Ultimele articole din presa straina referitoare la Honda

[tokyodream]

Sales Watch: Honda Accord sales creeping up on Toyota Camry? (http://www.autoblog.com/2009/07/16/sales-watch-honda-accord-sales-creeping-up-on-toyota-camry/)

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/07/16/sales-watch-honda-accord-sales-creeping-up-on-toyota-camry/ (http://www.autoblog.com/2009/07/16/sales-watch-honda-accord-sales-creeping-up-on-toyota-camry/)


While the Honda Accord dominated the 1990s, it has been virtually all Toyota Camry in the new century. Yet a look back at the first six months of 2009 shows that the newer, larger Accord is continuing to gain ground on its chief rival. Camry sales have so far remained top in its segment, with 150,242 sales in the first half of the year. The Accord isn't far behind, though, as it has amassed 131,143 sales through June; only 19,199 behind Camry.

Wards Auto reports that the Accord's gains have been consistent over the past three years, as the sales gap went from 94,004 in 2006 to 80,877 in 2007 and 63,828 in 2008. With sales deeply depressed so far in 2009, though, the numbers can be a bit deceiving. Still, the Camry has seen a 37.4% drop in sales, as compared to 36.3% for the Accord.

Toyota told Wards that one reason for the Accord's improved sales verses the Camry are increasing incentives on the full-size Honda. According to Edmunds, the Accord's April incentives increased four-fold verses the automaker's April, 2008 numbers. Even more interesting is the fact that cash on the hood has increased since April, hitting $2,183 in June. The Camry, on the other hand, had $1,538 on the hood last month; down over $400 compared to May.

[Source: Wards Automotive (http://wardsauto.com/ar/accord_closing_camry_090714/)]

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Honda Civic, Ford F-Series top June sales !

http://www.canadiandriver.com/2009/07/15/honda-civic-ford-f-series-top-june-sales.htm (http://www.canadiandriver.com/2009/07/15/honda-civic-ford-f-series-top-june-sales.htm)

Richmond Hill, Ontario - The Honda Civic and Ford F-Series topped Canadian new car and truck sales in June, according to industry analyst Dennis DesRosiers.
The report noted that small, entry-level vehicles are not selling any better than other segments. “These are much lower-priced, obviously, so one would think that they would be drawing in consumers from other segments,” DesRosiers said. “This may be true, but these vehicles also play to the lower quartile of consumers from an economic perspective, and these are the consumers most hurt from the recession and therefore not buying.”

The large/luxury/sport segment is down 12.6 per cent year-to-date (YTD), but is still performing better than the market, which is down by 18.3 per cent. Midsize family vehicles performed the worst, down 26.8 per cent in June 2009 when compared with June 2008, and down 22.3 per cent YTD.

Despite taking the top spot, Civic sales were down 24.4 per cent in June and 28.2 per cent YTD. “The Hyundai Elantra is the big winner so far this year with sales up 121.3 per cent,” DesRosiers said. “And surprisingly, the Hyundai Accent is one of the biggest disappointments, with sales down by 13.3 per cent despite being one of the lowest-priced products in the market.”

The top ten best-selling passenger cars in June, in order, were the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Hyundai Elantra, Ford Focus, Hyundai Accent, Chevrolet Impala, Ford Fusion, Toyota Matrix, and Nissan Versa.

Year-to-date, the top ten in order to the end of June were the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Hyundai Elantra, Toyota Yaris, Hyundai Accent, Ford Focus, NissanVersa, Toyota Matrix, and Honda Accord.

The top ten best-selling light trucks in June, in order, were the Ford F-Series, Ford Escape, Ford Ranger, Toyota RAV4, Dodge Ram, Hyundai Santa Fe, Honda CR-V, Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra, and Ford Edge.

Year-to-date, the top ten in order to the end of June were the Ford F-Series, Ford Escape, Dodge Caravan, GMC Sierra, Chevrolet Silverado, Dodge Ram, Toyota RAV4, Hyundai Santa Fe, Ford Ranger, and Honda CR-V.

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Honda’s small car codenamed 2CV; Will be made in India and Thailand !

http://indianautosblog.com/2009/06/hondas-small-car-2cv-india-thailand


http://indianautosblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/honda-budget-car-1-large.jpg (http://indianautosblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/honda-budget-car-1-large.jpg)

Honda’s mini-Jazz (http://indianautosblog.com/2009/06/mini-honda-jazz-perfect-urban-runabout) will be manufactured in India and Thailand, but specifically meant for the Indian market. Just like how the Accord (http://indianautosblog.com/2009/01/honda-accord-special-edition-30-years-accord-in-australia) was designed for the Americans and the City (http://indianautosblog.com/2008/11/2008-honda-city-an-indepth-look) was built for the Thai market, the new mini-Jazz (http://indianautosblog.com/2009/06/india-will-be-honda%e2%80%99s-launch-pad-for-global-compact-car) will be India’s turn in Honda’s book.
Codenamed 2CV, the mini Honda car (http://indianautosblog.com/2009/05/an-all-new-honda-small-car-for-the-indian-masses-in-the-works) will also be built in Thailand as part of the eco-car project (http://indianautosblog.com/2009/06/tata-motors-thailand-eco-car-project).
What are the needs of an average Indian car buyer?
Definite needs -

It needs be cheap
It needs to be fuel efficient
It needs to be spacious
It needs to maintenance-free
It needs to have a diesel engine (forget if the petrol engine delivers 30kmpl, somehow diesel is more efficient to many Indians)
The depreciation value should be less because many of us think of selling our car even before buying them http://indianautosblog.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif
The above is more or less what the majority of buyers are looking for in a car. I was tempted to add looks and luggage space but changed my mind looking at the currently most successful Alto, Wagon R’s storage spaces behind the rear seats.
For more images of the how probably it would look, visit our earlier Honda mini car (http://indianautosblog.com/2009/01/more-information-on-honda-entry-level-car-a-star-and-i10-get-ready) post.

Source - Auto in car (http://www.autoincar.com/honda-a-segment-2cv-codename-eco-car-will-be-launch-in-2012-thailand-india/)

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Honda City Diesel and Jazz Diesel might happen !

http://indianautosblog.com/2008/10/honda-city-diesel-and-jazz-diesel-might-happen


http://indianautosblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/2008-honda-jazz-pictures1.jpg (http://indianautosblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/2008-honda-jazz-pictures1.jpg)

Since its debut in 1995 with the Honda City, Honda (http://indianautosblog.com/category/honda) has never thought about a diesel car. Despite the lack of a diesel engine, Honda could somehow entice the consumers with its ultra smooth petrol engines. Even abroad, Honda offers its popular i-DTEC (diesel) engine option only for the Accord and CR-V (http://indianautosblog.com/2008/08/honda-cr-v-diesel-now-serving-as-taxi-in-deutschland).
Until recently, Honda has found the necessity of launching a diesel engine variant for its City sedan and Jazz hatchback, as the consumer choice is slowly drifting towards economic diesels. The market share of diesel cars continues to raise (Maruti Swift & Dzire, Hyundai Verna, Ford Fiesta, Tata Indigo (http://indianautosblog.com/category/tata-indigo-vista)) hence Honda is in need to come up with diesel to continue its leadership.

In the Indian auto sector, almost all manufacturers have diesel power units in their cars. Honda blames the 30% price difference between petrol and diesel as the reason for delay.
“India is (the) only…(major) country in the world with such price differentials. In countries such as China, (those in) Europe, and Japan, this difference is only 10-12%,” Masahiro Takedagawa, president and CEO, HSCI said.

The City and Jazz (http://indianautosblog.com/2009/02/honda-plans-to-raise-prices-in-india-honda-jazz-in-mid-2009) are likely to share the same diesel engines , much like Maruti’s Swift and Dzire. Honda is currently performing research on smaller engines, suited to Indian conditions. A CR-V was recently caught testing with a diesel engine. But as things progress, Honda cars with diesel engines is sure to be quite an unbeatable combination!

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Honda Jazz to get City’s 1.5L V-TEC engine in 2010 !


http://indianautosblog.com/2009/07/honda-jazz-to-get-citys-15l-v-tec-engine-in-2010


http://indianautosblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/honda_jazz.jpg (http://indianautosblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/honda_jazz.jpg)

Honda Siel (http://indianautosblog.com/category/honda) will launch a ‘Hot’ variant of its pricey hatchback - Jazz, by early-2010. The new variant will feature Honda City’s 1.5L V-Tec engine that produces close to 110Bhp. The Jazz will also be offered with an optional automatic transmission by end-2009.
Honda claims that the V-Tec engine will be as fuel efficient as the 1.2L counterpart (http://indianautosblog.com/2009/05/details-on-made-for-india-12-liter-ivtec-honda-jazz-engine). Despite the 300cc increase in engine displacement, and a 20Bhp increase in power, Honda says that the clean and efficient City V-Tec engine will find the best match in the lighter Honda Jazz (http://indianautosblog.com/category/honda-jazz).
Predictions say that the Jazz 1.5 would cost 10-15% more than the existing Jazz 1.2, almost a lakh more. But for those who are looking for a powerful, comfortable, spacious and compact alternative to entry sedans, the Honda Jazz would be the only choice.

[tokyodream]

Toyota, Honda Seek To Ride Green Car Demand

Honda Brings Back Overtime; Toyota To Start Producing Hybrids In UK

YURI KAGEYAMA, AP Business Writer

http://www.foxcarolina.com/automotive/20084869/detail.html (http://www.foxcarolina.com/automotive/20084869/detail.html)

TOKYO -- Toyota said Friday it will start making hybrids in Europe next year, while its Japanese rival Honda is bringing back overtime to meet demand for small cars, underlining the potential of their green vehicle strategies to underpin recovery from the auto slump.
As part of a growth strategy that hinges on its strength in hybrid technology, Toyota Motor Corp. said it will produce a gas-electric hybrid version of its Auris hatchback from mid-2010 at its Burnaston Plant in central England. It didn't give any production figures.
The world's top automaker already makes hybrids in North America, Japan and China. It has been eager to expand its business in Europe, where it's still a tiny player.
Toyota said the decision to start making the hybrid Auris underlines its determination to "distinguish itself in that market through the strengths of its hybrid technology" as it fights the global auto slump.

Honda Motor Co. is stepping up production and bringing back overtime at its Japanese plants, having workers come in on weekends at its Saitama plant for the first time since the financial crisis.
It will start with one day in July, but is adding another extra work day in August, and two days each in September and October, said company spokesman Hiroyuki Horiuchi.
The Saitama plant, in a Tokyo suburb, is returning to a double-shift at one of its two assembly lines in August, because of the solid demand in Japan for the Freed hatchback, boosting production there to 1,450 vehicles a day from 1,100, according to Japan's No. 2 automaker.
Honda is also having workers do overtime at another Japanese plant, in Suzuka, which makes the hit Insight hybrid, as well as the Fit subcompact.
The latest move underlines signs of a gradual recovery at Honda, which has been riding out the slump relatively better than its bigger rival Toyota.
Strong hybrid sales, meanwhile, have furnished the one bright spot in Toyota's gloomy performance. The maker of the Prius hybrid and Lexus luxury car sank to its worst ever loss in the fiscal year ended March.
Government incentives to encourage the purchase of ecological vehicles have helped boost sales of hybrids and small vehicles.
The remodeled Prius has been selling briskly in Japan since they went on sale in May, and has been the top selling car in Japan for two straight months.
Sales of Honda's Insight hybrid and smaller Freed and Fit models are also doing well.

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First Alabama-built Accord rolls off Honda's Lincoln production line !

http://blog.al.com/businessnews/2009/07/first_alabamabuilt_accord_roll.html (http://blog.al.com/businessnews/2009/07/first_alabamabuilt_accord_roll.html)

Earnest Goggins boasted a year ago that he and his co-workers at the Honda plant in Lincoln could make anything -- even the automaker's flagship Accord sedan. On Friday, Goggins was behind the wheel as the first official Alabama-built V-6 Accord rolled off the plant's assembly line.
Although he didn't know it when he made the statement that Honda (http://www.honda.com/) could add Accord production at its Alabama plant, his statement was caught on video for another Honda event. The plant's brass just couldn't resist playing it on the big screen at Friday's event.
Another video played at the event talked about the esteemed place the Accord holds across the globe for Honda. Since its U.S. debut in 1976, the car has become the Japanese automaker's signature vehicle, with sales topping 10 million.
"Congratulations on getting the Accord," John Mendel, the head of Honda's U.S. operations, said on the video. "Let's knock it out of the park!"
Music by Coldplay and Smash Mouth added to the party atmosphere. Tony Giles, best known as the voice over Bryant-Denny Stadium during the University of Alabama Crimson Tide football games, was emcee of the event.
At 9:50 a.m. Friday, the production line came to a stop and a sea of workers in matching white uniforms descended on the end of the production line where final products roll off.
Until now, that assembly line has produced Odyssey minivans, Pilot sport utility vehicles and Ridgeline pickups -- no sedans. As "Sweet Home Alabama" played over the speakers, the first of each of those larger vehicles made at the plant made their way off the line.
Nobuyuki Sanui, chief executive at the plant, told workers they should be proud that Honda has given them more responsibility. "This is good news because it gives us more flexibility to react to market demand," Sanui said.
'More job security'�
Steve Sewell, an executive with the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama (http://www.edpa.org/), said the Lincoln plant is an important one for Japan's No. 2 automaker.
"It underscores how integral Lincoln, Ala., has become to Honda's global manufacturing," Sewell said in an interview at the event. "It sends a clear message Honda intends to be building vehicles here for a long, long time. That's awfully reassuring in these times."
Eric Norris, a worker in the paint shop, programmed robot paint patterns for the V-6 Accord at the Lincoln plant. He said producing the Accord is special.
"To me, when you think about Honda, that's the car you think of," he told the crowd. "I'm glad we have the Accord here because to me it means we have a little bit more job security."
But Norris said that isn't all that's important. He said he has family and friends already thinking about buying an Alabama-built Accord.
"The first thing they are going to see is that paint job," he said. "It's a paint job I'm proud of."
Vivian Sanders, a weld department worker who was on the Accord transition team, shared Norris' sense of accomplishment.
"I remember how excited we were when we completed that first Accord white body weld, how we were taking pictures with it," she said, noting they did so more than a week before their target date. "It makes me feel like we can do whatever Honda needs us to do -- that we can do whatever our company asks us to do in order to keep us running."
That was really what Goggins was trying to say a year ago when he made his comments about producing the first Ridgeline at the plant.
After climbing out of the Accord to cheers and high-fives from his co-workers, Goggins remained confident of the plant's capabilities.
"We will build anything," he said. "If they will bring the parts, we will build it."
He quickly added a caveat.
"Any Honda product."
Join the conversation below or e-mail Tomberlin at mtomberlin@bhamnews.com (mtomberlin@bhamnews.com).

http://blog.al.com/businessnews/2009/07/large_Honda%20Accord-honda.jpg

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Auburn Honda celebrates 30 years in business !

http://auburnjournal.com/detail/119260.html (http://auburnjournal.com/detail/119260.html)

As long as there’s been a Honda dealership in Auburn, there’s been a Cooper at the helm.
This year, Jay Cooper, who took over when his father, Marvin Cooper, retired in 1996, is celebrating 30 years in business.
Marvin and Jay Cooper opened in September 1979 at 2730 Grass Valley Highway, just a short drive from the new, bigger building that became home to the dealership in 2004.
Jay Cooper is the third generation to be involved in the car business. His grandfather started with a gas station in the 1940s. In the 1950s, Marvin Cooper worked for American Motors, then moved to General Motors in the 1960s, eventually owning a Chevrolet dealership in the Pacific Northwest.
Then when the opportunity arose to open a Honda store in Auburn, he took it despite some initial reservations.
“He thought Hondas were little roller skates because he was a die-hard GM man,” Jay Cooper said recently.
But Marvin Cooper quickly realized he’d made a great decision.
In those days, the gas crisis of 1973-74 was still a vivid memory. Honda was starting to solidify its reputation for gas-sipping, well-made cars — and Accords and Civics were moving like hotcakes.
“We were selling every car we could get and begging for more,” Jay Cooper said.
Auburn Honda’s opening coincided with the year the parent corporation completed its first assembly plant in the United States — in Marysville, Ohio. And the dealership’s 30th anniversary coincides with Honda’s 50th year in business in the United States.
Along the way, the Auburn store has grown as the Honda brand flourished.
The Coopers started with 12 employees. During the boom years, that grew to 110. The staff now numbers 65, Cooper said.
The original building, with 18,000 square feet and 12 service bays, saw the business through its first 25 years.
Customers Jack and Teresa Moss purchased their first new Honda Civic there and began bringing in their family cars — new and used — for servicing in the mid 1990s.
“We feel they are so honest,” Teresa Moss said. “They keep track of our vehicle, maintenance history and any future needs. So we’re always aware of services that may take place in the next few months. The customer service is great. Dave Mays and the service technicians are great. They meet you at the door and take you right in.”
When the new location opened at 1801 Grass Valley Highway, it nearly doubled the dealership’s floor space and added 18 more service bays. With its modern facade, high ceilings and big windows, “it was a lot more comfortable for everyone,” Cooper said.
It also has provided a special opportunity for outreach.
“We have always believed — this came from my father — that any business is only as strong as its commitment to the community and only as good as the people who work there,” he said.
Cooper enjoys putting out the welcome mat for local non-profit events. In February, HEART — Health Education Africa Resource Team — had a fundraising dinner for 250 guests in the showroom.
“We easily accommodated that,” Cooper said. “And there is no cost involved. When you’re raising money for charity, every dime counts.”
Likewise, the Coopers always have chosen their employees with an eye toward the long haul. Several employees have worked there since it opened. Numerous others have stayed for 10, 15, even 20 years or more, Cooper said.
Auto tech Gary Olson has been there since day one.
“I was the second person they hired,” he said.
Olson’s nuts-and-bolts knowledge gives him a unique perspective on cars. But he has a particular fondness for the Civic.
“That’s what I started on way back when,” he said.
Thirty years later, it’s a job he continues to enjoy.
“If it’s not broke, don’t fix it,” he said. “I would like to stay until I retire and I don’t plan to do that anytime soon.”
Sales/manager Paul Kimbrel came to Auburn Honda 13 years ago.
“I was looking for a good home and that’s what Jay has provided,” he said.
Kimbrel’s favorite part of the job is the people.
“Jay’s been a great owner to work with,” he said. “He treats people fair and honest. He wants to have a family atmosphere at the store.”
Service adviser Stuart Schrader agrees.
“It’s a great place to work,” he said. “I think Honda is the best brand out there.”
Cooper sees the 30th anniversary as a special milestone.
“It’s an important time for me,” he said. “Especially with the employees who have worked for me for such a long time. I want to let them know the appreciation I have. I’ve literally hired them as young people … so it’s really a family.”
The Journal’s Gloria Young can be reached at gloriay@goldcountrymedia.com

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Info Box: Auburn Honda
1801 Grass Valley Highway
Phone: (530) 823-7234

Honda’s 50th anniversary in the U.S.
Honda’s U.S. operations started as a motorcycle shop in Los Angeles in 1959.
In 1963 it began selling power equipment products including generators and lawn and garden equipment through its U.S. motorcycle dealers
Its first automobile was the 600 Mini in 1969. The Honda Civic was introduced in 1973 and the Honda Accord came on the market in 1976.
Honda’s first assembly plant – for motorcycles – opened in 1979 in Marysville, Ohio. In 1980 Honda broke ground for an automobile assembly plant in Marysville, Ohio.
Today, Honda has 11 manufacturing plants in the U.S. It employs 28,000 direct employees and another 100,000 through dealerships
It manufactures more than 4 million products annually including 22 automotive models.

[gab1]

2759
2760
2761

[octi_b]

http://www.thetorquereport.com/2009/07/hondas_new_pres_says_no_to_v8s.html (http://www.thetorquereport.com/2009/07/hondas_new_pres_says_no_to_v8s.html)

:(:(:(

[BogdanRR]

Pana la urma, mi se pare normal. In primul rand, nu pot concura cu modelele super-consacrate deja existente pe piata si, in al doilea rand, producatorii premium au inceput sa renunte usor-usor la motoarele mari. Exemplu: E-klasse cu motor in 4 cilindri diesel biturbo, cu cuplul si puterea unui diesel V6. Downsizing e noua religie.

[tokyodream]

Honda Civic tops reliability table !

http://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/4503040.Honda_Civic_tops_reliability_table/?ref=rss (http://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/4503040.Honda_Civic_tops_reliability_table/?ref=rss)

The Honda Civic, which is built in Swindon, has been named Britain’s most reliable car.
This is good news for a workforce which has suffered because of the economic downturn. It has seen its production cut almost in half and the total number of employees reduced by more than 1,000 to 3,700.
“We’re absolutely thrilled to be the top of the tree,” said Honda spokesman Steve Kirk. “It’s a testament to our great workers at Swindon.”
Five of the top six reliable cars are Japanese. Three of them are made in Britain with Toyota coming in third and Nissan sixth.
But it’s Honda owners who can drive smugly, knowing there is only a 10 per cent chance of a breakdown when the car is between three and six years old.
“These figures just prove how good we are at making cars,” said Ken Keir, the UK boss of Honda. “I’ve always told people to count the number of cars which you see broken down at the site of the road and it’s rare to see a Honda.
“And of course we do actually train AA patrolmen because they hardly get any practice on our cars.”
Other Far Eastern companies, like Mazda, Subaru and Mitsubishi, are high on the reliability index top ten.
At the wrong end of the table is Land Rover, with a 47 per chance of a breakdown, closely followed by Renault.
The index is compiled by insurers Warranty Direct, which gauges the most dependable used cars among 250 popular models.
The AA’s president, Edmund King, praised the Swindon workers at Honda. “It shows that workforces are an important element in the success of these companies,” he said.
Honda is always close to the top in the reliability stakes. Recently it reclaimed second place overall in the JD Power Survey, scoring highly across all four categories – vehicle quality and reliability, vehicle appeal, service satisfaction and ownership costs and included were the Swindon-built models.
That meant Honda has appeared within the top three manufacturers for four years running.
The factory is in its eighth week back at work after the four- month shutdown but on Friday will close for a three-week break – the usual two weeks plus one for the production cutback.

[tokyodream]

2009 Honda Accord Coupe Review !

http://www.thecarconnection.com/fullreview/honda_accord-cpe_2009 (http://www.thecarconnection.com/fullreview/honda_accord-cpe_2009)

STYLING | 8 out of 10
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and the 2009 Honda (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda_2009) Accord Coupe's aggressive look pleases most tastemakers.
At a quick glance, the Accord Coupe does look big, but it's more of an illusion caused by the taller, longer nose. Also notably larger are the wheels; the four-cylinder models now have 17-inch wheels, while the V-6 version gets bigger 18-inch hoops. Popular Mechanics notes that the Accord Coupe's footprint is 3 inches longer, 1.5 inches wider, and a full inch taller, which makes it roomier and more comfortable, but it's still small enough to carry the designation of being a compact car.
Cars.com notes the Coupe's “chiseled look that's highlighted in front by a narrow mesh grille and bulging front fenders." Both Cars.com and Edmunds point out that the Coupe's hindquarters, with a distinctive kink in the C-pillar and taillights that wrap around the side of the body, are reminiscent of the BMW 5-Series (http://www.thecarconnection.com/modelintro/bmw_5-series_2008).
Edmunds goes on to report that the 2009 Accord Coupe "is a genuine attention-grabber, in a sporty kind of way—something no previous version of the Accord Coupe could be accused of." Jalopnik is not as enthusiastic about the Coupe's exterior or interior esthetics, saying, "In places the 2009 Honda (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda_2009) Accord Coupe is woefully bland, in others awkwardly edgy." While they claim that the interior is "positively posh," they're not too crazy about the grayish plastic dashboard and "cornucopia" of buttons, which are "awkwardly unintuitive" and clash with the nice leather.
Motor Trend likes the look of the seamless matte finish and silver gray plastics and says that "the new Accord's dash displays are MacBook Pro all the way." The reviewer also favors the Accord Coupe's cabin: "Honda (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda) has always done tight panels and high quality surfaces, but with the new Accord Coupe they've really outdone themselves."
For the first time ever, the Honda Accord (http://www.thecarconnection.com/modelintro/honda_accord-sdn_2008) Coupe enjoys a unique look. The two-door is markedly sleeker, with a sexy curve to the roof, and the bold character line, sweeping from front wheels to rear lamps, gives the coupe a sense of constant motion. The new Accord's cockpit is definitely among the best, too—the dashboard is laid out in a sort of dual-cockpit mode, and gauges and controls are particularly well placed.
Conclusion
The 2009 Honda Accord Coupe is one of the most refined-looking Accords ever, with new bold styling that distinguishes it from Accords of the past.

PERFORMANCE | 9 out of 10
The 2009 Honda (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda_2009) Accord Coupe offers class-leading performance and handling. Popular Mechanics believes that Honda (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda) will probably sell more Accord Coupes (http://www.thecarconnection.com/style/coupes) with the 190-hp four-cylinder engine, and those who opt for this package will be pleased with the engine's silky smooth operation and seamless power delivery. They also praise the Accord Coupe for its miserly fuel consumption, saying the four-cylinder Accord has "simply excellent fuel economy for a car this size." The base 2009 Honda (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda_2009) Accord Coupe features a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine that pumps out an impressive 190 hp and an estimated 21/31 mpg.
The optional 3.5-liter V-6 with 268 hp will be on the top of the list for those who crave more performance, but despite the huge power increase, the V-6 isn't much thirstier at the gas pump. Thanks to Honda's (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda) Variable Cylinder Management system that shuts down cylinders when they're not needed, the V-6 earns an estimated 19/29 mpg. TheCarConnection.com finds that the majority of reviewers praise its smooth power delivery, silky smooth six-speed shifter, and sports-car-like handling.
Car and Driver believes that the Honda Accord (http://www.thecarconnection.com/modelintro/honda_accord-sdn_2008) Coupe is a better machine than its chief competitor, the Nissan Altima (http://www.thecarconnection.com/modelintro/nissan_altima_2008). "It's certainly fast," the reviewer notes, and even though the Accord Coupe has fewer ponies under the hood, it's quicker and has a "slick and easy to use" six-speed gearbox. Motor Trend reports that the 268-hp Accord Coupe EX-L they tested "drives like a dream." It also has 248-pound feet of torque, "and yet at WOT, there's no wheelspin or torque steer.”
The V-6 Accord Coupe exhibits good acceleration, "but it doesn't blow you away with its power the way the Toyota Avalon (http://www.thecarconnection.com/modelintro/toyota_avalon_2008)'s V-6 can,” reports Cars.com, which praises the V-6's smooth power, but knocks off a few points because "it doesn't feel as strong as its 268 horsepower rating would suggest.”
The 2009 Accord Coupe handles very well, too. Edmunds compares the Accord Coupe's performance to that of the discontinued Acura CL (http://www.thecarconnection.com/modelintro/acura_cl_2003) Type-S. The 2009 Honda (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda_2009) Accord Coupe has more power, however, and the six-speed shifter and clutch mechanism "feels exactly the same" as the Acura's (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/acura). They report that six-speed shifter also shares the CL's notchy feel, "and the clutch take-up is abrupt, making an Accord Coupe with its powertrain difficult to drive smoothly." They have no gripes about the Accord Coupe's power and report that even though it "is narrowly outgunned by the 270-hp Altima (http://www.thecarconnection.com/modelintro/nissan_altima_2008) Coupe," the Honda's (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda) engine is "far smoother" than the Altima (http://www.thecarconnection.com/modelintro/nissan_altima_2008)'s VQ-Series V-6.
Though bigger, the new Accord has a lower center of gravity, thanks to Honda (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda) engineers. They've modified the double-wishbone front suspension geometry and gone with a multilink rear. The result is a very supple suspension package that seems to soak up bumps almost imperceptibly, without numbing its road feel. The new, variable gear ration steering is precise and supple, with a clear, on-center feel. At Honda (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda), 2009 brings the Coupe standard 18-inch wheels, too.
Conclusion
A wide range of reviewers, along with those at TheCarConnection.com, believe the new 2009 Honda Accord Coupe is one of the best compact coupes to drive, whether in four- or six-cylinder guise.

COMFORT AND QUALITY | 9 out of 10
The 2009 Honda (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda_2009) Accord Coupe is roomier and more comfortable than its predecessor, but rear seating access and legroom remain only acceptable.
Edmunds reports that "the Accord feels as it always has, like a very high-quality mid-size, mid-price vehicle" but wishes Honda (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda) would have carried over the previous Accord Coupe's touch-screen navigation system; the new nav system has an "iDrive-like" control knob and more than 30 buttons surrounding it, which makes the system "intimidating." Car and Driver has very few complaints about the Accord Coupe but notes "we'd like to see more differentiation in the cabin from the Accord sedan." Cars.com praises the Accord Coupe's cabin for its tight fit and finish and use of high-quality materials that rival those found in Honda's (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda) luxury (http://www.thecarconnection.com/style/luxury) brand, Acura (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/acura).
The 2009 Honda (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda_2009) Accord Coupe's front seats are more comfortable and supportive than in previous Accords. "There's ample headroom and legroom, even for taller adults,” says ConsumerGuide. Climbing in and out of the cabin is easier, thanks to the larger door openings and higher roof. Rear legroom has increased as well, "though seating is still best left to children."
Road & Track praises the 2009 Honda (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda_2009) Accord Coupe's high-quality materials and fit and finish. "The cabin has an upscale Acura (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/acura) aura that comes from finely tailored sport bucket seats, a choice of silver or wood accents, a coupe-only three-spoke steering wheel and Honda's (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda) straightforward controls and instrumentation." They also note that the driver and front passenger sit farther apart with a wider center console between them, and the dash arrangement makes the driver and the shotgun passenger feel as if they're in separate compartments.
Popular Mechanics commends Honda (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda) for including an active noise-canceling exhaust system and active motor mounts that keep the exhaust notes down to a minimum inside the cabin and smooth out any vibration.
Conclusion
A legacy of class-leading quality and comfort is upheld in the 2009 Honda Accord Coupe.

SAFETY | 10 out of 10
The 2009 Honda (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda_2009) Accord Coupe is an IIHS Top Safety Pick, and NHTSA rates it at five stars for crash protection, save for a four-star rating for passenger side impacts.
The new airbag system has two chambers: one for the pelvis area and another for the torso. Honda (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda) claims this new airbag system minimizes potential injuries when the Accord is struck by a large SUV or pickup. Popular Mechanics notes that in the Honda (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda), 2009 brings "enough airbags to cushion the fall of the Holy Roman Empire," and they refer to the new dual-chamber, side impact airbags as a "safety breakthrough."
Among the numerous standard safety features of the 2009 Honda (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda_2009) Accord Coupe are side curtain airbags, Honda's (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda) Vehicle Stability Assist electronic stability system, all-disc anti-lock brakes, and active front head restraints.
Conclusion
The 2009 Honda Accord Coupe is among the leaders in terms of safety.

FEATURES | 10 out of 10
The 2009 Honda (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda_2009) Accord Coupe is well appointed in base trim, and it has enough optional electronic gadgets to impress even the most dyed-in-the-wool techies, though some may find the navigation fiddly.
According to Cars.com, cloth seats are standard, but the EX-L model adds leather seats and a leather-wrapped steering wheel with tilt and telescoping functions and audio buttons. Other standard features include air conditioning, cruise control, lighted vanity mirrors, and a CD stereo with an MP3 jack. The list of options includes Bluetooth hands-free cell phone connectivity, XM Satellite Radio, and a premium audio system with a subwoofer that will meet the demands of most audiophiles.
Automobile.com notes that with the 2009 Accord Coupe, Honda (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda) is squarely aiming at young buyers with its impressive "mix of high-tech features," including bigger wheels and an optional subwoofer.
Edmunds questions whether replacing the well-loved and easy-to-operate touch-screen nav system in favor of an "iDrive-like control knob" is considered progress. They also note that the cluster of more than 30 buttons surrounding the control knob "is intimidating." ConsumerGuide agrees and points out that the deeply recessed screen obscures the sight lines, and "the display can be washed out in certain light conditions"
Conclusion
You can have it pretty much any way you like it; the 2009 Honda Accord Coupe has a long list of both standard and optional features.

[tokyodream]

Score One for Honda Flexible Manufacturing !


http://industry.bnet.com/auto/10001963/score-one-for-honda-flexible-manufacturing/ (http://industry.bnet.com/auto/10001963/score-one-for-honda-flexible-manufacturing/)

The Honda Accord started rolling off the assembly line at Honda’s plant in Lincoln, Ala., which before now only manufactured truck models.

http://i.bnet.com/blogs/accord_ala.bmp (http://i.bnet.com/blogs/accord_ala.bmp)The flexibility to build a car in a truck plant or vice versa is a big competitive advantage for Honda (http://industry.bnet.com/auto/1000275/flexible-manufacturing-is-a-competitive-weapon-for-honda/), since it allows Honda to shift production in response to consumer demand, without having to build a new factory.

In this particular case, Honda needed to free up capacity at a plant in Ohio to build more four-cylinder Accords, in response to greater U.S. demand for cars that are more fuel-efficient and affordable. Honda did that by moving production of V-6 Accords out of Ohio.

The plant in Alabama already built the Odyssey minivan, the Ridgeline pickup, the Pilot SUV and V-6 engines, but it had never been used to build cars. It took Honda nine months to start producing Accords in Alabama on July 17, from the time the change was announced, back in October 2008.

If that sounds like a long time, consider that General Motors announced last month that GM will build a to-be-named small car at an existing plant in Michigan (http://media.gm.com/servlet/GatewayServlet?target=http://image.emerald.gm.com/gmnews/viewmonthlyreleasedetail.do?domain=3&docid=55266), but it will take until 2011 to start production.
Granted, that’s probably not an apples-to-apples comparison. Honda moved an existing model from one plant to another. Depending on which small car GM decides to produce in Michigan, GM has a bigger task ahead of it, if it’s launching an all-new model.
But the net result is that Honda is already responding to bigger demand for smaller engines, while it will take GM much longer.

Photo: Honda

================================================== ==================


Road Tests
Comparison Test: 2010 Ford Taurus vs. 2009 Honda Accord !


http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/Comparos/articleId=153146?tid=edmunds.il.home.photopanel..1 .*

A Product of Their Times



By Erin Riches, Senior Editor Email (http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/Comparos/articleId=153146?tid=edmunds.il.home.photopanel..1 .*#1)
Date posted: 07-20-2009
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If you understand the limitless desire of Americans for personal space, then you understand the thinking behind the 2010 Ford Taurus Limited (http://www.edmunds.com/new/2010/ford/taurus/101148209/prices.html) and 2009 Honda Accord EX-L V6 with Navigation (http://www.edmunds.com/new/2009/honda/accord/101047632/prices.html). Taurus and Accord may be iconic midsize-sedan nameplates, but now the badges are on large-car rumps.
Officially, the 2010 Ford Taurus and 2009 Honda Accord each seat five. Realistically, neither of these large sedans will ever see more than four passengers. And nobody will so much as rub an elbow, shoulder, buttock or knee during the 15-minute drive to the sushi buffet.
As crossovers promise everyone a whole row of seating to himself, families are fleeing even the roomiest of family sedans like these. So you might be driving around by yourself in a Ford Taurus or Honda Accord. And you might care about something besides shoulder room and legroom.
In its previous life (http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FirstDrives/articleId=121321), the Taurus couldn't stand up to such scrutiny. It was a big lug, a slobbery SUV shaped like a sedan. However, the 2010 Ford Taurus Limited reflects a serious change of heart at Ford. This is a smarter Taurus with crisper handling, quality interior bits, and up-to-date but easy-to-use technology.
This is also exactly the sort of Taurus that should be able to do battle with the smarty-pants of the family car class, the 2009 Honda Accord EX-L V6 with Navigation.
Tuck in That Tummy
You'll notice we call both the Taurus and the Accord large cars. We don't kid you, though. The truth is, these two have gotten fat together.
Our 2009 Honda Accord EX-L V6 Navi tester weighs in at nearly 3,600 pounds. It outweighs the previous-generation Accord by 250 pounds. It outweighs a 1999 Accord EX V6 sedan by more than 300 pounds.
Although rivals like the Mazda 6 and Nissan Altima (http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/Comparos/articleId=131667) are close in size (and weight, in the case of the Mazda), only the Accord crosses the 120-cubic-foot interior volume threshold into the EPA's "large car" classification.
Built on a 112.9-inch wheelbase (2.7 inches longer than the Accord's), our 2010 Ford Taurus Limited stretches nearly 203 inches from nose to tail. It's 8.5 inches longer than the Accord, not to mention unnaturally tall (60.7 inches) and wide (76.2 inches) for a sedan.
The Taurus is certainly the hulk of the family sedan class. It draws fat jokes from strangers and outweighs the hefty Honda by 450 pounds. But at 122.3 cubic feet, its total interior volume only tops the Accord by a couple cubes.
Pounds of Gadgets
At least a few dozen of those pounds are accounted for by all the technology in our 2010 Ford Taurus Limited, which isn't even fully optioned. Notably, it lacks a sunroof, Ford's hard-drive-based navigation system and the multicontour seats that heat, cool and knead your backside. We'll live.
For a $31,995 base price, the front-wheel-drive Taurus Limited provides a leather interior, 10-way power front seats, dual-zone automatic climate control, a USB jack, the Sync hands-free interface, wood-grain interior accents that may or may not be to your taste, and 19-inch wheels that definitely will not be to your taste.
Our test car also has Package 302A ($2,000), which adds keyless ignition, a blind-spot information system (Volvo's BLIS), automatic high-beams and a very decent 12-speaker Sony audio system. The blind-spot radar supplements the car's standard rear-bumper sonar by providing useful warnings on the trip computer display like "vehicle approaching from the left" when you have the Taurus in reverse.
Adaptive cruise control adds an additional $1,195 to the Ford's bottom line for a total of $35,190.
Most of these features simply aren't available on the Accord. However, our 2009 Honda Accord EX-L V6 comes with the high-quality Acura navigation system (stripped of the nav weather and nav traffic features), as well as Bluetooth, heated leather-upholstered seats, dual-zone climate control, a sunroof, and an unassuming set of 17-inch wheels.
We don't mind the lack of wood-grain appliqués in the Accord, but this car needs an iPod-friendly USB jack. Aux alone doesn't cut it in 2009.
Still, this 2009 Honda Accord EX-L V6 with Navigation can be yours for $31,615 — a savings of $3,575 over the 2010 Taurus Limited.
Different Personalities
You wouldn't know the 2009 Honda Accord EX-L V6 Navi is the cheaper of the two based on how it drives.
Right away, the Accord establishes itself as the sportier of the two sedans, which isn't terribly hard to do when your opponent weighs 2 tons. Still, we wonder if Honda has subtly recalibrated this car's drivetrain for 2009, because this Accord V6 doesn't feel as shortchanged on low-end torque as the 2008 models we tested. In addition, its five-speed automatic transmission shifts crisply right at the 3.5-liter V6's 6,800-rpm redline instead of short-shifting. Good thing, because there's still no manual shift gate.
Honda has rerated the V6 sedan's output at 271 horsepower at 6,200 rpm (from 268 hp) and 254 pound-feet of torque at 5,000 rpm (from 248 lb-ft), but there's more here than meets the eye. Throttle response is downright snappy in the 2009 Honda Accord.
At the track, the Accord reaches 60 mph from a standstill in 7.2 seconds (or 6.9 seconds with 1 foot of rollout (http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Features/articleId=130988) as on a drag strip) and hits the quarter-mile in 15.3 seconds at 93.1 mph.
The fact that our 2010 Taurus Limited breaks into the 15s at all borders is impressive considering its weight disadvantage. It runs a 7.8-second 0-60 time (7.5 seconds with rollout) and a 15.7-second quarter-mile. With a trap speed of just 88.9 mph, though, it has no hope of catching the Accord. The Ford's 3.5-liter V6 is rated at just 263 hp at 6,250 rpm, but its torque is accessible at lower rpm, with the peak 249 lb-ft available at 4,500 rpm.
Most of the time, our 2010 Ford Taurus Limited accelerates adequately in traffic. It's only when you hop into the Accord that you realize what you've been missing. Shifts from the Ford's six-speed automatic transmission often feel lackadaisical, too, even in manual mode. Plus, torque steer is an issue under full throttle.
Fuel economy ratings are close, with the V6 Accord earning a slight advantage with its 19 city/29 highway mpg figures versus a preliminary rating of 18 city/28 highway mpg for the front-drive 2010 Taurus. Both sedans return high teens in weekday traffic, though our Taurus test car's 2,500-mile road trip (http://blogs.edmunds.com/straightline/2009/06/2010-ford-taurus-road-trip-wrap-it-up.html) understandably pushes its two-week average above the Accord's, with its average during our test interval coming to 21.1 mpg versus 19.3 mpg.
Weight Management
Ordinarily, we don't give the current-generation Honda Accord a lot of credit in the handling department. Its steering is precise, but conservative suspension tuning, meek P225/50R17 Michelin Pilot HXMXM5 all-season tires and a few too many pounds rob it of it the usual Honda cornering character.
But it's all relative, and a 2-ton 2010 Ford Taurus makes the Accord look good on a back road.
It's not that the Taurus Limited is a terrible handler. There's just a lot of car to transition through corners, and Ford's legal team knows this, so the big sedan has a very aggressive and very non-defeatable stability control system. If it senses you're about to stuff the Taurus into a tight corner, it clamps down hard on that inside wheel. The steering ratio (17.0:1) also feels slower than it needs to be, and heavy inputs elicit moaning from the power steering pump.
At our test track, the 2009 Honda Accord EX-L V6 manages 0.83g on the skid pad and 64.1 mph through the slalom. With its stability control active, the 2010 Ford Taurus Limited can't do any better than 0.79g and 60.3 mph. When we run the Accord through these tests with stability control on, the numbers are closer: 0.79g on the skid pad and 62.2 mph in the slalom.
In braking tests, the Ford's wider P255/45R19 100Y Goodyear Eagle RS-A tires give it a slight advantage. The Taurus stops from 60 mph in 131 feet. This is 2 feet shorter than the Accord's best stop. Still, we prefer the Accord's firmer pedal. And notably, this is the first Honda we've tested in months — even years — that hasn't had an issue with brake fade (though there's still some smoke coming off the rotors after our testing).
The Comfort Argument
We're not sure how Ford's chassis engineers were able to get such a well-damped ride out of a car with a 19-by-8-inch wheel weighing down each corner, but they did. The 2010 Ford Taurus Limited has an exceptional ride quality. It's plush over most interstate freeways, yet highly controlled at all times. This is the family sedan you want to drive cross-country.
You could do the same in the 2009 Honda Accord EX-L V6, but it wouldn't be quite so comfortable. In Honda tradition, the Accord's ride is all about firm control. You might be fine with this as a driver, but passengers often give a different opinion.
We measure a higher decibel level in the Accord at a 70-mph cruise, and we blame it on characteristic Honda road noise, which detracts from cabin calm even when you're just running errands around town.
Better Packaged Accord
Yet you might put up with the extra noise, because the smaller 2009 Honda Accord EX-L V6 has a subtly more spacious cabin. The beltline is lower, the seats are wider and, whether you're driving or riding in back, the cabin has an airier feel. Here we are back at the personal space argument again.
But there's also cohesion to the Accord's cabin design that makes the car easier to live with day-to-day. All the displays and controls have an ergonomic design that feels instantly familiar, and there's a unity to how everything works. You and the car and all its stuff are part of one Honda life form.
That's not to say you can't live well in the 2010 Ford Taurus Limited, which feels more upscale than the Accord and offers many more conveniences for iPod and BlackBerry users. But somehow the tall chairs, deeply recessed gauge pods, pixelated radio displays and sophisticated Sync interface in this Taurus Limited feel more like a collection of stuff than elements of a whole.
Critical Mass
Family sedans don't necessarily involve your family anymore, so most of us are looking for more than vast amounts of space on the cheap. We want quick acceleration; we'll take adroit handling if we can get it; and the cabin electronics had better play nice with our smart phone.
The 2009 Honda Accord EX-L V6 with Navigation wins this test by 2.6 points, largely because it's faster and more agile, yet less expensive. It's hardly a sport sedan, but of these two, the Accord is the driver's pick. A more space-efficient cabin design is another big point in the Honda's favor.
At the same time, the 2010 Ford Taurus Limited is more refined and personable than any Taurus to date. Its nicely resolved ride is no small benefit if you take long road trips, and we really do like Sync. Yet it's tough to justify paying $35K for a 263-hp sedan that needs almost 8 seconds to hit 60 mph.
There's a larger issue here, too, as we'd like to have an intervention with both Ford and Honda to talk about weight. From the standpoint of acceleration, handling, braking and fuel economy, neither the Honda Accord nor the Ford Taurus can afford to get any larger. If anything, make them smaller.
The manufacturers provided Edmunds these vehicles for the purposes of evaluation.

