Weekend Roundup: 7/14/17-7/16/17

10^th Generation Honda Accord Fully RevealedOver the past couple of months, Honda has been slowly releasing details of their new 10^th-generation Accord family sedan. While the technical details have already been reported, the exterior details of the car have been kept under tight wraps. Following a reveal in Detroit which was simultaneously live-streamed on YouTube, the new Accord proves to unexpectedly look like an Accord. Despite the similar appearances, closer inspection reveals the new 10^th generation to be wider, shorter both height and length, while growing the wheelbase by over 2in. This wheelbase growth combined with the smaller profile, means that the car will be easier to maneuver in parking lots, while increasing the room for occupants. The front seats are positioned lower in the car, an inch lower in the driver’s case, which increases driving engagement, which should pare nicely with the widely available 6-speed manual. To aid drivers at night, the front lighting has been fully upgraded to LED lights.

Look for the 2018, Ohio-built Honda Accord later this year.

Tesla Incentivizes Owner-Recommendations with Loot Box-Style AppTesla owners are generally tech-savvy people, as evidenced by the very car they are purchasing, and as such the company could not leave owners without an application to use on their mobile devices. The Tesla Motors application lets owners stay up-to-date on their Tesla, and Tesla in general, and today the company has added a new ‘Loot Box’-type feature. This feature lets owners climb up the ‘levels’ of Tesla’s appreciation by successfully recommending their friends by Tesla products. Each level brings various rewards, and while the scheme has not been totally detailed, a few of the rewards have been made known. Some of the more interesting rewards are free Supercharging access, a kid-size Tesla Model S, and discounts on the next Tesla Roadster ‘Founder Series’.

While interesting in its own right, this announcement also let the public in on some of the inner workings of Tesla, namely that a replacement Roadster is in fact on the way. It is unknown if you have to be a previous Tesla owner to start recommending people, but as the App is in the App Store, you can certainly go try!

Honda Embraces the ElectronHonda CEO Tokahiro Hachigo revealed some insight into the company’s planned future in an interview recently, with the highlight being the dedication Honda is showing to electrifying its lineup and cleanup the company in general. He stated their desire to reduce the total CO2 emissions by half by the year 2050, as well as having 65% of its global fleet powered by electricity in some way. This 65% can be made up of mild-hybrids, plug-in-hybrids, and hydrogen vehicles. In stating this desire, he also outlined a few projects that Honda is considering as a company, including a hybrid ‘light truck’—most likely a CR-V—a dedicated Prius-fighter—potentially a CUV—and an AWD Odyssey mini-van using the system introduced in the MDX Hybrid. While most of the proposed vehicles don’t sound extraordinarily fun, a sport-hybrid Odyssey with torque-vectoring like the MDX could be an interesting proposition.

Look for more news over the next decade.

Formula E: New York ePrixTaking place in New York, featuring the city as a backdrop, this weekend’s ePrix Formula E race was an eventful race, showing the growth of the sport. The sport’s CEO, Alejandro Agag, called the race in New York “a real turning point for Formula E” with all of the tickets for both days events selling out. Sam Bird took victory in the race, with a minor crash causing excitement on the finish line.

The competition is now entering its final stages with just three races left, as the drivers have one more race in New York to contest, before moving to Montreal, Canada for the season finale double header.