Honda has releases the first photos of the CR-V Prototype (nee production-ready), which previews the European version of the crossover model and which will be displayed at the company's Geneva Motor Show stand.

The fourth generation of the Japanese manufacturer's compact SUV, which has already gone on sale in North America, Japan and other parts of the world, won't be available in Europe until the coming autumn.

Wouldn't it be great if your regular Honda Civic hatch would look, sound and go like the new Civic Next Generation Touring Car (NGTC)? We mean, sure it would pose some problems in everyday use, but something tells us that those pesky morning rides to work would become far more entertaining...

However, back to reality, we found the first video footage of Honda UK's new BTCC racing model filmed during its shakedown at the Brands Hatch racing circuit in England, which you can watch right after the break.

Just be warned to turn down a notch the volume on your speakers cause thing is loud, really loud…

The latest results from Euro NCAP, which is equivalent to the IIHS in North America, brings good news for some, and bad news for others.

The two vehicles tested by the European body are the new 2012 Honda Civic 5-door hatchback and the redesigned Jeep Compass crossover.

Starting with the good news, Honda's compact model was awarded the maximum five star rating, achieving high scores in all areas of assessment and putting it on a par with the top models in its category.

Euro NCAP said that the passenger compartment remained stable in the frontal impact while the car scored maximum points in the side barrier test. It also offered adequate protection in the more severe side pole impact, and scored top points for the protection it offered to pedestrians.

In its two last generations, the European market Honda Civic hatchback has followed a different path from its sedan siblings in other markets; however, the admittedly impressive looking Civic you see pictured here isn't the regular model but the Japanese firm's new contender in British Touring Car Championship (BTCC).

Revealed without its racing colors, the new Civic Next Generation Touring Car (NGTC) made its first public test outing today at the Brands Hatch motor racing circuit in England.

We will agree that a 1990s Honda Civic Coupe won't open any doors for you in this life, but is there really anything you can do about it aside from getting a better set of wheels - if that's your goal, we mean?

Well, that depends on whom you ask and how much you're willing to spend. For eBay seller "Fiberglassdesign4you", the solution is a fiberglass kit that will turn your mundane, mid-1990s Honda Coupe into something that tries very hard to replicate the looks of a Bugatti Veyron 16.4.

We're not saying it can't happen, but the last thing you expect to see on an open road at night is two motionless vehicles occupying both regular lanes. Is it that difficult to see that this is something extremely dangerous for all parties involved? Apparently, the answer is yes…

Too bad these drivers had to find out the hard way when an unrelated Nissan SUV slammed into a Honda Civic hatchback that was standing still revving its engine as the owner was preparing to race another Civic on an unnamed road in Tampa, Florida.

The person who uploaded the video said that despite the severity of the crash, -fortunately- no one was hurt. You can watch the accident as it happened in the clip that follows after the break (beware; foul language).

Back in the early 1990s when the Japanese auto industry went sports car crazy churning out models like the third generation Mazda RX-7, the Mitsubishi 3000GT, the Nissan 300ZX and Skyline GT-R, and the Toyota Supra, one vehicle stood out from the rest and that was the Honda / Acura NSX.

The NSX taught American and European car manufactures a lesson or two on how to build a high-performance sports car that not only looked good but also was reliable and reasonably priced for what it had to offer.

The fact that it remained in production virtually unchanged for 15 years from 1990 to 2005 is a testament to the innovation of its original design.

Honda today revealed its line-up for the Geneva Motor Show that takes place in March. The highlight of the Japanese firm's display will be the NSX Concept that features a mid-mounted V6 and a hybrid all-wheel drive system. The production version will arrive within the next three years.

The second Honda concept that will make its European debut in Geneva will be the EV-STER, an electric roadster, akin to a 21st century version of the early ‘90s Beat Kei-car.

Much closer to production, and of bigger interest to a most customers, is the European version of the all-new CR-V crossover. Although it will be displayed as a prototype, the new CR-V, which is already available in the U.S., will effectively preview the European model that is set to go on sale this autumn.

Lately, fuel economy figures are becoming something of a hot issue in the U.S. After the Consumer Watchdog-Hyundai Elantra debacle we told you about earlier today, we have another case of a car manufacturer accused of misleading customers about one of its model’s fuel economy claims.

Heather Peters, a former lawyer who lives in Southern California, took Honda to a small-claims court. She accused the carmaker of lying about her 2006 Civic Hybrid's fuel efficiency as she never managed to reach the estimates advertised by Honda.

And guess what? Peters won the case and the court awarded her US$9,867. LA Superior Court Commissioner Douglas Carnahan wrote a 26-page decision, which included a long list of misleading statements made by Honda and identified by Peters, such as “amazingly little fuel” and “save plenty of money of fuel with up to 50 mpg during city driving.”

Honda is getting ready to put on its racing suit for the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC), in which it will participate with the new European Civic hatchback.

“We have made a decision to enter into the WTCC with the European Civic," said Honda CEO, Takanobu Ito, on the announcement. "We will develop a totally new engine for this project and we are all excited about starting this new challenge."

The Japanese automaker revealed that its Research and Development division will design a bespoke 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder racing engine with direct-injection in accordance with FIA’s Super 2000 regulations.