Inside Line Executive Editor Michael Jordan says:
You know, we can parse these cars all day and not come to any sensible conclusion. The Accord is easier to drive around all day, while the Taurus is what you want if you're actually going some place. The Taurus is also a lot more fun to drive if you're squealing the tires; though it's hard to believe very many people will find this out.
For me the unspoken question is whether these cars stack up to a crossover when it comes to daily utility. And I don't think so.
SUV haters have always claimed that once you make a car as spacious as a utility vehicle, then there's no reason to have anything other than a sedan. But I find in the Taurus and Accord another reminder that sedans are driven around largely free of passengers most of the time, just like utility vehicles. And when you do fill them up with people, the guys in back always feel slightly crowded because the visibility is poor. And folding rear seats not withstanding, it's way easier to pack stuff in the back of a crossover (you know, like the dog), and the flat load floor comes in handy every weekend besides.
A sedan makes a fine people-hauling device, and we've got two of them here. Each gets good gas mileage compared to a crossover, and that's a good thing (in fact the Taurus purposely compromises engine output to ensure the mpg is respectable). But when it comes to daily utility, a crossover is what you want. The rejection of the conventional sedan for utility vehicles over the last decade has not been some sort of strange conspiracy, no matter what SUV haters might say.
What the Ford Taurus and Honda Accord really offer is luxury — quietness, composure and all the convenience amenities. And if that's their mission in life, then the Taurus is my pick. It's the best of the American-style sedans, and a better deal than a Hyundai Genesis V6 or Toyota Avalon besides.

http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com//pictures/VIDEO/COMPARISON/20295340-T.jpg (http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/Comparos/articleId=153146?tid=edmunds.il.home.photopanel..1 .*#)
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http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/roadtests/comparison/2010/ford.taurus.limited/2010-taurus-int-ford-ct-160-2.jpg (http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/Comparos/articleId=153146?tid=edmunds.il.home.photopanel..1 .*#20)

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[tokyodream]

Honda tops reliability survey !

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/5894686/Honda-tops-reliability-survey.html (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/5894686/Honda-tops-reliability-survey.html)

study of 84,000 cars found that it gave its owners almost no problems, with 98.5 per cent reporting that their vehicle had required no attention whatsoever last year.


The magazine based its reliability survey on whether a car had broken down, been taken back to the dealer or had any niggles over the past 12 months.
Japanese-built cars took seen of the top 10 places with Honda taking four of the top seven. The best European car as the Ford Fiesta with 96.2 per cent of owners enjoying a year of trouble-free motoring.
The performance of British-built cars was disappointing with three – the Jaguar S-type, Jaguar XF and Land Rover Discovery – featuring in the list of least reliable performers.
However according to the survey it is the Audi A5 which has caused greatest difficulties, with nearly one owner in four reporting problems.
Richard Headland, editor of Which? Car, said: "Owning a reliable car can make the difference between getting your summer holiday off to a flying start and sitting on the hard shoulder of the M6. You can't do better than the Honda Accord, which is one of the most reliable cars we've ever surveyed.
"Japanese cars in the main seem to run like clockwork, although there are a few exceptions to the rule. It's also encouraging to see good reliability scores for the best-selling Ford Fiesta and other small, economical cars."
A spokesman for Audi said that the sample was unrepresentative. "We are talking about seven cars with a problem out of a total of 8,000. We stand by the reliability of our cars."
A spokesman for Jaguar Land Rover said: "Jaguar is committed to providing a consistent high quality driving and ownership experience for all of its customers. The Which? brand Reliability Index puts Jaguar the same as other luxury car manufacturers including Mercedes-Benz and BMW.
"Quality and customer satisfaction are top priorities for Land Rover. The report findings are based on a relatively small sample of owners and largely focused on models we no longer produce and which are not truly representative of the real and quantifiable progress Land Rover is making in terms of overall quality and reliability."








The 10 most reliable cars :


1. Honda Accord (2008-present) 98.5%
2. Honda Jazz (2008-present) 98.2%
3. Daihatsu Sirion (2005-present) 97.5%
4. Hyundai i30 (2007-present) 96.8%
5. Ford Fiesta (2008-present) 96.2%
6. Honda Jazz (2002-2008) 95.9%
7. Honda Civic Hybrid (2006-present) 95.7%
8. Citroen C1 (2005-present) 95.7%
9. Toyota Prius (2004-present) 95.0%
10. Mazda 3 (2004-2008) 94.4%


The 10 least reliable cars.

112. Hyundai Santa Fe (2006-present) 82.2%
113. Jaguar S-type (1999-2007) 81.2%
114. Volvo XC90 (2002-present) 80.6%
115. Land Rover Freelander (2006-present) 80.1%
116. Ford S-Max (2006-present) 79.9%
117. Land Rover Discovery (2004-present) 79.5%
118. Alfa Romeo 159 (2006-present) 79.0%
119. Jaguar XF (2008-present) 78.0%
120. Ford Galaxy (2006-present) 76.3%
121. Audi A5 (2007-present) 75.8%

[tokyodream]

Modern Classics: Honda Prelude, 1979-2001 !

http://www.canadiandriver.com/2009/07/22/modern-classics-honda-prelude-1979-2001.htm (http://www.canadiandriver.com/2009/07/22/modern-classics-honda-prelude-1979-2001.htm)

Photo Gallery:
Honda Prelude, 1979-2001 (http://www.canadiandriver.com/galleries/2009/index.php?level=album&id=336)

http://www.canadiandriver.com/galleries/2009/thumbs/mdm-7376-honda-prelude_jb2_001-7376.jpg (http://www.canadiandriver.com/galleries/images.php?info=First%20generation&src=http://www.canadiandriver.com/galleries/2009/images/modern_classics/honda_prelude__1979-2001/honda-prelude_jb2_001-7376.jpg)


The first Honda cars to reach North American shores in the early 1970s were anything but exciting, but the Civic and Accord would prove to be reliable and fuel-efficient alternatives to what other manufacturers had to offer – notwithstanding their tendency to rust out in Canadian winters.
Honda offered reliability and fuel efficiency at a time when fuel prices were starting to skyrocket as a result of the OPEC oil embargo in 1973. On this side of the Atlantic, the car-buying public were “warming” quickly towards fuel efficient vehicles. The days of stuffing big motors into small and medium-sized cars were becoming a thing of the past.
It was important for Honda to make a good first impression, and that they did. Throughout the 1970s, the Civic and Accord models could best be described as bland, ordinary “grocery-getter” type vehicles. If North Americans wanted to experience excitement from the folks at Honda, they would have to wait nearly a decade for the Prelude to be unveiled.
The Prelude was Honda’s first attempt to introduce a more refined and “interesting” sports coupe to its lineup, one which consumers might be persuaded into paying a premium dollar for. It debuted in 1979 and shared many components with the Civic and Accord models.
In comparison to later-generation Preludes, the 1979 model was an ugly duckling, complete with a high belt-line and a very Civic-looking front end. The wheel-base for the Prelude was almost three inches shorter than the Accord, giving it a stubby, awkward appearance. Exciting it was not – but as the name “Prelude” suggests, it would become a model in future years that would house some of Honda’s most advanced automotive technology.
Transmission choices for the first generation Prelude were a five-speed manual and a two-speed Hondamatic. This transmission was dropped in 1980 and replaced with a three-speed automatic.
Powering the Prelude was a 1,751-cc version of the Accord’s SOHC (single overhead cam) four-cylinder engine, producing 72 hp and 94 pound-feet of torque. These numbers, while nothing less than abysmal by today’s standard, were comparable with other vehicles in its class.
http://www.canadiandriver.com/galleries/2009/thumbs/mdm-7379-honda-prelude_jb2_002-7379.jpg (http://www.canadiandriver.com/galleries/images.php?info=Second%20generation&src=http://www.canadiandriver.com/galleries/2009/images/modern_classics/honda_prelude__1979-2001/honda-prelude_jb2_002-7379.jpg)
http://www.canadiandriver.com/galleries/2009/thumbs/mdm-7378-honda-prelude_jb2_003-7378.jpg (http://www.canadiandriver.com/galleries/images.php?info=Third%20generation&src=http://www.canadiandriver.com/galleries/2009/images/modern_classics/honda_prelude__1979-2001/honda-prelude_jb2_003-7378.jpg)
Second generation (top); Third generation. Click image to enlarge
Some critics denounced the interior finishings as well as the “gadgetry” that Honda used, but what the feature pundits had the most disdain for was the amount of space (or lack thereof) that rear passengers had – suggesting the rear cabin of the vehicle would provide passengers with a “claustrophobic-like” touring experience.
The second-generation Prelude, introduced in 1983, was a much more refined model, and possessed little relationship to the Civic and Accord. It was more performance-oriented, longer and wider, and its beltline was lowered, providing the car with that “go fast” appearance, even when parked.
It did, however, share the Accord’s 96-inch wheelbase and was powered by a brand new 1829-cc SOHC 12-valve four cylinder engine producing 110 hp at 5500 rpm. The low belt-line, complete with pop-up headlights and lowered nose, produced a drag coefficient of only 0.36 - promoting it to “best in class.”
Most notably, the suspension involved an innovative upper and lower arm layout (called double-wishbone) providing for a tighter and more responsive driving experience. Midway through the 1985 model year, Honda launched a new 2.0-litre engine in the Prelude Si model featuring fuel injection. The Si was also outfitted with front and aft spoilers, premium sound system and cruise control. This second generation Prelude lasted five model years – from 1983 through to 1987.
To improve upon the next generation Prelude, Honda tweaked its performance and made subtle changes to its appearance. The exterior proportions of the 1988 Prelude were familiar but more purposeful and refined.
Honda also introduced four-wheel steering in 1988. When moving slowly, the rear wheels would turn slightly in the opposite direction to decrease the turning radius, while at higher speeds, they turned in the same direction, to increase high-speed stability, such as in lane changes. These models were badged “4WS” and would cost the consumer an extra $1,300. To this day, it remains the only true mechanical four-wheel steering system offered on a production vehicle. Other manufacturers offered either electronic or hydraulic four-wheel steering systems.

Two engines were available for the late 80’s edition of the Prelude: a 2.0-litre SOHC four-cylinder producing 104 hp was stuffed into the Prelude “S” model, while a more robust fuel-injected DOHC (double overhead cam) 16-valve four-cylinder producing 135 hp was standard for the Prelude Si – at the time, this was the most powerful engine offered by Honda in a production vehicle. By 1990, the powerplant of the Prelude Si received an upgrade to a 2.1-litre all-aluminum 140-hp DOHC 16-valve engine.
By 1990, Honda designers were already busy sharpening their tools and the lines of the newly redesigned 1992 Prelude. Gone were the pop-up headlights and the more familiar exterior stylings of the two previous generations. The wheelbase was shortened by almost an inch, and the exterior offered a more stylish and aggressive appearance.
Three engine choices were available during its five-year production run, a 133 hp 2.2-litre inline four was standard for the “S” model and a 158-hp 2.3-litre inline four powered the Si version. For 1993, a new and innovative range-topping VTEC (Valve Timing Electronic Control) 16-valve four, producing 187 hp, was introduced. This VTEC-powered Prelude could catapult to 100 km/h in just 7.2 seconds, trouncing the competition.
http://www.canadiandriver.com/galleries/2009/thumbs/mdm-7381-honda-prelude_jb2_004-7381.jpg (http://www.canadiandriver.com/galleries/images.php?info=Fourth%20generation&src=http://www.canadiandriver.com/galleries/2009/images/modern_classics/honda_prelude__1979-2001/honda-prelude_jb2_004-7381.jpg)
Fourth generation. Click image to enlarge
This fourth generation Prelude was perhaps best known for its dashboard, complete with blue backlighting, and the newer Preludes (1994 – 1996) featured translucent speedo and tachometer dials. While the Canadian version of the Si came with heated mirrors and optional leather seats, the Japanese version could be had with an optional in-dash television set. Hmmm, I wonder if A&W ever offered window service in Japan?
This Prelude once again had its critics and as with the very first model, complaints about the lack of legroom in the rear were prevalent. By 1995, the 4WS version was finally dropped as consumers weren’t willing to pay the extra price associated with it. Other critics referred to the overall exterior design as “unbalanced,” stating that the bulkiness of the rear-end did not match the sleek, shark-like design of the front.
While sales of the Prelude were brisk throughout the 1980s, consumer interest waned in the 1990s, perhaps as a result of soaring prices. The Prelude was inching close to the $30K mark, and there were now strong alternatives being offered for that kind of money. Sales figures started to slump mid-way through the 90s, signalling yet another design change.
http://www.canadiandriver.com/galleries/2009/thumbs/mdm-7377-honda-prelude_jb2_006-7377.jpg (http://www.canadiandriver.com/galleries/images.php?info=Fifth%20generation&src=http://www.canadiandriver.com/galleries/2009/images/modern_classics/honda_prelude__1979-2001/honda-prelude_jb2_005-7380.jpg)
http://www.canadiandriver.com/galleries/2009/thumbs/mdm-7380-honda-prelude_jb2_005-7380.jpg (http://www.canadiandriver.com/galleries/images.php?info=Fifth%20generation&src=http://www.canadiandriver.com/galleries/2009/images/modern_classics/honda_prelude__1979-2001/honda-prelude_jb2_005-7380.jpg)
Fifth generation. Click image to enlarge
The fifth and final generation saw a return to the box-like exterior styling of the 80s Prelude, minus the pop-up lights. Even the headlights of this latest offering from Honda were boxy (square) in style. The styling features were clearly an acquired taste and the redesign did little to boost sagging sales.
The engine powering this fifth generation Prelude was, however, the 2.2-litre VTEC producing 195 hp. Honda squeezed another five hp out of this engine for the 1999 through 2001 models. A five-speed manual and four-speed automatic transmissions were available. Both base and Type-SH models possessed a generous number of standard features such as ABS (anti-lock braking system), cruise control, air conditioning and power windows, mirrors and locks. All in all, a very impressive line-up of creature comforts.
Despite Honda’s attempt to win back the buying public by producing a great performing car with numerous standard features, the $26,000 price tag was clearly more than what individuals were willing to pay and the Prelude was discontinued after the 2001 model year.
Will the Prelude ever be resurrected? Who knows for sure, but the Prelude did prove to be a solid “testing ground” for many of Honda’s most innovative and technological automotive advances, many of which can still be found in Honda vehicles today.


Jeff Burry has been an automotive enthusiast for over 35 years. Currently Jeff is a member of the Motorsports Club of Ottawa (MCO) and recently joined CanadianDriver as a journalist focusing on modern classics of the 1980s and 1990s.

[tokyodream]

The air runs out of run-flat tires !


http://www.autoweek.com/article/20090727/CARNEWS/907279993 (http://www.autoweek.com/article/20090727/CARNEWS/907279993)

http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=CW&Date=20090727&Category=CARNEWS&ArtNo=907279993&Ref=AR&maxw=340&fn=honda-has-dropped-runflat.jpg

After settling a lawsuit last month with disgruntled owners of Michelin run-flat tires, Honda dropped the tires for the 2010 model year. It was another disappointment for Michelin and other makers of run-flat tires in a 17-year effort to win customers in the United States.
When run-flat tires appeared here in 1992, they were expected to win wide acceptance as original equipment. The prospect of no flats or blowouts seemed like a strong pitch.
But except for applications on a few luxury and other vehicles, the tires were largely ignored because of their high cost--$200 to $500 each--and their impact on fuel economy.
A Michelin study released last year found that only 3 percent of drivers worldwide want run-flat tires. U.S. market share is well below 1 percent.
BMW AG, General Motors Co., Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. and several other companies continue to offer run-flat tires on a few vehicles. But at American Honda Motor Co., the 2009 Honda Odyssey Touring and Acura RL were its last models available with run-flat tires. "Never say never, but we have no current plans" for other models, says Honda spokesman Sage Marie.
After being punctured, run-flats typically can travel only 50 miles before they shred, says Jennifer Stockburger, a program manager at Consumer Reports magazine.
Depending on its size and the vehicle, a replacement run-flat costs about $200 to more than $500, compared with about $100 for a typical high-quality tire. Also, not all tire stores repair or stock the tire, and some owners in the Honda suit said the tires wore out at around 15,000 miles.
The owners of 94,000 2005 to 2007 Odyssey Touring and some 2006 and 2007 Acura RL models joined a class action suit in U.S. District Court in Maryland against Michelin and Honda. The owners alleged unreasonable tread wear, high replacement costs and difficulties finding a repair shop. The tires have been discontinued.
As part of the settlement, announced June 23, Michelin said it is offering a 3-year/36,000-mile warranty on the tires to owners of the affected models. Also offered is a $300 rebate on a new Odyssey or Acura RL or $110 for the purchase of Honda-approved Pax spare-tire kits.
Michelin spokeswoman Lynne Slovick said Michelin "will continue to offer zero-pressure tires [run-flats] if we get specific requests from vehicle manufacturers." Michelin run-flat tires are offered on the Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 and several BMW models.
Honda declined to comment on the settlement.
Dave Cowger, GM's engineering group manager for tire and wheel systems, said run-flats cost about a third more than a conventional tire, but he declined to provide figures.
GM also said run-flats are 20 to 40 percent heavier than a conventional tire because of a thicker sidewall. They also have higher rolling resistance, so they reduce fuel economy by about 1 to 2 percent, GM says.

But Cowger is not giving up on run-flat tires at GM. He said the tire industry expects to cut weight and rolling resistance in three to four years. For more Car news, road tests, photos and insight, click here. (http://www.autoweek.com/section/CARNEWS)


This article was last updated on: 07/27/09, 09:47 et


Read more: http://www.autoweek.com/article/20090727/CARNEWS/907279993#ixzz0MWg4Q8W1 (http://www.autoweek.com/article/20090727/CARNEWS/907279993#ixzz0MWg4Q8W1)

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Accord (TSX), Jazz (Fit) top UK reliability survey

http://www.vtec.net/news/news-item?news_item_id=844063

Honda's new Accord has been named as the UK's most reliable car in this year's Which? car survey, it was announced today. The car achieved a reliability score of 99%, one of the highest scores ever achieved; closely followed by the new Honda Jazz in second place with a score of 98%.

Honda cars hold four of the top ten places in the recent survey. As well as the new Jazz reaching second place, the first generation Jazz also scored 95.9% achieving sixth place in the survey. The Civic Hybrid achieved pole position in the hybrid vehicle sector with a score of 95.7%, seventh place in the overall survey and edging ahead of its rival the Toyota Prius with 95%.

A total of 77,000 drivers across the UK took part in the Which? survey to assess customer satisfaction. The survey based its results on breakdowns, faults and general niggles over a 12 month period.

Honda have maintained their position at the top of the Which? overall reliability index. Matt Gibson, Head of Customer Services for Honda UK said, 'A reliable car is something every customer deserves; knowing that your car will simply get you from A to B without any problems makes a huge difference to a customer’s enjoyment of their car. We always strive to give our customers the best experience. It is fantastic news that four of the top seven cars featured in the survey are Hondas.'

Honda has also performed well in the recent JD Power survey, appearing in the top three car manufacturers for four years running.

Honda UK will be discussing the outstanding survey results in this month’s Which? Podcast. To listen to the podcast and to view further information on the survey please visit: www.which.co.uk (http://www.vtec.net/http:/sohc.vtec.net/news_files/844063/www.which.co.uk)


TOV Editorial Notes

1. Final standings:

10 most reliable new cars :

- 1 Honda Accord 98.5%
- 2 Honda Jazz 98.2%
- 3 Daihatsu Sirion 97.5%
- 4 Hyundai i30 96.8%
- 5 Ford Fiesta 96.2%
- 6. Honda Jazz 95.9%
- 7 Honda Civic Hybrid 95.7%
- 8 Citroën C1 95.7%
- 9 Toyota Prius 95.0%
- 10 Mazda 3 94.4%

10 least reliable new cars :

- 112 Hyundai Santa Fe 82.2%
- 113 Jaguar S-type 81.2%
- 114 Volvo XC90 80.6%
- 115 Land Rover Freelander 80.1%
- 116 Ford S-Max 79.9%
- 117 Land Rover Discovery 79.5%
- 118 Alfa Romeo 159 79.0%
- 119 Jaguar XF 78.0%
- 120 Ford Galaxy 76.3%
- 121 Audi A5 75.8%


2. According to guardian.co.uk one of the main problematic areas revealed by the survey was electronic systems. That explains in part why cars on the top10 are relatively small and simple why many luxury ones lie at the bottom. It only makes the Accord's performance even more impressive though, since this car in Europe is available with an impressive array of electronic gizmos (including CMBS, LKAS, and ACC...)


3. Some people like Audi do not think their results are significant, and here is what they said after watching their A5 score :

"Based on the very small sample size of the Which? survey, the reliability score for the A5 represents a total of just seven faults, and Audi has so far sold over 8,000 A5 models in the UK.

"Audi is world renowned for building extremely high quality cars, and in the vast majority of cases very strong reliability scores reflect this. We believe that sample sizes of below 500 cars do not generate useful or workable data, and we therefore do not acknowledge the Which? findings as valid indicators of the level of A5 reliability."

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http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1981076/top_5_fuel_efficient_cars_for_2010.html


Top 5 Fuel Efficient Cars for 2010 !



(http://www.associatedcontent.com/#)1) Toyota Prius

The Prius is a hybrid 4-door sedan powered by a 98 horsepower 4-cylinder gasoline engine and an 80 horsepower electric motor. The Prius meets the even most demanding emissions standards. Mostly due to Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive©, the Prius boasts an impressive 51 city/48 hwy.
http://ads.associatedcontent.com/www/delivery/avw.php?zoneid=2&cb=8612433757769619&source=&n=a14de4a9&slice=-0-&content_type=article&content_type_id=1981076&category_id=27&key_ad=932699006&site_id=1&ad_pos=2&key_page=8612433757769619&ac_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.associatedcontent.com%2Far ticle%2F1981076%2Ftop_5_fuel_efficient_cars_for_20 10.html (http://ads.associatedcontent.com/www/delivery/ck.php?n=a14de4a9&cb=932699006)


For $22,000 you can get the barebones Prius or for about $28,000 you get a fully loaded leather interior Prius. This car looks good and will save you a lot of gas money.

2) Honda (http://www.associatedcontent.com/topic/607/honda.html) Civic Hybrid

The Honda (http://www.associatedcontent.com/topic/607/honda.html) Civic has the reputation of reliable, quality vehicle supported by its millions of owners and many years of great sales. The Civic Hybrid takes the Civic to a whole another level in terms of fuel efficiency. The Civic is also meets the strictest emissions standards. Like other hybrids, it has a 4-cylinder gasoline engine and a powerful electric motor providing locomotion. Because it gets 40 city/45 hwy mpg, the Civic Hybrid sips on gas, instead of guzzling it like a truck would. Starting at $23,000, well equipped at $28,000, this hybrid will save you plenty of money in the long run.

3) Honda (http://www.associatedcontent.com/topic/607/honda.html) Insight

The Insight is a hybrid car (http://www.associatedcontent.com/topic/1717/hybrid_car.html) powered by a 4-cylinder gasoline engine and a DC electric motor. Honda's cutting edge Integrated Motor Assist© uses the electric motor to run the car at low speeds and uses it to augment the gasoline engine at higher speeds. This helps improve fuel economy. The most innovative and fuel-economical features of the Insight are its ECO Assist and ECON button. ECO Assist gives you real time feedback about your driving efficiency. Different colors above the speedometer and an in-dash data screen help you tweak your driving habits to become more fuel efficient. The ECON button minimizes the Insight's general energy usage, reducing emissions and improving fuel efficiency. The Insight gets 43 hwy/40 city mpg. Starting at $20,000, this car is more than affordable.

4) Chevy Volt



(http://www.associatedcontent.com/#)The Chevy Volt is an outlet plug-in rechargeable hybrid that has an average all-electric range of 40 miles before the gas engine is even activated. Which means that if you drive less than 40 miles commuting daily, you won't even use any gas. No gas means no emissions and no need to stop
http://ads.associatedcontent.com/www/delivery/avw.php?zoneid=2&cb=8612433757770858&source=&n=a14de4a9&slice=-0-&content_type=article&content_type_id=1981076&category_id=27&key_ad=1653029589&site_id=1&ad_pos=2&key_page=8612433757770858&ac_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.associatedcontent.com%2Far ticle%2F1981076%2Ftop_5_fuel_efficient_cars_for_20 10_pg2_pg2.html%3Fpage%3D2 (http://ads.associatedcontent.com/www/delivery/ck.php?n=a14de4a9&cb=1653029589)

at the gas pump every week; try every other month (depending on driving habits, of course). The Chevy Volt redefines fuel efficiency. There is some debate over the Volt's actual mpg. The EPA's first tests came back with an average of 100 mpg between city and highway. This number blows all the competition out of the water, but the EPA reevaluated and redid the tests forcing the gas engine to run more than it would during daily use. They then ended up with an mpg of 48, which is still great. The real thing to look at though is that the Volt could potentially be filled up with gas once, and never have to refuel ever again. It would just need to be recharged every night. Slated for release in late 2010, the Chevy Volt will cost around $40,000, but will be well worth it.

5) Ford Fusion Hybrid

Ford's response to competitors' fuel-efficient cars, the Ford Fusion does not let down. The Fusion runs on a 156 horsepower 4-cylinder gasoline engine and a 102 horsepower AC electric motor. It averages 41 city/ 38 hwy mpg. Not only is this car fuel efficient, it is eco-friendly. The Fusion has many optional features that make it stand out. From the blind spot detection, cross-traffic alert, reverse sensing and rearview camera safety features, to the voice activated navigation system and Sync connection, the Fusion can be well equipped. At $28,000, this hybrid isn't cheap, but its features and engine power justify the price.

Some of the cars in this list are also on the 2010 Most Eco-Friendly list as well. Well, that's because fuel efficiency and reduced emissions go hand in hand, especially with hybrids.

Sources:

http://automobiles.honda.com/civic-hybrid/
http://www.toyota.com/prius-hybrid/
http://automobiles.honda.com/insight-hybrid/
http://www.chevrolet.com/experience/fuel-solutions/electric/
http://www.fordvehicles.com/2010fusion/

</U>

[tokyodream]

Honda Brings Squeaky-Clean Civic GX To A Third State—Utah!



http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1022737_honda-brings-squeaky-clean-civic-gx-to-a-third-stateutah (http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1022737_honda-brings-squeaky-clean-civic-gx-to-a-third-stateutah)



http://images.thecarconnection.com/sml/2009-honda-civic-sdn_100184027_s.jpg 2009 Honda Civic GX, carpool lane
Enlarge Photo (http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/image/100184027_2009-honda-civic-gx-carpool-lane)

Honda’s (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda) natural-gas-powered Civic GX is only offered to the general car-buying public in two states—California and New York. But today the automaker announced a third state where it’s available: Utah.
Why Utah? According to Honda (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda), the Great Salt Lake state leads the nation in per capita natural gas refueling infrastructure and has the lowest natural gas prices in the country. Current average prices are just 99 cents per gasoline gallon equivalent. The 2009 Civic GX costs $25,090, but buyers might qualify for a double money-saver in the form of a $4,000 federal tax credit plus a $3,000 Utah tax credit.
Still, not all dealerships in California and New York sell the Civic GX; Honda (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda) says that 42 California dealerships and just nine New York state stores have added retail sales of the GX. Plenty more—129 dealerships in 32 states—sell it as a fleet only vehicle though.
TheCarConnection.com has driven a Honda Civic (http://www.thecarconnection.com/modelintro/honda_civic_2004) GX in previous model years. The GX has a range of about 170 miles and takes just a few minutes to refill at a compressed natural-gas station. Honda (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda) partner company FuelMaker offered the Phill home refueling system previously, but the firm went bankrupt earlier this spring and the system was taken over by Fuel Systems Solutions.

http://images.thecarconnection.com/sml/2009-honda-civic-sdn_100184028_s.jpg 2009 Honda Civic GX
Enlarge Photo (http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/image/100184028_2009-honda-civic-gx)

On a gasoline-equivalent basis, the 2009 Honda (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda_2009) Civic GX achieves 24 mpg city, 36 highway, and it is classified as an Inherently Low Emission Vehicle (ILEV)—a designation only awarded to a few clean fuels, like natural gas.
There are just eight dealerships in Utah and two of them are already selling the Civic GX, so it’s unlikely that the move will have much effect on the GX’s relatively low retail numbers compared with the rest of the Civic lineup.
2009 Honda Civic GX, carpool laneEnlarge Photo Honda’s natural-gas-powered Civic GX is only offered to the general car-buying public in two states—California and New York. But today the automaker announced a third state where it’s available: Utah. Why Utah? According to Honda, the Great Salt Lake state leads the nation in per capita natural gas refueling infrastructure and has the lowest natural gas prices in the country. Current average prices are just 99 cents per gasoline gallon equivalent. The 2009 Civic GX costs $25,090, but buyers might qualify for a double money-saver in the form of a $4,000 federal tax credit plus a $3,000 Utah tax credit. Still, not all dealerships in California and New York sell the Civic GX; Honda says that 42 California dealerships and just nine New York state stores have added retail sales of the GX. Plenty more—129 dealerships in 32 states—sell it as a fleet only vehicle though. TheCarConnection.com has driven a Honda Civic GX in previous model years. The GX has a range of about 170 miles and takes just a few minutes to refill at a compressed natural-gas station. Honda partner company FuelMaker offered the Phill home refueling system previously, but the firm went bankrupt earlier this spring and the system was taken over by Fuel Systems Solutions. 2009 Honda Civic GXEnlarge Photo On a gasoline-equivalent basis, the 2009 Honda Civic GX achieves 24 mpg city, 36 highway, and it is classified as an Inherently Low Emission Vehicle (ILEV)—a designation only awarded to a few clean fuels, like natural gas. There are just eight dealerships in Utah and two of them are already selling the Civic GX, so it’s unlikely that the move will have much effect on the GX’s relatively low retail numbers compared with the rest of the Civic lineup.

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Cars' Big Weight Gain Hurts Fuel Economy, Study Says !

http://industry.bnet.com/auto/10002013/cars-big-weight-gain-hurts-fuel-economy-study-says/

If ever there was a perfect illustration of how cars got to be so huge, this is it, and from eco-conscious carmaker Honda! In 20 years, the Honda Accord has not only added 50 percent to its weight, it has also gone on steroids—increasing horsepower by a factor of 2.5.


http://i.bnet.com/blogs/accord_2.bmp (http://i.bnet.com/blogs/accord_2.bmp)


This is hardly an isolated incident. According to Christopher Knittel of the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California, Davis (whose work the chart represents (http://pubs.its.ucdavis.edu/publication_detail.php?id=1305)), “From 1980 to 2004 the average fuel economy of the US new passenger automobile fleet increased by less than 6.5 percent. During this time, the average horsepower of new passenger cars increased by 80 percent, while the average curb weight increased by 12 percent.”

The author adds that if we just stopped adding so much weight, cars today would be much more fuel efficient. “[I]f weight, horsepower and torque were held at their 1980 levels,” he said, ”fuel economy for both passenger cars and light trucks could have increased by nearly 50 percent from 1980 to 2006; this is in stark contrast to the 15 percent by which fuel economy actually increased.”
Wow, all cars had to do was stop putting on weight. But, as we humans know, slimming down is easier said than done.

The Obama Administration recently adopted Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards calling for cars to get 35.5 mpg by 2016, but weight gains are the enemy of that. Knittel adds, “I also find that once technological progress is considered, meeting the CAFE standards adopted in 2007 will require halting the observed increases in weight and engine power characteristics, but little more; in contrast, the standards recently announced by the new administration, while certainly attainable, require non-trivial ‘downsizing.’”


http://i.bnet.com/blogs/mpg-historical.bmp (http://i.bnet.com/blogs/mpg-historical.bmp)


In other words, cars will have to get on a scale. As I wrote here last week, the stripped-down Nissan Versa I’m test-driving (with roll-up windows, no radio, and power nothing) points a way toward a possible car of the future. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction: Adding features and power also inevitably adds weight, and our future cars, either powered by electric motors or smaller gas engines, will need to watch every pound.


First chart from: Knittel, Christopher R. (2009) “Automobiles on Steroids: Product Attribute Trade-Offs and Technological Progress in the Automobile Sector.” Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California, Davis, Research Report UCD-ITS-RR-09-16. Second chart from U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

[tokyodream]

Trendy Japanese Flock to Hybrids !


http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/02/automobiles/02hybrid.html?_r=2&partner=TOPIXNEWS&ei=5099 (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/02/automobiles/02hybrid.html?_r=2&partner=TOPIXNEWS&ei=5099)

SHOPPERS who stop into Toyota (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/toyota_motor_corporation/index.html?inline=nyt-org) dealerships here and across Japan generally have just one thing on their minds: buying a Prius.
After years of indifference toward hybrids — in part because many gas-only models that got excellent mileage were already available in showrooms — drivers in Japan are lining up for the Prius, the Honda Insight (http://autos.nytimes.com/2006/Honda/Insight/248/2837/281667/researchOverview.aspx?inline=nyt-classifier) and other models powered by gasoline and electricity.
The enthusiasm for hybrids is also a result of new models arriving in showrooms. Toyota introduced the third-generation Prius in May; in June, it was the best-selling car in Japan, elbowing aside the Insight, which in March became the first hybrid to hold the top sales spot.
Honda (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/honda-motor-co-ltd/index.html?inline=nyt-org) has been selling about 10,000 Insights a month, twice as many as had been expected in the company’s internal forecasts. There has been a five-month waiting list for the Prius in Japan, similar to the situation in California last year when gas prices swept past $4 a gallon.
“Ordinarily, small cars don’t have much status, but people don’t care about changing from a bigger vehicle to a smaller vehicle if it’s a Prius these days,” said Toshiyuki Yokoyama, the general manager at Kanagawa Toyota Motor Sales, which runs about 50 dealerships in and around Yokohama. “Suddenly, everyone wants the car as soon as possible.”
Japanese consumers are only now embracing hybrids because, as in Europe, there have been plenty of cheaper fuel-efficient (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/f/fuel_efficiency/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier) alternatives. But the sales of new, reasonably priced models have jumped in the past year or so because of government subsidies and a blizzard of media coverage that has fueled Japan’s fad-conscious consumers.
The question is whether the recent surge in sales of “eco cars,” as the Japanese call hybrids and alternative-fuel vehicles, is a lasting trend or one pumped up by short-term subsidies and high gasoline prices.
In the United States, where Japanese automakers had trouble keeping up with demand for hybrids in 2008, sales have slowed (along with the rest of the market). Toyota suspended work on a factory in Mississippi devoted to building the Prius.
Japanese are eager consumers of trendy products — everything from the latest handbags to video games — and sales often fall as fast as they rise.
Automakers in Japan say, however, that sales of hybrids will remain strong even if government subsidies of up to $4,000 are phased out. Though down from the peaks reached in 2008, gas prices are still relatively high, and in a weak economy consumers are looking to spend less on gasoline.
From an early age, Japanese are taught to be more efficient because their country has few natural resources. To reduce the use of air-conditioners, businessmen a few years ago were encouraged to do without neckties. Appliance companies eagerly promote waterless washing machines.
But it is price that matters most, which is why Toyota and Honda used less costly technology to cut the cost of their hybrids below three million yen, or $30,000, the rough benchmark for a luxury car in Japan.
Price was definitely an issue for Eiji Suga, a storekeeper in Kawagoe, a city one hour from Tokyo, who reserved a white Prius in April.
Mr. Suga’s 13-year old Honda Accord, which has 43,000 miles on it, had very little resale value. But because of the car’s age, he qualified for a 250,000 yen (about $2,500) government subsidy if he scrapped the car and bought a more fuel-efficient replacement.
He will receive another 150,000 yen in tax breaks for buying an eco car. The price of the new Prius was about 300,000 yen lower than its predecessor, too.
“Together with the tax breaks and other government benefits, it was easy to choose,” said Mr. Suga, who added that seven of his friends in the neighborhood were also buying the new Prius.
Nissan and Mitsubishi have also announced plans to leapfrog hybrids with new electric vehicles (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/e/electric_vehicles/index.html?&inline=nyt-classifier).
But the durability of the hybrids on the market may make it hard for automakers in Japan to persuade consumers to buy electric cars.
Tadashi Ishida, a retired electronics company executive, bought his Prius in 2006 to replace a Toyota Mark II, taking advantage of a 190,000 yen government rebate. Mr. Ishida, who lives in Yokohama, has been particularly impressed with the car’s fuel economy.
He uses just a quarter-tank of gas to get to his family’s summer house about 75 miles away, about half of what it took to get there in the Mark II. He said that hybrids were no passing fad.
“Average Japanese people do not consider the hybrid car a status symbol,” Mr. Ishida said. “Our Prius just fits our needs in terms of fuel consumption, daily family use and easy driving.”


Enlarge This Image (http://javascript<b></b>:pop_me_up2('http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2009/08/02/automobiles/02HYBRID_CA0.inline.ready.html', '02HYBRID_CA0_inline_ready', 'width=720,height=600,scrollbars=yes,toolbars=no,r esizable=yes'))
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2009/08/02/automobiles/190-hybrid-inline1.jpg (http://javascript<b></b>:pop_me_up2('http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2009/08/02/automobiles/02HYBRID_CA0.inline.ready.html', '02HYBRID_CA0_inline_ready', 'width=720,height=600,scrollbars=yes,toolbars=no,r esizable=yes'))

BROWSING Honda is selling twice as many Insight hybrids in Japan as it had expected. A shopper checks one out at the company headquarters in Tokyo.

Multimedia:

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2009/07/31/automobiles/190-hybrid-graphic.jpgGraphic (http://javascript<b></b>:pop_me_up2('http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2009/07/31/automobiles/31hybrid-graphic.html', '311_424', 'width=311,height=424,location=no,scrollbars=yes,t oolbars=no,resizable=yes'))Catching On at Home (http://javascript<b></b>:pop_me_up2('http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2009/07/31/automobiles/31hybrid-graphic.html', '311_424', 'width=311,height=424,location=no,scrollbars=yes,t oolbars=no,resizable=yes'))




http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2009/07/30/automobiles/190-hybrid.jpg
WAITING Eiji Suga is replacing his Honda Accord with a Toyota Prius.

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Pe asta am ratat-o :(

REPORT: Honda to invest in Pioneer electronics !

by Jonathon Ramsey (http://www.autoblog.com/bloggers/jonathon-ramsey/) (RSS feed (http://www.autoblog.com/bloggers/jonathon-ramsey/rss.xml)) on Apr 30th 2009 at 5:33PM

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/04/pioneer_honda.jpg (http://www.reuters.com/article/companyNews/idUK35121+23-Apr-2009+RTRS20090423)

In spite of Honda's $2.91 billion Q1 loss (http://www.autoblog.com/2009/04/28/hondas-2-91-billion-drop-is-first-quarterly-loss-in-15-years/), the Japanese marque knows the investment show must go on, and it's reported to be finalizing a stake in Pioneer. The Japanese electronics maker is shutting down its home electronics division, which has been losing money for years, in order to focus on in-car electronics. After approaching Honda to inquire about a tie-up, Honda is looking to put several billion yen into the company for around a 5% stake (a billion yen is about $10 million U.S.). With in-car electronics a key component in the current automobile revolution, it could be very handy for Honda to have the inside track on developing proprietary systems with an electronics expert, especially if it can use that to maintain an advantage over other Pioneer-equipped OEMs.

