Japan Govt. Decides To Spend Big On Innovative Start-ups

Japan govt. decides to spend big on innovative start-ups

The Japanese government on Monday decided a plan to sharply increase investment in innovative start-ups at a meeting of the Council of New Form of Capitalism Realization.

The goal of the council is to realize what Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has called "a new form of capitalism."

2021 Toyota Sienna Minivan Earns Iihs Tsp+ Award With Big Improvements

2021 Toyota Sienna minivan earns IIHS TSP+ award with big improvements

The new and redesigned 2021 Toyota Sienna takes big strides forward when it comes to crash safety, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. It earns the highest possible Top Safety Pick+ award for 2021, whereas the previous Sienna received no accolades.

Most tests saw the 2020 Sienna earn applaudable scores, but it didn't do so well with both small overlap front crash tests. Toyota appears to have addressed the previous model's shortcomings, as it scored a "Good" rating in both overlap tests this year. The IIHS says the outgoing Sienna fell short because "the occupant's survival space was not maintained well" in either small overlap front crash test. Those structural issues didn't present themselves in the 2021 Sienna, and IIHS testing found no evidence of a heightened risk of injury to the driver or passenger.

Autoblog Podcast #654: Subaru Brz, Honda Civic And More Big Reveals

Autoblog Podcast #654: Subaru BRZ, Honda Civic and more big reveals

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Consumer Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski and News Editor Joel Stocksdale. They kick things off discussing a whole raft of big car debuts this week that would have undoubtedly been part of the L.A. Auto Show if it happened this year. Some of those big reveals include the new Honda Civic, Subaru BRZ and Jeep Wrangler 392. They follow that with some other news highlights and end with green crossover-themed "Spend My Money" segment.

Head Of A-bomb Survivors' Group: Big Step Forward

Head of A-bomb survivors' group: Big step forward

The head of the atomic bomb survivors' group in Hiroshima, Tsuboi Sunao, says the news that the treaty will take effect is a big step forward.

Tsuboi said the treaty will not lead to the immediate abolition of nuclear weapons, but it will still be a major step towards achieving that goal.

2021 Honda Ridgeline Debuts With Big Design Change

2021 Honda Ridgeline debuts with big design change

Look at this! It's the 2021 Honda Ridgeline, and it's fixing exactly what so many folks have complained about since this truck launched for the 2017 model year. Honda has finally made its truck look more like a truck, which (and you'd have never guessed this) is what truck buyers seem to want.

Now, we have had our own misgivings about the Ridgeline's design, but its excellence in categories outside of design have made us more forgiving of its soft, Pilot-like face. Every other midsize truck has a rough-and-tough character about it, and now the Ridgeline can say the same.

Japanese Authorities Warn Big Rivers May Overflow

Japanese authorities warn big rivers may overflow

Japan's Meteorological Agency and land ministry are calling on people in the path of Typhoon Haishen to prepare with the utmost caution.

In a joint news conference on Saturday, an official from the Meteorological Agency said Haishen is expected to develop to an emergency-warning level before approaching Okinawa on Sunday morning and Amami later in the day.

Virus Hits Japan's Big Business Confidence

Virus hits Japan's big business confidence

The Bank of Japan's latest quarterly Tankan survey shows that business confidence among large manufactures plunged to the lowest level in over a decade amid the coronavirus pandemic.

It shows that sentiment at big manufactures in Japan fell to minus 34 in the April-June quarter, down from minus 8 in the previous survey.

2020 Nissan Kicks Luggage Test | How Big Is The Trunk?

2020 Nissan Kicks Luggage Test | How big is the trunk?

The 2020 Nissan Kicks is a refreshingly honest tool for people who know what they honestly need from a car. It doesn't have all-wheel drive, but you know what, most people don't really need it -- front-wheel drive and a useful extra bit of ground clearance will be just fine to access that campground, and if snow is in the forecast, snow tires will mean more than all-wheel-drive anyway. It doesn't have much power, but you know what, the Kicks is probably going to spend most of its life in traffic and the general urban grind, and in that setting, its engineers have made it feel surprisingly spritely. That it's reasonably quiet and comfortable on the highway should make that weekend trek to the campground sufficiently pleasant. 