If you were expecting Matthew Broderick to mark his return as a 50-year old Ferris Bueller with a Ferrari model, you're out of luck as the much publicized teaser turned out to be a commercial for the all-new 2012 Honda CR-V, an extended version of which you can watch after the break.

Honda brought Ferris Bueller's Day Off back to life for the Super Bowl XLVI game with Matthew Broderick playing himself.

The two-and-a-half minute spot that pays homage to the classic 1980's movie shows Broderick skipping out on a day of acting work to enjoy his all-new CR-V.

The Japanese company says that it has hidden over two dozen references to the movie throughout the extended version of the commercial that will air on February 5 during the game. See if you can find them in the video that follows after the break.

Japanese buyers are no strangers to special edition versions with extremely subtle modifications, the newest one coming from Honda with its CR-Z 'Label α' model, which goes on sale this week and will be available for a limited release until May 31.

What makes the 'Label α' special in Honda's eyes is the bespoke burgundy pearl metallic finish on the outside with a matching interior color for the seats, door panels and the stitching on the leather steering wheel and manual gearbox shifter.

Honda is expanding the range of its Accord-based Crosstour model with the addition of a four-cylinder, two-wheel drive version that goes on sale today priced from $27,655, or $28,465 if you include an $810 destination and handling charge. That's $2,685 less than the equivalent V6 model.

The new entry level Crosstour sports a 2.4-liter i-VTEC inline four-cylinder engine that develops 192 horsepower matched to a standard 5-speed automatic transmission, delivering 21 mpg city and 29 mpg highway, an improvement of 3 mpg and 2 mpg respectively over the V6 model.

If you regularly surf the internet aimlessly for hours, there's a good chance that you are aware of the new fad to hit YouTube with a string of videos usually titled "Shit –insert something here- Say", and which may or may not have started with the "Shit Girls Say".

Not surprisingly, someone came up with a car-related clip titled "Shit Honda Guys Say" which you can watch right after the break. We must warn you, though, there is some foul language…

While not as near as successful as its native rival Toyota when it comes to hybrid models, Honda remains a major player in the category having recently topped the 800,000 sales mark.

As we learned today, the milestone came at the end of December 2011 and was achieved 12 years and 2 months after Honda launched the first generation of its Insight hybrids in Japan in November 1999. For the record, last April Toyota sold its 1 millionth Prius in the States.

The first Insight delivered a fuel economy of 35km/liter (equal to 82.3mpg US or 2.9lt/100km) on the Japanese driving cycle, lending it the title of the most fuel-efficient gasoline-powered model of its time - according to Honda.

We just got our hands on fresh footage from the January 5 accident in Wellesley, Massachusetts, when a 51-year old driver of a Honda Civic sedan slammed the accelerator pedal instead of the brake and hit a curb that sent his car a flying into a garage and on top of a fairly new Cadillac CTS.

Fortunately, no one was hurt from the accident, though both cars were significantly damaged.

The newly released video, which you can watch after the jump, shows the roadside assistance trucks as they were trying to extract the Honda from the parking lot the same way it entered the building.

Good manners dictate that unless you are provoked, you can politely ignore your adversaries. In the case of those involved in the auto industry, politely point out to your clients and/or the press why and in which areas your products are superior. That's a common practice. Openly attacking your opponents is considered rude.

But Not anymore. At the 2012 Detroit Motor Show, some pretty poisonous remarks were uttered by several executives. BMW North America boss, Ludwig Willisch, dismissed the new Cadillac ATS and Lincoln MKZ saying that, despite their claims, they are simply not in the same league as the 3-Series.

“We don’t produce trucks, nor taxis or buses”, said Willisch. “We don’t produce sofas on wheels – and we don’t take mass-market vehicles and rebadge them as premium.”

Now that was pretty fast. The creators of Sony's wildly successful Gran Turismo racing game series have released a new video that brings to life both the brand-new Acura NSX Concept that was revealed just the other day at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show and the original model, which was marketed under the Honda brand name outside North America. Read more »

The Detroit Auto Show hasn't even opened its doors to the public and yet some automakers are already getting ready for the next car show which is the Tokyo Auto Salon 2012 with NAPAC, which will be held from Friday, January 13, to Sunday, January 15. The aftermarket and customization show is Japan's equivalent of the SEMA show.

While Honda couldn't be absent from the event, the Japanese carmaker's offerings won't be drawing that much attention.

Like its Acura sibling, Honda is previewing one of its upcoming production models at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show with the presentation of the Accord Coupe Concept, which paves the way for the ninth-generation 2013 Accord series set to go on sale in North America this fall.

As you can see for yourself, the only conceptual parts of the Accord Coupe are the dramatically styled front and rear bumpers along with the side skirts and alloy wheel designs. Take out those and you have the next Accord Coupe, which truth to be said, doesn't really look all that new.

In fact, if Honda didn't tell us that it's the ninth generation model, we'd be inclined to think it's a facelift of the current series as the only changes to the design concern the fascia that gets new headlamps and a simpler, four-sided grille, a more sculptured beltline, pronounced rear wheel arches and newly shaped tail lamps.