[Source: Reuters (http://www.reuters.com/article/companyNews/idUK35121+23-Apr-2009+RTRS20090423)]

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/04/30/report-honda-to-invest-in-pioneer-electronics/

[tokyodream]

Top-selling vehicles in the US in July !

http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_12984442 (http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_12984442)

Automakers released July U.S. sales figures Monday. These were the top-selling vehicles, as well as the total number sold and the percent change in sales from July 2008.


Vehicle (http://javascript<b></b>:void(0);) June 2009 sales Percent change :

1. Ford (http://javascript<b></b>:void(0);) F-series 36,327 -19.0
2. Toyota (http://javascript<b></b>:void(0);) Camry/Solara 33,974 -19.4
3. Honda Civic (http://javascript<b></b>:void(0);) 30,037 +3.1
4. Honda (http://javascript<b></b>:void(0);) Accord 29,774 -28.1
5. Toyota Corolla/Matrix 29,774 -14.1
6. Chevrolet Silverado 27,617 -16.3
7. Ford Focus 21,830 +43.6
8. Ford Escape 20,241 +94.2
9. Nissan (http://javascript<b></b>:void(0);) Altima 19,252 -21.2
10 Toyota Prius 19,173 +29.7
Source: Autodata Corp.


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Honda Will Raise Car Production to Meet Emerging Market Demand !

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601080&sid=a4Dn6yMQ0.io (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601080&sid=a4Dn6yMQ0.io)

By Makiko Kitamura and Tetsuya Komatsu

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/data?pid=avimage&iid=iqhaJWBM1mVE

Aug. 5 (Bloomberg) -- Honda Motor Co. (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/quote?ticker=7237%3AJT), Japan’s second- biggest carmaker, will increase global vehicle production as emerging markets pace a recovery in auto demand.
Honda will build about 90,000 vehicles more than initially planned in response to higher-than-forecast sales from China, Thailand, India, Indonesia and Brazil, Chief Financial Officer Yoichi Hojo (http://search.bloomberg.com/search?q=Yoichi+Hojo&site=wnews&client=wnews&proxystylesheet=wnews&output=xml_no_dtd&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&filter=p&getfields=wnnis&sort=date:D:S:d1) said in an interview today.
The carmaker is raising output in Asia where it predicts sales will reach 840,000 vehicles this fiscal year, 8 percent more than an earlier estimate. The Tokyo-based company also boosted its earnings forecast last month, leading better-than- estimated results for Toyota Motor Corp., Ford Motor Co. (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/quote?ticker=F%3AUS) and Nissan Motor Co.
“People in emerging markets want their first cars --that’s a long-term trend,” said Takashi Aoki (http://search.bloomberg.com/search?q=Takashi+Aoki&site=wnews&client=wnews&proxystylesheet=wnews&output=xml_no_dtd&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&filter=p&getfields=wnnis&sort=date:D:S:d1), who helps manage about $1 billion at Mizuho Asset Management Co. in Tokyo. “Honda will benefit from that growth in demand.”
Sales in China are increasing on government stimulus spending and a recovery in the economy, Hojo said. In the first six months of the year, the company’s sales in the country rose 12 percent, capped by a 54 percent jump in June.
Honda fell 1.3 percent to 3,000 yen at the close of trading in Tokyo as the benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average fell 1.2 percent. The shares have surged 57 percent so far this year.

Sales Forecast :

Honda raised its global sales forecast in July to 3.295 million vehicles from a previous estimate of 3.21 million. The company predicts net income of 55 billion yen ($577 million) in the year ending March, compared with an earlier forecast of 40 billion yen.
“Earnings should improve further as the market will likely recover after the second quarter,” said Yasuaki Iwamoto (http://search.bloomberg.com/search?q=Yasuaki+Iwamoto&site=wnews&client=wnews&proxystylesheet=wnews&output=xml_no_dtd&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&filter=p&getfields=wnnis&sort=date:D:S:d1), an analyst at Okasan Securities Co. in Tokyo.
Honda lowered its full-year North American sales forecast to 1.3 million units from 1.35 million units last week. The so- called “cash-for-clunkers” program in the U.S., which gives consumers as much as $4,500 for trading in an old car, may boost Honda’s sales by only “a few thousand units,” Hojo said. Most buyers are using the subsidy to replace U.S. carmakers’ models with poor fuel economy, he said.

Hybrid Sales :

Sales of Honda’s new Insight hybrid in North America may only reach half of the company’s initial target of 100,000 units, Hojo said.
“Gasoline at $2.50 a gallon makes it difficult to sell hybrids,” he said. The Insight’s main competitor is Toyota’s Prius, which gets 50 miles per gallon, compared with the Insight’s 41 miles per gallon.
Meanwhile, Insight sales in Japan may exceed the original 60,000 unit target to 100,000 units, Hojo said. The global goal of selling 200,000 units in the first year remains unchanged, he said.
Japan has implemented tax cuts and subsidies on some fuel- efficient cars to spur auto sales. Consumers can apply for a 250,000 yen subsidy if they scrap a car more than 13 years old to buy a new one and 100,000 yen for a new car purchase without scrapping an old one.
The incentives in Japan may be cannibalizing sales that would have come in later, making the outlook after the end of the incentive programs difficult to predict, Hojo said. The programs have raised public interest in hybrid and other fuel- efficient cars, which will help when Honda introduces its CR-Z and Fit hybrid models next year, he said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Makiko Kitamura (http://search.bloomberg.com/search?q=Makiko+Kitamura&site=wnews&client=wnews&proxystylesheet=wnews&output=xml_no_dtd&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&filter=p&getfields=wnnis&sort=date:D:S:d1) in Tokyo at mkitamura1@bloomberg.net (mkitamura1@bloomberg.net);

Last Updated: August 5, 2009 04:30 EDT

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Honda to export Civic Type R from England to Japan (http://www.leftlanenews.com/honda-to-export-civic-type-r-from-england-to-japan.html) !

http://www.leftlanenews.com/honda-to-export-civic-type-r-from-england-to-japan.html (http://www.leftlanenews.com/honda-to-export-civic-type-r-from-england-to-japan.html)

08/06/2009, 8:42 AM

By Andrew Ganz


It might seem a little backwards, but Japanese automaker Honda (http://www.leftlanenews.com/honda.htm) says that, beginning in 2010, it will start exporting its sporty Civichttp://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/mag-glass_10x10.gif (http://www.leftlanenews.com/honda-to-export-civic-type-r-from-england-to-japan.html#) Type R hatchback from its Swindon, England, assembly plant to its home market of Japan.

The hatchback will be called Type R Euro and will be sold alongside the Type R four-door, which is assembled in Japan. Honda (http://javascript<b></b>:void(0);) also exports the Civic Type R hatchback to the right-hand-drive markets of Australia and South Africa, so the move into the Japanese market was not unexpected.

Hondahttp://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/mag-glass_10x10.gif (http://www.leftlanenews.com/honda-to-export-civic-type-r-from-england-to-japan.html#) also exported the 2001 model year EP3-generation Civic Type R hatchback to Japan and even North America, where it was badged Civic Si. The automaker also builds the five-door Civic, Civic Type S and CR-V at its Swindon facility.


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[tokyodream]

Auto production increased, cautiously !


http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2009/08/auto_production_increased_caut.html (http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2009/08/auto_production_increased_caut.html)

by Bree Fowler and Dan Strumpf, The Associated Press Wednesday August 12, 2009, 6:19 PM


http://blog.nola.com/news_impact/2009/08/large_car_buyer.jpg

Kathy Willens/The Associated Press archiveNicholas Sasso considers buying a Toyota Corolla this month with help from sales consultant Mostafa Ellaida, right, at Bay Ridge Toyota in New York. The Corolla sedan is the best-selling new model for traders of clunkers.
NEW YORK -- After a lot of heartbreak, the nation's automakers aren't looking to commit.
They're taking small, tentative steps to raise production to meet the revived demand (http://www.nola.com/business/index.ssf/2009/08/cash_for_clunkers_program_brin.html) for new cars and trucks sparked by Cash for Clunkers (http://www.cars.gov/). Carmakers are offering overtime or Saturday shifts at slack plants, but aren't willing to go as far as opening shuttered factories, concerned that demand may ebb when the program ends.
It typically takes a month for factories to ramp up for a full-fledged sales revival, and automakers worry current levels of demand won't last that long. Sales are usually dry in the early fall anyway, when the next model-year's vehicles hit dealer lots and summer clearance sales end.
"It's like dating versus getting married," said Jeremy Anwyl, CEO of the auto Web site Edmunds.com (http://www.edmunds.com/). "Overtime you can do for a while and then stop, but opening a plant is a much more serious commitment."
It's a delicate balancing act for automakers. Build too few cars and dealers are stuck turning away customers. Build too many, and they have to slash prices to get rid of inventory -- the same situation many in the industry were stuck with earlier this year.
"They're watching (sales) daily," said Ron Harbour, partner in charge of the North American automotive practice at consulting firm Oliver Wyman. "No one's going to get caught with their shorts down again."
General Motors Co. and Chrysler Group LLC shut down nearly all of their factories (http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2009/04/gm_to_temporarily_shut_down_13.html) during their time under bankruptcy protection. Chrysler is now adding overtime at most of its plants to respond to expected demand for its 2010 models, spokesman Max Gates said.
Ford, meanwhile, is also working to raise production. Spokeswoman Angie Kozleski said the company is "taking some action to add production" at its assembly plant in Wayne, Mich., but declined to offer specifics. The plant makes the Ford Focus, the No. 2 Cash for Clunkers seller.

Foreign automakers with U.S. plants are taking similar steps. Honda Motor Co. is adding Saturday overtime shifts at its auto assembly plants in East Liberty, Ohio; Lincoln, Ala.; and Greensburg, Ind. Honda spokesman David Iida said the company has seen a resurgence in demand for vehicles like the Ridgeline truck, the Odyssey minivan and the Pilot SUV, along with the Civic sedan, all of which are built in the U.S.

Toyota Motor Corp. last month began increasing production of "core" models such as the Corolla sedan -- the best-selling new model for traders of clunkers -- the RAV4 crossover and the Tacoma truck at its U.S. plants. And Hyundai Motor Co. is recalling more than 3,000 employees at its plant in Montgomery, Ala.
GM is being more cautious. Mark LaNeve, GM's vice president of U.S. sales said the company is doing careful analysis on whether to increase production but no final decisions have been made. Inventories are low, he said, because GM slashed production earlier in the year. But it's unclear whether July's sales momentum will continue through the remainder of the year.
"We're not going to oversupply our dealers and the market," he said.
Some dealers say the pickup in sales is causing shortfalls in their inventory -- a problem that many showrooms haven't faced in a long time.

Bill Feinstein, general manager at Planet Honda in Union, N.J., said he expects to sell nearly twice as many Civics as he usually does in August thanks to the program. The sedan is the third-most-popular Cash for Clunkers vehicle.
"We're begging the factory for more," said Feinstein, whose stock of Civics is about half the size it normally would be in August.
Other vehicles, even larger ones like the Ridgeline and the CR-V crossover, have picked up too, which he credits to stable gas prices.
"I think consumer demand shifted from the smaller vehicles," Feinstein said. "That market came back very robustly."

Honda had a 44-day supply of Civics at the end of July, down from 81 at the end of June. Ford had only a 25-day supply of Focuses, while Toyota had a 13-day supply of the Prius gas-electric hybrid, the No. 4 cash-for-clunkers seller. The industry average is a 48-day supply, according to Ward's AutoInfoBank.

Cash for Clunkers offers consumers up to $4,500 to trade in vehicles getting 18 mpg or less to buy new, more fuel-efficient models. The program got $2 billion in additional financing from the federal government last week. But experts have questioned whether the program is fostering new demand or simply stealing business from later periods.
If the latter is true, automakers could be in for a big drop-off in sales later in the year. Standard & Poor's analysts said in a report released Monday that there's no reason why the popularity of Cash for Clunkers can't continue for "several more weeks, if not months."
"However ... we believe the boost in sales may be short-lived, and there is even a risk that the program may pull demand from future periods," the analysts wrote, noting that similar programs in Europe have also been followed by a sharp drop in sales.

When the program kicked off last month, frenzied customers fearful that the program's funding would run out flocked to dealerships in droves. But some dealers said foot traffic has now begun to slow, with consumers no longer so worried that the program's end is imminent.
"It seemed that there was more sense of urgency prior to passing the bill," Anthony Ciuffo, sales manager at Crown Ford in Lynbrook, N.Y., said Saturday. "People feel that they have a longer window of opportunity."

Edmunds.com's Anwyl said he expects demand to die down in September, but said that drop may be tempered if the economy rebounds. However, it's also possible that an economic rebound could send gas prices and interest rates up, driving even more people away from new cars and trucks.
So when it comes to planning production, Anwyl said he doesn't envy the decisions the auto executives have to make.
"At the end of the day, you might as well roll the dice," he said. "There's no science to this."
___
Associated Press Writers Kimberly S. Johnson in Detroit and Chip Cutter in New York contributed to this report.

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"Almost too successful?"

http://www.bendbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090813/BIZ0102/908130362/-1/rss

Ellen Dennis, of Talent, watches from the driver’s seat of a new Honda Fit as her husband Rick Harris, left, says goodbye to sales consultant David Thwing, after trading in their Ford F-250 XLT at Bob Thomas Chevrolet Honda in Bend on Wednesday afternoon. Through the Cash for Clunkers program the couple will receive $4,500 for their trade-in.

Andy Tullis / The Bulletin

http://www.bendbulletin.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=BB&Date=20090813&Category=BIZ0102&ArtNo=908130362&Ref=AR&MaxW=570

Robberson Ford in Bend is down to just one fuel-efficent Ford Focus and a few Ford Escape SUVs, thanks mostly to the demand created by the government’s Cash for Clunkers program, owner Jeff Robberson said Wednesday.
More vehicles are on the way, Robberson said. But Robberson is not alone, as many local auto dealers say the program has been wildly successful in spurring sales, leading to inventory declines.
At Toyota-Scion of Bend, General Manager Robert Durfee said the dealership has a 10-day supply of new cars, down substantially from its average 45-day supply. Durfee said the dealership also expects to receive new cars in the coming days.
The program’s success has created some problems for the dealers, from declining inventory to a delay in government reimbursement. But they aren’t necessarily bad problems to have, as the program has lured numerous customers to the showroom, they say.
“The really good thing about this program, for every (Cash for Clunkers) deal we did, we did two or three others outside the program,” Robberson said. “It just kind of got the whole market moving.”
The Cash for Clunkers program enables vehicle owners with certain older, inefficient cars and trucks to claim an either $3,500 or $4,500 credit they can apply toward the purchase of a new, more fuel-efficient vehicle. The government reimburses dealers for the amount.
The program, which took effect July 1 but didn’t pick up steam until final rules were released July 24, was originally funded with a $1 billion mandate.
The money quickly ran out due to the program’s success, and Congress appropriated another $2 billion last week.
The inventory declines have been exacerbated by decreased production from manufacturers, who slowed production during the recession in response to waning consumer interest.
Gary Gruner, owner of Gary Gruner Chevrolet-Pontiac-Buick in Madras, said General Motors’ bankruptcy further slowed production, leaving him with an emptier lot than normal at a time when consumer interest has spiked dramatically.
“All those plants are up again and back online and starting to get product built again ... (but) every GM dealer I talk to is running out of inventory,” Gruner said.
Gruner said the 55 new vehicles he had on his lot before the program’s start have been reduced to roughly 25. He added that expects more vehicles soon.
According to an Associated Press report, manufacturers are taking small, tentative steps to raise production to meet the revived demand for new cars and trucks sparked by Cash for Clunkers. The report said carmakers are offering overtime or Saturday shifts at slack plants but aren’t willing to go as far as opening shuttered factories, concerned that demand may ebb when the program ends.
The program is slated to expire Nov. 1 or when the $2 billion extension runs out. Robberson said his dealership is allowing interested individuals to reserve a vehicle even if it’s not currently on the lot.
The program’s success also has caught Washington by surprise. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which is charged with administering the program, hasn’t been able to keep up with the thousands of deals that have been made, leading to delays in reimbursing dealers.
Bruce Klouda, general manager for Bob Thomas Car Co. in Bend, said the dealership has yet to be reimbursed for roughly 40 Cash for Clunkers deals. Klouda, citing the National Association of Auto Dealers, said the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently announced it would hire 300 new employees to handle the crush of paperwork.
The processing delays have meant dealers have had to store the clunkers on their lots because they don’t have to destroy the cars until after they have been reimbursed.
Klouda said the program has reinvigorated the auto markets. He said sales were starting to inch up before the program began, thanks to thawing credit markets and a stabilizing economy. The program has caused a spike in sales, but he believes interest will remain strong after the program expires because it’s got people thinking about cars again.
Andrew Moore can be reached at 541-617-7820 or amoore@bendbulletin.com .

Popular buys and trade-ins


Top 10 models replacing clunkers




Model Share:

Ford Escape 4.9%
Ford Focus 4.6
Honda Civic 3.9
Jeep Patriot 3.8
Dodge Caliber 3.7
Toyota Corolla 3.3
Ford F-150 3.2
Honda CR-V 2.7
Chevrolet Silverado 2.7
Toyota Camry 2.5



Top 10 clunkers traded in

Ford Explorer 10.2%
Ford F-150 8.6
Jeep Grand Cherokee 6.3
Jeep Cherokee 4.1
Chevrolet Blazer 4.0
Chevrolet Silverado C/K Series 3.5
Ford Windstar 3.0
Dodge Ram 1500 2.9
Cadillac DeVille 2.1
Dodge Grand Caravan 2.1

Note: Numbers are for July 24-Aug. 7 Source: Edmunds.com

[tokyodream]

Verdict: 2008 Honda Accord EX-L V-6 !


http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/oneyear/112_0910_2008_honda_accord_test_verdict/index.html (http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/oneyear/112_0910_2008_honda_accord_test_verdict/index.html)

Honda has been building the Accord for over 30 years, fine-tuning it with each generation to the point where it's become the benchmark car in the midsize-family-sedan class. The Accord defines what Americans want in their midsize vehicle: reliability, comfort, performance, and affordability.

This latest Accord has gone through some changes and, this time, some of those changes aren't necessarily so good. For 2008, Honda made substantial exterior and interior styling changes to the Accord, going for a more modern, edgy look and feel, which some liked and others didn't. Along with the styling changes came size changes: Everything on the 2008 Accord got bigger. The interior and exterior dimensions have grown significantly, and the new 3.5-liter V-6 is bigger and more powerful than the last generation V-6.



For all those reasons, we had to get the 2008 Honda Accord EX-L into our long-term fleet to see if all these alterations actually improved the car or just changed it.

We ordered our top-of-the-range Accord EX-Lloaded with the only option offered: a $2200 navigation system, ringing in at $30,895, but you get a lot for your dollar here: leather throughout, heated front seats, XM Satellite Radio-everything you've come to expect from Honda vehicles. And when a car comes this outfitted-size, comfort, amenities-it's going to see a lot of travel time. During its stay with us, our Accord EX-L ticked just over 22,000 miles, traveling up and down the California coast, trips to Arizona, Utah, Death Valley-any place a car can go, this one went with nary a complaint from anyone driving it.


We had only one performance issue with our Accord EX-L: At just under 15,000 miles our local dealer said we needed new front and rear brake pads and had to have the front and rear rotors resurfaced. Now, we can understand the fronts: We work our long-term cars pretty hard in order to give you an accurate account of our experiences. But rear rotors?


Our Car:

Base price $28,730
Options Nav system ($2200)
MSRP, as tested $30,930
Total mileage 22,199
Avg fuel economy 21.5 mpg
Problem areas Replace rear pads and resurface rear rotors at 15,000 miles
Maintenance cost $131.37
Normal-wear cost $251.48
Three-year residual value* $15,807.50
Recalls None *Automotive Lease Guide


That was a bit odd and very unexpected. We suspected an overanxious dealer, but doing some looking, it seems others have had this problem as well. Either all Honda dealers are doing this maintenance or there's a small problem with the Accord's rear brakes. You don't go through rear pads and rotors in under 15,000 miles, unless maybe you leave the parking brake on for a few hundred miles (we hadn't).

While we had no complaints about how this vehicle performed during its tenure with us, there were plenty of comments about those styling changes. Many staffers questioned the exterior differences: The hard edges don't flow with the smoother ones, especially at the rear end, with so many different curves and bends. Looks like they tried to make the Accord look like a larger, more luxurious vehicle when it should have just remained the much loved Accord.

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http://static.motortrend.com/_SiteConfigs/motortrend_com/images/no_photo_100px.gif (http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/oneyear/112_0910_2008_honda_accord_test_verdict/photo_05.html) http://static.motortrend.com/_SiteConfigs/motortrend_com/images/no_photo_100px.gif (http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/oneyear/112_0910_2008_honda_accord_test_verdict/photo_05.html)
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The dash, specifically the center stack, was another highly discussed topic. The layout is confusing, the flow is off, and buttons aren't where one expects them to be. All the controls are lumped together, when they need to be separated, radio controls in one section, HVAC controls in another, nav in yet another.

Our complaints were more subjective than anything else; the styling and design changes did not affect how the vehicle performed its duties. Our Accord did a fantastic job keeping us on the move. Everyone liked the steering feel, comfort, build materials, and ride quality. Offering ample room, comfortable seats, a peppy engine, minimal road noise, and driving fun (though not quite as much fun as past-generation Accords), it delivers everything we have come to expect from a Honda product.


http://static.motortrend.com/_SiteConfigs/motortrend_com/images/no_photo_100px.gif (http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/oneyear/112_0910_2008_honda_accord_test_verdict/photo_06.html) http://static.motortrend.com/_SiteConfigs/motortrend_com/images/no_photo_100px.gif (http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/oneyear/112_0910_2008_honda_accord_test_verdict/photo_06.html)
CLICK TO VIEW GALLERY
(http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/oneyear/112_0910_2008_honda_accord_test_verdict/photo_06.html)



There was nothing bad about our Accord EX-L. Notwithstanding the center stack's sea of buttons and the questionable styling, quality and performance complaints were non-existent. The fact that not one night went by when our car sat in the garage proves that the Honda Accord V-6 EX-L is still a great car.

http://static.motortrend.com/_SiteConfigs/motortrend_com/images/no_photo_100px.gif (http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/oneyear/112_0910_2008_honda_accord_test_verdict/photo_07.html)http://static.motortrend.com/_SiteConfigs/motortrend_com/images/no_photo_100px.gif (http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/oneyear/112_0910_2008_honda_accord_test_verdict/photo_08.html)http://static.motortrend.com/_SiteConfigs/motortrend_com/images/no_photo_100px.gif (http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/oneyear/112_0910_2008_honda_accord_test_verdict/photo_09.html)

That's the first thing my eyes went to when I sat behind the wheel. I counted at least 68 of them. To compare, my Honda Fit has about 12.
- James Dryden

When the slow operation of the rear defroster and ye olde styling of the gear shifter are the biggest gripes you have with a car, you know you're probably in a pretty good one. That's how I feel about the 2008 Honda Accord after spending the weekend in it. Our EX-L V-6 model is priced just north of $30,000, with about every feature imaginable checked off on the extensive option list.
- Kirill Ougarov

Seating position works great for me: nice dead pedal, seat adjusts just how I want it, wheel tilts and telescopes right into my hands.
- Arthur St. Antoine



2008 Honda Accord EX-L V-6 POWERTRAIN/CHASSIS

Drivetrain layout Front engine, FWD
Engine type 60-deg V-6, alum block/heads
Valvetrain SOHC, 4 valves/cyl
Displacement 211.8 cu in/3471 cc
Compression ratio 10.5:1
Power (SAE net) 268 hp @ 6200 rpm
Torque (SAE net) 248 lb-ft @ 5000 rpm
Redline 6500 rpm
Weight to power 13.4 lb/hp
Transmission 5-speed automatic
Axle/final-drive ratios 4.31:1/2.64:1
Suspension, front; rear Control arms, coil springs, anti-roll bar; multilink, coil springs, anti-roll bar
Steering ratio 13.1:1
Turns lock-to-lock 2.6
Brakes, f;r 11.8-in vented disc, 11.1-in disc, ABS
Wheels 7.5 x 17 in, cast aluminum
Tires 225/50R17 93V M+S, Michelin Pilot HX MXM4 RE92A DIMENSIONS Wheelbase 110.2 in
Track, f/r 62.2/62.2 in
Length x width x height 194.3 x 72.7 x 58.1 in
Turning circle 37.7 ft
Curb weight 3585 lb
Weight dist, f/r 62/38%
Seating capacity 5
Headroom, f/r 39.0/37.2 in
Legroom, f/r 42.5/37.2 in
Shoulder room, f/r 58.2/56.4 in
Cargo volume 14.0 cu ft TEST DATA
Acceleration to mph 0-30 2.4 sec 0-40 3.5 0-50 4.9 0-60 6.5 0-70 8.4 0-80 11.2 0-90 13.9
Passing, 45-65 mph 3.2 sec
Quarter mile 15.0 sec @ 94.1 mph
Braking, 60-0 mph 131 ft
Lateral acceleration 0.81 g (avg)
MT figure eight 27.4 sec @ 0.64 g (avg)
Top-gear revs @ 60 mph 2100 rpm CONSUMER INFO
Stability/traction control Yes/yes
Airbags Dual front, front side, f/r curtain
Basic warranty 3 yrs/36,000 miles
Powertrain warranty 5 yrs/60,000 miles
Roadside assistance N/A
Fuel capacity 18.5 gal
EPA city/hwy econ 19/29 mpg
CO2 emissions 0.90 lb/mile
Recommended fuel Unleaded regular

[BogdanRR]

http://www.vtec.net/news/news-item?news_item_id=847654

Automotive News: Acura to shift focus towards fuel efficiency, Honda may stretch product cycles
Mark Rechtin of Automotive News has two stories concerning Honda today. John Watts is (once again) a central figure in these stories.

In the first story, Rechtin reports that Honda is looking at the possibility of stretching certain model cycles and quotes an analyst who says that the Accord would be a good possible candidate for an extended cycle, but it would be unlikely to see this happening to the Civic.

Several months ago, we reported on tips we had received from anonymous sources claiming that the next generation Civic's introduction could be delayed by anywhere from 6 months to a year. Since then there have been several sources contradicting these claims, however. After reading the article at Automotive News, it's not really clear which direction Honda is really headed with this, as John Watts seems to make a number of arguments against the idea.

Link: Honda may stretch U.S. product cycles to cut global costs (http://www.autonews.com/article/20090817/ANA03/308179958)
(subscription req'd)

The second story concerns Acura and how they are said to be shifting their focus away from performance and more towards fuel efficiency. John Watts mentions that the upcoming 2016 CAFE standards are proving to be very difficult to meet (side note: Honda was one of the few automakers who supported the very stringent standards), and that they see a much stronger (luxury) consumer focus on fuel efficiency when the market emerges from the current recession.

Link: Acura says it's putting fuel economy ahead of performance (http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090817/ANA09/308179947/1018&AssignSessionID=273357440515813)
(subscription req'd)

Pe de alta parte:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124873997073285323.html
Fuel Rules to Spare BMW, Daimler

German luxury auto makers including BMW (http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=bmw.xe) AG and Daimler (http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=dai) AG's Mercedes-Benz are close to benefitting from a U.S. concession that will allow them and a few other foreign makers to keep selling cars that emit more greenhouse gases than those made by mass-market rivals such as General Motors (http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=GM) Co. and Toyota Motor (http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=tm) Corp.[...]

[tokyodream]

Acura Focusing On Fuel Economy Rather Than Performance !

http://www.motorauthority.com/blog/1034332_acura-focusing-on-fuel-economy-rather-than-performance (http://www.motorauthority.com/blog/1034332_acura-focusing-on-fuel-economy-rather-than-performance)

Apart from Lexus (http://www.greencarreports.com/make/lexus,new), Japanese luxury (http://www.allcarselectric.com/category/luxury,new) brands still pale in comparison to their German rivals in terms of the number of models they produce and the prices they can command. Overall image in the marketplace and status on the street have likewise proven difficult to develop. That's why Acura (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/acura) is making a hard push specifically to boost its image and achieve 'tier 1' luxury automaker status (http://www.motorauthority.com/blog/1025150_acura-forges-ahead-with-tier-1-luxury-plans-nsx-could-be-revived), but in its own unique way.
While many automakers use big powerful models as attention grabbers, Acura (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/acura) sees fuel economy as a way to differentiate itself in what is becoming a very competitive market.
"Hitting the 2016 CAFE requirements is going to be hard," said John Watts, senior manager of Acura (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/acura) product planning. "We are betting more in the fuel economy direction.”
For years automakers have been embroiled in an outright horsepower war, the culmination of which is easily Bugatti’s 1,001 horsepower Veyron supercar. However, lately, a balance of power and economy appears to be what is drawing the crowds and as we approach a future of higher fuel prices this trend is only set to continue.
Part of this move was also forced upon Acura (http://www.luxurycarreport.com/make/acura,new) due to the decision by parent company Honda (http://www.familycarguide.com/make/honda,new) to axe development of a new generation V-8 engine (http://www.motorauthority.com/blog/1033751_honda-president-says-no-need-for-rwd-sedans) and rear-wheel-drive platform. Instead, we are likely to see Acura (http://www.motorauthority.com/make/acura,new) adopt hybrid (http://www.hondareports.com/category/hybrid,new) technology, an option Watts said the company is studying.

[AutoNews (http://www.autonews.com/article/20090817/ANA09/308179947/1018), sub req'd]

[tokyodream]

http://world.honda.com/news/2009/c090724City-in-Brazil/ (http://world.honda.com/news/2009/c090724City-in-Brazil/)
Honda Begins Production and Sales of City in Brazil!


SÃO PAULO, Brazil, July 24, 2009 - Honda Automoveis do Brasil Ltda. (HAB), Honda’s automobile production and sales subsidiary in Brazil, began sales of the City FFV (Fuel Flexible Vehicle) in Brazil. The production of the model is underway at HAB’s plant. The company is planning to begin export of this model to Mexico and other countries of South America starting from September 2009.

http://world.honda.com/news/2009/c090724City-in-Brazil/image/01_s.jpg (http://world.honda.com/news/2009/c090724City-in-Brazil/photo/pages/01.html)
http://world.honda.com/motorsports/img/zoom.gif (http://world.honda.com/news/2009/c090724City-in-Brazil/photo/pages/01.html)
Left:City FFV LX
Right:City FFV EXL

City became the third model produced by HAB locally in Brazil following Civic and Fit whose production began in 1997 and 2003, respectively. The price of the City FFV starts from R$56,210 (approximately 2.75 million yen at an exchange rate of R$1=49 yen), and the company plans to sell 17,000 units in 2009.

The City FFV was developed based on the third-generation City, which is currently being sold in Thailand and other countries, adapting some specifications to accommodate specific needs in the Brazilian market. The design of the City is based on the total pursuit of a vehicle with road presence within a compact, yet dynamic form. In addition, class-leading* interior space was achieved to create a cabin that surrounds the occupants with an open and secure feeling. The City is equipped with a 1.5-liter i-VTEC engine, which is further advanced in every direction including engine output, fuel economy and environmental performance. Furthermore, with its advanced safety and environmental performance, the City offers values in every area at a high level, setting a new benchmark in the subcompact sedan category.

Honda City was first introduced in Thailand in 1996. Cumulative sales of the City now exceed 1.2 million units in over 45 countries around the world.

*1.5-liter subcompact sedan category

[ About City FFV ]
EngineDriveTransmissionSize
(length × width × height)Sales Price
(R$)1.5-liter i-VTECFF5AT, 5MT4,400×1,695×1,48056,210~71,095
*Exchange rate: R$1=approximately 49 yen

[ About Honda Automoveis do Brasil Ltda. ] EstablishmentMay 1996 BusinessProduction and sales of automobiles and repair parts Capitalization Ratio 100% Honda South America Ltda.
(A wholly owned subsidiary of Honda Motor Co., Ltd.) Capital Investment R$882.78 million Representative Sho Minekawa, President

[tokyodream]

Report: Honda to begin selling electric vehicles in US early next decade !

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sns-ap-as-japan-honda-electric-car,0,5837762.story (http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sns-ap-as-japan-honda-electric-car,0,5837762.story)

TOKYO (http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/intl/japan/tokyo-%28japan%29-PLGEO100100602011300.topic) (AP) — Honda Motor Co. (http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/economy-business-finance/manufacturing-engineering/automotive-equipment/honda-motor-co.-ORCRP007390.topic) plans to introduce electric vehicles in the U.S. (http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/politics/government/national-government/united-states-ORGOV0000001.topic) early next decade, joining a growing number of automakers vying for the lead in clean technology development, local media reported Saturday.

Japan's (http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/intl/japan-PLGEO000001.topic) second-biggest car maker, which has focused on gas-electric hybrids so far, is building an all-electric prototype to be unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show in October, according to the Nikkei financial newspaper. It said Honda (http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/services-shopping/vehicles/makes-models/honda-prdcrmk13.topic) would begin sales of electric vehicles in the United States in the first half of the decade.

A Honda spokesman said the Tokyo-based company has begun to develop electric vehicles, but has not decided on a release date. He declined to be named, citing company policy.

Honda released its new Insight earlier this year, billing it as the cheapest gas-electric hybrid on the market, to compete with Toyota Motor Corp. (http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/economy-business-finance/manufacturing-engineering/automotive-equipment/toyota-motor-corp.-ORCRP015439.topic)'s top-selling Prius (http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/services-shopping/vehicles/makes-models/prius-prdcrmk51.topic).

But with U.S. environmental regulations expected to toughen, automakers are stepping up efforts to release zero-emission cars.

Honda has leased a small number of its FCX Clarity hydrogen fuel cell vehicles to customers in Southern California since last year. Their high development cost, however, prompted Honda to consider adding electric cars to its lineup, the Nikkei said.

Among its rivals, Nissan Motor Co. (http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/economy-business-finance/manufacturing-engineering/automotive-equipment/nissan-motor-co.-ORCRP010868.topic) is set to begin selling its Leaf electric hatchback in the U.S., Europe and Japan next year. Toyota (http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/services-shopping/vehicles/makes-models/toyota-prdcrmk41.topic) Motor Corp. has said it plans to launch electric models by 2012.

In June, Mitsubishi Motors Corp. (http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/economy-business-finance/manufacturing-engineering/automotive-equipment/mitsubishi-motors-corp.-ORCRP010119.topic), launched its own electric vehicle, the 4.59 million yen ($48,300) i-MiEV. Ford (http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/services-shopping/vehicles/makes-models/ford-prdcrmk11.topic)'s first battery electric vehicle, the Transit Connect commercial van, is to be available next year, while General Motors Corp. (http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/economy-business-finance/manufacturing-engineering/automotive-equipment/general-motors-corp.-ORCRP006407.topic) is set to release its Chevrolet (http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/services-shopping/vehicles/makes-models/chevrolet-prdcrmk8.topic) Volt next year, a rechargeable electric car with a small internal combustion engine that the company says will get up to 230 miles per gallon (98 kilometers per liter) in city driving.

The Obama administration in June said Ford, Nissan (http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/services-shopping/vehicles/makes-models/nissan-prdcrmk32.topic) and Tesla Motors (http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/economy-business-finance/manufacturing-engineering/automotive-equipment/tesla-motors-inc.-ORCRP006147.topic) Inc. would be the first three beneficiaries of a $25 billion fund to develop fuel-efficient vehicles.

[tokyodream]

'94 Accord Tops List Of Stolen Cars In SC .


http://www.foxcarolina.com/news/20545882/detail.html

'97 F150 Pickup Came In Second In Study


POSTED: 9:27 am EDT August 25, 2009
UPDATED: 9:40 am EDT August 25, 2009

the automobile most likely to be stolen in South Carolina last year.
The "Hot Wheels 2009" study released Monday said that older-model vehicles like the 1994 Accord remain a popular target for car thieves.
The 1997 Ford F150 pickup ranked second on the state list, followed by the 1997 Ford Explorer, the 1989 Chevrolet Caprice and the 2007 Dodge Ram Pickup.

Allison Dean Love with the South Carolina Insurance News Service said motorists should consider the theft rate when buying a new car.

http://www.foxcarolina.com/2009/0825/20545922_240X180.jpg

================================================== ============


Most Stolen Vehicles In Washington State: Is Your Car On This List?

National Insurance Crime Bureau's Annual Hot Wheels Report

Q13 FOX News Online Staff reporter
August 26, 2009

Want to know if car thieves have their eyes on your car? We have a list of the most stolen vehicles in our state.

Here is the top 10, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau's annual Hot Wheels Report for 2008:

1. 1992 Honda Accord

2. 1995 Honda Civic

3. 1990 Toyota Camry

4. 1995 Acura Integra

5. 1994 Nissan Sentra

6. 1995 Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee

7. 1994 Saturn Sl

8. 1995 Nissan Pathfinder

9. 1994 Ford Explorer

10. 1993 Dodge Caravan


The NICB says Washington state traditionally ranks high in auto theft. Yakima ranked third for auto thefts in 2008. The Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area ranked 26th.

According to the new report, more than 31,600 vehicles were stolen in Washington state last year. That's a 25% drop from 2007, but still up 21% from 1995.
Copyright © 2009, KCPQ-TV
http://mv.trb.com/clear.gif?dname=www.q13fox.com&uri=/news/kcpq-082609-moststolencars,0,290954.story&tag=/news&citype=story&title=Most%20Stolen%20Vehicles%20In%20Washington%2 0State%3A%20Is%20Your%20Car%20On%20This%20List%3F&tnurl=http://www.q13fox.com/media/thumbnails/story/2009-08/48873148-26101316-187105.jpg&hkey=06382990a5afd3689a070bd9a5f12f3d
http://www.q13fox.com/news/kcpq-082609-moststolencars,0,290954.story




================================================== ========





http://www.wickedlocal.com/walpole/news/business/x1373204903/Paul-A-Eisenstein-New-Honda-Insight-a-big-improvement - nu-l pot copia :(

[tokyodream]

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2078763/why_honda_accords_are_so_popular_pg2_pg2.html?cat= 27 (http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2078763/why_honda_accords_are_so_popular_pg2_pg2.html?cat= 27)

Why Honda Accords are so popular ?

Since its debut in the U.S. in 1976, Honda (http://www.associatedcontent.com/topic/607/honda.html) Accords have been one of the top sedans Americans choose when they are buying a car. Honda (http://www.associatedcontent.com/topic/607/honda.html) Accords have sold so well in America that they can easily be seen in almost every
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city across the U.S. The popularity of the sedan has had a big influence on Honda (http://www.associatedcontent.com/topic/607/honda.html) redesigning the Honda (http://www.associatedcontent.com/topic/607/honda.html) Accord every few years so the company can stay ahead of the competition and to make customers happy.

Honda's success with the Accord and the company's desire to continue to improve and redesign the Honda (http://www.associatedcontent.com/topic/607/honda.html) Accord has Honda's competition wondering what is the secret to the Honda (http://www.associatedcontent.com/topic/607/honda.html) Accord's success.

The first reason Honda Accords are so popular is because they are reliable. Whenever someone asks which cars are considered to be reliable, the Honda Accord is always mentioned as one of the most reliable cars. People that are in the market for a reliable sedan will usually consider buying a Honda Accord before buying another brand because they know Honda Accords are very reliable.

The second reason Honda Accords are so popular is because of the low maintenance fees. Since Honda Accords are considered to be reliable owners should defiantly experience having low maintenance fees. Compared to a BMW or a Mercedes, a Honda Accord that does need extra maintenance will be cheaper to fix because Mercedes and BMWs have been know to have higher maintenance fees. The Honda Accord's maintenance will also be cheaper than other brands because the parts are cheaper than some car brands.

The final reason Honda Accords are so popular is because they get really good gas mileage. When gas prices (http://www.associatedcontent.com/topic/6037/gas_prices.html) were over three dollars during the summer of 2008, older Honda Accords sales were increasing because people were trading in their gas guzzling vehicles for a more fuel efficient car. People who purchase a Honda Accord don't have to worry about sacrificing space because compared to other fuel efficient cars, the Honda Accord is capable of fitting five people comfortably and their belongings.

</U>Despite all of the things that make the Honda Accord a popular choice for several Americans, the one thing that Honda Accords are often accused of is being dull and boring. Hopefully the 2008 redesign of the Honda Accord will change that.

Below are a few facts about the 2009 Honda Accord:

2009 Honda Accord
Starting price: $20,905
http://ads.associatedcontent.com/www/delivery/avw.php?zoneid=2&cb=8612433754414308&source=&n=a14de4a9&slice=-0-&content_type=article&content_type_id=2078763&category_id=27&key_ad=922056511&site_id=1&ad_pos=2&key_page=8612433754414308&ac_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.associatedcontent.com%2Far ticle%2F2078763%2Fwhy_honda_accords_are_so_popular _pg2_pg2.html%3Fpage%3D2 (http://ads.associatedcontent.com/www/delivery/ck.php?n=a14de4a9&cb=922056511)



Estimated fuel mileage: 25 mpg

If the Honda Accord doesn't interest you, listed below are a few Honda Accord alternatives.

