Tag Archives: Honda

When your Honda Civic starts floating down the street, you probably assume your biggest problem is flood damage. In Charleston, South Carolina, you’d be wrong. As one drenched driver recently discovered, even Mother Nature can’t slow the city’s parking enforcement.

Anna Brooks (@anna.brooks4 on TikTok) found her gray Civic sitting in water up to its tires during a late-August deluge. That would’ve been bad enough. But when she waded over, she found parking tickets slapped to her window. Her video, part disbelief and part soggy rage, has since racked up more than 7.5 million views.

“My car floated here. I did not park on this (street),” Brooks says in the clip, while rain pours and tickets flap on her window like soggy receipts.

@anna.brooks4 I can’t control where it washes ashore 😭 ##fyp##ticket ##charleston##weathertok##weather ♬ original sound – anna brooks

Charleston had just taken a meteorological beating. Between August 22 and 24, a stalled cold front dumped more than 11 inches of rain on the Lowcountry. Mount Pleasant saw 12.10 inches, North Charleston 11.84, and West Ashley 11.41, according to the National Weather Service. Throw in high tides and maxed-out drainage systems, and the city became a saltwater obstacle course.

But as roadways turned into rivers, parking enforcement pressed on. Whether the officers were slogging in boots or issuing citations from kayaks remains unclear.

Here’s the thing: Brooks’ excuse isn’t far-fetched. FEMA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration both confirm that as little as 12 inches of water can float a small car. A Civic is a textbook candidate. Which means yes, her car very likely drifted into a forbidden zone all on its own.

This isn’t unique to Charleston. Flood-displaced cars cropped up in Houston during Hurricane Harvey and in New York when Ida’s remnants swamped the city. The insult comes later—when soggy owners return to find tickets on cars that Mother Nature herself parked illegally.

Charleston hasn’t announced any flood-related amnesty for citations. City ordinance treats those bright-orange envelopes as binding, whether your car rolled into place by gravity, flood currents, or acts of Poseidon. Unless the city or state declares an official emergency—and they didn’t here—tickets stick.

Will Brooks contest the fines? Jury’s still out. Commenters flooded her TikTok with legal advice, sarcasm, and solidarity. One even claimed to be a lawyer and urged her to fight it.

Beyond one unlucky Civic, the story highlights a bigger issue: how cities handle stranded drivers in a changing climate. Flooding is getting worse, more frequent, and less predictable. If urban planners and local governments don’t adapt, they risk turning victims into violators with the stroke of a pen—or the slap of a citation under a windshield wiper.

For now, though, Charleston’s stance seems clear: rain or shine, drought or deluge, tickets will be written. And if your car floats into a no-parking zone? Better hope your TikTok goes viral—because sympathy from the internet might be the only amnesty you get.

Source: @anna.brooks4 via TikTok

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Under Wraps: Honda’s Mysterious Coupes Spark Speculation Ahead of Japan Mobility Show

August 30, 2025 Francis Mitterrand

In a world where TikTok and social media reign supreme, traditional auto shows are fighting to maintain relevance. Their once undeniable spotlight is now overshadowed by viral videos, memes, and influencers. Yet, despite the rise of Instagram live feeds and Twitter leaks, some car events still stand the test of time, refusing to fade into obscurity. The IAA Mobility Show in Munich, with its deep-rooted history dating back to 1897, remains a titan. Similarly, the Japan Mobility Show, formerly known as the Tokyo Motor Show, is gearing up to celebrate its 70th anniversary this October. And once again, Honda promises to be one of the biggest draws.

Honda, long synonymous with innovation and high-performance engineering, will be at the heart of the action, bringing the highly anticipated 0 Saloon and 0 SUV prototypes to the stage for their Japanese premiere. But these two models are just the appetizer. The real intrigue lies beneath the sheets—literally. Honda is keeping its cards close to the chest with a pair of covered coupes that have sparked an ocean of speculation among enthusiasts and journalists alike.

Prelude 2.0? Or Something More?

The first logical question on everyone’s mind: Is Honda preparing a revival of the iconic Prelude? With the reborn model already set to hit Japanese streets next month, it wouldn’t be surprising if Honda’s covered coupes are a new chapter in the storied history of the Prelude. But this time, could it be something more performance-focused?

A high-performance “Type R” model doesn’t seem likely, not this early in the car’s life cycle. However, what we do expect are subtle enhancements that could give the Prelude the edge it needs in a crowded sports coupe market. This might include a package of factory add-ons such as aerodynamic tweaks, sportier wheels, or perhaps minor hardware updates that make it stand out without drastically altering the formula. Some prototypes have already been spotted wearing a rear wing, while others went without, giving us a sneak peek at what might be available for eager customers looking to tweak their Preludes from day one.

