Honda Z

This old Honda's been at the dealership in Huntington Beach for awhile now, so I finally took some pictures when I went back in this week to get a new battery for the Odyssey.

Called a "Z 600" commonly, it's technically an AZ 600, probably a 1972 (check Wikipedia for the background). This one had up-to-date vehicle registration until 2010:

MORE: "1972 Honda AZ 600 coupe" and "Honda 600 Source."

Christmas Shopping

I was out with my wife this afternoon, Christmas shopping, but not for a new Cadillac ATS.

The company's been doing major promotions at the Irvine Spectrum, and pictured are a silver and red 2013 ATS. Folks might remember how Cadillac was running a major ad campaign during the Olympics, seen here. And the Los Angeles Times had a very favorable review back in October, which I've been meaning to post, "Car review: Cadillac makes a right turn with 2013 ATS":

This single, lonely aspect of the ATS is all that matters to trunkfuls of self-proclaimed automotive cognoscenti gathering in car clubs and Internet chat rooms across the country. Their amusement will overflow at the latest challenger to BMW's decades-long hold on the sports-sedan scepter.

Not so fast. Despite its flaws, the thrill of the ATS' drive is an impressive feat, and the car itself is a massive step in the right direction. Which is good, because frankly, it has to be.

This is Cadillac's first post-bankruptcy baby, a look at what General Motors' luxury division can do when it starts with a clean sheet of paper to design a car with global ambitions. It may come with an American accent, but it needs to speak to buyers in China and Europe as well. Much of Cadillac's image and future hinges on how well the ATS, which starts at $34,885, resonates at home and abroad.

So it's a good thing that this car's two strongest suits, its handling and its design, translate into every language.

More at the link.

And for the record, my wife and I had lunch at the Cheesecake Factory, shopped at the Apple Store, and bought some See's candy.

I'll have more Christmas blogging later. My grading's all done, although I have a few more presents to buy. Then I can enjoy the holiday and chill well into January.

'Between super-efficient traditional vehicles on one side, and battery or plug-in hybrid technologies on vehicles such as the Nissan Leaf or Chevrolet Volt on the other, it’s possible the traditional hybrid is being squeezed...'

From Bill Howard, at Extreme Tech, "Why hybrids are dying: Gas engines are good enough on mpg, plug-ins are sexier":

The sporty five-passenger SUV that I’m whipping around country roads gets 35 mpg on the highway. And it’s not a hybrid. It’s the Mazda CX-5 Skyactiv with a host of high-efficiency technologies that gives the CX-5 hybrid-like fuel economy without the $2,000-$4,000 bump in price that comes with many hybrid vehicles. Between super-efficient traditional vehicles on one side, and battery or plug-in hybrid technologies on vehicles such as the Nissan Leaf or Chevrolet Volt on the other, it’s possible the traditional hybrid is being squeezed. Except Toyota, the 800 pound gorilla of hybrid nation.

RTWT at that top link.

The New Honda Civic

Here's my report from 2011: "Dan Neil Reviews the 2012 Honda Civic."

And here's this from this morning's Los Angeles Times, "L.A. Auto Show: Honda rushes to redesign lackluster Civic":

Through 10 months of this year, no compact car has sold better than the Honda Civic. Not the Toyota Corolla, the Ford Focus, the Chevy Cruze nor the Hyundai Elantra.

That's nothing new for Honda or its popular economy car, long a favorite of car critics. Such are the royalties earned from years of consistent reliability, fuel efficiency and strong resale value.

And yet Honda on Thursday trotted out a thoroughly updated Civic at the Los Angeles Auto Show, hoping in part to appease auto critics who almost universally panned the 2012 redesign. The hard plastic interior was called cut-rate, the road and wind noise excessive, the handling sloppy. Consumer Reports, the endorsement perhaps most prized by automakers, stripped the Civic of its “recommended” label in an increasingly competitive small car segment.

The company was caught off guard by the rapidly improving quality of the Civic's peers.

"We underestimated the expectations ... that [customers] had for Honda," said John Mendel, executive vice president for Honda America. So the company scrambled to make the Civic competitive, Mendel said.

Photos: Honda rushes redesign of new Civic

Acknowledging the car's weaknesses, the company recently invited reporters to drive the before and after versions at its U.S. headquarters in Torrance, using the current car as the foil to highlight the virtues of its replacement.

If a short preview drive is any indication, Honda can expect continued sales success.

I'm glad they reworked it. I might get another one of those things. Who knows?

Continue reading at the link.