COVERT OPS
Honda tackles a truck
Also, Miata gets speed and "green" car support

HONDA PICKS UP A TRUCK
A big change is coming at Honda. The Japanese company recently celebrated production of its 50-millionth car. But at the same time, observers noted that, unlike virtually every other automotive giant around the world, Honda has never built a truck.

Look for that record to finally be broken when the Japanese-based company unveils its first truck-like vehicle at January's North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Some insiders are describing it as an "SUT" - a sport-utility truck that seems likely to appeal more to "lifestyle" drivers than to those who are intent on serious hauling and trucking.

An educated guess would suggest Honda's new trucklet will share its platform, many components, options and maybe even an assembly line with the existing Pilot SUV, which is already built here in Ontario.

This belated move into the world of trucks is a watershed change for Honda which, until 30 years ago, was a motorcycle company that had never mass-produced any 4-wheeled vehicles of any kind except for a handful of bike-engined micro-cars.

Indeed, there are those who greeted the original Civic with the suggestion that the world no longer had room for any new automakers.

Honda's subsequent success, coupled with ensuing debuts by Lexus, Acura, Infiniti, Maybach, Hyundai and Kia, suggest that it's never too late to try launching new brands and new models into the world of automobiles.

MAZDASPEED MIATA
Macho wannabes still tend to sneer at Mazda's charming and mildly sporty Miata convertible.

In doing so they overlook two details: The Miata is an unsung success story, having sold steadily for well over a decade; and it has always had hidden potential for development as a performance car.

MazdaSpeed, the factory's tuner division, is about to bring that potential to life with a new turbocharged Miata, expected to arrive in showrooms by next spring (look for prototypes to be unveiled at winter car shows).

Reportedly, this latest Miata's extra performance will be complemented by a competent handling package and "go fast" cosmetic upgrades.

If MazdaSpeed's Miata turbo is anything like the specially-tuned Protegé that we tested last year, it'll be loads of fun to drive while opening up a whole new sales opportunity for the company.

Incidentally, the Miata - which is reminiscent of British sports cars from the '60s - is a noteworthy exception in the "retro" car league. While some others of its ilk have only managed flash-in-the-pan sales success for a matter of months, the Miata just motors steadily along year after year.

DIESELS BEING DETERRED?
Even though tougher 2005 auto emissions regulations seem to pose a daunting roadblock, there's a growing push to persuade governments to find ways of allowing new-generation "green" diesel cars into North America.

Such diesel sedans already meet emissions regulations everywhere else around the world. Forty per cent of all cars sold in Europe are diesel powered. In some countries that percentage is far higher.

However, North America's new 2005 emissions rules threaten to shut out diesels. Despite this potential barrier, several automakers are still trying to develop diesels that can comply.

Also, it's reported that Volkswagen dealers in the U.S. might be gearing up to lobby their politicians for a regulatory solution. A VW source says there's no parallel initiative planned for Canada.

TRAVEL TIPS
Every fall, millions of American and Canadian snowbird motorists plan their winter journeys to the south with the aid of annually updated I-75 guidebooks by Mississauga-based author, broadcaster and driving enthusiast Dave Hunter - known to his fans as "I-75 Dave."

Now there's a second such guidebook available at bookstores. It focuses on the main alternative route to the south, I-95, which mostly follows North America's east coast. The book is called Drive I-95: Exit by Exit Info, Maps, History and Trivia, authored by Montrealers Sandra Phillips and Stan Posner.

If this sounds like aggressive competition for Hunter's annual best-sellers, it's not. In fact, Hunter quietly served as a behind-the-scenes mentor as Phillips and Posner made their first venture into months of research and writing.

Posner in particular did much of the roadwork, heeding Hunter's advice on painstaking GPS-based research - kilometre by kilometre, ramp by ramp and rest-stop by rest-stop.

For more details of the new I-95 book, check out the www.drivei95.com Web site. The latest edition of Hunter's own book is due off the presses any day. For more information, visit www.i75online.com.

Aspiring authors might want to note that at least one such project remains to be tackled: A similar guidebook for the many westerners who migrate each winter from the Pacific Northwest, British Columbia and the prairies, south along I-5 to California, Arizona and Mexico.