But don’t expect to see any turbocharged engines or hardcore race-spec parts just yet. Honda seems keen on keeping the Prelude’s focus on precision handling, like the Civic Type R, but without pushing the performance envelope just yet. A more modest, tuned-up version of the base Prelude might be the answer, appealing to those who want a bit of extra flair without diving into full-blown track-focused territory.

The NSX’s Legacy and Electric Future

As the automotive world has shifted its focus toward electrification, Honda is also working on its own electric successor to the legendary NSX. However, before you get too excited, don’t expect a new NSX just yet. We know that Honda has already confirmed an electric supercar that will carry the torch of the NSX—though it won’t hit the production line until 2027 or 2028. That’s a long wait, but history shows that the best things often come to those who wait.

The Acura NSX, once sold as a Honda in Japan, might even lose the “NSX” nameplate entirely. Instead, it’s speculated that Honda will offer something fresh, something that speaks to the future while paying homage to the supercar’s legacy. In fact, Honda executive Shinji Aoyama, in a candid interview during Monterey Car Week last year, revealed that the electric NSX successor would likely debut as a different, yet equally iconic, model.

Could one of the covered coupes be a concept for this electrified NSX successor? Given that production is still a few years away, it’s safe to assume these prototypes are just a glimpse of what’s to come—a teaser, perhaps, to get fans and media buzzing about Honda’s future in the high-performance electric space.

What’s Next?

The Japan Mobility Show runs from October 29 to November 9, so we still have a few weeks to go before the covers are officially pulled back. But with Honda’s track record of being ahead of the curve, we may not have to wait that long. Word on the street is that Honda plans to reveal more about the mysterious coupes by the end of September, which could offer up some tantalizing details before the official event.

In the meantime, car enthusiasts are already gearing up for the return of the Prelude in the U.S., with a stateside launch scheduled for later this year. Meanwhile, Europe will have to wait until 2026 to get a taste of the new coupe.

Whether it’s a refreshed Prelude or a futuristic NSX-inspired electric sports car, one thing is for sure: Honda has big plans for the Japan Mobility Show, and we’ll be watching closely to see just what’s lurking under those covers. Stay tuned.

Source: Honda

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Dongfeng to Exit Engine JV with Honda as China’s EV Shift Accelerates

August 19, 2025 Francis Mitterrand

Since the late 1990s, Honda and Dongfeng have been building engines side by side in China, churning out hundreds of thousands of internal-combustion powerplants through a long-running 50-50 joint venture. But that decades-old arrangement may be headed for a dramatic reset.

Earlier this week, Dongfeng officially put its 50 percent stake in the partnership up for sale on the Guangdong United Assets and Equity Exchange. No minimum price has been set, but the deadline for bids is September 12.

According to the filing, the joint venture isn’t small potatoes: last year it reported assets of 5.4 billion yuan ($752 million) and liabilities of 3.3 billion yuan ($459 million). The operation includes a factory staffed by 827 workers, all of whom are now facing an uncertain future.

A Partnership Under Pressure

The move underscores the mounting pressure on traditional engine makers in China. Once a growth engine for foreign automakers, the world’s largest car market has shifted aggressively toward electric vehicles. Local champions like BYD, Nio, and XPeng have surged ahead with competitive EVs, while legacy partnerships like Dongfeng Honda are struggling to adapt.

Dongfeng itself has been losing steam for years. Its annual vehicle sales have tumbled from 3.8 million in 2016 to just 1.5 million in 2023 across its own brand and joint ventures with Honda and Nissan. Selling its stake in the engine plant looks like a bid to pivot resources toward electrification before it falls even further behind.

What Happens Next?

The big question is what Honda will do. The Japanese automaker could step in and buy out Dongfeng’s half, taking full control of the engine operation. Alternatively, it might look for another local partner to keep the venture alive. For now, Honda’s automobile joint venture with Dongfeng remains unaffected.

Still, Honda appears to be hedging its bets. Earlier this year, it launched a new EV designed specifically for Chinese buyers in collaboration with Dongfeng, and at the same time rolled out the GAC Honda GT through its other Chinese partner, GAC Group.

The Bigger Picture

The likely exit of Dongfeng from the engine JV is more than a financial transaction—it’s a signpost for how quickly the old order in China is fading. For two decades, foreign automakers leaned on joint ventures to gain access to the Chinese market, most of them built on the back of internal-combustion technology. Now, as EVs take over, those alliances are being tested, reshaped, or abandoned.

Honda isn’t immune. The question isn’t whether the EV era will change its China strategy, but how quickly—and how decisively—it’s willing to move.