Honda's test facility in Hokkaido, Japan, is an impressive place. Set among hills and woods, it can experience temperature extremes from -30° to +30℃. Its facilities include a lengthy banked circuit and a series of road routes modelled on roads from across the world, strung together to create something akin to the Nuerburgring Nordschleife but with better sight-lines through the corners. It is named after the Taka birds - Japanese kites - that 'swoop through the skies all day. Just before the 2005 Tokyo show, Honda revealed three new, or new-to-Europe, technologies to try out at Takasu. The new Legend model features Super Handling All-Wheel-Drive, a system which will also appear on the next-generation Accord. The new Civic can be had with a hybrid powertrain much more sophisticated than that of the outgoing Civic IMA, and the 2006 model-year Accord is available with Lane Keeping Assistance System (LKAS).
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