1) 2009 Nissan Maxima
Starting price: $30,160
Estimated fuel mileage: 22 mpg

2) 2009 Mazda Mazda 6
Starting price: $18,550
Estimated fuel mileage: 20-24 mpg

3) 2009 Nissan Altima
Starting price: $19,900
Estimated fuel mileage: 21-26 mpg

4) 2009 Acura TL
Starting price: $34,955
Estimated fuel mileage: 20-21 mpg

5) 2009 Chevrolet Malibu
Starting price: $21, 605
Estimated fuel mileage: 25-26 mpg

6) 2009 Ford Fusion
Starting price: $19,035
Estimated fuel mileage: 20-23 mpg

7) 2009 Acura TSX
Starting price: $29,160
Estimated fuel mileage: 23-25 mpg

Sources:

Edmunds.com

http://autos.msn.com/ (http://autos.msn.com/)

================================================== ==========

Honda Siel expects double digit growth this fiscal !


http://www.indiaenews.com/business/20090828/217356.htm

From correspondents in Delhi, India, 12:00 PM IST

Honda Siel cars Friday said it expects a double-digit growth this fiscal despite a sharp drop in sales of some of their models.
'The market sentiment is better and the availability of finance, coupled with the upcoming festive season, should boost up sales,' said Jnaneswar Sen, vice president (marketing) of Honda Siel Cars India Ltd.
Honda Siel's sports utility vehicle (SUV) CRV, which sold about 250-300 units per month before the slowdown hit the Indian economy, sold about 30 cars last month.
'The CRV had almost stopped selling. But the sales revived and about 30 cars were sold last month,' Sen said.
'However, the Honda City is doing doing really well and the company is selling about 3,000 vehicles per month,' he added.
The official said that the company also expects incremental sales of the newly launched car Jazz.
Honda Siel is also planning to increase its capacity by 50 percent from single shifts a day to two shifts, Sen added.


(Staff Writer, © IANS)

[tokyodream]

94, 96 Honda Accord the most stolen vehicles in GA and AL :

http://www.wsfa.com/Global/story.asp?S=10981809 (http://www.wsfa.com/Global/story.asp?S=10981809)

COLUMBUS, GA (WTVM) - The 1994 Honda Accord and the 1994 Honda Civic were the most stolen vehicles in the state of Georgia. -- that's according to the Hot Wheels 2009 (https://www.nicb.org/HotWheels2009/HotWheels09.html) study by the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) (https://www.nicb.org/cps/rde/xchg/nicb/hs.xsl/index.htm).

Thieves are targeting a wide range of vehicles - but only certain models of older cars and trucks.

The most commonly stolen vehicles in Georgia for 2008:

1. 1994 Honda Accord2. 1994 Honda Civic3. 2004 Ford F150 Series Pickup Truck 4. 1994 Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee5. 1990 Chevrolet 4X2 Pickup6. 1986 Oldsmobile Cutlass7. 2002 Ford Explorer8. 2000 Dodge Caravan9. 1999 Ford Taurus10. 1997 Toyota Camry In Alabama, the 1996 Honda Accord was the most stolen car in 2008. Pickup trucks ranked second and third among the most stolen in the same study.
The 2008 numbers show the 1989 Chevy Conventional cab 4X2 was the second most stolen vehicle in the state followed by the 1998 Ford 150 pickup.


The most commonly stolen vehicles in Alabama for 2008:

1. 1996 Honda Accord2. 1994 Chevrolet Full Size C/K 1500 Pickup3. 1997 Ford F150 Series Pickup Truck 4. 1989 Chevrolet Caprice5. 2000 Honda Civic6. 1994 Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee7. 1999 Ford Taurus8. 1994 Oldsmobile Cutlass9. 2004 Dodge Ram Pickup10. 1994 Toyota Camry According to the NICB, the parts can be stripped from a car at a chop shop and sold for at least twice as much as the value of the vehicle on the used car market.
Newer model vehicles are typically more difficult to steal due to anti-theft technology.

According to the Hot Spot 2009 (https://www.nicb.org//HotSpots2008/index.html) study by the NICB, the Columbus-Metro area ranked 22nd in the nation -- making this area the hottest spot for auto thefts in both Alabama and Georgia.
The Columbus Metropolitan area includes Muscogee, Marion, Chattahoochee, Harris, and Russell Counties. The metro area's auto theft rate is 555 vehicles per 100,000.


©2009 WTVM. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Honda to launch Civic for festive season :


http://www.indianexpress.com/news/honda-to-launch-civic-for-festive-season/508979/ (http://www.indianexpress.com/news/honda-to-launch-civic-for-festive-season/508979/)




In an attempt to revive sales of its sedan Civic, luxury carmaker Honda Siel Cars India is likely to launch an edition of the car during the coming festive season with some "minor changes".


The company, a joint venture between Japanese auto giant Honda and Siel Group, is also ramping up its capacity by up to 50 per cent in the next month to meet the demand during the festival season.


According to sources, the company is planning to come up with a new Civic with minor changes in its looks, such as a new bumper, possibly within the next months.


When contacted, Honda Siel Cars India (HSCI) Vice- President (Marketing) Jnaneswar Sen declined to comment.


According to Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), sales of Civic has been falling rapidly in the recent months with July registering a 45.44 per cent dip. Its sales in the first four months of this fiscal declined by nearly 55 per cent at 1,598 units compared with 3,549 units in the year-ago period.


On expansion of its production capacity, Sen said, "Production is demand driven and it is increasing for our cars. We are planning to ramp up the output by up to 50 per cent from next month."


The company currently produces 5,000 units a month in a single shift at its facility in Greater Noida and would soon start the second shift of operation, he added.

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1992 Honda Accord tops list of most stolen vehicles in Oregon :

http://www.katu.com/news/problemsolver/other/54806902.html (http://www.katu.com/news/problemsolver/other/54806902.html)

This is a press release courtesy of the NW Insurance Council.

The vehicle thieves target most often in Oregon is the 1992 Honda Accord, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau's annual Hot Wheels Report for 2008.

Last year, 13,325 vehicles were stolen across the state. Based on theft rates, Eugene ranked 20th in the nation for auto theft while the Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton area ranked 81st - the only Oregon cities in the nation's Top 100.

Vehicle theft is the nation's number-one property crime, costing an estimated $7.4 billion each year.

"Consumers literally pay billions each year for auto theft," said Darrin Sanger, NW Insurance Council communications director. "The cost to replace stolen vehicles and repair those that are recovered is reflected in your insurance rates."

Vehicle theft is insured under the Comprehensive Coverage portion in an Auto Insurance policy.

Here is a Top 10 list of Oregon's most stolen vehicles, according to NICB:

1992 Honda Accord
1995 Honda Civic
1990 Toyota Camry
1990 Acura Integra
1996 Subaru Legacy
1993 Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee
1995 Saturn
1999 Ford F150 Pickup
1991 Ford Explorer
1986 Toyota Pickup 4x2
Is your car next? NW Insurance Council offers the following tips to help you reduce the risk of your vehicle from being stolen:

Keep your doors locked and windows completely rolled up.
Remove keys from the ignition, even when briefly stepping away from your car.
Keep valuable items such as bags, purses, cell phones and briefcases out of sight.
Always park your vehicle in well-lit areas.
Always activate your vehicle's security or alarm system when parked.
Before buying a new vehicle, check with your insurance company to find out which vehicles have the highest risk of being stolen.
If you witness or have knowledge of an auto theft, contact your local law enforcement agency. In some cases, auto theft is a form of insurance fraud when automobile owners stage phony accidents or arrange to have their vehicles stolen in hopes of collecting the insurance money.

If you know of anyone who has filed a false insurance claim, you may be eligible for up to $5,000 in reward money offered by NW Insurance Council. Call the Fraud Hotline at 800-TEL-NICB. For more information about auto theft and insurance fraud, visit www.nwinsurance.org (http://www.nwinsurance.org/).


http://media.katu.com/images/082509_most_stolen-1992_honda_accord.gif

[tokyodream]

Top 10 Eco-Friendly Cars for 2010 !


http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2120115/top_10_ecofriendly_cars_for_2010.html (http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2120115/top_10_ecofriendly_cars_for_2010.html)


http://ads.associatedcontent.com/www/delivery/avw.php?zoneid=2&cb=8612433757903598&source=&n=a14de4a9&slice=-0-&content_type=article&content_type_id=2120115&category_id=27&key_ad=1995653585&site_id=1&ad_pos=2&key_page=8612433757903598&ac_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.associatedcontent.com%2Far ticle%2F2120115%2Ftop_10_ecofriendly_cars_for_2010 .html (http://ads.associatedcontent.com/www/delivery/ck.php?n=a14de4a9&cb=1995653585)


2010 Eco-Friendly Cars #1

The most eco-friendly car for 2010 is the Chevrolet Volt 230 (http://www.chevrolet.com/pages/open/default/future/volt.do). What does 230 stand for? This eco-friendly car is supposed to get a fuel economy of 230 miles per gallon in the city. For those who drive less than forty miles daily, you may not even use any gas at all. The electric engines in this 2010 eco-friendly car can go up to 40 miles without a charge.

The Chevy Volt 230 is perfect for those who like to have the most cutting-edge technology. The price tag exceeds $40,000 making it one of the more expensive eco-friendly vehicle options.

2010 Eco-Friendly Cars #2

The re-designed 3rd generation Toyota Prius (http://www.toyota.com/prius-hybrid/) is one of the most eco-friendly cars for 2010. This vehicle boasts a 51/48 fuel economy , making it best in class. The base model starts at $22,000 making the Prius an affordable option for those who wish to live a green lifestyle. Certain models also feature solar powered ventilation systems, which also increases the eco-friendly profile of this vehicle.

2010 Eco-Friendly Cars #3

The 2010 Honda (http://automobiles.honda.com/insight-hybrid/) Insight is the inaugural year of the latest addition to the Honda (http://www.associatedcontent.com/topic/607/honda.html) Hybrid family. This green vehicle boasts a 40/43 fuel economy and base price starts at under $20,000. Those who love the dependability of a Honda (http://www.associatedcontent.com/topic/607/honda.html) and want an economical green vehicle will be interested to consider the Honda (http://www.associatedcontent.com/topic/607/honda.html) Insight Hybrid.

2010 Eco-Friendly Cars #4

If you desire a hybrid vehicle but you need a larger vehicle for your family or to haul things, the Ford Escape Hybrid (http://www.fordvehicles.com/suvs/escapehybrid/) is the perfect eco-friendly 2010 vehicle. Boasting a fuel economy of 34 mpg in the city, the Ford Escape Hybrid outperforms its competitors in function and fuel economy. Starting at $31,500 this hybrid SUV is surprisingly affordable.

2010 Eco-Friendly Cars #5



(http://www.associatedcontent.com/#)The Honda Civic Hybrid (http://www.post1.net/lowem/entry/2010_honda_civic_hybrid_preliminary_specifications _released)was one of the first members of the Honda (http://www.associatedcontent.com/topic/607/honda.html) Hybrid family. This small family sedan is ideal for those with a couple of young children. The 2010 Honda (http://www.associatedcontent.com/topic/607/honda.html) Civic Hybrid is getting a face-lift and will boast more power and eco-friendly features than the predecessor models.

http://ads.associatedcontent.com/www/delivery/avw.php?zoneid=2&cb=8612433757905389&source=&n=a14de4a9&slice=-0-&content_type=article&content_type_id=2120115&category_id=27&key_ad=896204440&site_id=1&ad_pos=2&key_page=8612433757905389&ac_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.associatedcontent.com%2Far ticle%2F2120115%2Ftop_10_ecofriendly_cars_for_2010 _pg2_pg2.html%3Fpage%3D2 (http://ads.associatedcontent.com/www/delivery/ck.php?n=a14de4a9&cb=896204440)


2010 Eco-Friendly Cars #6

The 2010 Ford Fusion (http://www.fordvehicles.com/2010fusion/)is an eco-friendly vehicle that is suitable for families. It has a fuel economy of 41 mpg in the city. It is also one of the few American made hybrid vehicles. Starting at $27,270 this sedan won't break the bank.

2010 Eco-Friendly Cars #7

For those who crave a luxury vehicle, the Lexus HS (http://www.lexus.com/models/HSh/)is the vehicle of choice. Starting at $34,200 this small luxury sedan boasts a 35 mpg fuel economy. It is the most fuel-efficient luxury vehicle so those who desire a high-end car won't go wrong selecting this vehicle.

2010 Eco-Friendly Cars #8

If a Lexus isn't luxurious enough for you, consider the 2010 Porsche Cayenne hybrid (http://consumerguideauto.howstuffworks.com/2010-porsche-cayenne-hybrid.htm). The Porsche Cayenne is a sleek and sexy SUV and the hybrid is even sexier. With a price tag of $44,000-$123,000 this eco-friendly vehicle is not cheap. However, it's perfect for those individuals who require upscale German engineering.

2010 Eco-Friendly Cars #9

The 2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid comes in two gas-electric engine options: a 2.5-liter in-line four and a sportier 3.0-liter V6. This eco-friendly vehicle can go up to 47 mph in electric mode, which is the fastest speed any hybrid car currently on the market can go on electric mode. Starting at $31,235 the Mercury Milan is defiantly an eco-friendly car to consider if you are in the market for a new green vehicle.

2010 Eco-Friendly Cars #10

The Nissan Altima is one of the most popular sedans on the market. The 2010 Nissan Altima Hybrid (http://iguida.com/2010-nissan-altima)combines a popular and sophisticated body style with a green low-emissions engine. Starting at $27,400 this eco-friendly car is an economical mid-sized sedan perfect for a wide variety of drivers.

In the past, it's been hard to find eco-friendly cars. Now most popular car models are offered with hybrid technology. Cost, fuel economy, and personal tastes are all things to keep in mind while searching for the perfect eco-friendly car for 2010.


================================================== =======


Honda future cars and product plans: What is ahead for the brand?


http://www.examiner.com/x-10697-SF-Autos-Examiner~y2009m8d31-Honda-future-cars-and-product-plans-What-is-ahead-for-the-brand

No car manufacturer has escaped the current economic downturn, well almost no one (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/uptospeed/2009/08/subaru-sales-jump-while-others-fall.html), and that has forever changed the automotive landscape.
View a slideshow of Honda products and my comments in the slideshow below (http://www.examiner.com/examiner/examinerslideshow.html?entryid=523645).
Plans for diesel models (http://green.autoblog.com/2009/04/03/honda-changes-course-and-switches-from-diesel-back-to-hybrid/) from Acura and Honda have been put off as have a V8, RWD flagship (http://www.leftlanenews.com/tough-times-force-honda-to-cancel-even-more-future-product-plans-including-rwd-acuras.html) for Acura. Pity.
What can we expect from the big H over the next few years?
2010 saw the introduction of the hybrid Insight. I was extremely disappointed when I finally plunked down in the production model and NO it wasn't because they didn't treat me to any goodies during the press days (http://www.autoblog.com/2008/11/26/honda-i-will-i-be-in-detroit-sans-press-conference/). Instead, I was not pleased with the cheap interior plastics of the Insight. Combine that with a very strong 2010 Toyota Prius entry that is priced only a few dollars higher and I see little to draw non-Honda loyalists in. It would seem that buyers agree, my local Honda dealer is chock-a-block with Insights and my Toyota dealer is telling people to take it or leave it.
More interesting, to me at least, is the Honda Crosstour (http://automobiles.honda.com/future-cars/). Toyota seems to be hitting its numbers with the Venza (http://www.toyota.com/venza/) so there might be hope for this odd duck. The steep rake of the Crosstour's hatch will really cut down on cargo capacity, but the heavy price paid isn't rewarded with an equal dollop of style. Will buyers connect with a vehicle that offers only marginally better practicality than a sedan but much less room than a squared of crossover?
The 2010 Honda CR-V gets some minor tweaks (http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-10697-SF-Autos-Examiner~y2009m5d28-Has-the-2010-Honda-CRV-been-caught-in-the-wild) to the front clip and probably some equally minor equipment changes. The CR-V is a solid entry and is selling well, so Honda has no motivation to change its recipe.
In 2011 the biggest news will probably be a new Civic. Could Honda delay the Civic until 2011? Sure, anything is possible, but since this is a global model, shifting the Civic from a five to six year cycle could be difficult to do. The Civic received some minor tweaks (http://allcarsallthetime.blogspot.com/2008/08/2009-civic-brochure.html) for 2009. The Civic is another solid entry, but also one that Honda has shown some willingness to experiment with. When the current model (http://automobiles.honda.com/civic-sedan/) arrived, its styling was quite avante-guard and its funky digital instrument panel (http://automobiles.honda.com/images/2009/civic-sedan/interior-gallery/gal_lg11.jpg) definitely was meant to appeal to a younger set. We'll just have to wait and see what Honda is cooking in its kitchen for the next Civic!
There is lots of excitement over the forthcoming hybrid CR-Z coupe. I wasn't taken with the concept CR-Z (http://allcarsallthetime.blogspot.com/2007/10/honda-cr-z.html) so we I am very cautious about the production model. We will have to see if the CR-Z can live up to the CR-X's legend (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_CR-X).
The Accord (http://automobiles.honda.com/accord/) will likely get a few tweaks in 2011, but that is hardly anything to get worked up over. The Accord is a darling of both the press and consumers and little is going to change. My only gripe, again, with the Accord is some of the cheap interior materials. Honda has had an unfortunate habit as of late with using lousy plastics and other materials to create disappointing interior. This is likely something that will not be addressed with a refresh, but I hope that Honda gets the message that it needs to spend the extra $50 and get out of the bargain bin when shopping for trim (that's materials, people, nothing else!). Honda might yet try another Accord hybrid even though its previous attempt failed. You can rest assured that another Accord hybrid appears, the emphasis will be on economy and not performance this time around.
I have said all that I am going to say about the new 2011 Honda Odyssey in a previous story. You can click on through to read my thoughts about the 2011 Odyssey (http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-10697-SF-Autos-Examiner~y2009m8d30-Honda-Toyota-and-Nissan-to-off-new-models-in-2011-Year-of-the-Minivan).
The Honda Pilot (http://automobiles.honda.com/pilot/) might see a few changes in 2011 as well, but you'll probably have to squint to find the parts they changed. I used to see Pilots all over the place, but since the introduction of the current model, it has been much less popular in the San Francisco area. That's an unscientific poll of course, but the current Pilot has some odd duck styling to it, all though I find it handsome overall.
The Honda Ridgeline (http://automobiles.honda.com/ridgeline/) and Honda Element (http://automobiles.honda.com/element) are also odd looking ducks in the Honda lineup. Honda will probably take another stab at the Ridgeline in 2012. The Element, which looks like an escape pod for a Hummer, has an uncertain fate. The boxy originator doesn't fly off the lots and it isn't a global entry, however, Element owners are fanatical. Does Honda abandon the segment and let Scion xB (http://www.scion.com/#xB_overview), Kia Soul (http://www.kia.com/#/soul/explore/) and Nissan Cube (http://www.nissanusa.com/cube/) have all the fun or does it re-up and give the world another Element? I hope that Honda chooses to motor on. The Element was original and fun when it arrived and it deserves a sequel.
The global Honda Fit/Jazz (http://automobiles.honda.com/fit/) has sold well here in the States and I couldn't be happier. This is a fantastic little buggy that should be on the shopping list of anyone who needs a car in the segment. However, Honda is being way too cheap by packaging stability control with the navigation system on the top of the line Fit Sport. BooHiss!!! Also, where the the Bluetooth on this car? Unforgiveable!
What about the Honda Stream (http://allcarsallthetime.blogspot.com/2008/08/honda-stream-us-chances-gaining-more.html)? I am completely mystified why this car is not offered here. The Stream is good looking, a great hauler and would compliment the lineup perfectly. Honda is shooting itself in the foot by not offering this car in the States.
Honda will eventually offer an all-electric car, but those plans are somewhat off. Frankly, why not let battery technology and driving range get better before leaping? For now, regular hybrids and soon plug-in hybrids are the best bets in my opinion.
To read up on Toyota's future plans, click here (http://www.examiner.com/x-10697-SF-Autos-Examiner~y2009m8d29-Toyota-future-cars-and-product-plans-What-is-ahead-for-the-brand). Additionally you can find Ford's future plans clicking here. (http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-10697-SF-Autos-Examiner~y2009m7d26-Ford-future-cars-and-product-plans--What-is-ahead-for-the-brand) To study up on Lincoln's future plans, click here (http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-10697-SF-Autos-Examiner~y2009m7d25-Lincoln-future-cars-and-product-plans--What-is-ahead-for-the-brand). For those curious, Buick future plans can be discovered here (http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-10697-SF-Autos-Examiner~y2009m8d16-Buick-future-cars-and-product-plans-What-is-ahead-for-the-brand).




Mama, ce preturi:

2003 Honda Accord - $2,300



http://autos.al.com/detail/310550378/used/honda_accord_2003 (http://autos.al.com/detail/310550378/used/honda_accord_2003)



==================================





Toyota, Honda report jump in August car sales !

http://www.dailybreeze.com/ci_13247328 (http://www.dailybreeze.com/ci_13247328)




Toyota and Honda on Tuesday reported big gains in U.S. car sales for August, boosted by the federal Cash for Clunkers program that favored fuel-efficient cars.
Toyota, the world's biggest carmaker, whose U.S. sales and marketing headquarters is in Torrance, sold 225,088 vehicles, up 10.5 percent compared to the same month last year, the company said.
The Toyota Division posted August sales of 202,196 vehicles, up 15.2 percent over the same period last year.
Toyota Division passenger cars recorded its best sales month ever with 142,529 vehicles, up 32.4 percent over a year earlier.
August sales were led by Toyota's Corolla compact, the best-selling clunkers vehicle that recorded 43,061 sales, up 51.9 percent over last August.
Cash for Clunkers, which ended on Aug. 24, drew hordes of buyers into quiet dealerships by offering up to $4,500 toward new, more fuel-efficient cars and trucks. The hefty rebates gave automakers and dealers a much-needed lift, spurring 690,114 new sales, many of them during August, at a taxpayer cost of $2.88 billion.
Toyota's Prius, the best-selling gas-electric hybrid, posted August sales of 18,886 units, up 45.7 percent.
The luxury Lexus Division was a rare weak spot for Toyota in August, reporting 22,892 sales, a drop of 18.8 percent from the same period last year. Honda, whose U.S. headquarters is in Torrance, set a new record for August, with sales of 161,439, up 14.2 percent from a year earlier.

"The challenge will be maintaining this momentum going forward," John Mendel, executive vice president of Torrance-based American Honda Motor Co., said in a statement.
The Honda Division saw sales of 151,814, also an August record, up 19.6 percent from a year earlier.
Honda's fuel-efficient Fit and the CR-V, a sport-utility vehicle, each posted an all-time monthly sales record. The Fit saw sales of 13,593, up 194.1 percent, while the CR-V's sales were up 58.3 percent to 30,284 over a year ago.
Like the Lexus, Honda's luxury Acura Division reported a drop in sales, with a 33.8 percent decline to 9,625 vehicles.
Ford and Hyundai also were big winners in August.
Ford sales totaled 181,826 cars and light trucks, up 17 percent from a year earlier, when high gas prices and growing economic uncertainty kept car buyers at home.
Hyundai saw sales of 60,467, up 47 percent.
Chrysler Group LLC and General Motors Co. endured another month of falling sales, although their high-mileage vehicles did better. General Motors sales fell 20 percent to 245,550 in August. Chrysler sales fell 15 percent to 93,222 vehicles.

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Un articol interesant despre piata indiana :

http://business.rediff.com/slide-show/2009/may/14/slide-show-1-ten-fastest-cars.htm :yes:

[tokyodream]

Dongfeng Honda launches Honda Spirior today !


Dongfeng Honda launched the Honda Spirior today, launching what they claim to be a premium sports car for the Chinese market place.
The Spirior name is a mash up of the two English workds Spirit and Superior, the Chinese name has been set as 思铂睿 (sai bo rui), a phonetic translation of the English name.
The car itself is essentially the Euro market Honda Accord, or a US market Acura TSX. Instead of packing the V6 engines that other markets get, the Spirior will have to make do with a 4 cylinder 2.4l i-Vtec engine packing 225nm of torque, delivering 133kw of power (181bhp) and mated to a Sequential Sport Shift gearbox 5 speed automatic gearbox. The Spirior needs a leisurely 10.8 seconds to hit 100kph.


http://www.chinacartimes.com/wp-content/honda-spirior-130x130.jpg (http://www.chinacartimes.com/wp-content/honda-spirior.jpg) http://www.chinacartimes.com/wp-content/honda-spirior4-130x130.jpg (http://www.chinacartimes.com/wp-content/honda-spirior4.jpg) http://www.chinacartimes.com/wp-content/honda-spirior3-130x130.jpg (http://www.chinacartimes.com/wp-content/honda-spirior3.jpg) http://www.chinacartimes.com/wp-content/honda-spirior2-130x130.jpg (http://www.chinacartimes.com/wp-content/honda-spirior2.jpg)
http://www.chinacartimes.com/wp-content/honda-spirior1-130x130.jpg (http://www.chinacartimes.com/wp-content/honda-spirior1.jpg)

Today’s launch will see a 2.4l VTI Luxury model, VTI-S 2.4l Super Luxury, and a VTI-S Navigation super luxury model being launched, in total there are five different specifications to choose from, and six different colors.


You might find these other posts of interest:
Dongfeng Honda to produce Honda TIF and other Dongfeng news (http://www.chinacartimes.com/2009/01/14/dongfeng-honda-to-produce-honda-tif-and-other-dongfeng-news/) Honda recently announced plans to produce the Honda Tif for developing Asian countries, which included China. The Tif is expected to be a kei sized car, but with seating...
Dongfeng Honda: We wont produce Civic Hathback in China (http://www.chinacartimes.com/2008/11/10/dongfeng-honda-we-wont-produce-civic-hathback-in-china/) Dongfeng Honda, a joint venture between Dongfeng and Honda, have decided that they wont put the Honda Civic hatchback into production in China just yet due to cost concerns, although...
New Ford Fiesta launches in China – Heats up A Class Segment! (http://www.chinacartimes.com/2009/03/07/new-ford-fiesta-launches-in-china-heats-up-a-class-segment/) The Chinese A-Class segment consisting of super minis is a super tough market for any manufacturer to enter, but Ford seem content on entering the segment, and giving it a...
Honda SR-9 to take on Audi A4 (http://www.chinacartimes.com/2009/05/27/honda-sr-9-to-take-on-audi-a4/) Honda SR-9 The recently launched Honda SR-9 is set to take on the popular Audi A4 in the Chinese car market place after its initial launch at the Shanghai...
Honda Pilot to be made in China (http://www.chinacartimes.com/2009/06/25/honda-pilot-to-be-made-in-china/) Honda currently have two JV’s in China, one with Dongfeng that produces the ever popular Honda Civic and CRV. The second with Guangzhou-Honda that produces the Accord, and the popular...
New Honda City Ad on the Internet (http://www.chinacartimes.com/2008/09/16/new-honda-city-ad-on-the-internet/) The new Honda City has been causing quite a bit of a stir on the internet lately in both India, and China, where the car is widely popular with younger...
Dongfeng sedan launched, hatchback in works (http://www.chinacartimes.com/2009/08/04/dongfeng-sedan-launched-hatchback-in-works/) The Dongfeng S30 was launched several days ago with much fanfare due to its sharp looks and low price. Dongfeng have priced the S30 sedan from 75,800rmb to 99,800rmb for...
Honda Accord SR-9 – Makes me wish I was a salary man (http://www.chinacartimes.com/2009/05/05/honda-accord-sr-9-makes-me-wish-i-was-a-salary-man/) Black is the color of choice for the majority of salary men across China, they roll to work in black Audi’s, Regals, Passats, and even Santanas, now there will be...
Chery A6CC spotted in England (http://www.chinacartimes.com/2009/02/04/chery-a6cc-spotted-in-england/) Chery's A6CC - The first real drivers car from Chery?...
Geely launches first ‘Di Hao’ sedan (http://www.chinacartimes.com/2009/08/29/geely-launches-first-di-hao-sedan/) Geely launched their first EC718 Di Hao sedan earlier this week in Jinan city, Shandong. The EC718 is the first car from Geely since their change of strategy plan that...
http://www.chinacartimes.com/wp-content/honda-spirior2-300x199.jpg (http://www.chinacartimes.com/wp-content/honda-spirior2.jpg)


http://www.chinacartimes.com/2009/07/27/dongfeng-honda-launches-honda-spiror-today/ (http://www.chinacartimes.com/2009/07/27/dongfeng-honda-launches-honda-spiror-today/)

[BogdanRR]

Finalmente! Sper sa fie pe bune:
http://www.autoblog.com/2009/09/01/rumormill-acura-planning-to-take-on-bmw-1-audi-a3-with-new-rsx/
Rumormill: Acura planning to take on BMW 1, Audi A3 with new RSX?

Remember back in the day when Honda was all about building two-doors? At various times between its own badge and its premium Acura division, the Japanese automaker had the Prelude, CRX, RSX, NSX, Legend, CL and S2000 – in addition to coupe versions of the Civic and Accord. A few years down the line and the S2000 is on its way out, leaving the Civic and Accord coupes to hold down the fort by themselves until the new NSX arrives in whatever form it takes (http://www.autoblog.com/2009/08/13/report-acura-nsx-replacement-will-move-downmarket/). According to new reports, however, the Japanese automaker is keen to bridge that gap once again with a successor to the RSX coupe.

Based on the next-gen Civic, due in 2011, the new RSX (or whatever it would be labeled) is rumored to, like the upcoming CT hatchback from arch-rival Lexus (http://www.autoblog.com/2009/08/17/lexus-teases-premium-hatch-ahead-of-frankfurt-debut/), take on the likes of the BMW 1 Series, Audi A3 and Volvo C30 in the premium compact segment. If it happens, expect a front-drive layout with probable four-cylinder propulsion (if not a hybrid setup like the forthcoming CR-Z), but beyond that your guess is as good as ours, so stay tuned.

[Source: eGMCarTech (http://www.egmcartech.com/2009/08/31/acuras-v10-v8-plans-on-hold-for-now-may-plan-rsx-successor/)]

Ma ingrijoareaza, insa, un comentariu:

Paul (http://www.autoblog.com/profile/2517301/) 5:01PM (9/01/2009)


Nah, FWD is fine given the pricepoint they're aiming for. The original Integra and RSXs were fantastic for 20-somethings with a diploma and a knack for hard-driving. This would be no different.

But the inside word is: "Acura is going away." It's been massively unprofitable in the US and is suffering mightily. The folks at American Honda in Torrance are saying it'll be gone "in five years." That's a quote.

[vtin]

Honda Announces the New Dual Clutch Transmission for Use in Large-displacement Sport Bikes--a World’s First !

TOKYO, Japan, September 8, 2009 - Honda Motor Co., Ltd. announced that it has developed the Dual Clutch Transmission*1, the world's first*2 fully automatic motorcycle dual clutch transmission for large-displacement sport bikes. The new transmission provides riders sporty riding enjoyment with easy operation, while its superior transmission efficiency delivers fuel economy equal to or better than a conventional manual transmission. A new VFR large-displacement sport bike equipped with the new transmission will be released in Europe and North America in 2010, with sales to commence in Japan at a later date.





Dual Clutch Transmission



This world's first motorcycle dual clutch transmission features a light, compact design that allows it to be combined with existing engines without substantial layout modification. Further, the new transmission delivers the precise acceleration control riders require thanks to electronic control technology that helps ensure smooth, seamless gear changes. In order to respond to rider demands in a broad range of situations, the transmission is equipped with three operating modes, two full-auto modes (D-mode for regular operation and S-mode for sporty riding); and a 6-speed manual mode, which delivers the same shift feel as a manual transmission. Honda intends to gradually expand the deployment of the new transmission to more and more of its large-displacement motorcycles, particularly sports models destined for use in developed countries.

Honda will continue to deliver motorcycles that match the needs of society and users' lifestyles, spreading the joy of riding and mobility.
*1 Patents pending: 100
*2 According to Honda survey

[ Key Features ]
The new transmission features a dual clutch transmission configuration in which independent clutches are employed for the odd gears (1st, 3rd, 5th) and the even gears (2nd, 4th, 6th), respectively. The two clutches operate alternately to effect gear changes. For example, when changing from 1st to 2nd gear, the computer detects the up-shift and engages 2nd gear, then releases the 1st-gear clutch while engaging the 2nd-gear clutch to achieve a seamless gear change. While some dual-clutch transmissions tend to be bulky, the new system employs original technologies such as dual input shafts, exclusive in-line clutch design, and concentration of hydraulic circuitry beneath the engine cover to achieve a compact design. Compactness and lightness is further enhanced through the use of a simple shift mechanism design based on that of a conventional motorcycle shift drum. Optimized shift scheduling achieves fuel economy equal to or better than that of a fully manual transmission, enabling Dual Clutch Transmission to deliver both sporty riding and environmental performance combined.




http://world.honda.com/news/2009/2090908Dual-Clutch-Transmission/?r=m

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Honda to release minivan hybrid around ‘11 !

http://www.inautonews.com/honda-to-release-minivan-hybrid-around-11

Monday, Japanese automaker Honda Motor Co Ltd.’s President Takanobu Ito revealed in an interview that it intends release a hybrid minivan around 2011, according to The Nikkei. The company currently has two models of hybrid vehicles, the Insight and the Civic Hybrid.
According to the plan, Honda plans to add a variety of hybrid models in the near future, including the CR-Z, a sporty hybrid, in February and a hybrid version of its Fit subcompact by the end of 2010.
In a statement, Ito said, “First of all, it is important to expand our lineup. We want to introduce a hybrid model to minivans, which continue to enjoy strong customer demand.”
Honda is also expected to deliver a new hybrid minivan next year which resembles the Odyssey and the Estima, which are already selling in Japan. The 2010 electric car line-up with hybrid technologies is also on the cards. Honda projects a sale of more than 300,000 hybrid vehicles in the next five years.
“Fuel efficiency has been what matters most in hybrid vehicles, but what is required from now on is a balance among economy, fuel efficiency and price,” Ito added.
However, Honda’s plans to develop electric cars would have to first meet California’s Zero Emission Vehicle regulation, which is considered the toughest in the world.

Souce: Gasgoo (http://autonews.gasgoo.com/auto-news/1012068/Honda-to-release-minivan-hybrid-around--11.html)

http://www.inautonews.com/wp-content/plugins/yet-another-photoblog/cache/odyssey_modulo_1.evwte07gwrw488kw8w8sw0s80.a5fuq7l rqzkgc0ccw4ss08gso.th.jpeg

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Honda Civic GX (http://alternativefuels.about.com/od/naturalgasvehiclereviews/fr/2009HondaGX.htm) trip wrap-up !

I'm back from my Los Angeles - San Jose - Los Angeles trip in the natural-gas powered Honda Civic GX (http://alternativefuels.about.com/od/naturalgasvehiclereviews/fr/2009HondaGX.htm). For my return trip, I took the road less traveled -- the scenic Pacific Coast Highway. I left SJ with 3/4ths of a tank, made two fuel stops on the way, and got home with just under half a tank. Had I driven a gasoline-powered Civic, I might have been able to make it with one fuel stop, but that fuel stop would have cost me a good deal more -- my average fuel cost was almost a buck a gallon cheaper than gasoline.
I know some of you wanted some numbers on the trip, so here they are:

Total distance: 890.6 miles
Fuel used: 23.2 GGE (Gasoline Gallon Equivalent)
Average fuel economy: 38.4 MPG
Average fuel price: $2.14/GGE
Highest/lowest fuel price: $2.49/$1.70
Total fuel cost: $49.54
Fuel cost per mile: 5.6 cents
How does this compare with gasoline? Since the gasoline-powered Civic has the same EPA highway figure (36 MPG) as the GX, let's assume I would have gotten the same mileage. The average gas price in California is $3.08, which comes out to $71.46, or 8 cents per mile. (Fuel costs were higher than average on my route, so the trip would have actually cost more.)
But let's put aside the numbers and look at the bigger picture.
I ventured 400 miles from home and covered almost nine hundred miles in a car that people say has insufficient range and an insufficient fueling infrastructure -- all without ever dropping below a third of a tank. And better yet, I didn't burn one single drop of imported oil -- or of any oil, for that matter. Every last mile was powered by domestically-produced fuel -- the same stuff that refineries burn off as a waste product. And let's not forget what's coming out of the GX's tailpipe -- or should I say what isn't coming out. The GX is one of the cleanest-burning cars you can buy.
All this leads me to the question: Why aren't consumers clamoring for natural gas vehicles? Honda's been selling the Civic GX for years. CNG is clean and plentiful, and we don't have to fight wars in the Middle East to ensure our supply. Would I buy one? Heck yeah. So why don't I? Mostly because I spend all my time driving test vehicles, and the lack of trunk space (http://alternativefuels.about.com/od/naturalgasvehiclereviews/ig/2009-Honda-Civic-GX-NGV/Honda-Civic-GX-NGV-trunk.htm) makes it a no-go for Robin. Although, her massage table would probably fit in the back seat...
In other news, I said I'd post my Nissan 370Z Roadster review today, but it just needs a bit more tweaking. I'll have it ready tomorrow, so y'all come back and see us, ya heah? -- Aaron Gold

Photo © Aaron Gold

http://cars.about.com/b/2009/09/07/honda-civic-gx-trip-wrap-up.htm

http://z.about.com/d/cars/1/0/1/y/1/ag_09civicgx_blogleft.jpg (http://alternativefuels.about.com/od/naturalgasvehiclereviews/fr/2009HondaGX.htm)









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Honda Civic given a facelift !

http://www.indiaenews.com/business/20090908/219597.htm

From correspondents in Delhi, India, 05:31 PM IST

Auto manufacturer Honda Siel Cars Tuesday launched a refurbished Honda Civic sedan with alternations in its design, such as a five-point metallic front grille and a new bumper.
The new Civic is available in three variants that will come in two models - Elegance and Inspire. The car is priced in the range of Rs.11.8 lakh to Rs.14.13 lakh at showrooms in Delhi.
The company has also introduced dark smokey headlights and crystalline octagonal tail lights in the car to give it a 'contemporary look'.
'The new Honda Civic carries forward the legacy of the Civic which is already the most refined and advanced car in the segment,' said Honda Siel president and chief executive Masahiro Takedagawa.
The car will have an additional colour option of polished metal besides the regular available colours.
'With the new look, we are confident we can revive the sales that suffered a setback due to global meltdown. However, the market will decide how many units we manage to sell,' Takedagawa said.
Honda Siel is also offering an additional two-year warranty in addition to the existing two years, and will also offer a 24-hour roadside assistance.
The company plans to expand its dealership from 106 to 112 by the end of current financial year, said Takedagawa.


(Staff Writer, © IANS)

[DFA1]

Best hybrid by yahoo: Honda Civic.

Aici aveţi clasamentul:

http://autos.yahoo.com/green_center-fuel_hybrid_cars-cars/

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Honda to build new Accord at East Liberty !


http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2009/09/07/daily24.html


Honda’s Ohio operations build Accords and the CR-V crossover vehicle, so it’s only natural that it’d also be the birthplace of the new Accord Crosstour.
Honda of America Manufacturing Inc. (http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/gen/Honda_of_America_Manufacturing_Inc._184E280CD45446 16AB4D3A356EEC038A.html), the automaker’s Marysville-based manufacturing arm, confirmed Thursday the new vehicle, a crossover utility vehicle built on the Accord platform, will be assembled at its East Liberty plant, where the CR-V and Element sport utility vehicle are made.
The Accord is manufactured at Honda’s Marysville plant along with the Acura TL and RDX.
The automaker, in a release this month, called its 2010 Accord Crosstour a “modern interpretation” of a crossover with the “refinement and efficiency of a premium sedan.” It’s an offshoot of the company’s flagship sedan, which underwent a redesign for its 2008 model.
The Crosstour will go on sale later this year. Honda has not released pricing details, but said it will be at the top of the Accord family.
The vehicle, Honda said, combines the ride of a sedan with the higher ride height and all-weather handling of a crossover vehicle. Much like the redesigned Accord, Honda designed the vehicle with an “aggressive” design through a roof line that narrows into the rear. The Crosstour also features a cargo area that can handle objects that wouldn’t normally fit in a sedan.
“We have continued to advance our products and the flexible and efficient manufacturing capabilities that build them, to create new value for Honda and Acura customers,” said Honda of America CEO Hidenobu Iwata, in a release from the company. “The addition of the Accord Crosstour not only signifies our commitment to the state, but also our trust in the Ohio associates to build this top-of-the-line new Honda vehicle.”
The Crosstour’s engine will be made at Honda’s Anna plant, while its transmission will be assembled in Russells Point.
Iwata spoke at a ceremony marking Honda’s 30 years in Ohio.
Honda also reiterated its plans to convert its motorcycle production facility, the company’s first manufacturing foray into the state, into a parts consolidation center to make production more efficient, and announced updates to the 2010 CR-V, which includes styling changes to the grille and bumpers, upgraded technology options and an improved engine.

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Honda to make crossover vehicle at Ohio plant !


http://www.newswatch50.com/business/story/Honda-to-make-crossover-vehicle-at-Ohio-plant/ydD3EWCBTUmwVwSiEAYdqg.cspx?rss=140


EAST LIBERTY, Ohio (AP) — The Honda Motor Company says a plant in western Ohio will be the production site for the automaker's new crossover utility vehicle.
Honda of America President Hidenobu Iwata said Thursday that the Honda Accord Crosstour will be built at the East Liberty plant that now produces the CR-V and the Element.
The Crosstour is a tallish, five-passenger wagon-like SUV based on a mid-size sedan. It goes into production this fall. Honda officials would not say how many will be manufactured.
Production is not expected to result in any new jobs at the plant that employs about 2,400.
The engines will be supplied by Honda's engine plant near Anna and the transmissions from the automaker's plant near Russells Point.


©2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Associated Press

================================================== =========================


2010 Honda CR-V Gets a Facial Tweak, More Power, and New Features (http://blog.caranddriver.com/2010-honda-cr-v-gets-a-facial-tweak-more-power-and-new-features/) !


http://blog.caranddriver.com/2010-honda-cr-v-gets-a-facial-tweak-more-power-and-new-features/

The Honda CR-V has never been the prettiest of pint-sized trucklets, but for 2010 it receives a minor facelift, along with a host of other improvements, that make it a bit more appealing to the eyes. The changes aren’t radical—a new two-bar chrome grille, a more cohesive front-bumper design with more painted surfaces, a larger painted area on the rear bumper, and a new 10-spoke design for the 17-inch alloy wheels—but they do smooth the overall shape without resorting to any styling gimmickry.
Changes under the hood, however, are more pronounced. The 2.4-liter four-cylinder gets a higher compression ratio, bigger intake valves, a few lower-friction internals, and a new exhaust system for a total of 180 hp at 6800 rpm, up from 166 at 5800. Torque remains the same at 161 lb-ft but arrives 200 rpm higher in the range, at 4400. Despite the newfound gusto, fuel economy improves 1 mpg across the board, with city/highway ratings of 21/28 mpg for front-wheel-drive models and 21/27 for four-wheel-drive versions. A five-speed automatic remains the only transmission available.

