What's this then?
New Jazz? No. Updated CR-V? Nope. 300hp Civic Type-R? Uh-uh. The most important thing on Honda's stand was the announcement of its new Honda Connect infotainment system, which will make its debut in the updated Civic. It's based on Google's all-conquering Android software, so the idea is that it's as intuitive as your smartphone to use - you tap, pinch, swipe etc. to access its functions, and the layout is especially phone-like.
Most important thing?
Yup. No-one (us excepted) actually cares about cars as mechanical devices any more. All they worry about is how to make this tonne-and-a-bit lump of metal and rubber connect better to our smartphones and tablets. So, the Honda Connect's NVIDIA Tegra 3 chip is at least as important as any new VTEC system. Needless to say it has MirrorLink, which means the screen in the car can replicate the screen on your phone (to a certain extent), and there'll also be a Honda App Store for specifically car-oriented apps.
Honda Connect comes with pre-installed apps including 'Aha', which allows effortless access to content and lets the driver keep their eyes on the road. Aha offers thousands of stations of audio, spanning music, news, podcasts and audio books - as well as social media news feeds and location-based services. The easy-to-use, integrated interface makes finding everything from a Twitter account to weather updates as safe and easy as the push of a button. Aha also includes Point of Interest searches, helping users locate the nearest restaurants or hotels.
As an option, Garmin's satellite navigation will be available fully integrated into Honda Connect. Pre-loaded maps allow users to navigate even in areas without mobile reception and millions of points of interest make it easy to find whatever users are looking for. It can even figure out the most economical route.
There's also Wi-Fi tethering, using the 3G or 4G connection in your phone to allow you to browse the web from your (stationary) Civic. It'll be available in 2015.
Neil Briscoe - 4 Oct 2014