2025 Honda Civic: The Prius Has Met Its Match
But first I can't help sharing a moment. You see, I get in and out of a lot of new cars. Over time, one begins to recognize a sameness in them, a shared and leveling mediocrity just below the surface. This jaded industry average, this joy-killing threshold is the benchmark.

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Business Insider
08-08-2025
- Business Insider
Toyota Stock (TM) Crashes as it Faces $9.5B Trump Tariff Hit
Shares in the world's biggest carmaker Toyota (TM) reversed today after it warned it would take a huge $9.5 billion hit from President Trump's tariffs. Elevate Your Investing Strategy: Take advantage of TipRanks Premium at 50% off! Unlock powerful investing tools, advanced data, and expert analyst insights to help you invest with confidence. Toyota Turmoil Japanese group Toyota said that it expected Trump's auto tariffs to reduce its operating income for the 2026 fiscal year by 1.4 trillion Japanese yen, or $9.5 billion. That's 1.2 trillion Japanese yen higher than what it had initially forecast. It said the tariff hit would come in the form of higher levies, the increased price of materials and a stronger yen. It expects to make an operating profit of 3.2 trillion yen in its financial year to March 2026, down 16% on previous guidance of 3.8 trillion yen. 'Due to the impact of U.S. tariffs and other factors, actual results showed decreased operating income, and the forecast has been revised downward,' Toyota said in its first-quarter results summary. Trade Deal This is despite the recent trade deal between Japan and the U.S., which lowered the tariff on Japanese auto imports to the U.S. market from 25% to 15%. Japanese rival Honda (HMC) reported a 50% fall in year-over-year operating profits earlier this week. It said that the tariffs had cost it around 122 billion Japanese yen in lost profits in the past three months, and warned the total hit this year could be as much as 450 billion Japanese yen. Honda executives, however, said the impact of the tariffs would be less severe than initially expected, and the company raised its full-year operating profit forecast by 40%. The threat of tariffs has weighed on Toyota's share price this year, dropping over 5%. To try and tackle the tariff threat both Toyota and Honda have looked to up their production numbers in the U.S. Earlier this year, Toyota said it was considering producing the next version of its popular RAV4 SUV in the U.S., while Honda is shifting production of its next-generation Civic hybrid stateside. What Stocks are Most at Risk From Tariffs? We have rounded up the stocks most at risk from Trump's tariffs using our TipRanks comparison tool.

Miami Herald
03-08-2025
- Miami Herald
Honda's Anna Engine Plant Celebrates 40-Year Milestone
Honda's Anna Engine Plant (AEP) celebrated 40 years of building engines and components for both foreign and domestic production on July 22nd. Located a stone's throw from the Village of Anna, the facility has expanded from a mere 200,000 square feet with 94 employees in 1985 to a massive 2.8 million square-foot campus that employs 2,900 people. Since its founding, AEP has built more than 32.5 million engines, as well as miscellaneous powertrain components. Going forward, AEP will play a major role in the automaker's electrified efforts by producing combustion engines, hybrid powertrains, and EV components on the same lines. AEP officially began operating in 1985, with motorcycle engines christening the new production facility. The engine plant expanded to automotive engine production the following year, starting with the Honda Civic's four-cylinder engine. Since then, the facility has produced more than 32.5 million engines, as well as various components for engines and transmissions. The 2.8 million square-foot production facility is the result of $2.9 billion in investments over the past forty years. In that time, AEP has produced several notable engines, including the 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that's under the hood of the hybrid Civic, Accord, and CR-V. The engine plant also produces the turbocharged four-cylinder and V6 engines that power the Acura Integra, TLX, and MDX Type S models. AEP even produces the Honda Civic Type R's 315-horsepower 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. From there, the engine is exported to Japan, where the hot hatch is assembled. The facility is also responsible for the 500-horsepower 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 engine that powered the second-gen Acura NSX. Honda already has a couple of EVs in its lineup, namely the Prologue and Acura ZDX, but the Japanese automaker is gearing up for expansion. In total, the company plans to invest $1 billion to retool its automotive production facilities, including the Marysville Auto Plant, East Liberty Auto Plant, and AEP, as part of the new Honda EV Hub. Once retooling is completed, AEP will add megacasting, friction stir welding, and Minimum Quantity Lubrication machining to its long list of production processes. The engine plant will play a vital role in the Honda EV Hub by producing the battery case used in Honda and Acura EVs. Once EV production begins, the battery case created at AEP will be shipped