10:55AM - WHEW, Smart sure throws a good party... It was pretty much exactly the same as the Chrysler party, over at the Firehouse across the street from Cobo Center. We awoke to 2-4" of fresh powder, which made for a nice little 10-15mph commute into the city (our hotel was out in Southfield). We barely made it here in time to get the video camera set up for Honda's corporate press conference, but we somehow pulled it off. The text of Mr. Fukui's speech is already posted, but the key items were related to reiterating Honda's position on safety and the environment. He mentioned several items of interest regarding the upcoming Civic, stating that it would be using a full line of "next generation" engines, offering gas, cng, hybrid, and (in Europe) diesel models. The gas models of the Civic will all use i-VTEC, featuring "new technology" (direct injection?). Worldwide, the Civic will be offered in 2, 3, 4 and 5-door versions. The RL will be getting Honda's Collision Mitigation Braking System in the Fall, and the Pilot will be getting VCM (Variable Cylinder Management). Oh, before we left the floor last night we walked past the Honda stand and stopped to talk to a few people. While we were standing next to a Ridgeline on stage, Carlos Ghosn (of Nissan) walked up with an entourage (including a Japanese video crew that was chasing them) and proceeded to give it a thorough check. Now we're going to head back downstairs for a bit and try to get a few more shots of some of the cars we may have missed. jp

11:25AM - A couple more points about Mr. Fukui's speech... He mentioned that all Acuras will have VSA by 2006. That means 1 of 3 things: the RSX is moving to drive-by-wire throttle, he forgot about the RSX, or the RSX is toast. I'll let you decide. Adding collision mitigation to the RL for next year is pretty cool, though I hope it doesn't irritate current RL owners. Other interesting news was an "all new engine design for the 2006 Civic." It will have i-VTEC, but it remains to be seen what it will actually be. Civics will be manufactured at all of Honda's plants worldwide and introduced with 4 powerplants: hybrid, diesel, gasoline, and natural gas. No word yet on which versions we'll see in the US. Last point: in 2006, Honda will have an FC-X fuel cell vehicle in an individual owner's hands to demonstrate that this technology is for real. It's a step in the direction of any Joe off the streets walking into their local Honda dealership and driving out with a hydrogen powered car. And they'll be able to refuel it at home with Honda's hydrogen production doohickey that creates hydrogen from natural gas. Not too shabby. rl

As I type this with one hand and munch on a tortillia wrap with the other, I need to wrap this up so we can catch a few more cars (Charger, Z-06, and anything else that looks interesting) before trudging through the snow and ice on our way to the airport. Stay tuned for more. rl

1:10PM - Just got back from the floor for probably the last time since we have to get to the airport. The Subaru SUV is interesting. There are also concept SUVs from Kia and Suzuki. I'll let you make your own assumptions from the pics in our gallery. To be honest, I was so engrossed in getting pics of everything we may have missed over the past 2 days and hurrying around, I haven't had much time to look over the cars or pics. There are also some pics of the new Mitsubishi Eclipse, Dodge Charger, a host of tuner Mustangs, Z-06 and C6R, and a few other nuggets. Check them out in our gallery. rl

3:05PM I'm sitting at the DTW airport waiting to board my flight home and remembered something that I learned yesterday and forgot to share in my update. I was told that we should plan on being present for the Chicago Auto Show next month. That's Honda PR's way of telling us something cool is going to be unveiled or announced. I wasn't told anything specific but after speaking to various people, I got the feeling it would be an Acura announcement. I'm not really looking forward to traveling back into the rust belt in the dead of winter (the last time I went to the Chicago show, my lungs pretty much froze solid every time I stepped outdoors), but I suppose somebody has to do it! jp