The CR-V’s interior retains its spacious practicality, but also is updated for 2010 with various minor improvements aimed at greater functionality and refinement. This mainly includes new trim materials and designs throughout, as well as new dark brown carpet for vehicles equipped with the ivory interior. A proper center console replaces the retractable center tray table on certain models, while both inboard, front-seat armrests are one inch wider for greater comfort. Other changes include blue backlighting (in place of black) for the audio system and driver information displays, along with the addition of a USB interface and Bluetooth hands-free connectivity for models fitted with satellite navigation.
The CR-V lineup continues unaltered with LX, EX, and EX-L trim levels. Front-wheel drive is standard and four-wheel drive is offered on all models, but the upscale EX-L is your only option if you want leather and/or navigation. Pricing is up a few hundred dollars over 2009 levels, now spanning from $22,255 for a base front-drive LX to $30,455 for an EX-L with navigation and four driven wheels. The CR-V’s revisions are hardly profound, but we always welcome more power and better design, both of which should serve the CR-V well until an all-new version appears around 2012.




Related posts:
Porsche, Honda, Chevrolet Among Big Winners in 2008 J.D. Power Initial Quality Study – Car News (http://blog.caranddriver.com/porsche-honda-chevrolet-among-big-winners-in-2008-jd-power-initial-quality-study-car-news/)
2010 Honda Insight Pricing Announced – Car News (http://blog.caranddriver.com/2010-honda-insight-pricing-announced-car-news/)
2010 Honda Insight (http://blog.caranddriver.com/2010-honda-insight/)
2010 Honda Insight vs. 2010 Toyota Prius, 1998 Chevy Metro – Comparison Test (http://blog.caranddriver.com/2010-honda-insight-vs-2010-toyota-prius-1998-chevy-metro-comparison-test/)
2010 Honda Accord CUV – Spied (http://blog.caranddriver.com/2010-honda-accord-cuv-spied/)

Tags: Honda (http://blog.caranddriver.com/tags/honda/), Honda CR-V (http://blog.caranddriver.com/tags/honda-cr-v/), Pricing (http://blog.caranddriver.com/tags/pricing/) |

http://blog.caranddriver.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/2010_CR-V_EX-L_14-440x293.jpg


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Honda Commemorates 30 Years of Manufacturing in America !

http://www.1330wtre.com/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1252673631&archive=&start_from=&ucat=

All-New Accord Crosstour to be produced at East Liberty Auto Plant

MARYSVILLE, Ohio, Sept. 10, 2009 - Honda of America Mfg. marked 30 years of manufacturing in America today with a symbolic tree planting ceremony that represents the company's deep roots in America and its longstanding relationships with the communities that have hosted the company's operations.
"On behalf of the thousands of Honda associates in Ohio, past and present, I want to thank our local communities and the people of Ohio for their support and friendship during the past 30 years," said Honda of America President and CEO Hidenobu Iwata. "The significant growth we have experienced in Ohio would not have been possible without the trust and support of our community partners."
During the tree-planting event, Iwata announced that Honda's auto plant in East Liberty, Ohio, will be the production site* for the new Honda Accord Crosstour crossover utility vehicle (CUV). The East Liberty Auto Plant recently earned the J.D. Power and Associates' 2009 Gold Plant Award for having the highest quality of any auto plant in North America. Going on sale this fall, the Accord Crosstour will be positioned at the top of the Accord lineup.
"We have continued to advance our products, and the flexible and efficient manufacturing capabilities that build them, to create new value for Honda and Acura customers," said Iwata, who leads Honda's manufacturing operations in North America. "The addition of the Accord Crosstour not only signifies our commitment to the state, but also our trust in the Ohio associates to build this top-of-the-line new Honda vehicle."
*Honda and Acura products are produced using domestic and globally sourced parts
In addition to the East Liberty Auto Plant, other major Honda operations in Ohio will play significant roles in the Accord Crosstour project. Honda's auto engine plant near Anna, Ohio, will produce its engine and Honda's transmission plant near Russells Point, Ohio, will be the production site for its automatic transmission.
"Honda's automotive operations in Ohio continue to grow in importance as they provide support to our manufacturing plants in North America and around the world," said Tom Shoupe, Honda of America senior vice president. "In addition to starting Honda motorcycle and auto production in America, Ohio is where we first began North American engine and transmission manufacturing, and where we have established a major R&D center to develop many of the products we make in North America."
Honda ended motorcycle production in Marysville, Ohio, last June and is focusing its local operations on automobile and powertrain production. Construction is under way to transform the former motorcycle plant into a consolidation center to deliver automotive parts and components directly to assembly lines at the Marysville Auto Plant. Locating this consolidation activity adjacent to the plant advances quality and efficiency by significantly reducing parts handling and shipping. The new center also has a pronounced environmental benefit by reducing truck traffic and resulting CO2 emissions.
This consolidation center project is one of many other activities involving Honda production and support associates to advance the company's automobile manufacturing in Ohio and North America. Based on Honda's philosophy of creating new value for its customers, Honda associates are focused on further enhancing quality, cost and on-time delivery during the economic downturn.
"During these challenging times, the key to a company's survival is to respond quickly to rapid changes," Iwata said. "I am proud of the efforts by Honda associates to strengthen our operations. This puts us in a good position as the market returns to provide our customers with top quality and value in the fuel-efficient products that customers want to buy."
Honda became the first Japanese automaker to manufacture products in America when it opened its first U.S. plant in Marysville, Ohio. On Sept. 10, 1979, 64 Honda associates began producing the CR250 Elsinore off-road motorcycle in Marysville. The startup was so successful that Honda quickly announced plans to build an adjacent auto plant. The first Japanese auto plant in America, the Marysville Auto Plant started producing four-door Honda Accords in November 1982.
Over the past 30 years, Honda plants in Ohio have produced more than 13 million automobiles, 17 million engines, 1 million motorcycles, 2 million all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), and nearly 13 million automatic transmissions.
Today, the Marysville Auto Plant produces the Honda Accord Sedan and Coupe models, and the Acura TL Sedan and Acura RDX crossover vehicle. The East Liberty Auto Plant opened 20 years ago in December 1989. In addition to the upcoming Accord Crosstour, the plant is the major production site in North America for the Honda CR-V and exclusively produces the Honda Element.
Honda's success at manufacturing quality products in Ohio set Honda's course to add more production in North America to meet increasing customer demand for Honda products. Utilizing its production systems and the skills of its associates to adjust quickly to changing market conditions, Honda's North American plants manufacture more than 80% of the passenger cars and light trucks that the company sells in America.
Earlier this year, Honda marked the 50th anniversary of doing business in America, keyed to the June 11, 1959 establishment of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. Today, Honda operates nine major manufacturing facilities in America, working with 545 U.S. parts and material suppliers to produce more than 3 million products each year, including Honda and Acura automobiles, Honda all-terrain vehicles, general purpose engines and power equipment products. The company has two additional plants under construction in North Carolina, for the production of the HondaJet advanced light jet and GE Honda turbofan jet engines.
More photos of the Honda Accord Crosstour are available in hi-res at this www.hondanews.com link: 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour
Honda of America Mfg.'s media Press Room contains company information and hi-res photos at: www.ohio.honda.com (http://www.ohio.honda.com)
Posted on 11 Sep 2009 by sbiddinger

[tokyodream]

Honda joins Mitsubishi, GM in cutting production output !

http://www.canada.com/entertainment/books/Honda+joins+Mitsubishi+cutting+production+output/1222927/story.html?id=1222927 (http://www.canada.com/entertainment/books/Honda+joins+Mitsubishi+cutting+production+output/1222927/story.html?id=1222927)

Honda Motor Co. said Tuesday it will cut output further than previously planned in Canada, the United States and Japan as demand for new cars and trucks continues to shrink worldwide.
In its second production cut in two weeks, Honda said it would cut its domestic production by another 21,000 vehicles and its North American output by an additional 29,000 vehicles. The company’s assembly facility in Allison, Ont., is among its facilities affected.
The automaker will trim production at Alliston by 9,000 vehicles through the end of March, said company spokesman Richard Jacobs.
One assembly line at the facility will go from two daily work shifts to one, he said. Output of Civic and Acura MDX models made on the line will be halved from 800 units a day to 400 units. Honda will also take four non-production Fridays in February, Mr. Jacobs said.
The workers affected will not be laid off but reassigned to another assembly line or to the neighbouring engine plant, Mr. Jacobs said. "It’s kind of readjusting everything," Mr. Jacobs said. "We’re going to have to see how the market is by the time we get into March."
The adjustment cuts its planned manufacturing output in North America to 1.26 million units for its fiscal year ending in March, a 12% decrease from a year ago. It cuts its output in Japan to 1.15 million units, also a 12% drop.
Japanese automakers are being hit by slowing sales at a time when the yen is getting stronger versus many currencies, making it more expensive to sell cars overseas they build in Japan. Toyota Motor Corp. has predicted it will post its first operating loss in 70 years this year. Honda, which last year pulled out of Formula One racing as a way to save money, expects to update its own earnings forecast on Friday.
Mitsubishi Motor Corp., another Japanese-based automaker, said on Tuesday it will suspend production at its Illinois assembly plant for another five weeks this year on top of the 12 weeks shutdown already planned. On Monday, General Motors Corp. said it would initiate further output reductions at factories in Canada and the United States and cut 2,000 U.S. jobs.
Analysts expect new-vehicle sales in the United States this year to be about 10 million, the lowest level since the early 1980s.
Just over 2 million passenger vehicles and heavy trucks were built in Canada last year, a 19% drop from the previous year.
That number will drop to 1.66 million this year, according to a forecast by DesRosiers Automotive Consultants.
© Copyright (c) National Post

http://a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465/1d/www.canada.com/entertainment/books/honda+joins+mitsubishi+cutting+production+output/1222927/1222932.bin (http://javascript<b></b>:void(0);)

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Honda, Toyota and Nissan To Offer New Models in 2011: 'Year of the Minivan' !


Minivans (http://www.chevytruckreviews.com/category/vans,new) are much like the late, great Rodney Dangerfield: They get no respect. [/url] and crossover buyers shun them.
View this photo gallery of minivan goodness below this post (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GmSd7jk1yM).
Automotive News writer, John Teahen, Jr. recently had this to say (http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090828/ANA05/908279972&AssignSessionID=173327311770053) about minivans,
"Minivans (http://www.benzconnection.com/category/vans,new) had their day, but that day is gone. Soccer moms loved them; they don't anymore. Chrysler (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/chrysler) and Dodge (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/dodge), the progenitors of the class, still sell a lot of minivans (http://www.nissanreports.com/category/vans,new); so do Honda (http://www.allsmallcars.com/make/honda,new) and Toyota (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/toyota).
For other brands, I suggest: If you're in it, get out. If you're not in it, stay out."
Manufacturers would probably be well advised to listen to those words. However, there are still well over 500,000 minivans (http://www.fordreports.com/category/vans,new) to be sold annually and somebody has to make them. Honda (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda) and Toyota (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/toyota) have recently elongated their refresh cycles on their minivans (http://www.allminivans.com/category/vans,new) and Nissan (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/nissan) is moving its minivan production from the USA back to Japan. All of this creates a perfect storm where three different manufacturers are releasing new models in the same model year, 2011.
I have already touched on the 2011 Toyota Sienna (http://www.toyotamonitor.com/overview/toyota_sienna_2008) in a recent article about Toyota's future products (http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-10697-SF-Autos-Examiner%7Ey2009m8d29-Toyota-future-cars-and-product-plans-What-is-ahead-for-the-brand). I won't repeat myself here, but I will add that some people believe that the 2011 Sienna will steal styling queues from the F3R Concept (http://www.toyota.com/concept-vehicles/f3r.html) shown above. You can look at these spy photos of the 2011 Toyota Sienna and judge for yourself (http://www.leftlanenews.com/toyota-sienna-2011.html). There might be some influence in the front clip but overall it appears to be "steady as she goes" for Toyota (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/toyota). Look for techie toys like wide-view side monitor found on the 2010 Lexus (http://www.luxurycarreport.com/make/lexus,new) RX and other active safety features. As anyone in the industry knows, minivan buyers eat up safety features like candy!
Less is known about the 2011 Honda Odyssey (http://www.hondareports.com/overview/honda_odyssey_2008). It was going to have a diesel (http://www.audireports.com/category/green,new) engine as an option but then Honda (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda) chickened out. The 2011 Odyssey will probably offer a hybrid (http://www.lexusreports.com/category/hybrid,new) system just like the next generation Sienna undoubtedly will. You can see some spy photos of the 2011 Honda Odyssey (http://blogs.edmunds.com/straightline/2009/08/spy-photos-2011-honda-odyssey-caught-night-testing-in-death-valley.html), but just like my prom night, you aren't going to see much. All manufacturers are headed towards six speed automatics. Better fuel economy to be sure, but not a thrill ride feature. Hopefully Honda (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda) does right by us and creates a shapely design. The current Honda Odyssey took on whale like styling (http://www.thecarconnection.com/fullreview/honda_odyssey_2009) that was a step backwards from the crisp lines of the previous generation Odyssey. I never grew to appreciate the blobby van and am looking forward to putting it behind us.
That brings us to the 2011 Nissan (http://www.familycarguide.com/make/nissan,new) Quest, the biggest question mark out there in the minivan universe. Nissan (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/nissan) swung for the fences with the current Quest and you could hear that whiff for miles. The Quest's centrally located instrument panel (http://www.nissanhelp.com/Models/2005/quest/092004questshowcar.jpg) freaked out buyers and Nissan beat a hasty retreat (http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb6674/is_200501/ai_n26627169/). That was unfortunate because I gave big props to Nissan (http://www.greencarreports.com/make/nissan,new) for taking a chance. Rather than leaving the game like Ford (http://www.motorauthority.com/make/ford,new) and General Motors, Nissan (http://www.allcarselectric.com/make/nissan,new) has decided to once again swing for the fences. Good for them! Nissan (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/nissan) teased audiences with the Forum concept awhile ago and if that is anywhere near what the 2011 Nissan (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/nissan) Quest is like, then I want in! The next Quest will be built in Japan and share mechanicals with the Japanese domestic market Elgrand (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissan_Elgrand#E51_.22Second_Generation.22_Elgrand _2002_.7E_present). Hopefully the styling will be dramatically changed!
Source: Information for this report comes from previous reports by this author and information from Automotive News.
Follow the author on twitter (http://twitter.com/rwcmick)

[URL]http://www.familycarguide.com/blog/1035125_honda-toyota-and-nissan-to-offer-new-models-in-2011-year-of-the-minivan (http://www.familycarguide.com/blog/1035125_honda-toyota-and-nissan-to-offer-new-models-in-2011-year-of-the-minivan)

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Road Test: 2009 Acura CSX Technology!


Affordable Luxury !


http://www.canada.com/news/story.html?id=1960476 (http://www.canada.com/news/story.html?id=1960476)

I have seldom had trouble with the concept of paying a premium price for a compact-sized or smaller car as long as I thought there was inherent value in that product. The Mini Cooper and its superior handling and giant-killer sportiness is a prime example of good things from small packages -- it's a car that will always appeal to my long-standing love of performance. Volkswagen's GTI comes a close second. But, as I become further entrenched in my middle age, I also appreciate being pampered. And this is where Acura's CSX comes in.
Now, the last time I drove the built-in-Canada CSX, it was the sportier, topline Type-S, replete with its high-revving, 197-horsepower, 2.0-litre four-cylinder and close-ratio six-speed manual transmission (the same powertrain as in the Honda Civic Si, which is only natural as the CSX is essentially a tarted-up, more powerful Civic sedan). While the Type-S and its combination of zippiness and amenities is most likely the model to which I would gravitate, not everyone is imbued with the Speed Racer gene. For these people, of whom my better half is one, the tamer base CSX is a reasonable and less expensive substitute.
At a starting price of $26,990, the CSX is the entry point to Honda's upscale brand. The biggest difference between the base model and the Type-S is found under the hood. In all but the Type-S, the 2.0L four puts out 155 hp at 6,000 rpm instead of 197 at 7,800, torque is the same at 139 pound-feet (although at 4,500 rpm instead of 6,100) and the engine's compression ratio is 9.6:1 instead of 11:1, which means it doesn't require premium octane. The manual transmission also loses one cog. While the obvious net result is less performance than with the Type-S, the CSX has more than enough jones to keep up with the flow, and it is more livable in day-to-day driving situations, with adequate power in the lower ranges to keep the engine from bogging while stuck in heavy traffic. Plus, even though the five-speed manual doesn't have the same snick-snick shift actuation of the close-ratio six-speed, it's still about as foolproof as they come. (A five-speed automatic costs an extra $1,300.)
Surprisingly, there's not that much difference in fuel economy between the two engines. I averaged 9.4 litres per 100 kilometres in the tester during a fairly even mix of highway and suburban driving, which was only 0.3 L/100 km better than in a Civic Si (same engine as in the Type-S, remember) I had driven several weeks earlier.
All CSXs are fitted with a four-wheel independent suspension. Only on the Type-S, though, is the suspension sport-tuned, meaning stiffer springs, firmer damping and more tightly controlled suspension movement with up-sized stabilizer bars at both ends. So, the handling is not quite as sharp in the base CSX as it is in the sportier sibling. It's still pretty good, though, with not too much roll. Plus, the ride is a little easier on the passengers, being firm enough to provide a sense of the road conditions without the penalty of harshness when the tarmac is in poor shape.

The tester was equipped with the $3,000 Technology package, a must-have for gadget freaks. It upgrades the audio system to a 160-watt unit with digital audio card reader, MP3/Windows Media Audio compatibility and XM satellite radio, adds a navigation system with bilingual voice recognition as well as a hands-free Bluetooth wireless mobile phone interface and includes high-intensity-discharge headlights.
Looking beyond the cabin's audio toys, there's plenty of room for six-footers up front (it's a tighter squeeze in the back row) and the heated, leather-clad seats are properly bolstered for both comfort and sport. As with the Civic, the CSX's most debatable feature in its spaceship-like cabin is its two-tier instrument panel, which positions the digital speedometer, fuel gauge and temperature gauge up high in the driver's field of vision. The lower houses a tachometer, multi-information digital display, odometer with trip meter and a variety of warning indicators. It's all very high-tech and I've generally found that the older the passenger is, the less he or she is enamoured with the setup. My preference would be for simpler gauges, but it's not a deal breaker for me.
As I said earlier, I prefer my cars with a sportier flair. Yet, as traffic congestion (and far stiffer penalties) limits the ability to get the proper measure of satisfaction out of such cars, I find myself taking greater comfort (literally) in the amenities offered. For its price, the CSX is a nice balance between affordable luxury for the masses and acceptable performance.
bharper@nationalpost.com---------

THE SPECS:

Type of vehicle Front-wheel-drive compact sports sedan
Engine 2.0L DOHC four-cylinder
Power 155 hp @ 6,000 rpm; 139 lb-ft of torque @ 4,500 rpm
Transmission Five-speed manual
Brakes Four-wheel disc with ABS
Tires P215/45R17
Price: base/as tested $29,990/same
Destination charge $1,350
Transport Canada fuel economy L/100 km 8.7 city, 6.4 hwy.

Standard features Automatic climate control with air filtration system, digital instrument panel, leather-wrapped steering wheel, leather-trimmed seats, heated front seats, power windows, door locks and mirrors, power sunroof, steering wheel-mounted audio and cruise controls, tilt and telescopic steering column, premium AM/FM/CD audio system with digital audio card reader, MP3/ Windows Media Audio compatibility and XM satellite radio, speed-sensitive volume control, navigation system, fog lights, high-intensity-discharge headlights, exterior temperature indicator, tire pressure monitoring system
© Copyright (c) National Post

http://a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465/1d/www.canada.com/news/1963789.bin (http://javascript<b></b>:void(0);)


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The 15 hot cars to watch in 2010 !

http://www.freep.com/article/20090917/COL14/909170476/1015/BUSINESS01/The-15-hot-cars-to-watch-in-2010

Acura ZDX: Honda's luxury brand needs a hit, but its pricey new crossover faces challenges. "It's a bold move to make an untested vehicle like that a brand's flagship model," said Stephanie Brinley of consultant AutoPacific. Prices for the 300-horsepower V6 crossover with the sloping roof and hatchback will start at $50,000, according to Edmunds.com. "It's going to be a niche vehicle," said consultant Erich Merkle of Autoconomy.com. "You lose function and form with the low roofline."


..............................


Honda Accord Crosstour: Honda's alternative to Toyota's sleek Venza crossover wagon attempts to meld an Accord-style nose to a Civic-like tail. The styling could be polarizing, but the car's position as a roomy flagship to the popular Accord line should generate interest. Edmunds.com predicts prices will start at $31,500.

..............................






Contact MARK PHELAN: 313-222-6731 or at phelan@freepress.com (phelan@freepress.com).

[tokyodream]

Honda Indiana to produce Civics for export !


http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2009/09/21/daily4.html (http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2009/09/21/daily4.html)

Honda Motor Co. (http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/gen/Honda_Motor_Co._487340ABECC74C2C8F8B13B81DCB4C94.h tml)’s Greensburg, Ind., plant is beginning production of Honda Civic sedans for export, the company said Monday.
The Honda Manufacturing of Indiana plant’s Civics will be sold in Mexico and 22 Latin American and Caribbean countries, according to a news release.

“The United States remains the primary market for our Indiana-built Civics,” said Rick Schostek, vice president for Honda Manufacturing of Indiana. “Manufacturing products for export broadens the experiences of our associates, contributes positively to America’s and Indiana’s international trade, and shows our commitment to the continued growth and evolution of our business in Indiana."

The plant, opened in November 2008, produces the Civic sedan and the natural gas-powered Civic GX sedan. Engines for the cars are built at Honda’s plant in Anna, Ohio.
Japan-based Honda (NYSE: HMC) has 14 manufacturing plants in the United States, with two under construction in North Carolina.


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Honda To Export U.S.-Built 2010 Civic Sedan !


2010 Honda Civic Sedan

http://images.thecarconnection.com/sml/2010-honda-civic-sedan_100229480_s.jpg


Enlarge Photo (http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/image/100229480_2010-honda-civic-sedan)

The line between import and export has grown incredibly hazy over the last decade, with more "foreign" carmakers building cars and pickups (http://www.thecarconnection.com/style/pickups) here in the U.S., often with many U.S.-built parts, and "American" carmakers shipping factories to Canada, Mexico and Australia.
But get ready for the next step: Honda (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda) plans to build 2010 Civic Sedans (http://www.thecarconnection.com/style/sedans) in the U.S. for sale throughout North America, meaning for export to Mexico and Canada, primarily.
The decision helps to maintain production levels at the company's Greensburg, Indiana plant high enough to fully occupy a single shift. Previously, Civics produced at the Greensburg plant had only seen U.S. sale. The U.S. will remain the primary market for the Indiana-built Civics. Construction of the export-market Civics is already underway.
Honda (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda) is no stranger to exporting North American-built cars, however, with the Pilot, Accord coupe, Odyssey and Acura TL (http://www.thecarconnection.com/modelintro/acura_tl_2008) all seeing similar treatment.
The Honda Civic (http://www.thecarconnection.com/modelintro/honda_civic_2004) GX, which is runs on natural gas, is manufactured exclusively in the same Indiana plant.
For more on the Honda Civic (http://www.thecarconnection.com/modelintro/honda_civic_2004) Sedan, read our full review of the 2009 model (http://www.thecarconnection.com/modelintro/honda_civic-sdn_2009), or check out how it compares to its primary competition (http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1033869_compared-2010-kia-forte-vs-honda-civic-vs-ford-focus), including the Ford Focus (http://www.thecarconnection.com/modelintro/ford_focus_2008) and the new Kia Forte (http://www.thecarconnection.com/modelintro/kia_forte_2010).
[Honda]

2010 Honda Civic SedanEnlarge PhotoThe line between import and export has grown incredibly hazy over the last decade, with more "foreign" carmakers building cars and pickups here in the U.S., often with many U.S.-built parts, and "American" carmakers shipping factories to Canada, Mexico and Australia. But get ready for the next step: Honda plans to build 2010 Civic Sedans in the U.S. for sale throughout North America, meaning for export to Mexico and Canada, primarily. The decision helps to maintain production levels at the company's Greensburg, Indiana plant high enough to fully occupy a single shift. Previously, Civics produced at the Greensburg plant had only seen U.S. sale. The U.S. will remain the primary market for the Indiana-built Civics. Construction of the export-market Civics is already underway. Honda is no stranger to exporting North American-built cars, however, with the Pilot, Accord coupe, Odyssey and Acura TL all seeing similar treatment. The Honda Civic GX, which is runs on natural gas, is manufactured exclusively in the same Indiana plant. For more on the Honda Civic Sedan, read our full review of the 2009 model, or check out how it compares to its primary competition, including the Ford Focus and the new Kia Forte. [Honda]


http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1035541_honda-to-export-u-s--built-2010-civic-sedan (http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1035541_honda-to-export-u-s--built-2010-civic-sedan)

[tokyodream]

Honda Takes Course For International Civics !


http://www.greensburgdailynews.com/local/local_story_265123059.html (http://www.greensburgdailynews.com/local/local_story_265123059.html)

Joe Hornaday
Greensburg Daily News


Greensburg’s Honda Manufacturing of Indiana (HMIN) factory began mass production of Honda Civic Sedans in the city almost a year ago. On Monday, the Honda plant announced that the auto-maker would be producing the Honda Civic Sedans for sale in Mexico and exported to 22 Latin American and Caribbean nations and U.S. territories.
http://ads.cluster01.oasis.zmh.zope.net/oasis/oasisi.php?s=1017&w=300&h=250&t=_top (http://ads.cluster01.oasis.zmh.zope.net/oasis/oasis/oasisc.php?s=1017&w=300&h=250&t=_top)
The first Civics destined for export were shipped last week, according to Anita Sipes of Honda communications. Until now, the more than 50,000 Civics built at the Greensburg plant had been sold exclusively in the United States.
“We designed our Greensburg plant to be world class, and thanks to the spirit and quality work of our Indiana associates, we will soon be proving it around the globe,” Yuzo Uenohara, the president of Honda Manufacturing of Indiana (HMIN) LLC, explained.
The Greensburg plant was dedicated in Nov. 2008. The company’s associates work on all aspects of vehicle production, including metal stamping, plastic injection molding, painting, subassembly and final assembly. Engines for the Greensburg Civics are produced at Honda’s engine plant in nearby Anna, Ohio.
“The United States remains the primary market for our Indiana-built Civics,” Rick Schostek, Honda Manufacturing of Indiana vice president, said. “Manufacturing products for export broadens the experiences of our associates, contributes positively to America’s and Indiana’s international trade, and shows our commitment to the continued growth and evolution of our business in Indiana.”
Honda’s very first American auto production for export occurred in 1987 when the Marysville Auto Plant in Ohio built Honda Accords for shipment to Taiwan. Shipments to Japan followed the following year. Since the beginning of manufacturing operations in the United States 30 years ago, Honda has exported more than 3 million automobiles, light trucks, motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles and power products, according to the press release.
“We are proud of our Indiana workforce,” Schostek noted. “Our Greensburg plant has ramped up to full single-shift production, and now we have embarked on production for export. This is another step in our growth.”
In addition to Mexico, the Greensburg plant will build vehicles for sale throughout Latin America, the Caribbean and the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico, Guam and Saipan.
Earlier this year, Honda announced that the Greensburg plant had become the sole production source of the near-zero emissions, natural gas-powered Honda Civic GX Sedan.

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Honda Safety Institute Opens its Doors !

Honda’s Safety Institute is an international model center unique in Europe. With this, Honda dispose of 36 similar facilities around the world, concentrated especially in Asia and South America. However, for its expansion to the old continent Honda has chosen Santa Perpètua de Mogoda, in Barcelona, for the implantation of its first European centre for the training of riders.

The HIS disposes of modern facility that takes up a surface of 25,000m2, presided by a building equipped with different classrooms. For the practical lessons, there are three clearly differenced areas: an asphalted track for multiple uses, a section with different coefficients of friction for the braking practice, an off-road track and area for trial. In short, these facilities are designed to hold up to 15,000 attendants a year and have meant an inversion close to 4 million Euros.

The HIS will offer a practical and theoretical formation through the experimented instructors of Honda’s Driving School, an entity with more than 17 years of experience that accounts for more than 144,000 participants.

The established training program has a total of 7 courses to offer:



Special for kids: The best way to learn and have fun. The program of the course includes a strengthened theoretical and practical formation with the use of the Riding Simulator.
Road Safety: Basic initiation course for 50cc scooter riding and the development of responsible riding.
Validation of the B-A1 license: Course for car drivers that want to get initiated in 125cc scooter riding.
Basic Defensive Riding: Course for mid displacement motorcycle riders with little experience.
Medium Defensive Riding: Specialized course for medium to high displacement motorcycle riders with many years of experience that want to improve their riding technique.
Advanced Defensive Riding: Course designed for medium to high displacement motorcycle riders with many years experience that want to perfect their ability level through advanced riding techniques.
Professionals: Specific course for motorcycle professionals. The contents, as the duration of the course adapt to the necessities of each group.

The facility of the HIS, as well as its variety of activities, guarantees quality formation to all attendants. Also, it’s worth highlighting the price of participation, from 70 to 100 Euros, including use of the motorcycle and the complete rider’s equipment necessary to participate in the course with the highest protection.

In addition and as it has been since 1992, the HIS will continue to provide free formation in what regards Road Safety, as Montesa Honda S.A. subventions 100% of the cost of the participation of the students from High schools, including the transport to the HIS, and back to their high school.

The educational program of the HIS includes various formulas for the control of the motorcycle, highlighting the different activities in the off-road area, the trial track and the use of the Riding Simulators. In addition, with the aim to provide more pedagogical orientation to every course, all participants receive as a gift a Manual of Basic Riding Techniques in book and DVD format.

Honda Safety Program
Starting in 2004 with the signing of the European Chart of Safety on the Road, the Japanese multinational devotes a good part of its resources to the three basic pillars of Safety: Preventive, Active and Passive.

In the area of Preventive Safety, the manufacturer highlights the commercialization of the only motorcycle with a mass-produced airbag, the GL18000 Goldwing. In Active Safety, the 80% of the mass-produced motorcycles disposes of ABS Systems. In what concerns Preventive Safety, the manufacturer has developed its own Motorcycle Riding Simulator. And still it continues its investigation in intercommunication systems (ASV) and designed technologies to favour the visibility of vehicles.

Riders training starts in 1970, when Honda Motor Co Ltd. created its own department of Road Safety promotion. In 1992, Montesa Honda started its own training program with the creation of Hondas Riding School (HEC), an entity that in the last years completes its activities with Honda by Zk School.

The creation of the HIS reinforces all Montesa Honda’s effort in the area of Preventive Safety, specifically in the training area, representing an important social contribution to the riders collective.

http://londonbikers.com/news/12379/honda-safety-institute-opens-its-doors

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Road Test: 2009 Honda Civic Coupe !

Firm suspension and good ride quality

Bob Mchugh, The Province

Published: Thursday, September 24, 2009

The eighth-generation Honda Civic has been a phenomenal success. Introduced as a 2006 model and built in Canada, it was the Canadian Car of the Year (2006) and has been the top-selling car both here and the US. Sold as both a four-door sedan and two-door coupe, it received a minor redesign and interior refit for the 2009 model year.

More than 1.2 million have been sold in Canada since 1973, and many of those were undoubtedly repeat Civic owners.
If Honda sticks to its normal five-year generation cycle, the current Civic is heading into its final year (2010) of production. And you can be sure that Honda is already doing final grooming a ninth-generation Civic somewhere, behind closed doors.
In addition to a proven track record for great reliability and resale value retention, the forward-thinking contemporary styling of the current Civic still looks fresh and edgy. That's especially true for the Civic Coupe, the subject of this review.
The fresh face of the '09 Civic Coupe was made possible with a new bumper, grille and headlights. The Coupe comes in six trim levels and the up-level models come with new alloy wheel designs.
The base trim Coupe is the LX, with a great start price of just $17,190. Moving up the trim levels, there's DX-A ($18,490), DX-G ($19,780), LX ($21,580), my test coupe the EX-L ($23,780) and the top line Si ($26,680).
All except the Si come with the same 1.8-litre, 16-valve, SOHC, i-VTEC engine. It can produce 140 horsepower and helps the Civic Coupe achieve ultra-low-emission vehicle status.
Fuel economy is excellent -- with the manual transmission it achieves a 7.4/5.4 L/100km city/highway rating on regular fuel.
Performance features of Civic Coupe Si include a two-litre i-VTEC, 197 horsepower engine, a sport-tuned suspension system, a close-ratio, six-speed manual transmission (no auto option), a limited-slip differential, four-wheel-disc brakes and sport seats.
My test EX-L came with the optional five-speed automatic transmission. A grade-logic feature in this transmission downshifts it on an incline to provide engine braking.
The EX-L trim adds most of what you get in the Si, including leather upholstery, a 350-watt sound system, steering wheel controls, a power moon roof and (my favourite) electronic-stability control - without the performance upgrades.
The Looks
Not sure why a car with two doors almost always looks better than a car with four, but it does. Civic Coupe certainly follows that rule as it's an attractive aerodynamic design with a nice profile and rounded clean lines.
It doesn't share any body panels with Civic Sedan. The Coupe's cab-forward design is lower and it has a more steeply raked windshield. Short front and rear body overhangs, a wide stance and a more radical slop on the trunk gives it a dramatically different look.
The Inside
There's a price to pay for that shapely coupe styling on the inside. The rear seat head and leg room is limited, if you're above average height.
Getting in and out of the rear seat also involves some extra dexterity, but a single-lever release feature on the front passenger seat makes this task much easier.


http://a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465/1d/autos.canada.com/news/2024888.bin?size=hhl


My test Civic Coupe came with a tilt and telescoping steering column, a manually adjustable-height seat cushion and an adjustable centre armrest.

All this helped to make a comfortable driving position easy to find. The rear seats also had a 60/40 split fold-down feature.
The two-tier instrument panel is a clever idea that places important gauges (fuel/engine temperature and speed) above the steering wheel and a little farther away, to make it easier for your eyes to scan back and forth from the road ahead. The speedometer is a digital readout that can be switched from kilometres to miles at the press of a switch, which is very handy when travelling in the U.S.
Trunk space in the Civic Coupe (at 327 litres) is decent, yet less than the sedan, which offers 340.
Safety
The Civic Coupe comes with standard side-impact airbags and other good safety features, but it didn't do as well as the Civic sedan in side impact tests performed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Vehicle Stability Assist, which is Honda's name for electronic-
stability control, is standard on the EX-L and Si versions of the Coupe, but not on the other trim levels.
The Drive
A shorter wheelbase gives the Civic Coupe more agile handling characteristics than the sedan. It also benefits from a tight, rigid chassis and a double-wishbone rear suspension, which is unusual in a car at this price point.
Cars in this class are built with a close eye on costs, but Honda is a master at injecting fun and performance into everything it builds. The 1.8-litre engine is a willing worker that revs freely and offers a nice blend of both performance and fuel economy. A driver's car with a firm suspension that still offers good ride quality, the Civic Coupe has a solid and planted feel on the highway, for a small car.
Like all front-drive vehicles, there's a degree of under-steer when pushed into corners, but it's controlled better than most and the stability-control system helps out.
Driver vision is particularly good and the extra large windshield has unique overlapping wipers with outboard pivots near the base to the A-pillars. They do a particularly good job of clearing water off almost all of the glass area -- a bonus in the rain capital of Canada.
The Score
Attractively styled and fun to drive, the Honda Civic Coupe also offers excellent fuel economy and great reliability at a reasonable price.
2009 Honda Civic Coupe
Trim levels: DX, DX-A, DX-G, LX, EX-L and Si.
Sticker price: $17,190 to $26,680,
Power: 1.8-litre, I4, 140-horsepower; two-litre, I4, 197-horsepower.
Transmission: Five- and six-speed manuals and five-speed auto.
Fuel consumption: 1.8L/manual, 7.4/5.4 L/100 km (city/highway); 1.8L/auto, 8.2/5.7 L/100 km (city/highway).
Basic warranty: Three years/60,000 km.
Powertrain warranty: Five years/100,000 km.
Rust warranty: Five years/unlimited km.
The Competition
Chevrolet Cobalt: $15,495-$27,995.
Ford Focus Coupe: $17,999-$20,199.
Kia Koup: $18,495-$22,695.
Mini Cooper: $22,800-$38,390.
Volkswagen New Beetle: $24,175-$25,515.
Volvo C30: $27,695-$42,195.
On the web:
Consumer site: www.honda.ca
The Province: www.driving.ca (http://www.driving.ca)

http://a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465/1d/autos.canada.com/news/2024887.bin?size=hhl


http://autos.canada.com/news/story.html?id=2024810&p=2

[Ionut R.]

Ia vedeti ce jucarie pregatesc baietii de la Honda:
YouTube - Honda Develops New Personal Mobility Device: U3-X (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCSQPnGkt78)

[aleksey]

asta poate persoane handicapate ....
restul cred ca stim sa mergem

[tokyodream]

mutat aici !

American Honda Recognizes RR Donnelley as a Top Supplier with Premier Partner Award !



http://www.pr-inside.com/american-honda-recognizes-rr-donnelley-as-r1499563.htm

R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company (NASDAQ:RRD) announced today that American Honda Motor Co., Inc. President and CEO Tetsuo Iwamura presented the company’s Premier Partner Award to RR Donnelley for excellence in providing American Honda with a wide variety of labels that are used in its production processes as well as the Monroney labels that are displayed on all Honda and
Acura vehicles sold in the United States. Monroney labels show consumers the manufacturer’s base price, standard equipment and other important information. RR Donnelley also supplies Monroney labels to the vehicle maker’s operations in Canada and Mexico. RR Donnelley was one of 15 award recipients selected from 46 suppliers nominated by American Honda associates nationwide.

“We are very proud and deeply honored to be recognized with this elite award,” said John Paloian, RR Donnelley’s Chief Operating Officer.

“American Honda has given us the opportunity to work collaboratively with them to provide important products and services for more than 15 years. Our sales, customer service, manufacturing and administrative teams work hard every day to continue earning American Honda’s trust.”


The Premier Partner Awards were established in 1998 to recognize suppliers who embrace American Honda’s philosophy of exceeding customer expectations. This year’s award winners represent excellence in a variety of industries including logistics, printing, marketing, consulting, training and much more.

“Today we acknowledge an outstanding group of suppliers who exemplify Honda’s philosophy of delivering the highest possible value to our customers through quality products and customer service,” said Gary Kessler, American Honda’s Senior Vice President of Human Resources, Administration and Corporate Affairs. “While our industry faces incredible challenges, we appreciate the commitment from these dedicated organizations and thank them for their contribution to Honda’s success.”


About Honda

This year marks the 50 th anniversary of the establishment in 1959 of American Honda Motor Co., Inc., Honda's first overseas subsidiary. Honda began U.S. motorcycle production in Ohio in 1979, and U.S. automobile production in 1982. The company has invested more than $10.6 billion in its North America operations, including 16 major manufacturing facilities employing more than 34,000 associates, to produce Honda and Acura automobiles, motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, personal watercraft, lawn mowers, general-purpose engines, and other power equipment products.


About RR Donnelley

RR Donnelley (NASDAQ: RRD) is a global provider of integrated communications. Founded more than 144 years ago, the company works collaboratively with more than 60,000 customers worldwide to develop custom communications solutions that reduce costs, enhance ROI and ensure compliance. Drawing on a range of proprietary and commercially available digital and conventional technologies deployed across four continents, the company employs a suite of leading Internet based capabilities and other resources to provide premedia, printing, logistics and business process outsourcing services to leading clients in virtually every private and public sector.

For more information, and for RR Donnelley's Corporate Social Responsibility Report, visit the company's web site at www.rrdonnelley.com (http://www.rrdonnelley.com/) : http://www.pr-inside.com/images/icons/link.gif (http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rrdonnelley.com&esheet=6059266&lan=en_US&anchor=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rrdonnelley.com&index=1) .



Use of Forward-Looking Statements

This news release may contain "forward-looking statements" as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements and any such forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by reference to the following cautionary statements. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this news release and are based on current expectations and involve a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking statements. Readers are strongly encouraged to read the full cautionary statements contained in RR Donnelley's filings with the SEC. RR Donnelley disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements.



R.R. Donnelley & Sons CompanyMedia Contact:Doug

Fitzgerald, Executive Vice President CommunicationsTel:

630-322-6830E-mail: doug.fitzgerald@rrd.com (doug.fitzgerald@rrd.com) : mailto:doug.fitzgerald@rrd.com orInvestor
Contact:Dave Gardella, Vice President Investor RelationsTel:

312-326-8155E-mail: david.a.gardella@rrd.com (david.a.gardella@rrd.com) : mailto:david.a.gardella@rrd.com (david.a.gardella@rrd.com)

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Honda Insight + VW TDi = Insight 1G, With Video!

http://www.wired.com/autopia/2009/09/honda-insight-vw-tdi-insight-1g-with-video/

As you know, here at Autopia, we’re big fans of the engine swaps. And the more high tech or the crazier, the better. We’re not sure if this is either the techiest or the nuttiest, but some really well-meaning folks decided to take a 3-cylinder Volkswagen TDi mill and drop it into an first–gen Honda Insight and still use the hybrid drivetrain. And the mileage numbers are very impressive.