off to the Marysville Auto Plant. There, it will be combined with the battery module to create the EV battery packs that power vehicles assembled at the Marysville and East Liberty Auto Plants. Notably, the production facilities will continue to produce traditional internal combustion engines and hybrid models alongside their EV counterparts. Honda is doing more than simply equipping their existing production facilities for EV production, though. The company is aiming to rethink the production process entirely, with a focus on worker-friendly practices, environmental responsibility, and efficiency. Once completed, the Honda EV Hub will produce the Acura RSX EV and other models from the Honda 0 Series that debuted at CES 2025. "We're not just retooling for electric vehicles," Tim Stroh, Senior Program Manager of Production Engineering and Battery Case Project Leader at AEP, told Peak of Ohio. "We are fundamentally rethinking how we approach production. The new layout is designed to be more human-friendly, with updated workspaces and processes that improve safety and efficiency. The addition of electric vehicle production capabilities requires not only new machinery but also a re-imagining of how we work together on the assembly line." While the Anna Engine Plant is celebrating 40 years, it wasn't the automaker's first manufacturing facility in Ohio. Honda's Marysville Auto Plant started out building motorcycles in 1979 before moving to automobile production in 1982. Today, Honda has five manufacturing facilities and is the largest employer in Ohio, with more than 12,000 employees on record. In addition to its five existing facilities, Honda is also establishing a new EV Hub to support the automaker's electrified efforts. Honda also plans to invest another $3.5 billion in a new EV battery plant in Fayette County, Ohio, as part of its joint venture with LG Energy Solution. "Everything that Honda has accomplished at the Anna Engine Plant during the past 40 years has been achieved through the skills and commitment of our associates, and this will continue as we pursue an expanded form of flexible manufacturing in the future," said Michael Tinch, AEP plant lead. "As we maximize production of ICE and hybrid models, even while preparing for the future of EV production, I know our associates will continue to produce high-quality products that meet the needs of our customers." As an Anna local, I'm grateful to have the Honda engine plant in our area. It's definitely a unique part of the view from my front porch. On a more serious note, their involvement in the community, schools, and events can't be understated. With the automaker investing further into the plant's future, electrified or otherwise, I have little doubt that it will change anytime soon. Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Miami Herald
02-08-2025
- Miami Herald
Leaked Prelude Pricing: Too Pricey for Its Own Good?
The Honda Prelude is making a comeback. On paper, it has all the right ingredients for a frugal sports coupe: sleek styling, a hybrid powertrain, and a nameplate that still resonates with enthusiasts. But according to a leak from Japanese outlet Creative Trend, it might arrive with a price tag that could alienate the very buyers who made it iconic. According to the leak, Honda will officially debut the new Prelude on September 4, and orders in Japan will open the next day. The first production run will be limited to just 2,000 units. The leaked Japanese MSRP puts the 2026 Prelude at ¥6,179,800, or roughly $41,000. That's significantly more than the Civic Type R, which starts at ¥4,997,300 in Japan. It also puts it uncomfortably close to the price of more performance-focused cars. A limited-run ON Edition will also be offered at launch for ¥6,540,000 (about $43,400), with unique details like a black roof and bundled extras. However, buyers must pay in full, are limited to one unit, and cannot resell it after purchase. For a Honda coupe, that's unusually exclusive. The Prelude shares its platform with the Civic, but Honda is treating it as more than a badge-engineering job. Under the hood is a 2.0-liter hybrid system with two electric motors, paired with a CVT. Brakes and suspension are adapted from the Civic Type R, and the Prelude gets heated seats, a digital dash, and a BOSE sound system. Adaptive dampers and 19-inch wheels come standard, along with Google-based infotainment. It seems like less of a reskinned Civic coupe, and more like a grown-up Type R that you can cruise in without needing a chiropractor. Its ¥6,179,800 ($41,000) price tag feels especially steep when compared to what else the market offers. The Nissan Z starts at ¥5,497,800 ($36,500) in Japan, while the BMW Z4 - imported from Austria - starts at ¥4,995,000 ($33,200). Both are rear-wheel-drive and pack more power. The Prelude, by contrast, is front-wheel-drive only and CVT-exclusive. If built in Japan, export fees could bump the US price even higher. Initially, we thought it would go head-to-head with cheaper, enthusiast-approved options like the Toyota GR86 and Mazda MX-5 Miata. But if not, it's hard to see how this version of the Prelude will connect with the younger buyers it seems to target. Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.