And what about all the stuff you'll be bringing to that campground? The Kicks may have comparable exterior dimensions to most subcompact SUVs, but it's packing a shocking amount of cargo room. On paper, it has 25.3 cubic feet of space, whereas nearly all its competitors are in the teens. Only the Honda HR-V comes close at 24.3. And as you're about to see, it lives up to that promise in person.

Acura Rlx Big Flagship Sedan Is Being Killed Off

Acura RLX big flagship sedan is being killed off

Only Acura knows why its flagship RLX sedan is still on sale; every year that we had occasion to remember the RLX — which wasn't every year — seemed like a good year to let the car die peacefully. Automotive News reports the deed is finally done, or rather, will be at the end of 2020, when Acura discontinues the model that started with the RL in 1996. Honda told U.S. dealers yesterday that in other markets like Japan, the four-door will continue to sell as the Honda Legend. Honda's comment to AN included, "With SUVs leading the luxury market, the highly successful RDX and MDX now serve as volume leaders of the Acura brand," and, "We will further strengthen our sports sedans, consistent with the performance-focused direction we have been taking Acura over the past four years."

Speaking of the devil, the RL and RLX — and Acura as a brand — never got out from under the weight of the Legend sedan, that ancestor being the second of Acura's three albatrosses after the original NSX and the Integra. The RL never equaled the Legend's worst year of U.S. sales. The RLX, a combination of arousing performance under anodyne styling costing premium German money, might have performed the same feat viz the RL, but the RL sold less than 5,000 units here for the last five years of its life. The RLX has only exceeded 5,000 sales once, in 2013. Last year, 1,019 units found buyers. 

2020 Infiniti Qx50 Luggage Test | How Big Is The Trunk?

2020 Infiniti QX50 Luggage Test | How big is the trunk?

The 2020 Infiniti QX50 is a comfortable five-seat luxury crossover that competes with the Audi Q5, Acura RDX, Volvo XC60, Lexus NX and others. If you're interested in a QX50, it's probably got something to do with its impressive, technologically advanced VC-Turbo variable compression engine.

It also has sumptuous swales of bodywork, a long list of driver-assist and safety features, and a solidly luxurious interior with a two-screen infotainment setup. The window sticker for the QX50 we drove recently in Essential trim says the seats were leatherette; if true, it's the most buttery fake leather out there.

2020 Toyota Gr Supra Luggage Test | How Big Is The Trunk?

2020 Toyota GR Supra Luggage Test | How big is the trunk?

Nobody is going to buy a 2020 Toyota GR Supra because of its luggage-carrying capacity. However, there is a chance that they may not buy such a car because of its luggage-carrying capacity. For instance, you may actually want to take your fun weekend automotive toy on a fun weekend away, but if it can't fit a simple pair of bags for a pair of passengers, forget about it. It's pretty difficult to tell your significant other that "Sorry, you can't pack that. Won't fit in the R8."

In that light, let's see how Supra would do for such a weekend getaway. It has a hatchback trunk lid, albeit a narrow one, that reveals a shallow, yet long space. At first glance, it seems pretty useful and on paper, Toyota says the space is 10.2 cubic-feet. That's more than double the Mazda MX-5 Miata (stay tuned for that car's luggage test in a few weeks). 

Hondata Honda Civic Type R Fuel System Upgrade Offers Big Power Potential

Hondata Honda Civic Type R fuel system upgrade offers big power potential

The current generation Honda Civic Type R isn't a slow car by any means with 306 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. But there are always people who want to go faster, and Hondata's new fuel system upgrade can help Type R owners go faster, or even way faster.

The kit includes new injectors, fuel tank pump, direct injection pump and lines, all rated for higher fuel flow, as well as a Hondata FlashPro unit with several ECU tunes. Because Hondata is marketing this toward Type R owners who will likely be further modifying their cars, the most basic Type R they've tested with is one with an upgraded intercooler and high-flow catalytic converter. On that car, running on 91-octane fuel, the fuel system and tune increased power by 57 ponies and torque by a major 90 pound-feet. Totals were 375 horsepower and 424 pound-feet.