by German automakers either, with both domestic and Japanese manufacturers preparing to launch diesel vehicles in the next few years. Among the planned arrivals is the Chevy Cruze diesel, Cadillac ATS diesel and the return of the Jeep Grand Cherokee diesel. Mazda has also announced it will offer its new Skyactiv-D engine in the near future, though isn’t saying what car (or cars) it will power.

For those who want a fun and powerful car, but one that also visits the pump less often, a diesel can be a viable option. Like hybrids, they carry a price premium over their gasoline powered brothers. Unlike hybrids, particularly ultra high efficiency ones like the Prius, they’re peppy around town.

The price of gas is quickly reaching the price of diesel gas, helping make diesel an attractive alternative for prospective car buyers. Another factor that might make diesel a more attractive option is the fact that they tend to fetch a better resale value than their gas powered counterparts.

Ultimately it’s a question of driver preference, before buying a diesel it’s important to make sure it suits you driving style – and your commute.