Putting a new Mercedes diesel (http://www.wired.com/autopia/2009/09/mercedes-diesel-swap/) into an old chassis, a Power-Stroke Ford into a Checker Marathon (http://www.wired.com/autopia/2009/09/cool-eco-conversions/) or a even giving a first-generation Rabbit a serious upgrade (http://www.wired.com/autopia/2009/02/top-gear-plans/), we’ve always been interested in cool engine swaps. But doing an engine swap in an Insight and keeping the hybrid drive train just about pegged our nerd-meter.
Honda’s first Insight (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Insight) was the first hybrid car sold in North America. Greenies were all over the thing, and to be sure it was, and even by today’s standards, still is a technological marvel. But any technology could be improved, even something as groundbreaking as the Insight.
Or at least that’s what the folks at Red Light Racing (http://www.redlightracing.org/) started to ponder. So if you could improve the Insight, what would you do? Well, the most obvious answer is take out the gasoline-burning engine and drop in a more efficient diesel. For some reason, the Red Light folks thought that the best oil-burning mill to drop in would be Volkswagen’s TDi 3-cylinder from the Euro-only Lupo.
This is a lot more complicated than swapping out a Civic motor for a new Integra mill.
First on Red Light Racing’s to-do list was dump the old 1.0-liter, 70-hp gasoline engine and replace it with an oil-burning 1.2-liter PD TDi from a Volkswagen Lupo. Next on the list is to hook the TDi up to the hybrid drivetrain. Before they did that, they ran the Insight 1G on just the VW engine. Bottom line: 80 mpg, which is up considerably from the original’s 53 mpg. When then hybrid portion of things is hooked up and fully sorted, they are expecting further gains of around 15 to 20 percent.
Just as easy as changing a light bulb? Far from it. Red Light Racing had to chase down issues from bracketry to emissions systems to ECU problems. The last time we saw someone hassling with a car this much, it was made by British Leyland in the mid-’70s.
In a recent interview with AutoblogGreen (http://green.autoblog.com/2009/09/05/insight-1g-first-gen-honda-insight-with-diesel-upgrade-gets-80/), Red Light Racing’s lead engineer Jake Staub said, “The main idea was to take existing hardware, hack it, and make a vehicle that could be produced by major manufacturers or individuals that would deliver tremendous fuel economy without a tremendous leap in technology. I believe we succeeded.”
Someone from a major manufacturer should hire every one of these people.

Check out Red Light Racing’s video of the car:

YouTube - VW 1.2L TDI Powered Honda Insight (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgELfyYsxyM&feature=player_embedded)

[tokyodream]

Honda Wins 2009 Grove Medal !



Honda Motor Co. has won the prestigious Grove Medal at the 11th annual Grove Fuel Cell Symposium in London for its FCX Clarity hydrogen powered car.
“Honda’s commitment to fuel cells has been evident for a long time,” said the Grove Symposium Steering Committee which includes leading international fuel cell researchers,energy and climate change experts from the U.K. and U.S.
“The FCX Clarity shows not only scientific breakthrough but also styling that has captured the public imagination, and Honda’s move to small-scale automated production marks a watershed in the introduction of fuel cell vehicles. The Grove Committee was unanimous in its choice and is delighted to present this year’s medal to Honda,” they added.
The award was accepted by Yuji Kawaguchi, Managing Director of Honda R&D Ltd, who said, “We are honoured to accept this medal. At Honda we believe that the automobile holds the potential for limitless dreams and excitement in the future. The FCX Clarity represents the beginning of that future. We hope you will continue to look to Honda with anticipation and we will continue to strive to become a company that society wants to exist.”
Earlier this year, the Honda FCX Clarity was named the 2009 World Green Car by 59 judges from 25 countries at the Jacob Javits Centre in New York.


Honda’s FCX Clarity features an electric motor powered by hydrogen, making it emissions-free. It is currently available in both the U.S and Japan on a limited lease basis.
Named after the inventor of the fuel cell, Sir William Grove, the Symposium is a major international conference focussing on the very latest developments, issues and business aspects of renewable energy. Core themes of the 2009 Symposium included ‘Hydrogen and Fuel Technology’, ‘Vehicles’ and ‘Electricity Generation and Transmission’.
The 11th Grove Symposium is being held in London between 22 and 24 September 2009.


http://autoweb.com.au/cms/A_111668/newsarticle.html (http://autoweb.com.au/cms/A_111668/newsarticle.html)

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Honda Announces Overview of Display for the 41st Tokyo Motor Show 2009 !


http://www.inautonews.com/honda-announces-overview-of-display-for-the-41st-tokyo-motor-show-2009 (http://www.inautonews.com/honda-announces-overview-of-display-for-the-41st-tokyo-motor-show-2009)

Covering the largest floor area of any single brand at the show, Honda booth combines automobiles, motorcycles, power products and other highlights to present the distinctive world of Honda mobility.
Honda’s automobile exhibit will present a variety of environmentally responsible approaches to mobility, including hybrid vehicles, a fuel cell electric vehicle and a battery electric vehicle. The display will also highlight models with innovative packaging and enhanced driving performance that communicate the enjoyment an automobile can provide.
With the motorcycle display, Honda proposes products which are filled with creativity and dreams and create new value to further broaden the potential of motorcycles. The motorcycles on display range from large-displacement sports bikes that offer new riding pleasure to compact commuter models powered by electricity.
Also on display are butane gas canister-powered power products, as well as a new personal mobility device which was developed based on the concept of “harmony with people.”
The special display zone named “HELLO!” (Honda Electric mobility Loop) will feature a comprehensive display of electricity-based products, including products that supply electricity, vehicles that run on electricity and products with innovative electronic technologies.
The HELLO!(Honda Electric mobility Loop)
Zone will provide a comprehensive display of Honda’s electromotive technologies, including automobiles, motorcycles, power products, and more - everything from products that supply electricity to products that incorporate electronic technologies. By linking solar panels that supply electricity with battery electric vehicles that emit zero CO2 in use, Honda envisions the low-carbon society of the near future. In addition, each HELLO! vehicle features interactive communication technologies that showcase the fun ways in which mobility devices can interact with people and society. On display will be the FCX CLARITY, a fuel cell electric vehicle that runs on the electricity it produces from hydrogen; the EV-N battery electric vehicle; the EV-Cub electric motorcycle; the EV-MONPAL electric personal mobility device; the new U3-X, a one-wheel personal mobility device that uses balance control technology that was developed through the ASIMO bipedal humanoid robot; and LOOP, a portable communication tool that allows people and mobility devices to communicate with each other.
The automobile display will focus on hybrid vehicles, which Honda believes offer one of the most practical means of addressing environmental concerns at the present time. Joining the Insight, which has been very well received since its release in Japan in February 2009, will be the CR-Z Concept 2009, a hybrid with a new sense and feel, making its world premiere, and the SKYDECK, an innovative six-passenger, multi-purpose hybrid vehicle. Other models on display are the all-new STEP WGN and STEP WGN SPADA (both scheduled for introduction in Japan in October 2009), which feature innovative packaging to expand the joy of using automobiles, and the all-new CIVIC TYPE R EURO (scheduled for introduction in Japan in November 2009), which captures the joy of driving, discovered and refined on European roads.

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AVETI LISTA DE PREMIERE in articol !!!




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Tdi Plc Launches Full Mugen Aftermarket Product Range For Honda Civic Type R FN2; Visual Enhancements First Release !


http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2009/09/30/479625.html (http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2009/09/30/479625.html)

THURROCK, UNITED KINGDOM - September 29, 2009: Principal Mugen stockist and leading Japanese tuning house Torque Developments International Plc is pleased to announce that the full range of Honda Civic Type R FN2 upgrades are now available for the performance aftermarket.
Covering engine, chassis, braking and visual enhancements, the Mugen Civic Type R FN2 product range has been subject OEM style levels of arduous design, testing and quality control tests, ensuring that the Mugen FN2 product portfolio offers enthusiasts the ultimate in performance and reliability.
First launch from the Mugen range are FN2 the front and visual enhancements seen adorning the critically acclaimed Civic Type R Mugen concept. Lightweight, high quality and distinctive, the Mugen FN2 body styling provides a unique look, designed for the Honda connoisseur.

http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2009/09/30/479625.1.jpg (http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2009/09/30/479625.1-lg.jpg)


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[tokyodream]

Acura partner Wirth working on new sports car !


http://www.autoweek.com/article/20091001/ALMS/910019995 (http://www.autoweek.com/article/20091001/ALMS/910019995)


The company behind Acura's successful Le Mans prototypes of the past three seasons is working on a next-generation sports car.
British-based Wirth Research revealed that it is forging ahead with a new car built to the forthcoming 2011 rulebook, even though Acura still looks certain to call time on its factory LMP1 program at the end of the season. Company boss Nick Wirth explained that the new design could be an Acura or carry the badges of another manufacturer.
“We are waiting to hear Acura's plans for next year, but we are not standing still,” he explained. “We want to be in sports-car racing and are already working on a project for 2011. We can't let all the knowledge we have gained over the past few years go to waste.”
Wirth said he hopes to “remain with Acura and Honda,” but revealed that his company is “in dialogue with other manufacturers.” He said that Wirth Research is unlikely to focus on building customer cars.
The company, based near Silverstone, England, has no fears about remaining in sports-car racing while at the same time having a technical partnership with the new Manor Grand Prix squad in Formula One.
“Our engineering staff has doubled to 105 this year,” said Wirth. “We have the capacity to do sports cars as well as F1, and our F1 partner understands that.”

Wirth Research expects that its Acura-badged ARX-01b LMP2 cars will race in the hands of customers next year. No date has been set for an announcement on the Acura LMP1 program's future. To read more visit the AutoWeek ALMS racing news and reports (http://www.autoweek.com/section/ALMS) section.



This article was last updated on: 10/01/09, 10:26 et

http://www.autoweek.com/storyimage/CW/20091001/ALMS/910019995/Nick-Wirth.jpg?ref=AR&maxw=340

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http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2232347/get_the_facts_on_stolen_vehicles_in.html (http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2232347/get_the_facts_on_stolen_vehicles_in.html)




The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) is a great resource for car buyers. This not-for-profit organization partners with law enforcement and insurers to prevent insurance fraud and crime. Each year the NICB releases reports that outline the vehicles stolen most often and the
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locations with the highest rate of stolen vehicles for the previous year. These reports, Hot Wheels and Hot Spots, are invaluable for consumers who may download them free of charge at the NICB website: www.nicb.org (http://www.nicb.org/).


According to the Hot Wheels report released in 2009, the most stolen vehicles in 2008 were:

1. 1994 Honda (http://www.associatedcontent.com/topic/607/honda.html) Accord

2. 1995 Honda (http://www.associatedcontent.com/topic/607/honda.html) Civic

3. 1989 Toyota Camry (http://www.associatedcontent.com/topic/92359/toyota_camry.html)

4. 1997 Ford F-150 Pickup

5. 2004 Dodge Ram Pickup

6. 2000 Dodge Caravan

7. 1996 Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee

8. 1994 Acura Integra

9. 1999 Ford Taurus

10. 2002 Ford Explorer

Check the full report for a state-by-state look at the stolen vehicle statistics. The encouraging news is that 2008 was the fifth consecutive year in which thefts declined. In fact, the numbers indicate fewer than one million vehicles were stolen, a 20 year low.

From the Hot Spots report released in 2009, consumers can find 2008 stolen vehicle rates for any area of the country.

The 10 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA) with the highest vehicle theft rates were:


1. Modesto, CA

2. Laredo, TX

3. Yakima, WA

4. San Diego/Carlsbad/San Marcos, CA

5. Bakersfield, CA

6. Stockton, CA

7. Las Vegas/Paradise, NV

8. Albuquerque, NM

9. San Francisco/Oakland/Fremont, CA

10. Fresno, CA

The 10 MSAs with the lowest vehicle theft rates were:

1. Elmira, NY

2. State College, PA

3. Glens Falls, NY

4. Logan, UT/ID

5. Ithaca, NY

6. Cumberland, MD/WV

7. Johnstown, PA

8. Madison, WI

9. Holland/Grand Haven, MI

10. Fond du Lac, WI

California ranks number one in total thefts. In many areas that border Mexico, thefts rose as the stolen vehicles were used in illegal activities organized by drug cartels. The NCIB is working with US and Mexican authorities to recover these vehicles.

To deter the theft of your vehicle, the NCIB recommends adopting the following approach:

</U>Common Sense - including always removing the keys and securing the locks and windows. In addition, par in a well-lit area when possible.

Warning Devices - including audible alarms, steering column/steering wheel/brake/tire locks, VIN etching

Immobilizing Device - including smart keys, fuse cut-offs, kill switches, and
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disablers

Tracking Device - that sends a signal to police and/or the owner that allows the vehicle to be traced

For more details on the NCIB, stolen vehicle statistics, or preventive measures, please visit the NCIB website.

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American Honda Reports September Sales!


Date: October 01, 2009 14:28
Submitted by: Jeff
Source: Honda Press Release
Credibility Rating (http://www.vtec.net/news/credibility-rating): Not Specified

10/01/2009 - TORRANCE, Calif. -

American Honda Motor Co., Inc., posted total September vehicle sales of 77,229, a decline of 23.3 percent compared to September 2008, based on the daily selling rate*. Honda Division posted September sales of 69,970, a decline of 22.5 percent versus September 2008.

Honda total car sales decreased by 20.4 percent, to 41,982. Honda light-truck sales decreased 25.4 percent, to 27,988. Pilot sales increased 0.5 percent, to 5,438.

The Acura Division posted sales of 7,259, a decline of 30.3 percent compared to September 2008. The MDX was the brand's best-selling vehicle with 2,220 units sold.

*The daily selling rate is calculated with 25 days for September 2009 and 24 days for September 2008. The year-to-date daily selling rate is calculated with 229 days for 2009 and 230 days for 2008. All percentages reflect the daily selling rate.



http://sohc.vtec.net/news_files/855532/sep09sales.gif


http://www.vtec.net/news/news-item?news_item_id=855532 (http://www.vtec.net/news/news-item?news_item_id=855532)


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Si in CANADA pe septembrie:

http://www.desrosiers.ca/Monthly%20Updates/sales.pdf

[tokyodream]

Bayley House Sets Out on Odyssey !

http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2009/10/05/480182.html (http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2009/10/05/480182.html)

MELBOURNE – October 5, 2009: The Honda Foundation and Robert Lane Honda in Melbourne, have delivered the residents of Bayley House’s Lubrano Street accommodation with a new set of wheels – a Honda Odyssey.
The Odyssey will enable the residents at the supported accommodation home to travel in style to social activities, day programs, outings and other important appointments.
Chairman of The Honda Foundation, Mr. Lindsay Smalley said, “The Foundation is very pleased to offer this Odyssey for use by Bayley House. It will provide the residents of Lubrano Street with a stylish and comfortable vehicle to take them where ever they need to be.”
The Odyssey will be serviced by the fantastic staff at Robert Lane Honda, who are strong supporters of Bayley House. Sam Lane, General Manager of Robert Lane Honda said, “This is a fabulous program to be involved in. Bayley House does such a great job supporting people in our local area. It is wonderful for us to be able to give something back to the community and help Bayley House in this way.”
Ann Parry, Manager of Residential Services received the keys to the new Honda Odyssey. “We are very grateful to The Honda Foundation for recognising the needs of our residents. Our Lubrano Street house has been without a dedicated vehicle for a while now. At times, one of our fleet buses is available but mostly the guys had to travel in a staff member’s car or make their way around the community on public transport or by bike. This car will make an enormous difference to their ability to participate more in community based activities and give us time to seek funding to purchase a vehicle.”
Bayley House, based in the Melbourne suburb of Brighton, is a not-for-profit organisation that assists over 160 adults with an intellectual disability. Their services include day activity programs, prevocational workshop experience, after hours recreational and leisure activities as well as important accommodation services. Their focus is on teaching, developing and maintaining skills through participation in their great programs.
The Honda Foundation aims to provide assistance to local communities and foster goodwill between Honda Australia, Honda Motor Vehicle Dealers and the public. It draws funding from Honda Dealers and Honda Australia, who donate $15 ($5 and $10 respectively) for every Honda car sold.
For more information on The Honda Foundation and the organisations it supports, please visit www.hondafoundation.org.au (http://www.hondafoundation.org.au)

http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2009/10/05/480182.1.jpg (http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2009/10/05/480182.1-lg.jpg)

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Vehicle thefts down sharply; Tucson still prime ground !


http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/metro/311864.php (http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/metro/311864.php)

Auto theft continues to drop both nationally and in Arizona, recent FBI figures show.
Arizona's vehicle theft rate fell 25 percent in 2008, more than twice the national decrease of 12.7 percent, according to the FBI's 2008 Uniform Crime Report.
As significant as that is, though, Arizona still remains a hotbed of vehicle thefts, with 37,218 vehicles stolen in 2008, according to the report.
Those thefts resulted in losses of more than $282 million last year, said the Arizona Automobile Theft Authority.

Contact reporter Brian J. Pedersen at 573-4224 or bjp@azstarnet.com

http://www.azstarnet.com/ss/2009/10/05/311864-1.jpg (http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/metro/311864.php#)

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Refining the Honda CR-V crossover !

http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/columnists/Refining_the_Honda_CR-V_crossover.html (http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/columnists/Refining_the_Honda_CR-V_crossover.html)

The best-selling compact crossover vehicle, the Honda (http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/org_detail.html?orgcode=487340ABECC74C2C8F8B13B81D CB4C94) CR-V, comes back for 2010 with some “refinements and upgrades,” the automaker says, including new features, more power and improved fuel economy.
One of the vehicles that created the crossover segment, the CR-V was introduced for 1997 — in answer to Toyota (http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/org_detail.html?orgcode=9EAC13B9BD87427DABA4180AAD 4D2991)'s rollout a year earlier of the similar RAV4.
Both were among the first wave of compact car-based utility vehicles, although not the first. Subaru (http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/org_detail.html?orgcode=E15602A6D1954DE78F231E2782 3B274A) came out with the Legacy Outback Wagon in 1995, which some contend was the first modern crossover utility vehicle.
Whoever gets the credit, the CR-V remains one of the most-popular models the genre has produced, and they're on the road everywhere. They're quite resilient vehicles, too. We have a 1997 model in our family and it's still going strong at nearly 13 years old.
For 2010, the CR-V gets a new front fascia, hood, grille and bumper, and a new rear bumper.
Ten-spoke alloy wheels are now standard on the CR-V EX and EX-L models, replacing the 2009 model's seven-spoke wheels.
Inside, some new technology is available, including a Bluetooth hands-free telephone link on models that have the navigation system.
Also new are such convenience features as automatic headlights and wider center armrests, standard on all models, Honda (http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/org_detail.html?orgcode=487340ABECC74C2C8F8B13B81D CB4C94) says. The center armrests are an inch wider for both the driver and front passenger.
The 2.4-liter inline four-cylinder engine now cranks out 180 horsepower, which is up 14 from the 2009 CR-V. Yet fuel economy has been slightly increased — up one mpg in both city and highway driving for all models.
New EPA (http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/org_detail.html?orgcode=2A2858D95A4D4B569EB39EDAFC D2B7F2) ratings are 21 city/28 highway on front-wheel-drive models, and 21/27 on those with Honda (http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/org_detail.html?orgcode=487340ABECC74C2C8F8B13B81D CB4C94)'s Real Time 4WD system.
The CR-V can seat up to five people rather comfortably, and there is a roomy 35.7 cubic feet of cargo space behind the second row of seats.
No third seat is offered, however, which puts the CR-V at a competitive disadvantage to the comparably sized RAV4 and Mitsubishi (http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/org_detail.html?orgcode=74A837D9F47E47818933A607EF 182F92) Outlander, both of which are available with seven-passenger seating.
The CR-V keeps the same exterior dimensions as before, with a 177.9 overall length and a 103.1-inch wheelbase.
Passenger volume remains at 103.8 cubic feet, which, when combined with the cargo space, gives the vehicle more space than the typical large sedan, Honda (http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/org_detail.html?orgcode=487340ABECC74C2C8F8B13B81D CB4C94) says.
Prices for 2010 range from $21,545 (plus $710 freight) for the base LX two-wheel-drive model to $29,745 for the EX-L model with navigation (the “L” stands for leather), which is the most fully equipped version. Honda (http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/org_detail.html?orgcode=487340ABECC74C2C8F8B13B81D CB4C94) does not have a separate list of options for its vehicles the way most other automakers do.
The vehicle gets new seat fabrics, interior door handles, steering-wheel trim, and gear shifter, as well as darker brown carpet in models with the ivory interior.
EX-L models with or without the navigation system now come with a USB connection for direct access to music from iPods, iPhones and other MP3 players.
The background for the Multi-Information Display is now blue instead of black, and there is a compass included on EX and EX-L models without the navigation system. On models with navigation, the Bluetooth information shows up on the display screen.
Cubbies abound in the car to help keep personal items out of sight when the vehicle is parked. A tray in the center console can keep cell phones and iPods accessible and secure when the vehicle is under way. The center console can hold even large handbags.
The rear seat has a 60/40 split-folding design to allow for expansion of the cargo area to a total of 72.9 cubic feet. There are two child safety seat tethers.
A dual rear cargo deck, included on uplevel models, can hold an item such as a stroller below, and can carry groceries above, keeping them separated and organized.
Among standard safety features are Honda (http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/org_detail.html?orgcode=487340ABECC74C2C8F8B13B81D CB4C94)'s Advanced Compatibility Engineering body structure; electronic stability control; roof-mounted side-curtain air bags for both rows of seats, with a rollover sensor; front seat-mounted side air bags; active front head restraints; anti-lock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution and brake assist; and a tire-pressure monitoring system.
Three trim levels are offered, and four-wheel drive is available at any level.
LX models come air conditioning with air-filtration system, keyless entry, tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel, cruise control, power windows with auto-up/down on the driver's side, power door and tailgate locks, AM/FM/CD audio system with four speakers, a fuel economy meter and 17-inch steel wheels.
Midlevel EX models also get a one-touch tilt power moon roof, chrome grille and rear license plate trim, rear privacy glass, security system, steering-wheel-mounted audio controls, the dual-deck cargo shelf, an audio system upgrade with six-disc in-dash CD changer and six speakers, exterior temperature indicator, vanity mirror lights, the digital compass, and 17-inch alloy wheels.
The EX-L version comes with leather seats and armrests, heated front seats, body-colored side mirrors and door handles, XM satellite radio, the USB audio interface, and the automatic headlights.
Optional is the Honda (http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/org_detail.html?orgcode=487340ABECC74C2C8F8B13B81D CB4C94) Navigation System with Voice Recognition and rearview camera, which also brings a premium audio system with seven speakers, including a subwoofer, the Bluetooth connection, and a six-disc CD changer in the center console replaces the one in the dash.
For 2010, exterior color choices include Opal Sage Metallic, Royal Blue Pearl, Taffeta White, Glacier Blue Metallic, Polished Metal Metallic, Alabaster Silver Metallic, Crystal Black Pearl, Tango Red Pearl and Urban Titanium Metallic.
Inside, the color choices include ivory, black and gray.
The automotive columns of G. Chambers Williams III appear Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Drive. Contact him at (210) 250-3236; chambers@express-news.net.
http://media.mysanantonio.com/images/215*140/20091004chambers2300.jpg

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Honda says U.S. sales of Pilot rise in September !


http://blog.al.com/businessnews/2009/10/honda_says_us_sales_of_pilot_r.html (http://blog.al.com/businessnews/2009/10/honda_says_us_sales_of_pilot_r.html)

By Jerry Underwood -- The Birmingham News (http://connect.al.com/user/junderwood/index.html)

October 01, 2009, 12:46PM

U.S. sales of the Alabama-built Honda (http://www.hondaalabama.com/)Pilot SUV rose 4.7 percent in September, while sales tumbled for the other models built at the Japanese automaker's Lincoln factory.


http://media.al.com/businessnews/photo/hpilotjpg-acb67a912a4a7b00_medium.jpg


A Pilot SUV rolls off the assembly line in Lincoln.
Honda said today that it sold 5,438 Pilots last month, up from 5,192 in September 2008.

Sales of the Odyssey minivan were 5,735 last month, a 46.8 percent drop from a year ago, while sales of the Ridgeline pickup fell 39.8 percent to 1,430.




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New Honda boss Takanobu Ito takes to his monocycle to put joy into Honda!

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/engineering/article6859990.ece (http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/engineering/article6859990.ece)#

It’s a tough time to take charge of a car company. The industry has yet to get back on its feet yet Takanobu Ito, who has taken the top job at Honda, doesn’t do doom and gloom.
He wants to talk about running the company according to the philosophy of joy, or rather three “joys” — the joy of buying, the joy of selling and the joy of creating.
It would sound crass in the mouth of most company executives, but Ito’s mantra — or rather that of the company founder, Soichiro Honda, who came up with the guiding principles 50 years ago — doesn’t seem out of place.
Honda has always had a maverick streak, itching to use its technical prowess to do more than make cars.
(http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/columnists/article6637526.ece)





Just before talking to The Sunday Times — his first big interview since taking over in June — he launched a bizarre product, the U3-X monocycle. Ito beamed as he rode the U3-X round for the TV cameras. “We invented it so we just wanted to show it.”
It’s not all sweetness and light at Honda, though. Its UK car plant at Swindon highlighted the recession when the company took the bold — and early — decision to close for four months. While it was idle, engineers rejigged the lines so it could make a smaller model, the Jazz, the first of which rolls off the assembly line on Wednesday.
Apart from making 3.5m cars, 14.5m motorcycles and 5m power products ranging from outboard motors to hedge cutters, Honda has a Fundamental Technology Research Centre, where 700 boffins work on everything from robots to jet aircraft.
Other companies wonder how Honda can justify the investment in blue-sky research. Ito said it is indispensable. “It is vital to encourage out-of-the-box thinking, to develop breakthrough ideas and to take a long-sighted view.”
While it is not clear that Asimo, Honda’s delightful humanoid robot, will find a place in the average household, Ito points to other long-term research projects that are now coming into use.
It has been working on aircraft for 20 years and in 2011 expects to have the six-passenger HondaJet in production in America, selling at a lower price and using less fuel than comparable executive jets.
It has also set up Honda Soltec to produce solar panels using a thin-film technology developed by its research department.
Although Honda has no intention of getting out of the car or motorcycle business, it believes that it should broaden its product offering to reflect changes in personal transportation.
Ito said: “Currently, carbon dioxide emissions are a critical global issue and our challenge is to meet ever-tightening CO2 regulations while enhancing the joy of personal mobility.
“Increasingly, the general public is supporting the public transport system and that is totally different from the personal mobility that we cherish. So there is a risk to our activities.”
Ito returns to Soichiro Honda’s guiding principles: “Our original corporate objective was to promote individual freedom.”
On the car side, it is extending hybrid technology throughout its range. The second-generation petrol-electric Insight, launched this year, has proved a great success and in its first month was the best-selling car in Japan.
Next will be the hybrid CR-Z sports coupé, to be unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show in three weeks time, followed by a hybrid version of the Jazz.
Hybrids, however, do not qualify as the “zero emission” vehicles that will be required by law in California and elsewhere. Honda’s answer to that is the FCX Clarity, a futuristic car with a fuel cell system that combines hydrogen fuel with oxygen from the air to make electricity.
The manufacturing cost of the Clarity, though, is very high — Honda has made only 20 — and the infrastructure to provide the hydrogen is not well enough developed to make this a near-term proposition for the everyday motorist.
One of the lessons that Ito has learnt from what the Japanese call the “Lehman Shock” is that to stay competitive each individual product must be profitable.
At Honda it used to be that the engineers at R&D designed the products and gave them to the sales department to sell. The result was a proliferation of models, only some of which were successful.
Now, like its rivals, Honda is rationalising its range, cutting the number of variants and making sure that new models are suitable for all markets.
Two years ago Honda had a plan to make 4.5m cars a year but growth is not top of Ito’s agenda. “For us, 3.5m is sufficient,” he said.
“We are very keen on the quality, performance and uniqueness of our products and if another company can share this vision and we have a good match we could be open to a joint venture.”
Since its co-operation with Rover 30 years ago, some engine swapping with General Motors in the 1990s and the joint ventures required to build cars in China, Honda has not made significant agreements with other car companies. The implication is clear. Nobody else does it the Honda Way.

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00623/Business_623013a.jpg

[tokyodream]

Brandul HONDA a urcat 2 locuri, pe 18:

http://www.interbrand.com/best_global_brands.aspx (http://www.interbrand.com/best_global_brands.aspx)#


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American Honda President/CEO to receive SCMBDC's Leadership Award !


http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/american-honda-presidentceo-to-receive-scmbdcs-leadership-award,984156.shtml (http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/american-honda-presidentceo-to-receive-scmbdcs-leadership-award,984156.shtml)

LOS ANGELES - (Business Wire) Tetsuo Iwamura, president and CEO of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. will receive Southern California Minority Business Development Council’s 2009 Leadership Award at its 25th Annual Leadership Award dinner on Friday, October 16.

The event will be held at The Beverly Hills Hotel, located at 9641 Sunset Blvd. The reception begins at 6:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 7:30 p.m.
The Leadership Award is given to an individual and/or corporation whose achievements and leadership in the business community have resulted in positive results for small and minority-owned businesses.
"American Honda has not only been a major supporter of supplier diversity through its programs and initiatives mentoring and sustaining the growth of minority- , women-owned and small businesses, but a long-time supporter of this council," according to SCMBDC President John W. Murray, Jr. "We greatly appreciate and value the company's 20-plus-year partnership, their leadership and guidance, and their many years of service on our board.
"Their commitment to supplier diversity and to the council has been nothing short of extraordinary. We are so pleased to honor Tetsuo Iwamura and American Honda in 2009 as the company commemorates its first 50 years in America," he adds.
“Our goal is to build a supply base that is representative of the people where we do business,” said Tetsuo Iwamura, president and CEO of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. “The key to success is not only awarding a contract to an outstanding minority supplier, but forming a true and respectful relationship for the long term.”
Mr. Iwamura has operational responsibility for all American Honda businesses, is the chief operating officer for the North American region, and serves as a managing director of Honda Motor Co., Ltd. He began his career with Honda in 1978 and joined American Honda as the president and CEO in April 2007.

Starting in 1959, with the fuel-efficient Honda 50 motorcycle, to the newly launched 2010 Honda Insight gas-electric hybrid vehicle, Honda has introduced new technologies and business strategies that have shaped the industry and the growth of Honda, including:

First automaker to meet U.S. Clean Air Act without a catalytic converter - Civic CVCC (1974)
First vehicle to top U.S. EPA list of most fuel efficient cars - Civic (1977)
First Japanese automaker to build motorcycles (1979) and automobiles (1982) in America - Marysville, Ohio, using domestic and globally sourced parts
First Japanese automaker to establish a luxury automobile brand -- Acura (1986)
First mass produced gas electric hybrid car introduced in America -- Insight (1999)
First government-certified hydrogen fuel cell vehicle -- FCX (2002)
Honda has steadily expanded its U.S. presence to encompass a broad range of products and operations. Today, Honda employs more than 25,000 U.S. associates engaged in the design, development, manufacturing, sale and servicing of Honda and Acura products including automobiles, motorcycles, ATVs, personal water craft, power equipment, and an advanced light jet.


Honda operates 10 U.S. manufacturing plants with two new plants under construction, along with 14 R&D facilities and more than 12 regional sales, parts and service, and finance offices around the country. The company's network of U.S. parts suppliers comprises 545 companies in 34 states with annual purchases exceeding $17.5 billion in 2008. In May 2009, Honda reached the 15 million unit milestone in U.S. automobile production.
Leadership Award dinner sponsors to date include: ADT Security Services; American Honda Motor Co., Inc.; APR Consulting, Inc.; BP; Chevron Corporation; Diverse Staffing Solutions; Hilton Hotels Corporation; Icon Blue; Insight Investments; Kaiser Permanente; Los Angeles Department Water & Power; Martin Brinkerhoff Associates Inc; Metropolitan Water District; Northrop Grumman Corporation; Net Serve Systems, Inc.; Rubin Postaer & Associates; Southern California Edison Co.; Southern California Gas Co.; Support Services of America; The Walt Disney Company, and Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.

For information and sponsorship opportunities regarding the 2009 Leadership Award dinner, contact Shawn Smith at (213) 689-6940, or ssmith@scmbdc.org (ssmith@scmbdc.org).

About SCMBDC :


Southern California Minority Business Development Council, the region’s leading minority business advocacy organization, represents the interests of more than 600,000 minority businesses in its 13-county service area in Southern California. In addition to serving certified minority businesses, the council provides its nearly 200 corporate members access to qualified minority suppliers representing highly diverse businesses, both in ethnicity and in products and services. Headquartered in Los Angeles and one of 38 regional councils in the National Minority Supplier Development Council network, its mission is "to support and develop minority business enterprises to compete and succeed in the open market." SCMBDC has made a positive impact in the minority business community since its founding in 1975. For more information, visit www.scmbdc.org (http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.scmbdc.org&esheet=6064578&lan=en_US&anchor=www.scmbdc.org&index=1).

Cho Estrada Communications
Vicki Cho Estrada
(661) 255-8024
choestrada@earthlink.net (choestrada@earthlink.net)

[tokyodream]

Hybrids less costly at pump, not shop !

Automakers try to ease sticker shock

http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091006/BUSINESS02/910060332/0/NEWS04 (http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091006/BUSINESS02/910060332/0/NEWS04)


http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=TO&Date=20091006&Category=BUSINESS02&ArtNo=910060332&Ref=AR&MaxW=200 (http://javascript<b></b>:NewWindow(600,400,'/apps/pbcs.dll/misc?url=/templates/zoom.pbs&Site=TO&Date=20091006&Category=BUSINESS02&ArtNo=910060332&Ref=AR');)
(http://javascript<b></b>:NewWindow(600,400,'/apps/pbcs.dll/misc?url=/templates/zoom.pbs&Site=TO&Date=20091006&Category=BUSINESS02&ArtNo=910060332&Ref=AR');)
Toyota lowered the price of its 2010 Prius hybrid, above, to about $21,000 after Honda dropped its Insight to less than $20,000.
( ASSOCIATED PRESS )
http://toledoblade.com/images/zoom_photo.gif (http://javascript<b></b>:NewWindow(600,400,'/apps/pbcs.dll/misc?url=/templates/zoom.pbs&Site=TO&Date=20091006&Category=BUSINESS02&ArtNo=910060332&Ref=AR');) Zoom (http://javascript<b></b>:NewWindow(600,400,'/apps/pbcs.dll/misc?url=/templates/zoom.pbs&Site=TO&Date=20091006&Category=BUSINESS02&ArtNo=910060332&Ref=AR');) | Photo Reprints (http://toledoblade.com/printroom)

By LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE
BLADE BUSINESS WRITER

It has been a decade since the 2000 Honda Insight and later the 2001 Toyota Prius began quietly traversing America's roadways, endearing themselves and their groundbreaking technology to environmentalists everywhere.

But even though sales of hybrids peaked, along with gas prices, more than a year ago, automakers keep bringing hybrid models to market - even as owners find that their vehicles can incur costs away from the gas pump.

If there have been two knocks holding back hybrid ownership, they have been the vehicles' repair issues and their premium price tags.

Fixing hybrids can be different, said Jim Raber, service manager at Rouen Toyota on Conant Street in Maumee.

"With some things, it's like a normal car, but with some things it's not," he said. "When you get into diagnosing it and doing any kind of repair, if you don't know exactly what you're doing, that's when you get into trouble."

Pricewise, some hybridized vehicles cost as much as $5,000 more than their gas-powered counterparts.

"What a lot of car companies are realizing is they have to get hybrids to where the costs are about the same" as their internal-combustion-powered equivalents, Karl Brauer, editor-in-chief of Edmunds.com, which tracks the automotive industry, said.
Honda has made some progress, lowering its entry-level 2010 Insight to less than $20,000, thereby forcing Toyota to lower its 2010 Prius to about $21,000.

Lately, some insurance firms have begun to discount policies for hybrid vehicles. Although hybrids can be more expensive to fix, studies indicate hybrid vehicle owners are less likely to be in collisions.

In Ohio and Michigan, Farmers Insurance, Travelers Insurance, and GEICO all offer some form of discount to their customers who own hybrid vehicles. The discount can be as much as 10 percent.

Hybrid vehicles do present a specific danger when involved in accidents. Their high-voltage drive systems can result in a potentially fatal discharge to emergency workers if the systems aren't disabled properly.

Emergency responders undergo special training in how to safely handle accidents involving hybrid vehicles, but recognizing vehicles with an electrified powertrain can be difficult. Unlike the distinctive Prius, hybrid versions of the Ford Escape sport utility vehicle and Honda Civic don't look much different than their gas-powered counterparts.

This fall, as 2010 vehicles begin showing up at dealerships, there will be nearly two dozen vehicles featuring hybrid technology. Though varying widely in size and in features and ranging from $19,800 to more than $106,000, the vehicles all use stored electricity to drive the wheels.

"Hybrids have gone mainstream in terms of the knowledge of them among potential customers," Mr. Brauer said.

Although sales have fallen for hybrids - as they have for almost all other vehicles over the last two years, "Manufacturers feel we're only one serious energy shortage away from massive demand [for hybrids]. And they want to be ready with something in the marketplace," Mr. Brauer said.

More than 1.5 million hybrid vehicles have been sold in the United States since 1999, when the first Insight was sold. More than 1.1 million of the hybrids sold in the United States were manufactured by Toyota Motor Co., whose Prius continued to evolve even as other manufacturers dropped - or never began - hybrid efforts. Nearly 253,000 other hybrids sold in the United States were manufactured by American Honda Motor Corp., including the Ohio-made Civic hybrid.

Ford Motor Corp. leads domestic manufacturers in hybrid sales with more than 112,000 vehicles, including hybrid versions of its Escape SUV and Fusion sedan. General Motors Co. has the most hybridized vehicles on the market with eight, but so far has sold only about 23,000 of the vehicles.

Contact Larry P. Vellequette at:
lvellequette@theblade.com
or 419-724-6091.

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New Acura on Honda production lines soon !

http://www.simcoe.com/article/146848 (http://www.simcoe.com/article/146848)


http://multimedia.simcoe.com/images/11/14/e63f6acc4432b3e3d594645bbdd4.jpeg


Honda of Canada Manufacturing in Alliston is navigating the economic downturn the best it can, according to senior management.
"We've managed to get through this without closing any plants in North America," said Joe Sperduti, administration general manager and vice president.
In September, Honda Canada Inc. sold 12,399 units, in both its Honda and Acura divisions, a 17 per cent decrease in sales over September 2008 figures.
Honda division sales were down 12 per cent over last September, with 11,272 units sold.
Acura sold 1,127 units, with sales decreasing 45 per cent over last year.
Because of the sales, production at the two Alliston plants is still not at full capacity. Last winter production at Plant 2 was cut back to one shift.
"Until this market recovers I don't see us going back to two shifts," said Sperduti.
Plant 1, which is producing the Civic, is at full capacity producing 800 vehicles per day, with Plant 2, where the new Acura ZDX is scheduled to be built, putting out 400 vehicles a day.
Having to cut back a shift is a first in Sperduti's experience.
"We've had some blips over the last 20 years, but nothing like this," he said.
Honda is moving forward with producing new model vehicles.
In the coming weeks, Plant 2 will start producing the Acura ZDX.
HCM unveiled the crossover utility vehicle last winter. It was scheduled to be on sale this fall, but the date was pushed back in July.
Producing the vehicle won't create any new jobs at the Alliston plants, the vehicle will be scheduled into an existing line and be built by current employees.
This has been a milestone year for Honda, which is celebrating its 40th year in Canada. January marked the five-millionth vehicle driving off the Alliston production lines and shortly after that Honda produced its 20 millionth vehicle in North America.
Honda opened its Alliston production plant in 1986, representing an investment of $2.6 billion. With about 4,400 workers, the Honda Civic sedan and coupe and the Acura CSX sedan and MDX luxury utility vehicle are built locally, as well as fuel-efficient four-cylinder engines.
Nearly half of all Honda and Acura vehicles sold in Canada in 2008 were made in Canada.


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[tokyodream]

New Car’s 2010 Awards Issue on the Shelves Now !


http://www.pr-inside.com/new-car-s-2010-awards-issue-on-r1518835.htm (http://www.pr-inside.com/new-car-s-2010-awards-issue-on-r1518835.htm)

The current issue of new car, Ireland’s leading motoring title from the publishers of Car Buyers Guide (www.cbg.ie (http://www.cbg.ie/)), announces the winners of its prestigious New Car of the Year Awards for 2010. The winner, runner-up and third-placed vehicle in each of the 21 categories are the subject of insightful comment from respected Irish motoring journalist Conor Twomey, and four new


categories have been added for this year: the Green Car, Best Engine, Brand Commitment to Safety and Overall Safety Awards. The four new awards for 2010 are intended to laud those vehicles that best address the main concerns of modern car buyers. The environmental impact of your vehicle has taken on even greater importance since the introduction of the emissions-based VRT and Road Tax regime in July 2008, and the new Toyota Prius is a worthy winner of the magazine’s inaugural Green Car Award. Better looking, roomier, faster, better handling and cleaner than ever before, the third-generation Prius has finally achieved the perfect balance between performance and economy. The Best Engine Award, meanwhile, was scooped up by BMW’s 2.0-litre ‘EfficientDynamics’ turbo-diesel unit, which, with CO2 emissions of just 109g/km but the ability to deliver a sprightly 0–100km/h time of 8.2 seconds, impressed as a clean option that doesn’t require the driver to compromise on performance or fun. The two new safety awards, which were presented in association with the Road Safety Authority (RSA), were won by the same manufacturer, as Honda garnered both the Brand Commitment to Safety Award and the Overall Safety Award for the Insight. Presenting the Brand Commitment to Safety Award to Honda Marketing Manager Neil Dalton, RSA Chief Executive Noel Brett commented, “Honda’s unswerving devotion to safety in its vehicles is illustrated by the impressive NCAP safety ratings across its entire range, and all its models boast commendable occupant and child-protection ratings, too.”
Notable results among the returning categories include the Kia Soul’s eyebrow-raising second place, after the VW Golf, in the Family Car category. Seen in the past as a budget option, the Korean manufacturer has created a funky alternative to the traditional family car that has edged out previous segment mainstays Toyota and Ford. In the Crossover category, Peugeot hit the ground running as its 3008, the French marque’s first foray into this segment, pushed the formerly all-conquering Nissan Qashqai into second place, while a glimpse of things to come is offered in the SUV category, where the Lexus RX450H, a hybrid no less, beat the Range Rover Sport and BMW X1, perhaps heralding a sea change in what has been seen, traditionally, as the least environmentally friendly segment.
And change was also in the air as new car announced its overall winner for 2010. In what is, perhaps, a reflection of these more austere times, Toyota’s quirky city car, the iQ, couldn’t be more removed from last year’s overall winner, the opulent BMW 7-Series, but its elegantly simple concept, brilliant execution and impressively low running costs make it worthy of this year’s top spot.


