Honda has officially opened up its R&D department to the public over in Japan. This news caused a stir from representatives from top Honda Dealers across the US and Canada, like Stephens Honda in Bloomington, IN. Many of these representatives were there to see the announcement, to find out what this auto maker's future holds.

The company showed off their new Honda Accord with a fuel-savings Atkinson Cycle engine. This accord features plenty of power without losing torque. Engine range will span 1.0 to 2.4 -liter, and some reports say it will include a 3.5-liter V6 (still in the works).

We also saw vehicles which will be powered by a 148-horsepower, 1.8-liter engine. This new economic engine may find a home in the 2012 Honda Civic. The environmentally conscious engine consumes 10% less fuel than current models.

Honda had more news, with the release of a Civic which was powered by a fast, yet small, 1.6-liter turbo diesel engine.

Finally, they announced their concept car which looked to be about the size of the new Accord. It came out featuring a V6 sending 310 horsepower and 265 lb.-ft. of torque to the vehicle's front end, with a pair of electric motors powering the rear end.

INFO: http://thechronicleherald.ca/wheelsnews/39887-first-drive-honda-hosts-rd-centre