Honda, Toyota, Buick show new vehicles

NEW YORK — From hot-selling SUVs to cool new small cars to electric vehicles and hybrids, the 2016 New York International Auto Show features a diverse lineup of new vehicles. The show officially opens to the public on Friday. About 1,000 vehicles will be

Here are some of the buzz-worthy new cars and trucks at the show.

Audi added the open-top R8 to its supercar lineup Wednesday, pulling a tarp off a yellow version of the car at the New York auto show. The Spyder has the same V10 engine as the R8 Coupe, but its hardtop folds mechanically behind the seats. The 5.2-liter, 540 horsepower engine can take the car to nearly 200 miles per hour, even with an open top. "I think this is quite cool," said Dietmar Voggenreiter, board member for sales and marketing. Since the R8 was launched in 2008, the brand's U.S. sales have gone from 80,000 per year to more than 200,000.

Honda says the hatch is making a comeback in small U.S. cars. The automaker shows off a five-door Civic hatchback, and Senior Vice President Jeff Conrad says it will cater mainly to Generation Y (ages 21-35), which likes hatchback utility and sporty performance. The hot hatch gets a 174- horsepower turbocharged 1.5liter four-cylinder engine. It's the first U.S. Civic hatch since 1995. Price wasn't announced, but it's due out in the fall.

Singers Demi Lovato and Nick Jonas will headline the Civic concert tour this year, and keeping with tradition, Lovato got a chance to design and autograph her own Civic sedan exterior. Jonas, meanwhile, did the same with a Honda Grom motorcycle. Fans can enter a sweepstakes to win both vehicles.

The cult car for the environmentally-conscious got a makeover last year. Now, live from New York, it's the Prius Prime, a plug-in electric version that can go 22 miles on battery power alone, about double the previous plug-in model. Toyota says the new car handles much better than the old Prius and can drive up to 84 miles per hour without leaving electric vehicle mode. The electric range meets the daily commuting distance of more than half of U.S. drivers, according to Toyota. Price wasn't announced. It's due out in late fall.

Toyota's three-row SUV gets some upgrades for 2017. Base models still have a four-cylinder engine and six- speed transmission, but drivers can upgrade to a new 3.5-liter V6 with a new eight- speed transmission. Toyota says the new combination has more power and is more fuel efficient. All V6 models will come with stop-start technology, which automatically turns off the engine at a stop light. The Highlander goes on sale in the fall.

If you want to ride with the wind, Mazda has a car for you. The RF stands for "retractable fastback," a new version of the Miata sports car with smooth mechanics that fold the roof panel above the seating area into a spot behind the passenger compartment. No price was given for the new version, which goes on sale in the late summer.

After three years of surprisingly strong sales, General Motors' Buick brand is protecting its franchise by freshening the Encore tiny SUV. It gets a new front end and interior. With 66,000 sales last year, the Encore is Buick's top seller. SUVs are now almost twothirds of Buick's sales. Buyers can opt for a new 1.4-liter fourcylinder engine that has 14 more horsepower than the base model. Available in the fall.

Godzilla, as it's known to fans, gets its first big makeover in a decade. The 2017 GT-R has a bigger grille for engine cooling, and the car has a higher line below the windows in the rear to make it look wider and more aggressive. Handling is improved. Under the hood, the 3.8- liter V6 twinturbocharged engine has been tweaked to deliver 565 horsepower, a 20-horsepower improvement over the 2016 GT- R. The car gets an improved six- speed dualclutch transmission. The interior is simplified, with fewer switches and paddle shifters. Goes on sale this summer.

Acura's best- seller, the three- row MDX SUV, gets a new pentagonal grille and a chiseled hood, narrowed headlights and LED fog lights and twin tailpipes. The Sport Hybrid powertrain pairs a 3.0liter V6 engine and three electric motors that power the front and rear wheels. The motors help the SUV accelerate faster and drive more sharply around bends. Acura expects the MDX Sport Hybrid to get 26 miles per gallon in city and highway driving, or 7 mpg more than a non-hybrid MDX. MDX goes on sale this summer, with the Sport Hybrid version later this year. motorists plan their routes to encounter the least possible amount of traffic. Top of the line system, and a growing community of app users who share road information allow for up-to-the-moment, real-time updates that will warn the motorist of traffic build-up along their planned routes.

Then came the Grab and Easy apps. These apps allowed a commuter to book a taxi ride from any location reachable by the Internet. From the safety of one’s home, or under a sturdy roof during a heavy downpour, a commuter does not need to expose one’s self to unsafe or harsh conditions to be able to get a cab ride. This service comes with an extra fee, but it’s worth the price.

These two apps, a recent conversation I had with officemates regarding inconsistent taxi meters, and growing news reports of the dangers of riding taxis, got me thinking the other day. What if the government institution responsible for issuing franchises, and calibrating the meters for these taxis, sponsored the creation of a smart phone app that would somehow integrate the features of both apps and solve the two other concerns?

First, this franchising and regulatory board can mandate the installation of signage with a Quick Response Code (QR Code) that commuters can scan before they get in the taxi. This will store information about the taxi and the driver behind the wheel. The commuter can send this information to their relatives or loved ones so that they will be aware of who is behind the wheel of the taxi the commuter is in.

Second, since this government institution is the same one that calibrates all the taxi meters, they should be able to provide the app programmer with the same algorithm to allow the app to mimic the taxi’s meter. The app can use the smart phone’s GPS to track the distance covered. In case a commuter is stuck in traffic, a stationary signal from the GPS will also trigger the waiting time feature to allow for real-time tracking. At the end of the ride, and given that the taxi meter was properly calibrated and not tampered with, the commuter’s app and the taxi’s meter should have a similar reading.

And lastly, the real-time traffic update will allow both commuter and cab driver to plan a quicker route and make the trip more economical for both parties.

I hope someone who knows someone in the transportation franchising and regulatory board gets to read this piece and would be able to suggest this to them. Creating and launching an app like this would make it a safer, quicker and more economical commute for all of us.