New Car’s 2010 Awards – Full List of This Year’s Winners:

City Car: Toyota iQ

Supermini: Ford Fiesta

Family Car: VW Golf

Large Family Car: Opel Insignia

People Carrier: Ford S-Max/Galaxy

Crossover: Peugeot 3008

Compact Executive Car: Audi A5 Sportback

Large Executive Car: BMW 5-Series

Luxury Car: Porsche Panamera

Luxury Crossover/SUV: Lexus RX450H

Executive Convertible: Audi A5 Convertible

Convertible/Cabriolet: Fiat 500C

Roadster: Mazda MX-5

Coupé/Sportscar: VW Scirocco

Hot Hatch: Ford Focus RS

Performance Car: Porsche 911 GT3

Green Car: Toyota Prius

Best Engine: BMW 2.0-litre ‘EfficientDynamics’ turbo diesel

Brand Commitment to Safety: Honda

Overall Safety: Honda Insight

Overall Winner: Toyota iQ

About CBG.ie:


CBG.ie is the premier website for car dealers and private sellers to advertise their cars for sale. The site is also an authoritative resource for Irish motoring news, with continually updated reviews, features, news and views. As Ireland’s No. 1 motoring website, CBG.ie provides an excellent and hugely cost-effective platform from which to find buyers for your cars. With over 50,000 vehicles advertised by 700 dealers and over 10,000 private advertisers at any one time, CBG.ie is the only motoring website to have exclusive partnerships with the leading national newspaper websites (The Irish Times and Independent Newspapers), and it also provides motoring channels to Yahoo.ie and MSN.ie. CBG.ie is visited by buyers over 525,000 times per month, and users view over 18.5 million pages on the website per month. Visit us online at www.cbg.ie (http://www.cbg.ie/).

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Hybrid Sales Plummet After Cash-For-Clunkers Credits Quit !


http://www.greencarreports.com/blog/1036227_hybrid-sales-plummet-after-cash-for-clunkers-credits-quit (http://www.greencarreports.com/blog/1036227_hybrid-sales-plummet-after-cash-for-clunkers-credits-quit)

We knew all along that the Cash-For-Clunkers program (http://www.greencarreports.com/blog/1033891_cash-for-clunkers-the-data-on-why-its-working) induced July and August car buyers to go for vehicles they might not otherwise have chosen, specifically smaller cars with higher gas mileage. Especially hybrid-electric vehicles from Toyota (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/toyota), Honda (http://www.allsmallcars.com/make/honda,new), Ford (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/ford), and others.
But now comes the hybrid (http://www.benzconnection.com/category/hybrid,new) hangover: September sales of hybrids (http://www.audireports.com/category/hybrid,new) plummeted against August totals inflated by those $3,500 and $4,500 clunker credits.

Even worse than overall sales
Total U.S. car sales in September fell 41 percent, roughly back to levels from before the Clunkers program. But hybrids (http://www.porschereports.com/category/hybrid,new) fell even more. They were down 48 percent versus August, though only 4 percent lower than last September, just as the car market entered full meltdown.
Year to date, however, hybrids (http://www.cadillacreports.com/category/hybrid,new) have done better than vehicle sales in general when 2009 is compared to 2008. Hybrids (http://www.volkswagenreviews.com/category/hybrid,new) are down 14.5 percent over last year, whereas total vehicle sales fell 22.5 percent.
The 2010 Toyota Prius (http://www.motorauthority.com/overview/toyota_prius_2010), which is in short supply globally, fell from 20,000 August sales to 11,000 in September, though the market fell so much that still kept it the ninth best-selling vehicle in the U.S.
Altima Hybrid: 90 percent decline
Other hybrids (http://www.chevroletreports.com/category/hybrid,new) fared much worse. The low-volume Nissan Altima Hybrid (http://www.nissanreports.com/overview/nissan_altima-hybrid_2008) sold a mere 345 units in September, a tenth of its August sales. And the Honda Civic Hybrid (http://www.familycarguide.com/overview/honda_civic-hybrid_2008) fell to just 152 dales, down 79 percent.
So who was the hybrid (http://www.gmcreports.com/category/hybrid,new) winner for September? That had to be Ford (http://www.allminivans.com/make/ford,new), whose 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid (http://www.fordreports.com/overview/ford_fusion-hybrid_2010) sedan sold 1,120 copies. Added to 790 Escape Hybrid (http://www.chevytruckreviews.com/category/hybrid,new) crossovers, that let Ford (http://www.luxurycarreport.com/make/ford,new) barely squeak past Honda's (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda) 1,900 into the silver position for hybrid (http://www.hondareports.com/category/hybrid,new) sales.
Insight in trouble?
The 2010 Honda Insight (http://www.greencarreports.com/blog/1022001_drive-report-2010-honda-insight) sold just 1,750 units in September, though that still made it the second best-selling hybrid (http://www.bmwmonitor.com/category/hybrid,new) in the U.S. after the long-time champion Toyota Prius (http://www.greencarreports.com/overview/toyota_prius_2008). But with just 15,800 sales since it hit showrooms in February, the 2010 Insight is so far lagging against Honda's (http://www.allcarselectric.com/make/honda,new) goal of 80,000 sales in its first year.
[HybridCars.com (http://www.hybridcars.com/hybrid-sales-dashboard/september-2009-dashboard.html)]


http://images.thecarconnection.com/sml/toyota_100182173_s.jpg
2010 Toyota Prius
Enlarge Photo (http://www.greencarreports.com/image/100182173_2010-toyota-prius)


http://images.thecarconnection.com/sml/2006_honda_civic_hybrid_100021625_s.jpg 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid
Enlarge Photo (http://www.greencarreports.com/image/100021625_2006-honda-civic-hybrid)


http://images.thecarconnection.com/sml/honda_100182078_s.jpg 2010 Honda Insight
Enlarge Photo (http://www.greencarreports.com/image/100182078_2010-honda-insight)


http://images.thecarconnection.com/sml/2010-ford-escape-hybrid_100227871_s.jpg 2010 Ford Escape Hybrid
Enlarge Photo (http://www.greencarreports.com/image/100227871_2010-ford-escape-hybrid)


http://images.thecarconnection.com/sml/2010-ford-fusion-hybrid_100230059_s.jpg 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid
Enlarge Photo (http://www.greencarreports.com/image/100230059_2010-ford-fusion-hybrid)


http://images.thecarconnection.com/sml/nissan_100183306_s.jpg 2009 Nissan Altima Hybrid


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Honda Repeats Goal to Raise Japan Sales 13 Percent !

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=8787244

TOKYO (Reuters) - Honda Motor Co <7267.T> on Friday repeated its target to increase its sales in Japan by 13 percent to 655,000 vehicles, thanks to brisk sales of its fuel-efficient models.
"At the beginning of the year, we were targeting about 600,000 units with our dealers," said Hiroshi Kobayashi, head of the No.2 Japanese automaker's domestic operations.
"But sales have been robust since April, and we're now aiming for 655,000 units," he told a news conference to unveil the remodeled Step Wgn minivan.

Honda has enjoyed robust sales of the Insight hybrid, Fit subcompact and Freed compact minivan in Japan thanks to the government's tax incentives to purchase less-polluting cars.
Kobayashi said he hoped the new Step Wgn would further lift domestic sales, adding Honda was targeting monthly sales of 6,000 units for the model.

(Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim; Editing by Chris Gallagher)

Copyright 2009 Reuters News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

[tokyodream]

The Green Car of the Year Finalists Are…

http://www.wired.com/autopia/2009/10/green-car-finalists/ (http://www.wired.com/autopia/2009/10/green-car-finalists/)


By Tony Borroz (http://www.wired.com/autopia/author/afb2/)
http://www.wired.com/autopia/wp-content/themes/wired/images/envelope.gif (tonyatautopia@gmail.com) October 8, 2009 |6:48 pm | Categories: Cool Cars (http://www.wired.com/autopia/category/cool-cars/)
http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/autopia/2009/10/green.jpg (http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/autopia/2009/10/green.jpg)


Green Car Journal has named the the finalists for its 2010 Green Car of the Year award, and it’s a sweet list that includes two diesels and three hybrids. Some of the cars are obvious, but one or two might surprise you.
Green Car Journal (http://www.greencar.com/) focuses on the intersection of automobiles, energy and the environment, and it has been covering the green car and alt-fuel movement almost from the beginning. Only those cars you can actually buy here in America are considered for the award. What’s more, the judges include environmentalists to ensure the cars are eco-friendly and certified gearheads to ensure they’re rides you’d actually want to buy. The panel that named the Volkswagen Jetta TDI as last year’s winner (http://www.wired.com/autopia/2008/11/and-the-green-c/) (that’s it being revealed in the pic) included Carl Pope, executive director of the Sierra Club, and car fanatics Jay Leno and Carroll Shelby.
The winner will be announced Dec. 3 at the Los Angeles Auto Show. This year’s finalists, in alphabetical order, are…


Audi A3 TDI
Honda Insight
Mercury Milan Hybrid
Toyota Prius
Volkswagen Golf TDI
“We’re seeing the trend for ‘green’ cars emerging at all levels, from entry-level cars to luxury models, and even performance cars and SUVs/crossovers,” said Ron Cogan, editor of Green Car Journal. “Plus, an array of technologies and fuels as well as strategies like lightweighting and reducing rolling resistance are being applied to the challenge. Greater choice provides buyers a personal stake in lessening environmental impact, and that’s important.”
The five finalists are a varied group. This is the first time Audi has made it in with its sporty and clean diesel A3 TDI, a car too long kept from America’s shores. Defending champ Volkswagen is back its new Golf TDI. Honda’s new hybrid, the Insight, goes toe-to-toe with its arch-rival, the Toyota Prius. The sole representative of American manufacturers is the Milan Hybrid, an upscale mid-size sedan.
Take a gander at the finalists and use the poll below to place your vote. You vote won’t count in the Green Car Journal tally, but it’ll be cool to see how your vote stacks up against the judges.

http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/autopia/2009/10/audi_a3_tdi.jpg (http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/autopia/2009/10/audi_a3_tdi.jpg)
2010 Audi A3 TDI.
Photo: Audi


http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/autopia/2009/10/honda_insight.jpg (http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/autopia/2009/10/honda_insight.jpg)
2010 Honda Insight. Check out our review of the Insight (http://www.wired.com/cars/coolwheels/news/2009/01/insight11).
Photo: Honda


http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/autopia/2009/10/milan_hybrid.jpg (http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/autopia/2009/10/milan_hybrid.jpg)
2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid. Check out our review of its sister, the Fusion Hybrid (http://www.wired.com/reviews/product/ford_fusion_hybrid).
Photo: Ford


http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/autopia/2009/10/2010_prius.jpg (http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/autopia/2009/10/2010_prius.jpg)
2010 Toyota Prius. Check out our review of the Prius (http://www.wired.com/cars/coolwheels/news/2009/03/prius0324).
Photo: Toyota


http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/autopia/2009/10/golf_tdi.jpg (http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/autopia/2009/10/golf_tdi.jpg)
Volkswagen Golf TDI. This is actually the European-spec Golf BlueMotion diesel, but VW’s press site didn’t have any pics of the 2010 Golf TDI. But you get the idea.
Photo: Volkswagen


Main photo: Jim Merithew / Wired.com

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The Top 10 List of Ugly Cars !


http://www.huliq.com/8059/87405/top-10-list-ugly-cars (http://www.huliq.com/8059/87405/top-10-list-ugly-cars)

There have been some amazing advances in technology in the auto industry. From the ability to have a bluetooth connection or the production of hybrid cars, things have certainly progressed from the old Model T. However, there have been many cars that stand out over the years because they are just plain ugly. Here 10 ugly cars that really take the prize.

AMC Pacer
If you recall the AMC Pacer back in the late 1970's? It was more than just ugly, it was obviously made for those who had peripheral vision issues. It was designed to let everyone see what was going on inside your car.
AMC Gremlin
American Motor Cars knew how to produce cars that had absolutely no appeal. They sold, yes. However, this triangular-shaped car was offered in some hip colors, like orange. This was an ugly car that certainly was embarrassing to show up in on a first date.
Yugo
In the late 1980's there was the Yugo. It never got rave reviews and it apparently would fall apart if it hit a bump in the road. Wasn't very appealing to look at either. Just plain ugly.
Ford Pinto
With a gas tank in the rear that exploded on impact, this was a winner from the get-go. Although the wood side panel option did jazz it up a bit, this was definitely not a car known for safety.
Pontiac Aztek
Was there anyone who actually bought this car and liked it? Not exactly a well put together car as far as visuals go. Supposedly it was a great car for tailgating but it truly looked like a design engineer had a bit too much to drink the night it was created.
Chevy Vega
Apparently this wasn't just ugly, it rusted instantly. Some suspected that the Vega was rusty before it left the showroom.
VW Thing
This was likely to be the biggest catastrophe on wheels. Similar to a rolling storage shed, VW wasn't quite on the ball when they put this out on the lot.
Honda Element
Honda usually keeps things simple but this was a major error in judgment. It had the look of a bread box on wheels and the interior was just about as exciting as watching paint dry.
AMC Matador
Back to American Motor Cars again. The name "matador" conjures up visions of a strong, beautiful automobile. There are no words even close to that that describes the AMC Matador. It's almost makes the ugly Pacer look do-able.
Dodge Omni
Surprisingly, these are still on the road. Mostly in a lovely shade of light blue. They are almost always clean and void of rust. This is because they are only driven by older women with tightly permed gray hair. Many have faux sherpa or plaid seat covers and a new car scent air freshener inside.
Over the years there have been many cars that make it into the ugly cars category. No doubt there will be more to come as we enter into the age where everything has to look like it will drive us into the future.

Written by Cheryl Phillips
Exclusive to HULIQ.com

http://www.huliq.com/files/imagecache/article_main/files/pacer.jpg

[tokyodream]

NC State Selected to Participate in the 2010 Honda Insight Marketing Competition!


http://www.24-7pressrelease.com/press-release-rss/nc-state-selected-to-participate-in-the-2010-honda-insight-marketing-competition-119927.php (http://www.24-7pressrelease.com/press-release-rss/nc-state-selected-to-participate-in-the-2010-honda-insight-marketing-competition-119927.php)


RALEIGH, NC, October 11, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ -- North Carolina State University has been selected as one of the 21 schools throughout the nation to participate in the 2010 Honda Insight Marketing Competition. The students in Professor Claudia Kimbrough's Integrated Marketing Communications class have created a working marketing agency, Red and White Concepts, responsible for researching, implementing and evaluating an integrated marketing campaign around the NC State campus and surrounding area. This year's campaign is aimed at increasing awareness of and interest in the 2010 Honda Insight hybrid among the Generation Y market. At the end of the semester, all 21 campuses will be competing to present their creative ideas to a panel of Honda executives.

Red and White Concept's will begin by conducting research to learn more about their target market, Generation Y. After analyzing the research findings, they will design a campaign aimed at reaching Generation Y and boosting excitement for the Insight. The campaign will be brought to life with a $2,500 budget provided by Honda. At the end of the semester, post-campaign research will be collected to determine the effectiveness of the campaign. Red and White Concepts will conclude the semester with a formal presentation to Honda executives summarizing the campaign's results and successes.

"This campaign teaches students what it's like to run a real life marketing agency and campaign for a highly publicized product. Not only does it teach everyone how to implement all of the marketing techniques that are learned in classes, but it gives them experience in all areas of business, from entrepreneurship to basic budgeting and finance. This is one of the best opportunities that these students have to gain real life experience in any NC State class," Professor Kimbrough, Marketing Professor, stated. Neighboring schools include Meredith College, Duke University, Wake Forest University and The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. With so many schools in proximity to one another around the Raleigh/Durham area, there is a plethora of the Generation Y market available for Red and White Concepts to research and analyze.

The distinctively styled, five-passenger, five-door Insight is powered by an Integrated Motor Assist (IMA ) system comprised of a 1.3-liter i-VTEC gasoline engine and a 10-kilowatt electric motor. The Insight features the Ecological Drive Assist System (Eco Assist ) an innovation that can further enhance efficient vehicle operation while providing feedback related to individual driving styles. A sleek exterior blends design elements from the original 2000 Insight's highly aerodynamic side profile with a front-end design similar to the hydrogen-powered FCX Clarity, a marquee environmental product for Honda. The interior offers a roomy passenger environment with a configurable rear seating and cargo area that benefits from 60/40 split fold-down seats.

Please watch for more about the Honda Insight Marketing Competition at NC State throughout this fall semester. For further inquires regarding the competition, please contact Lyndsey Warhurst at 571-205-9538.

About Honda: Honda is a leader in the development of leading-edge technologies to reduce CO2 emissions, including advanced gasoline engines, gasoline-electric hybrids, natural gas-powered engines, and hydrogen fuel cells. Founded in Japan in 1948, Honda began operations in the U.S. in 1959 with the establishment of American Honda Motor Co., Inc., Honda's first overseas subsidiary. The company, which marks its 50th year of U.S. operations in 2009, has invested more than $10.6 billion in its North American operations with 16 major manufacturing facilities, employment of more than 35,000 associates, and annual purchases of more than $18.8 billion in parts and materials from suppliers in North America.

About EdVenture Partners: EdVenture Partners is an organization dedicated to developing innovative industry-education partnership programs. The objective of such programs is to provide hands-on, real-world experience to students in tandem with providing marketing solutions and recruiting access at colleges and universities to clients. EdVenture Partners has designed and managed programs at over 600 campuses in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and Morocco. Find out more at http://www.edventurepartners.com.

About RAW Concepts

RAW Concepts is a student run marketing agency where members apply what they have learned in class to a real marketing problem.

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New Acura on Honda production lines soon !


http://www.simcoe.com/article/146848

Honda of Canada Manufacturing in Alliston is navigating the economic downturn the best it can, according to senior management.
"We've managed to get through this without closing any plants in North America," said Joe Sperduti, administration general manager and vice president.
In September, Honda Canada Inc. sold 12,399 units, in both its Honda and Acura divisions, a 17 per cent decrease in sales over September 2008 figures.
Honda division sales were down 12 per cent over last September, with 11,272 units sold.
Acura sold 1,127 units, with sales decreasing 45 per cent over last year.
Because of the sales, production at the two Alliston plants is still not at full capacity. Last winter production at Plant 2 was cut back to one shift.
"Until this market recovers I don't see us going back to two shifts," said Sperduti.
Plant 1, which is producing the Civic, is at full capacity producing 800 vehicles per day, with Plant 2, where the new Acura ZDX is scheduled to be built, putting out 400 vehicles a day.
Having to cut back a shift is a first in Sperduti's experience.
"We've had some blips over the last 20 years, but nothing like this," he said.
Honda is moving forward with producing new model vehicles.
In the coming weeks, Plant 2 will start producing the Acura ZDX.
HCM unveiled the crossover utility vehicle last winter. It was scheduled to be on sale this fall, but the date was pushed back in July.
Producing the vehicle won't create any new jobs at the Alliston plants, the vehicle will be scheduled into an existing line and be built by current employees.
This has been a milestone year for Honda, which is celebrating its 40th year in Canada. January marked the five-millionth vehicle driving off the Alliston production lines and shortly after that Honda produced its 20 millionth vehicle in North America.
Honda opened its Alliston production plant in 1986, representing an investment of $2.6 billion. With about 4,400 workers, the Honda Civic sedan and coupe and the Acura CSX sedan and MDX luxury utility vehicle are built locally, as well as fuel-efficient four-cylinder engines.
Nearly half of all Honda and Acura vehicles sold in Canada in 2008 were made in Canada.


http://multimedia.simcoe.com/images/11/14/e63f6acc4432b3e3d594645bbdd4.jpeg
Submitted
New Honda Civics roll of the production line at one of two production plants for Honda of Canada Manufacturing in Alliston.

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Jazz key to exports !


http://www.andoveradvertiser.co.uk/cars/motoring_news/4674755.Jazz_key_to_exports/?ref=rss

THE first British-built Jazz was driven off the production line at Honda’s factory in Swindon this week – promising another boost to Southampton docks as well as the Wiltshire manufacturing centre.
Southampton already handles exports for Honda’s Swindon-built Civics and CR-Vs, alongside Jaguars, Range Rovers, Minis and Ford (http://www.andoveradvertiser.co.uk/search/?search=Ford) Transits, as well as imports for Renault.
The five-door Jazz family supermini is one of Honda’s most successful cars in Europe, with over 70,000 sold in the region every year.
Production of Jazz for Europe is shifting from Japan to the UK as Honda has a policy of building its most popular cars in the markets in which they are sold.
In the current financial year Honda of the UK Manufacturing in Swindon (HUM) will build 20,000 units of Jazz.
Although 75 per cent of these will be for the UK market, the other 25 per cent are planned for export to 55 countries across mainland Europe and other regions, including South Africa.
The addition of Jazz to the lines producing the Civic and CR-V – exported to 60 countries – brings the planned total production level for the Swindon plant in this financial year to 100,600 – still well below the plant’s full capacity.
Volumes are expected to increase next year due to the new three-model production line-up.
The start of Jazz production comes just 12 months after the decision to make a third model at the Wiltshire manufacturing facility.
The demand for cars like the Jazz is increasing as car buyers look to downsize from big, gas-guzzling models into smaller, fuel efficient, but practical vehicles.
In the UK, the Government’s scrappage scheme has given Jazz sales a significant boost, with the practical little car making up 70 per cent of all of Honda’s scrappage deals.
Other incentives across Europe have resulted in similar increases in demand.
David Hodgetts, director at HUM, said: “We see this third model as a wonderful opportunity in the current climate and we’re extremely proud to be building the Jazz here in Swindon.
“The car is incredibly popular with customers, and it has won countless awards for quality and reliability.
“Shifting production to the UK is a real vote of confidence in all our 3,400 associates [employees] here in Swindon, and recognition of the high standards which we have been able to achieve at the plant.”

http://www.andoveradvertiser.co.uk/resources/images/1064583/?type=display

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2010 Honda Odyssey Still Waiting to Be Defeated...!


http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2278071/2010_honda_odyssey_still_waiting_to.html

Starting at $26,805 - (17 city/25 highway) Early in life no one plans to ever own a minivan. No one is ever voted Most Likely to Drive a Minivan by their Senior High School Graduating Class and takes that as a complement. But as the years pass we inevitably manage to accumulate more and
http://ads.associatedcontent.com/www/delivery/avw.php?zoneid=2&cb=8612433754091593&source=&n=a14de4a9&slice=-0-&content_type=article&content_type_id=2278071&category_id=27&key_ad=182737029&site_id=1&ad_pos=2&key_page=8612433754091593&ac_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.associatedcontent.com%2Far ticle%2F2278071%2F2010_honda_odyssey_still_waiting _to.html (http://ads.associatedcontent.com/www/delivery/ck.php?n=a14de4a9&cb=182737029)


more stuff. And if we are lucky enough to have children? Well, the stuff pile then grows exponentially larger hence the need for a minivan like the 2010 Honda (http://www.associatedcontent.com/topic/607/honda.html) Odyssey.

While I may not own a Honda (http://www.associatedcontent.com/topic/607/honda.html) Odyssey minivan myself I do realize that if I did have children I would definitely park one in my garage. It is, without question, the best minivan on the market today. Can it really be that bad when it shares engines, transmissions and a platform with the Acura MDX?

The Odyssey is motivated by a spunky 3.5 liter V6 (which has served dutifully in the Accord and various Acura models) with 244 horsepower that also has a cylinder de-activation system that runs the engine with only 3 cylinders under light loads. It is important, especially for parents, to be green nowadays since so many are aware of the environmental problems they are leaving behind for their kids.

Inside the Odyssey (http://www.associatedcontent.com/topic/27603/the_odyssey.html) there are so many little cubbies and storage compartments that it will take years for you to find all of the old candy bars and toys that your children will no doubt hide. The plastics, leathers and cloth fabrics used in the Odyssey (http://www.associatedcontent.com/topic/27603/the_odyssey.html) are also all first rate and can easily withstand years of baby spew and juice splatters. One word of advice: it might be a good idea to invest in the scotch-guarding offered by the dealership. It really helps come clean-up time. My friend Katrina learned that the hard way when she accidentally left spilled milk in her hot minivan over a weekend.

There really is a 2010 Honda (http://www.associatedcontent.com/topic/607/honda.html) Odyssey minivan for any family with any budget. The entry level LX has all the creature comforts people have come to expect like air, power everything and even a nice 120-watt stereo. But if your tastes are a bit more refined then perhaps you would be better served by purchasing the $40,775 Odyssey Touring model which comes with navigation, 360-watt audio with subwoofer, Bluetooth, parking sensors and a rear seat DVD entertainment unit. The kids should have absolutely no reason to complain when riding around in the back of that one.

Even though the 2010 Honda (http://www.associatedcontent.com/topic/607/honda.html) Odyssey has been on the market for a while now relatively unchanged it still remains the king of the minivan mountain. Somehow the simple and coherent styling inside and out have managed to look fresh even as designs from Dodge and Toyota have withered on the vine.


http://images-cdn01.associatedcontent.com/image/A7766/776659/150_776659.jpg (http://www.associatedcontent.com/image/776659/index.html)

[tokyodream]

Honda Contesting for Green Car Dominance!

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/honda-contesting-for-green-car-dominance.html (http://www.buzzle.com/articles/honda-contesting-for-green-car-dominance.html)

Honda has an appropriate plan for green cars and it kicks off with the launch of cheap hybrid models.
Honda has constantly maintained a values system of conserving invaluable resources and is considered a fabricator of fuel-efficient vehicles and motorbikes of many years. Its well-known Civic Hybrid has long been a contestant of the top hybrid vehicle Prius by Toyota, the biggest car manufacturer across the world. In a recent initiative to take advantage of the existing favorability of eco friendly cars and to control the hybrid industry, Honda has brought in a brand new five-door hybrid. With hybrids responsible for fewer than five percent of overall car sales, Honda has made the new car low-priced as it feels that affordability is a vital element in the hybrid’s failure to get considerable market share.

Aside from cost, Honda is additionally focusing on widening its line of hybrid vehicles by the year 2012. These include the Civic, the sports CR-Z, Fit and Insight. In fact, because of the unexpected upsurge in demand for fuel-efficient automobiles, Honda has decided to launch the hybrid Fit nearly eighteen months before schedule, in an effort to profit from this situation. Honda has already been witness to substantial development with its hybrid brands in their local market, with the Insight to be the initial hybrid vehicle to achieve top position as the best selling vehicle in Japan.

Honda's strategy to drop rates was a precisely timed one, with Toyota struggling to negate its move due to mediocre financial results in the previous financial year. Despite the fact that Toyota has retaliated to some point with the declaration of an innovative and reasonably priced gas-electric vehicle based on the Yaris and Vitz, the latter being sold in Japan, it still stands to lose ground with its primary hybrid the Prius. Honda’s hybrid, the Insight, will retail for a couple of thousand dollars less than the Prius and that’s a carrot tough for any automobile buyer to decline irrespective of how staunch they maybe to a special vehicle producer. A likely price war possibly will prove useful to both the customer and the automotive business.

Another significant strategy being displayed by Honda is changing the customer’s impression of hybrid automobiles by promoting the application of hybrid technology in smaller and mid sized automobiles versus SUVs and bigger sized vehicles, a technique being followed by different car producers. The technology works finest for a stop and go drive and Honda believes that the real value of this technology is conceived by utilizing it for practical as opposed to recreational functions. With the capacity to drive 60 miles per gallon, the new Honda hybrid promises to be an instantaneous winner with commuters struggling to decrease fuel expenses.

In terms of research Honda is examining different technologies to ascertain lasting success and leadership in the overall hybrid business. Honda is one of the principal automotive producers to introduce fuel-cell vehicles and has carried on its promotion of this concept. Fuel cells are believed by many as the ultimate answer for a clean and endless supply of energy for automobiles, without forfeiting performance. Honda is also searching for methods to deliver more economical engines, a fundamental element in the achievement of every hybrid vehicle.

In spite of Honda’s need for more momentum it has been able to remain ahead in the rather important hybrid automobile segment. As one of the biggest and cutting edge developers of equipment linked to clean and fuel-efficient vehicles, Honda has embraced a well-rounded approach to entrench its status in the automotive industry. A beneficial adjustment in customer perception by building smaller sized and reasonable hybrid brands, while constantly improving performance will definitely earn it the desired top spot.

Acquiring a second-hand Honda Civic (http://www.gooddeal-hunting.com/cls/modules/vehicles/search_vehicles.php?category=2&sub_category=2&purpose=1&next_step=FROM_SEARCH_FORM) is exceptionally simple if you search free classifieds like Good Deal Hunting.

By Ali Faizan (http://www.buzzle.com/authors.asp?author=30866)
Published: 10/10/2009

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Confident consumers boosting Canadian SUV sales !

http://www.canada.com/news/national/Confident+consumers+boosting+Canadian+sales/2099354/story.html#

Vehicle sales may still be moribund in the United States, but they are moving in the right direction in Canada. In fact, in terms of entry-level SUV sales, some automakers are enjoying their best sales ever.
That may be in part because Canadian consumers are more confident about the economy than their American cousins. Canadians also tend to buy smaller SUVs than they do south of the border, helping to boost those compact sales.

Following are some of the top entry-level SUVs in Canada:

FORD ESCAPE:
One of the best-selling compact SUVs in Canada is Ford's Escape.
In September, Escape sales rose seven per cent, marking its best September ever, according to the automaker. Ford sold a total of 2,155 Escapes in Canada last month, 2,052 regular models and 103 hybrid versions, compared with a total of 2,017 sold in the same period last year (1,957 Escapes and 60 Escape Hybrids).
For 2010, the Escape is available with a new 3.0-litre V6 engine with 240 horsepower, along with the base 2.5L four-cylinder with 171 hp and the hybrid with a 2.5L four-cylinder 155-hp engine and 94-hp electric motor.
The base model comes with a five-speed manual transmission. All other models come with a six-speed automatic transmission.
Base price: $24,499.

TOYOTA RAV4:
Another popular compact SUV in Canada is Toyota's RAV4.
The built-in-Canada cute-ute had its best September ever last month with sales of 1,881, up 1.1 per cent over last year. According to Toyota, the RAV4 has set new monthly records each month since January 2008.
For 2010, the base 2.5L four-cylinder 179-hp model is paired with a four- speed automatic transmission, while the 3.5L V6 with 269 hp comes with a five- speed automatic.
Base price: $24,345.

NISSAN ROGUE:

Nissan sold 781 Rogues in September, a 21 per cent drop from the 995 units sold a year earlier. Nissan had a better month in August, when it sold 1,280 Rogues, up 37 per cent from the 934 units it sold in the same period in 2008.
For 2010, the Rogue is available in four models: the S FWD, the S AWD, the SL FWD and SL AWD. All are powered by a 2.5L four-cylinder 170-hp engine and a continuously variable transmission (CVT).
Base price: $24,698.

CHEVY EQUINOX:

Sales of the Chevy Equinox have been so good, General Motors has had to add another shift to keep up with demand.
GM sold 1,114 Equinox units last month, compared with 1,006 in September of 2008.
``While sales of the 2010 model-year Equinox have increased over last year's numbers - as hoped and expected - customer demand has exceeded production volume, resulting in regular overtime and the implementation of a third shift in order to keep up with this increased demand,'' says Dustin Woods, GM's product communications representative.
The Equinox has been completely redesigned for 2010, featuring direct injection and Variable Valve Timing (VVT) on both the standard 182-hp 2.4L four- cylinder engine and the available 264-hp 3.0L V6. Both come with a six-speed automatic transmission.
Base price: $25,995 (front-wheel drive).

SUBARU FORESTER:


Subaru also had one of its best Septembers ever this year, with its Forester helping the cause. The automaker sold 776 Foresters last month, compared with 604 sold in September of last year.
For 2010, Subaru adds the new PZEV (Partial Zero Emission Vehicle) to the Forester lineup. It comes with a 2.5L, four-cylinder, 170-hp engine with a four- speed automatic transmission, costing $28,095. It joins the 2.5L, four- cylinder, 170-hp Forester 2.5X, which comes with a five-speed manual transmission and sells for $25,995, and the 2.5 XT, which has a 2.5L, four- cylinder turbocharged engine outputting 224 hp and costing $35,295.
Base price: $25,995.

HONDA CR-V:

Honda's CR-V also makes the list of top sellers in Canada.
The automaker sold 744 CR-Vs in September, a sharp drop from the 1,933 it sold in the same period a year earlier. According to Honda Canada PR co- ordinator Laura Heasman, the decline is due to a shortage of units available for purchase, as the 2009 models had cleared out before the 2010s were ready to fill the gap.
For 2010, the base model comes with a 2.4L, 166-hp five-speed automatic.
Base price: $27,790 (front-wheel drive).

VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN:
Tiguan sales in Canada for September 2009 soared to 529 units, compared with 214 sold in September 2008, a 147 per cent increase.
For 2010, the Tiguan comes in three trim levels: the 2.0 TSI Trendline, the Comfortline 4Motion and the Highline 4Motion.
All are powered by a 2.0L, 200-hp four-cylinder turbocharged engine.
Base price: $27,875.

KIA SPORTAGE:
Kia sold 433 of its Sportage SUVs in September, just short of the 463 it sold in the same period a year earlier.
For 2010, the base LX model comes with a 2.0L four-cylinder five-speed manual transmission outputting 140 hp. There's also an LX-V6 Sportage with a 2. 7L 173-hp engine and a four-speed automatic transmission.
Base price: $21,745.

MAZDA TRIBUTE:
The Escape sibling, the Mazda Tribute, sold 357 units last month, a 116.4 per cent increase over the 165 units sold in September 2008.
The base GX model comes with a 171-hp 2.5L four-cylinder engine mated to a five-speed manual transmission. There are also GS and GT models that come with a 3.0L V6 engine and a six-speed automatic transmission.
Base price: $23,450 (front-wheel drive).

© Copyright (c) Canwest News Service


================================================== ========

Disparity between car surcharges in U.S., Canada ‘inexplicable:’ CAA!



Canadian consumers pay up to 60 per cent more than Americans on transport-and-preparation charges on 2008 vehicles, even when the car is assembled in Canada, a CAA-Quebec analysis has found.



http://www.canada.com/theprovince/story.html?id=fa540e7a-dc76-44ce-b663-94970c7fcb7f

MONTREAL - Canadian consumers pay up to 60 per cent more than Americans on transport-and-preparation charges on 2008 vehicles, even when the car is assembled in Canada, a CAA-Quebec analysis has found.

The consumer advocacy group - which continues to decry the difference between suggested retail prices for new cars in the U.S. and Canada - sent a letter to car manufactures earlier this month seeking an explanation for the disparity.

"It seems inexplicable to us," spokesman Philippe St-Pierre said Thursday.

This year, Canadian consumers will pay between 31 per cent and 61 per cent more in those non-negotiable charges - a difference as high as $1,000, CAA-Quebec found.

"We understand that transport and preparation charges can vary depending on the assembly site," senior director Sophie Gagnon, said.

"Given the current economic context . . . and the fact that the Canadian dollar has been pretty much at par with the U.S. currency for several months now, it is time that the industry reviewed these charges and resolved this unfair situation."

Particularly striking were the differences in charges found for vehicles assembled in Canada. Canadians will spent $1,855 in transport and prep charges for a made-in-Canada Acura MDX while their U.S. counterparts pay $715, or 61 per cent less, the analysis found.

And a made-in-Japan Subaru Outback will cost Canadians $1,495 extra, while the U.S. charges are $645, a 57 per cent difference.

For a Chrysler Town & Country, which is assembled in Canada, the charges amount to $1,350 in this country compared to $770 south of the border, for a difference of 43 per cent.

Several of the automakers operating in Canada also increased their transportation and preparation charges this year, in some cases by as much as 10 per cent. Only Toyota lowered the charges in 2008, the analysis found.

The Canadian headquarters for Honda - which makes Acura - Subaru and Chrysler were contacted to comment on the findings of the CAA-Quebec analysis. Only Chrysler provided a response.

"The difference in price from one market to another can be attributed to various factors such as different regulatory requirements, varying tax structures, incentive levels, and other charges related to transportation and preparation," Chrysler’s written statement concluded.

© (c) CanWest MediaWorks Publications Inc.

[tokyodream]

Hybrid cars dominate EPA list of top 10 fuel sippers:

More automakers are joining the trend. Nine of the top 10 vehicles in the Environmental Protection Agency's fuel economy rankings for the 2010 model year are hybrids, made by six companies.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-hybrids16-2009oct16,0,6717957.story (http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-hybrids16-2009oct16,0,6717957.story)


Love 'em or hate 'em, hybrids have gone mainstream.

Nine of the top 10 vehicles in the government's fuel economy rankings for the 2010 model year are hybrids. And they come from six automakers and carry nine nameplates.

"There's now a hybrid for everyone," the government said in releasing the latest findings. "It's not either a [Toyota] Prius or a [Honda] Insight anymore."

The Prius hybrid was once again the leader, with its fuel economy of 51 miles per gallon in city driving and 48 mpg on the highway, according to the Environmental Protection Agency's testing methodology. Other vehicles in the top 10 include the Ford Fusion hybrid and its Mercury Milan twin, the Civic and Insight hybrids from Honda, and the Nissan Altima.

The only non-hybrid at the top of the list was the tiny Smart For Two from Daimler, which clocked in at 33 mpg city/41 highway.

One car you won't find on the list is the Tesla Roadster -- or any of the electric cars silently plying the nation's roads in growing numbers. The EPA is still trying to figure out how to measure fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions in electric cars and plug-in hybrids in a way that would provide meaningful comparisons with traditional gasoline- and diesel-powered cars.

The bottom of the rankings was populated by expensive gas-burners from Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, Bentley and the like -- cars whose owners presumably can pay the extra cost at the pump without blinking.

The award for worst fuel economy goes to the Lamborghini Murcielago, which has a base manufacturer's suggested retail price, or MSRP, of $392,400 and burns 34.3 barrels of oil a year, or $4,230 worth of gas, according to the EPA. The Prius, which carries a base sticker of $22,000, burns 6.9 barrels of oil annually, or $774 worth of gas.

To see the full top 10, as well as lists of the most fuel-efficient vehicles by category and the 10 biggest gas guzzlers, check out the Up to Speed blog post (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/uptospeed/2009/10/prius-tops-2010-epa-fuel-economy-rankings.html) on latimes.com.

Check out your vehicle's fuel economy stats and compare them with other makes and models at fueleconomy.gov (http://fueleconomy.gov/).

martin.zimmerman

@latimes.com



Copyright © 2009, The Los Angeles Times (http://www.latimes.com/)

================================================== ==============

US Honda may update models sooner!

http://www.dailybreeze.com/business/ci_13577060?source=rss (http://www.dailybreeze.com/business/ci_13577060?source=rss)

By The Associated Press
Posted: 10/16/2009 10:30:02 AM PDT





NOVI, Mich. - Honda Motor Co.'s top U.S. auto executive says the company may have to update its models faster because the competition is getting so tough in segments where the Japanese automaker has strong sales.
Executive Vice President John Mendel said Friday that the normal two-year update and five-year redesign cycles may not be valid any more in some segments.
Honda is scheduled to update its top-selling midsize Accord next year and redesign the car by 2013. But Mendel says the redesign could take place before then as Honda introduces new technologies to raise fuel economy. He spoke at an event in suburban Detroit held to introduce the new Accord Crosstour. Honda says the five-door crossover drives like a car but can haul things like a sport utility vehicle.



================================================== =================

Strong Yen Could Push Honda Fit Production To U.S. !

http://images.thecarconnection.com/sml/honda_100227515_s.jpg 2010 Honda Fit Sport
Enlarge Photo (http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/image/100227515_2010-honda-fit-sport)


http://images.thecarconnection.com/sml/honda_100227516_s.jpg 2010 Honda Fit Sport
Enlarge Photo (http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/image/100227516_2010-honda-fit-sport)


http://images.thecarconnection.com/sml/honda_100227512_s.jpg 2010 Honda Fit Sport
Enlarge Photo (http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/image/100227512_2010-honda-fit-sport)


http://images.thecarconnection.com/sml/honda_100227498_s.jpg 2010 Honda Fit Sport
Enlarge Photo (http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/image/100227498_2010-honda-fit-sport)


http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1036825_strong-yen-could-push-honda-fit-production-to-u-s


Few subjects are as snooze-inducing as macroeconomics, especially when talking about transnational manufacturing decisions, but oddly enough, the lively little Honda (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda) Fit has the ability to breathe life into the topic. A report breaking today reveals the strong yen against the relatively weak dollar could bring production of the cute-as-a-button Fit to the U.S.
The move is under consideration according to Honda (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda) president Takanobu Ito. Building the Fit in Japan with the tough exchange rate is making it almost impossible to clear the profits they need from the small car. Sales are down, too, but the Fit is doing better than the rest of Honda's (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda) lineup in the U.S., so maintaining the bottom line on the little hatchback (http://www.thecarconnection.com/style/hatchback) is key to Honda's (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda) plans.
Profit margins are narrow enough on small cars as it is, so the 8% rise of the yen against the U.S. dollar has made it worth looking into adding the Fit to the rest of the Hondas (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda) already built in the U.S. Building locally is a core part of the company's American operations, and fitting the Fit into the lineup of home-built cars could open the door to sourcing more high-tech vehicles from Japan.
Some of the cars Honda (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda) likely has in store for its high-tech import plans include the CR-Z hybrid (http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1022150_honda-confirms-cr-z-and-fit-hybrids-for-2010), FCX Clarity (http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1035050_honda-still-hopes-to-meet-fcx-clarity-goals) fuel-cell vehicle and 2010 Insight hybrid (http://www.thecarconnection.com/modelintro/honda_insight_2010). Honda (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda) already builds about 80% of the cars it sells in the U.S. locally. It's not yet clear if the upcoming Fit Hybrid (http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1022150_honda-confirms-cr-z-and-fit-hybrids-for-2010) would also be built in the U.S., though it would be a logical follow-up to moving conventional Fit production to America.
[Auto News (http://www.autonews.com/article/20091019/ANA02/910199996/127) - sub. req.]
2010 Honda Fit SportEnlarge Photo 2010 Honda Fit SportEnlarge Photo 2010 Honda Fit SportEnlarge Photo 2010 Honda Fit SportEnlarge Photo Few subjects are as snooze-inducing as macroeconomics, especially when talking about transnational manufacturing decisions, but oddly enough, the lively little Honda Fit has the ability to breathe life into the topic. A report breaking today reveals the strong yen against the relatively weak dollar could bring production of the cute-as-a-button Fit to the U.S. The move is under consideration according to Honda president Takanobu Ito. Building the Fit in Japan with the tough exchange rate is making it almost impossible to clear the profits they need from the small car. Sales are down, too, but the Fit is doing better than the rest of Honda's lineup in the U.S., so maintaining the bottom line on the little hatchback is key to Honda's plans. Profit margins are narrow enough on small cars as it is, so the 8% rise of the yen against the U.S. dollar has made it worth looking into adding the Fit to the rest of the Hondas already built in the U.S. Building locally is a core part of the company's American operations, and fitting the Fit into the lineup of home-built cars could open the door to sourcing more high-tech vehicles from Japan. Some of the cars Honda likely has in store for its high-tech import plans include the CR-Z hybrid, FCX Clarity fuel-cell vehicle and 2010 Insight hybrid. Honda already builds about 80% of the cars it sells in the U.S. locally. It's not yet clear if the upcoming Fit Hybrid would also be built in the U.S., though it would be a logical follow-up to moving conventional Fit production to America.
[Auto News - sub. req.]

[Virgil]

Tokyo 2009: Honda CR-Z coming to America next fall with six-speed manual!
by Sam Abuelsamid (RSS feed) on Oct 21st 2009 at 1:50AM


Honda CR-Z concept 2009 - Click above for high-res image gallery

Honda fans of all sorts have cause to celebrate today with the reveal of the 2009 iteration of the CR-Z coupe. In typical Honda fashion, this CR-Z remains a concept in name and detail only. What you see here is essentially the production coupe that will go on sale in Japan next February and then arrive in North America in the Fall.

The cool scoop-like grille from the original 2007 concept has been largely carried over, with the biggest changes being a somewhat taller roof and a more upright windshield with blacked out A-pillars – concessions to the fact that real people will have to fit into the production car. On the exterior, the only elements likely to change once it hits the assembly line are the side mirrors, which will probably be a bit larger, along with the internals of the light clusters.

The good news for fans of the much-loved 1983-1991 Civic CR-X is that the CR-Z should have significantly better performance than the disappointing new Insight, a car that is geared more toward fuel economy than performance. In any case, the CR-Z coupe gets a bump in displacement up to 1.5-liter and – wait for it – a six-speed manual gearbox! This will be the first hybrid with a row-it-yourself six-speed.

Unfortunately, we probably won't hear any official numbers on the drivetrain's output or its mileage until closer to the Japanese launch, but color us excited – and you can share some of our joy by checking out the high-res image gallery below.

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/10/21/tokyo-2009-honda-cr-z-coming-to-america-next-fall-with-six-spee/

[Seth]

http://www.autocar.co.uk/contentImages//Car/Honda/Civic/1.4i-VTECHybrid4drSaloon/3136621661.jpg
Radical redesign for Honda Civic (http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsArticle.aspx?AR=244364#)



The next generation Honda Civic will be smaller, lighter and more fuel efficient than was originally planned, the company's chief of automotive operations has said.
However, the radical changes could delay the new car's launch, which was expected in late 2010. The Civic is crucial to Honda's line-up as its platform forms the basis for the CR-V, FR-V and Japan's Stream minivan.
the CR-V and Element, Japan's Stream small minivan and Europe's FR-V.
Speaking to Automotive News, Honda's Tsuneo Tanai said that Honda planned to downsize its next Civic platform, based on its own analysis of rising oil, steel and aluminum prices.
However, he has revealed that, following the economic downturn, Honda chief Takanobu Ito ordered a complete re-evaluation of Honda's plans, killing its V8 and rear-wheel-drive programmes and demanding revamps of all existing designs.
Initial designs planned for the next Civic to be larger than the current model, but now its exterior will be smaller, said Tanai. Instead, he claimed Honda hopes to create a perceived sense of increased roominess inside.
Ito refused to identify a target launch date for the new Civic, but said: ""The team is struggling. We are injecting more manpower to meet our target."
Tanai also revealed that Honda's focus is now on reducing weight on all its platforms and expanding its hybrid powertrain technology to more vehicle lines.
It also has added development of electric vehicles, which Honda initially opposed, to bump up the Honda fleet's fuel efficiency and lower its emissions.

[bgdsta]

Evoluţia crescătoare a preţurilor micşorează viitorul Honda Civichttp://www.evz.ro/template/images/toolbox_corner.gifhttp://www.evz.ro/template/images/rss_btn.gif (http://www.evz.ro/xml/rss_articole/873383/rssxml/) http://www.evz.ro/template/images/resize.gif (http://www.evz.ro/articole/detalii-articol/873383/Evolutia-crescatoare-a-preturilor-micsoreaza-viitorul-Honda-Civic/#)

Cristian Ionescu (cristian.ionescu@evz.ro)
Marţi, 27 Octombrie 2009
Constructorul japonez intenţionează să ajusteze – în jos – dimensiunile următoarei generaţii a modelului (http://javascript<b></b>:void(0))său compact, a cărei lansare ar putea fi amânată pentru 2011.

Viitoarea generaţie Honda (http://evz.auto.ro/masini_second_hand/fb-Honda-38) Civic va fi mai mică, mai uşoară şi mai eficientă (din punct de vedere al consumului de carburant) decât cea comercializată în prezent (http://javascript<b></b>:void(0)), anunţă ”Autocar”, citând un articol publicat de ”Automotive News”.

Honda a intenţionat să realizeze un automobil compact de dimensiuni superioare (actualul Civic hatchback măsoară 4,25 metri lungime şi 1,76 metri lăţime) – în ton cu practicile din industrie – dar a renunţat în urma unei analize (http://javascript<b></b>:void(0))de cost care a privit tendiţa crescătoare a preţurilor oţelului, aluminiului şi petrolului.

Tsuneo Tanai, directorul de operaţiuni Honda, a explicat că inginerii responsabili pentru proiectul Civic caută soluţii pentru realizarea unui interior (http://javascript<b></b>:void(0))care să pară mai încăpător, în ciuda reducerilor operate asupra dimensiunilor exterioare.

Urmtătoarea generaţie Honda Civic trebuia lansată la finele anului viitor. Tanai a recunoscut că schimbarea planurilor iniţiale ar putea compromite această ţintă: ”Avem dificultăţi, dar vom aloca mai multe resurse umane proiectului, în încercarea de a putea atinge targetul asumat”.

Sursa: http://www.evz.ro/articole/detalii-articol/873383/Evolutia-crescatoare-a-preturilor-micsoreaza-viitorul-Honda-Civic/ (http://www.evz.ro/articole/detalii-articol/873383/Evolutia-crescatoare-a-preturilor-micsoreaza-viitorul-Honda-Civic/)

[BogdanRR]

In sfarsit, pot sa spun si eu "Bravo, Honda!'. Daca le iese bine planul, pentru toate modelele, au un 10 cu coronita de la mine.

[razvan p.]

cum am vazut in semanatura lui bogdan:

"Sunt un "nostalgic blocat in trecut", conform noului CEO Honda, Takanobu Ito"

eu as vrea sa completez si sa sustin ca nu as vrea sa aleg intre HONDA si HYUNDAI pt ca ca TOYOTA este deja muult inainte!cum detine 30% din subaru va avea un succes nebun!

[hondatu]

Auto Motor und Sport a stat de vorba cu sefu´:

http://www.auto-motor-und-sport.de/news/honda-chef-die-krise-ist-noch-nicht-vorbei-1457729.html (http://www.auto-motor-und-sport.de/news/honda-chef-die-krise-ist-noch-nicht-vorbei-1457729.html)

[Seth]

Imi place cum a zis, sunt perfect de acord. :D

[BogdanRR]

Imi place cum a zis, sunt perfect de acord. :D

:haha:Tu ai citit acelasi articol?
Nimic nou, se merge pe hibride, pe imbunatatirea sistemului, pe reducerea costurilor, China e o piata importanta, bla bla.

[hondatu]

Articolul nu e complet, ca de obicei restul zace in versiunea scrisa pe doua pagini.
Tip: interviul nu e pentru asa-zisii nostalgici ci pentru realisti.

[zagado26]

Eu cred ca Seth a vrut sa spuna ca n-a inteles nimic articolul fiind in germana!

[maruta]

2009 SEMA Show: World's fastest Honda Civic circa 1976

http://blogs.consumerreports.org/.a/6a00d83451e0d569e20120a666dec3970b-pi[/URL] Way back in 1974, long before there was an Acura NSX (http://blogs.consumerreports.org/.a/6a00d83451e0d569e20120a666dec3970b-pi), Honda S2000 (http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/models/used/honda/s2000/overview.htm?EXTKEY=182UCAS), or even a Civic Si (http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/models/new/honda/civic/overview.htm), there was Honda performance pioneer Bob Boileau, otherwise know as “Honda Bob.”

Bob campaigned this Honda Civic on race circuits years before anybody started thinking of Hondas as performance cars. Bob and his Civic earned the title of World’s Fastest Civic in 1976, when he was clocked at 146 mph at Alabama’s Talladega Superspeedway. Bob went on to win six Sports Car Club of America GT5 championships between 1985 and 1990.
What makes all those championships even more notable is that Bob earned them back in the days when performance parts for the Civic were virtually unavailable. But he arguably helped set the stage for years of tuners and Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association (SEMA (http://blogs.consumerreports.org/cars/sema/index.html)) show exhibitors to come.

This year the tiny, unrestored Civic earned a place in the back of the Honda booth at SEMA, duct-taped fenders and all.

Hats off, Honda Bob.




Sursa: [url]http://blogs.consumerreports.org/cars/2009/11/2009-sema-show-honda-bob-boileau-worlds-fastest-honda-civic.html (http://blogs.consumerreports.org/cars/2009/11/2009-sema-show-honda-bob-boileau-worlds-fastest-honda-civic.html)

[maruta]

New Super GT Honda Confirmed

With the last race of this year’s Super GT already over and done with, fans of Honda have been left wondering what will replace the current NSX GT car for next season.
http://www.7tune.com/wp-content/gallery/cache/3563__587x338_nsx-gt-6.jpg (http://www.7tune.com/wp-content/gallery/supergt-nsx/nsx-gt-6.jpg)

Due to new Super GT regulations forcing the use of FR cars for the 2010 season, fans of the mid-engine Honda saw the last race of their venerate NSX earlier this month at Twin Ring Motegi Circuit here in Japan. With it’s first debut back in 1997 at the then All Japan GTC (followed by the JGTC and now Super GT), the NSX has had an illustrious career, claiming 49 poles with 36 race wins from 105 starts. With all this, Honda and the NSX teams have obviously attracted a multitude of fans and supporters over the last 13 years. But now, with rule changes forcing the end of the NSX’s career, Honda has announced that it will continue it’s participation in the Super GT. With an FR S2000 you say? Well no, actually with none other than it’s shelved FR Super Sports V10.
The shelved project, which had to be put on permanent hold along with Honda’s F1 involvement due to the economic crisis, will find new life and will be used as the base for the GT car in season 2010.
http://www.7tune.com/wp-content/gallery/cache/3564__587x263_587_super_gt_nsx_2.jpg (http://www.7tune.com/wp-content/gallery/supergt-nsx/587_super_gt_nsx_2.jpg)
But surely it’s not possible!? While at first the idea may seem a little far fetched it all makes good sense. Before being given the axe, the FR V10 was under going development and work on a Super GT variant was already in place. It’s release was to coincide with the release of the road going version into the market. Times have changed though and whilst the race version of the car will be released next year, its road friendly counterpart will not. Honda will use special permission from the organizers of Super GT to allow this to happen and let the car compete in the GT 500. This will also let Honda off the homologation hook, meaning no limited run of V10s will have to be made or sold unlike the unicorn like NSX-R GT. (More photos below)
http://www.7tune.com/wp-content/gallery/cache/3559__587x380_nsxgt1.jpg (http://www.7tune.com/wp-content/gallery/supergt-nsx/nsxgt1.jpg)
While details at this point in time are still sketchy, Honda will be releasing more details shortly and we await what FR goodness will be in store for us come 2010.

Sursa: http://www.7tune.com/new-super-gt-honda-confirmed/

[maruta]

Acura adds some vroom to the TSX

One of the few Japanese cars that can come close to replicating the fun driving experience of a premium European sport sedan, the Acura TSX, becomes even more compelling for 2010 with the addition of its first V-6 engine option.
Originally introduced in 2003, the TSX is the entry-level sedan from Honda's premium brand, and until now it was available only with a four-cylinder engine.
This might seem to be an odd time to introduce a V-6 engine in a car that has gotten along well with only a four-cylinder, though, as automakers have been downsizing their engines lately in the wake of last year's $4-a-gallon-plus gasoline.
For instance, GM recently said it soon will begin offering a four-cylinder as the base engine in the new midsize LaCrosse sedan, which has two V-6 options as well. And GM also plans to roll out a new Regal sport sedan next year — with only a four-cylinder available. (GM hasn't offered a four-cylinder engine in the new Camaro coupe yet, but I consider it only a matter of time ...)
TSX fans will tell you they've been perfectly happy with the performance of the four-cylinder engine, which, with the car's relatively light weight, produces sufficient power for spirited driving.
The most fun with the TSX comes from its nimble road handling, though, not raw power. It shines on those twisty back roads that driving enthusiasts love so much. It has a tight suspension and precise steering, which combine to give the driver confidence in tight turns.
With the V-6, there is more power, for sure — especially noticeable to me off the line, such as during merges onto the freeway at the start of my morning commute, but also at highway speeds when a burst of power is needed for passing.
The engine is smooth and sure throughout its power range, with maximum horsepower — 280 — available at 6,200 rpm (vs. 7,000 for the four-cylinder), and all of the torque offered up at 5,000 rpm (vs. 4,300 for the four).
TSX prices begin at $29,310 (plus $810 freight) for the base four-cylinder model with either a five-speed automatic transmission or a six-speed manual.
The V-6 model, which comes only with the five-speed automatic, begins at $34,850 and goes one step higher, to $37,950, when the Technology Package is added.
In the V-6 model, the 3.5-liter engine has 254 foot-pounds of torque, which is significantly above that of the 2.4-liter four-cylinder, which cranks out 201 horsepower and 170 foot-pounds of torque with the automatic or 172 foot-pounds with the manual gearbox.
Four-cylinder models with the Technology Package are $32,260 with either transmission. This option adds a GPS-based navigation/communications system with voice recognition, Zagat restaurant information and an integrated rearview camera; the AcuraLink satellite communications system; real-time traffic with a new rerouting function; AcuraLink weather; a 10-speaker Acura/ELS premium sound system with multiformat, six-disc DVD-audio changer; and a GPS-linked, solar-sensing, dual-zone automatic-climate-control system.
The audio system was named for and designed by Grammy award-winning sound engineer Elliot Scheiner. Acura says the sound from DVD surround-sound audio discs played on this system is 500 times clearer than from a traditional compact disc.
The V-6 comes with unique 18-inch wheels and a revised suspension, and has EPA fuel-economy ratings of 18 mpg city/27 highway. That compares with 20/28 for the four-cylinder with manual transmission and 21/30 with the automatic.
All models come with front-wheel drive, which goes against the typical setup of the European sport sedan (and the Infiniti G, as well). Acura does not offer its Super-Handling All-Wheel Drive on the TSX, but it is available on the slightly larger TL sedan, which comes with the same V-6 engine as the TSX.
The V-6 has Acura's Sequential SportShift transmission, with grade-logic and shift-hold control. The transmission can be operated in full automatic mode, or the driver can shift it manually (without having to use a clutch).
Acura uses a specially tuned double-wishbone front and multilink rear suspension system, and the car has five-spoke aluminum wheels and Michelin Pilot all-season tires. Also different from the four-cylinder model is a revised front fascia and a V-6 badge on the trunk lid.
The new TSX exterior design, introduced for 2009, is called “Keen Edge Dynamic,” which Acura said was intended to give the car “a cutting-edge appearance” to resonate with its youthful consumers — typically young, single professionals or couples.
Even the four-cylinder model is well-equipped. Standard amenities include leather interior, a power moon roof, high-intensity headlights, Bluetooth hands-free phone link and a great audio system with standard XM satellite radio and USB connection point.
All models also have Honda's Advanced Compatibility Engineering front body structure, designed to minimize damage to other vehicles and injury to pedestrians hit by the car.
The TSX comes with a drive-by-wire throttle system, which has no direct mechanical link between the accelerator pedal and the engine. Fuel is delivered by a computer-controlled programmed fuel-injection system.
Other safety features include four-wheel antilock disc brakes with electronic brake assist; electronic stability and traction control; front seat-mounted side air bags; roof-mounted side-curtain air bags for both rows; front and rear crumple zones; and a tire-pressure monitoring system.
The car seats five, and the very comfortable perforated-leather front bucket seats are heated. The driver's seat has an eight-way power adjustment and the passenger seat a four-way power adjust. The steering wheel is wrapped in leather.
There is a choice of either an aluminum-alloy or wood look for the interior trim, and carpeted floor mats are standard.
The 60/40 split-folding rear bench seat is roomy enough for two adults to sit rather comfortably, or for three if necessary (but probably not comfortably).
Other amenities include power windows/mirrors/door locks, cruise control, steering-wheel-mounted audio controls, a tilt-and-telescopic steering column, dual-zone automatic climate control and a universal garage/gate opener.
Also standard is torque-sensing variable power rack-and-pinion steering, along with front and rear stabilizer bars. Four-cylinder models come with 17-inch alloy wheels.
A variety of dealer-installed options is offered, including interior trim kits, spoilers and 18-inch alloy wheels.

Sursa: http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/columnists/Acura_adds_some_vroom_to_the_TSX.html (http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/columnists/Acura_adds_some_vroom_to_the_TSX.html)

[tokyodream]

Multumesc sensei MARUTA pentru ajutor....in urmatoare ora am de afisat vreo 11 pagini cu stiri ( si numai link-uri :) ).
asa ca o sa dureze pana pun link cu link pe topicurile respective!
Sa incepem !



Tokyo-Motor-Show 2009 : Honda :

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/motor-shows/tokyo-motor-show/6399865/Tokyo-Motor-Show-Honda.html# (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/motor-shows/tokyo-motor-show/6399865/Tokyo-Motor-Show-Honda.html)

(http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/motor-shows/tokyo-motor-show/6399865/Tokyo-Motor-Show-Honda.html)


Honda-racing-finally-puts-NSX-out-to-pasture-as-supergt-tweaks-r:

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/10/26/honda-racing-finally-puts-nsx-out-to-pasture-as-supergt-tweaks-r/ (http://www.autoblog.com/2009/10/26/honda-racing-finally-puts-nsx-out-to-pasture-as-supergt-tweaks-r/)


Honda_nearly_triples_outlook,_more_upside_seen:

http://finance.townhall.com/news/finance/2009/10/27/honda_nearly_triples_outlook,_more_upside_seen (http://finance.townhall.com/news/finance/2009/10/27/honda_nearly_triples_outlook,_more_upside_seen)


Greenest-car-company-honda-goes-greener-yet-harder-and-faster:

http://www.greencarreports.com/blog/1037178_greenest-car-company-honda-goes-greener-yet-harder-and-faster (http://www.greencarreports.com/blog/1037178_greenest-car-company-honda-goes-greener-yet-harder-and-faster)



http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1037296_consumer-reports-reliability-survey-ford-beats-japan (http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1037296_consumer-reports-reliability-survey-ford-beats-japan)


http://autoweb.com.au/cms/A_111728/newsarticle.html (http://autoweb.com.au/cms/A_111728/newsarticle.html)


http://www.thehindu.com/2009/11/04/stories/2009110450371400.htm (http://www.thehindu.com/2009/11/04/stories/2009110450371400.htm)



http://www.autoweek.com/article/20091102/CARNEWS/911029995 (http://www.autoweek.com/article/20091102/CARNEWS/911029995)


Honda Announces MUGEN Accessories for U.S.-Spec Accord Sedan at SEMA:

http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2009/11/honda-announces-mugen-accessories-for.html (http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2009/11/honda-announces-mugen-accessories-for.html)



2010 Honda Accord Sedan - Accord Coupe:

http://www.nbcautoshow.com/review/1037648_2010-honda-accord-sedan--accord-coupe (http://www.nbcautoshow.com/review/1037648_2010-honda-accord-sedan--accord-coupe)


Honda Plans to Add About 100 Dealerships a Year in China, CFO Hojo Says:

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601080&sid=a7w0VEiN1q0M (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601080&sid=a7w0VEiN1q0M)



Best vehicles chosen:

http://www.bclocalnews.com/vancouver_island_central/nanaimonewsbulletin/lifestyles/69205447.html (http://www.bclocalnews.com/vancouver_island_central/nanaimonewsbulletin/lifestyles/69205447.html)




Honda Begins Sales of Euro-Built Civic Type R in Japan:


http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2009/11/honda-begins-sales-of-euro-built-civic.html (http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2009/11/honda-begins-sales-of-euro-built-civic.html)



First Drive: 2010 Honda Civic Type R MugenIt's the Top 3000 RPM You'll Remember -- And The Price:

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/hatchbacks/112_0911_2010_honda_civic_type_r_mugen_review/index.html (http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/hatchbacks/112_0911_2010_honda_civic_type_r_mugen_review/index.html)



http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-drive/car-tips/buyers-guide/what-theyre-offering/article1351166/ (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-drive/car-tips/buyers-guide/what-theyre-offering/article1351166/) - HONDA/ACURA



New compact cars for 2010:

http://www.canada.com/cars/compact+cars+2010/2173473/story.html (http://www.canada.com/cars/compact+cars+2010/2173473/story.html)






Purchasing the Most Suitable Civic:

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/purchasing-the-most-suitable-civic.html (http://www.buzzle.com/articles/purchasing-the-most-suitable-civic.html)



Goodbye, Honda Odyssey. Hello, Honda SkyDeck concept:

http://features.csmonitor.com/innovation/2009/11/04/goodbye-honda-odyssey-hello-honda-skydeck-concept/ (http://features.csmonitor.com/innovation/2009/11/04/goodbye-honda-odyssey-hello-honda-skydeck-concept/)




Motoring & Car News: Euro cars now tops for reliability:

http://www.irvineherald.co.uk/lifestyle/motoring-car-news/2009/11/09/euro-cars-now-tops-for-reliability-75485-25122690/ (http://www.irvineherald.co.uk/lifestyle/motoring-car-news/2009/11/09/euro-cars-now-tops-for-reliability-75485-25122690/)



Honda Excites Biking Enthusiasts with Five Rounds of Fun-Biking:

http://www.businesswireindia.com/PressRelease.asp?b2mid=20574 (http://www.businesswireindia.com/PressRelease.asp?b2mid=20574)




REPORT: NHTSA probe opened into Honda airbag recall timing:

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/11/09/report-nhtsa-probe-opened-into-honda-airbag-recall-timing/ (http://www.autoblog.com/2009/11/09/report-nhtsa-probe-opened-into-honda-airbag-recall-timing/)




2009 SEMA Show: World's fastest Honda Civic circa 1976 : :woot:

http://blogs.consumerreports.org/cars/2009/11/2009-sema-show-honda-bob-boileau-worlds-fastest-honda-civic.html (http://blogs.consumerreports.org/cars/2009/11/2009-sema-show-honda-bob-boileau-worlds-fastest-honda-civic.html)




Kiplinger's best green and used cars of 2009:

http://www.kmir6.com/Global/story.asp?S=11486918 (http://www.kmir6.com/Global/story.asp?S=11486918)



Honda, Guangzhou Auto to expand capacity:

http://autonews.gasgoo.com/auto-news/1012919/Honda--Guangzhou-Auto-to-expand-capacity.html (http://autonews.gasgoo.com/auto-news/1012919/Honda--Guangzhou-Auto-to-expand-capacity.html)



Honda’s Rodney Dangerfield of Alt-Fuel Vehicles :

http://www.wired.com/autopia/2009/11/honda-civic-gx/ (http://www.wired.com/autopia/2009/11/honda-civic-gx/)



The Cloak of Invisibility Comes Off:


http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09318/1013580-185.stm (http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09318/1013580-185.stm)


Honda mulls new facility:

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1091120/jsp/business/story_11763427.jsp (http://www.telegraphindia.com/1091120/jsp/business/story_11763427.jsp)


Honda’s design philosophy stresses function:


http://www.newschannel5.com/Global/story.asp?S=11540594 (http://www.newschannel5.com/Global/story.asp?S=11540594)



Acura-lowers-sights-to-entry-luxury-tier-1-off-the-table: :yes:

http://www.leftlanenews.com/acura-lowers-sights-to-entry-luxury-tier-1-off-the-table.html (http://www.leftlanenews.com/acura-lowers-sights-to-entry-luxury-tier-1-off-the-table.html)




Acura-sees-future-defined-by-advanced-eco-technologies:

http://www.motorauthority.com/blog/1037615_acura-sees-future-defined-by-advanced-eco-technologies (http://www.motorauthority.com/blog/1037615_acura-sees-future-defined-by-advanced-eco-technologies)





Honda BF200 and BF225: Superior Power and Reliable Performance:

http://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel.asp?aId=108025 (http://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel.asp?aId=108025)

[tokyodream]

Most Fuel Efficient Full-Line Carmaker in the U.S.: Honda. Again. :)


http://www.greencarreports.com/blog/1038769_most-fuel-efficient-full-line-carmaker-in-the-u-s-honda-again (http://www.greencarreports.com/blog/1038769_most-fuel-efficient-full-line-carmaker-in-the-u-s-honda-again)





Once again, Honda (http://www.allpickuptrucks.com/make/honda,new) has the most fuel-efficient model range of the nine carmakers that sell a full lineup of vehicles in the U.S.
Preliminary figures from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency showed Honda (http://www.allminivans.com/make/honda,new) averaging 23.6 miles per gallon across its 2009 vehicles, closely trailed by Hyundai (http://www.collegecarguide.com/make/hyundai,new) (23.4 mpg) and Toyota (http://www.gasmileagenews.com/make/toyota,new) (23.2 mpg). The 2009 average across all vehicles sold is 21.1 mpg.
Estimates track final figures
The EPA estimates are made using sales estimates and confidential information on model mix and engine options from the carmakers, as well as early sales data. Final figures based on actual sales will be released next year, but they don't vary much from the estimates.

http://images.thecarconnection.com/sml/2009-honda-cr-z-concept-car_100229903_s.jpg 2009 Honda CR-Z concept car
Enlarge Photo (http://www.greencarreports.com/image/100229903_2009-honda-cr-z-concept-car)


http://images.thecarconnection.com/sml/honda-unveils-2009-civic-and-civic-hybrid_100207751_s.jpg Honda unveils 2009 Civic and Civic Hybrid
Enlarge Photo (http://www.greencarreports.com/image/100207751_honda-unveils-2009-civic-and-civic-hybrid)


http://images.thecarconnection.com/sml/honda_100227516_s.jpg 2010 Honda Fit Sport
Enlarge Photo (http://www.greencarreports.com/image/100227516_2010-honda-fit-sport)

The three U.S. carmakers were at the bottom of the list, due to their sales of full-size pickup trucks (http://www.chevroletreports.com/category/pickups,new) and sport utility vehicles. Ford (http://www.familycarguide.com/make/ford,new) was third-to-last, at 20.5 mpg, General Motors was second at 19.9 mpg, and Chrysler (http://www.greencarreports.com/make/chrysler,new) came in dead last, at a mere 18.7 mpg.
Honda: harder and faster
For the model year that's just started, the company launched the 2010 Honda Insight dedicated hybrid (http://www.greencarreports.com/blog/1022001_drive-report-2010-honda-insight) in February, which will be followed by the 2011 Honda CR-Z (http://www.greencarreports.com/blog/1036026_preview-2011-honda-cr-z-hybrid-two-seat-sports-coupe) hybrid (http://www.hondareports.com/category/hybrid,new) two-seat sports coupe and then by a future Honda Fit (http://www.allsmallcars.com/overview/honda_fit_2008) Hybrid (http://www.toyotamonitor.com/category/hybrid,new) as well.
But Honda (http://www.allcarselectric.com/make/honda,new) is hardly standing still. Indeed, in the face of oil prices that have recently risen from $30 to $80 a barrel, and increased global regulation of carbon emissions and/or fuel economy, Honda (http://www.crossoverreviews.com/make/honda,new) is doubling down on efficiency improvements (http://www.greencarreports.com/blog/1037178_greenest-car-company-honda-goes-greener-yet-harder-and-faster).
No V-8s, no big cars
It is changing plans for its model lineup, working harder and faster to take weight out of its new cars lighter, and make themless thirsty, even while keeping them nimble, clever, and fun to drive. It has already canceled a line of large rear-wheel-drive cars and a V-8 engine.
In addition to its hybrids (http://www.allaboutsuvs.com/category/hybrid,new), Honda's (http://www.motorauthority.com/make/honda,new) strength has always been its compact 2010 Honda (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda_2010) Civic and midsize 2010 Honda (http://www.pickupconnection.com/make/honda,new) Accord sedans (http://sportscarmonitor.com/category/sedans,new). More recently, the well-received and versatile 2010 Honda Fit (http://www.teenwheels.com/overview/honda_fit_2010) subcompact hatchback (http://www.acuraratings.com/category/hatchback,new) has been eagerly adopted by younger buyers.
[Detroit News (http://www.detnews.com/article/20091121/AUTO01/911210317/1148/)]

================================================== =====


Acura RSX: Why is Honda Getting Rid of Its One of Its Bestselling Cars?


http://www.associatedcontent.com/art...id.html?cat=27 (http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2389312/acura_rsx_why_is_honda_getting_rid.html?cat=27)




(http://www.associatedcontent.com/#)Honda started its more upscale brand Acura in 1986. While Honda (http://www.associatedcontent.com/topic/607/honda.html) was making affordable cars for most price tags they also wanted to appeal to a different market. Luxury cars started becoming more and more popular and the entry level luxury car still more popular. http://ads.associatedcontent.com/www/delivery/avw.php?zoneid=2&cb=8612433759567132&source=&n=a14de4a9&slice=-0-&content_type=article&content_type_id=2389312&category_id=27&key_ad=1240236621&site_id=1&ad_pos=2&key_page=8612433759567132&ac_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.associatedcontent.com%2Far ticle%2F2389312%2Facura_rsx_why_is_honda_getting_r id.html (http://ads.associatedcontent.com/www/delivery/ck.php?n=a14de4a9&cb=1240236621)


Thus the Acura brand came into being. It was originally started with just two models, the Integra and the Legend. There are many newer models in the Acura family today like the RL, the TL, MDX and RDX, but the Integra remained its pride and joy and it continued to sell. It was later renamed the RSX but that didn't slow down its popularity. It became so popular that it even became one of the most stolen cars in the US. Now after more than twenty years of solid reliability Honda (http://www.associatedcontent.com/topic/607/honda.html) is retiring the Acura RSX. Although Acura made steady sells with the Integra it is time to let go. Because of the unavailability of its parts the Integra was popular among thieves. With the model now being discontinued any RSX owners may want to keep a close eye on their car. They will become rarer in the next few years, but it will certainly still be a high demand car.

So why is Honda (http://www.associatedcontent.com/topic/607/honda.html) getting rid of its one of its bestselling cars? The Integra was originally tailor made to be a bridge model between the high end Legend and the more affordable Honda (http://www.associatedcontent.com/topic/607/honda.html) models. This certainly helped ease consumers into the Acura brand, but now in the 21st century there is no longer a need for this transition car in the market. Acura has now developed more upscale models that it was originally intended for. With other brands like Toyota and Nissan also creating luxury brands like Lexus and Infiniti it is time for Acura to step up its game. This means there is no longer room for the RSX. It is outdated and investing in a newer model would be a step back for the company looking to raise their competitiveness.




(http://www.associatedcontent.com/#)As far as the luxury coupe goes there is no longer a high demand. They used to be everywhere, but now the only cars that have managed to hold on are the Ford Mustang and Mitsubishi Eclipse. However, in order to satisfy the demand, should there prove to be one, Acura is considering making http://ads.associatedcontent.com/www/delivery/avw.php?zoneid=2&cb=8612433759647626&source=&n=a14de4a9&slice=-0-&content_type=article&content_type_id=2389312&category_id=27&key_ad=750626917&site_id=1&ad_pos=2&key_page=8612433759647626&ac_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.associatedcontent.com%2Far ticle%2F2389312%2Facura_rsx_why_is_honda_getting_r id_pg2_pg2.html%3Fpage%3D2 (http://ads.associatedcontent.com/www/delivery/ck.php?n=a14de4a9&cb=750626917)


their TL Sedan into a coupe. Acura is also considering bringing back the sporty NSX. This would certainly be the top end vehicle for Acura consumers. This is not all Acura has hidden behind its doors. Out with the old and in with the new. We can expect lots of changes from Acura in the future.

Although Acura made steady sells with the Integra it is time to let go. Because of the unavailability of its parts the Integra was popular among thieves. With the model now being discontinued any RSX owners may want to keep a close eye on their car. They will become rarer in the next few years, but it will certainly still be a high demand car.

[tokyodream]

2010 10 Best Cars - 10 Best Cars !


http://www.caranddriver.com/features/09q4/2010_10best_cars-10best_cars (http://www.caranddriver.com/features/09q4/2010_10best_cars-10best_cars)

This year, for the 28th running of our annual 10Best competition, the rules were simple. First, we raised the price cap from $71,000 to $80,000 (roughly three times the average transaction price of a new car) in the belief that 80 grand is the current point of automotive excellence’s diminishing returns. Cars get more expensive than that, but they don’t get much better. More important, raising the cap makes eligible nominees in two other vital categories: luxo-sport GTs and luxury sedans. Never mind that only two new cars qualified (and one was about to be replaced in a few months, so we left it out).
Second rule: As is the norm, we invited back 2009’s 10Best winners (http://www.caranddriver.com/features/09q1/2009_10best_cars-10best_cars) and all the new or significantly altered cars for 2010. Every qualifying vehicle must be on sale no later than January 2010, ergo the complete absence of vaporware.
In all, we hosted a total of 58 automobiles at our secret base hidden amid the farm plots of southeast Michigan. We flogged the cars for a week over our long-standing route, which serves up everything from smooth curves to pockmarked apexes to first-gear corners to high-speed straights to elevation changes.
There, we sought answers to the following questions: 1) How well does this car perform its intended mission? Does a given luxury car, for example, ride harshly? Does it sacrifice rear-seat headroom for an aggressive tumblehome? 2) Is this a highly engaging, fun-to-drive vehicle in its category? Does it compel the driver to get in and enjoy it? And 3) What kind of value does it represent? How much goodness does it deliver for its price?
The cars on the following pages max out in all three areas. These are the machines that have cracked the greatness code. The overwhelming consensus in our results, arrived at by a diverse array of drivers and their biases, has convinced us that these are the 10 worthiest cars on the American road. And their average base price of just over $35,000 was far below our $80,000 cap.

The Nominees:

Nominees consist of all-new cars, 2009 10Best winners, cars that were not available for the 2009 competition, and those with significant updates. All cars must fall under our base-price cap of $80,000 and be on sale in January 2010.
Acura TL 6-sp manual • Acura ZDX • Audi A5 2.0T • Audi A6 3.0T • Audi S4 • Audi S5 Cabriolet • Audi TTS • BMW Z4 • BMW 3-series/M3 • Buick LaCrosse • Cadillac CTS/CTS-V • Chevrolet Camaro • Chevrolet Corvette/Grand Sport/Z06 • Ford Fusion/Fusion hybrid • Ford Mustang/Shelby GT500 • Ford Taurus/Taurus SHO • Honda Accord • Honda Fit • Honda Insight • Hyundai Genesis coupe • Infiniti G37 • Jaguar XF/XFR • Kia Forte/Forte Koup • Kia Soul • Lexus HS250h • Lexus IS convertible • Lincoln MKS EcoBoost • Lotus Evora* • Lotus Exige S 260 Sport • Mazda MX-5 Miata • Mazda 3/Mazdaspeed 3 • Mercedes-Benz E-class • Nissan Cube • Nissan 370Z • Pontiac G8 GXP* • Pontiac Solstice coupe* • Porsche Boxster / Cayman • Porsche 911 Carrera • Subaru Legacy • Subaru Outback • Suzuki Kizashi • Toyota Prius • Toyota Venza • Volkswagen Golf*/GTI



2010 Honda Accord - 10Best Cars!

The miracle from Marysville.

In 28 years of 10Best competition, Honda’s Accord has made the list 24 times. Somewhere in Japan, there are about 200 engineers wringing their hands and asking each other, “Where’d we go wrong in those four losing years?” Maybe that’s why the car is so good.
In ’08, the redesigned Accord sedan (http://buyersguide.caranddriver.com/honda/accord/2010/honda-accord-sedan) vaulted into the EPA’s large-car domain yet retained the taut, square-jawed underpinnings that make it so gratifyingly competent to drive. The automatic transmission never draws attention to itself, body motions are subdued, the cockpit is hushed, the steering discreetly reveals what the front tires are up to, and the 2.4-liter four is not only quick to rev but also offers the idle quality of a six.
But what so reliably sets the Accord apart is its platform—as solid and unyielding as a shotgun barrel.
If the sedan pegs your personal blandness meter, investigate the slick coupe (http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/car/08q1/2008_honda_accord_coupe_ex-l_v-6-short_take_road_test). When fitted with the 271-hp V-6, it becomes an Accord coup. Row through the velvety manual six-speed—barking the front tires something fierce as you shift into second—and 60 mph manifests in 5.6 seconds. It feels peculiar to be nailing apexes and heel-and-toeing in an Accord—it’s like yelling at your mom—but it’s okay to tell friends that this is the spiritual successor to the feisty Prelude.
The V-6 coupe could benefit from less torque steer, a less confusing center stack, and a friendlier sticker—an over-$30K Accord is in Celine Dion territory. She could call hers the Accord Dion.Continued... (http://www.caranddriver.com/features/09q4/2010_10best_cars-10best_cars/2010_honda_fit_page_7)


2010 Honda Fit - 10Best Cars!

Brilliance at a budget price.

The overachieving Fit (http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/car/08q4/2009_honda_fit_sport-road_test) is one of our quick-draw answers when people ask us which car to buy. It’s all the car anyone needs—big fun, and as cheap to own and operate as a hamster. Despite the Fit’s microbial footprint, it takes truly Sasquatchian dimensions to be discomforted inside, and all that space is surrounded by quality materials and thoughtful design unmatched in many vehicles costing much more.
While the 1.5-liter’s 117 horsepower won’t much squish the seatback foam, keeping the four-pot revving can make for an engaging game with either of its two available transmissions. With short shifts and direct, mechanical movement, the base five-speed manual should be studied by the world’s finer sports-car makers. Pairing the automatic (http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/car/09q3/2009_honda_fit_sport_automatic-short_take_road_test) with the Sport model nets an obedient paddle-shifted slushbox that does the cheapest F1 impression on the market.
If momentum isn’t particularly easy to summon up, it’s a riot to conserve. The Fit zips through corners with an agile, balanced manner directed by quick and accurate steering. Thick bolsters on the front seats keep occupants comfortable and in place while reinforcing the idea that the Fit is not just an economical car but an entertaining one, too. It is engaging enough to inspire back-road thrusts and parries, but it won’t alert police.
Everything about this Honda feels like a more expensive, more upmarket vehicle. It is the marriage of a number of seemingly paradoxical concepts, but its greatest accomplishment is the association this little runabout dissolves: The Fit proves more decisively than any other vehicle that affordable and cheap are mutually exclusive concepts.

[tokyodream]

Best And Worst Used Vehicles !


http://www.forbes.com/2009/11/25/best-used-cars-lifestyle-vehicles-pre-owned-cars.html (http://www.forbes.com/2009/11/25/best-used-cars-lifestyle-vehicles-pre-owned-cars.html)

Ever considered buying a Lamborghini or Ferrari? Now could be your last, best chance to get a deal. Increased production of exotics since the late 1990s has created such a glut in today's recessed economy that resale prices are (somewhat) competitive.
"[The recession] has really created a good value opportunity because you can get a lot of car for your money," says Steve Burks, marketing director at Motorcars International in Springfield, Mo. "Used-car sales are really strong right now--it is a buyer's market."
(http://www.forbes.com/2009/11/25/best-used-cars-lifestyle-vehicles-pre-owned-cars_print.html)
(http://www.forbes.com/fdc/rss.html)

[/URL]
Fortunately, the same rule applies to people looking for everyday cars as well. Used-vehicle registrations have declined 7.3% year-to-date, down an average of 286,000 units each month, according to Experian Automotive, a Schaumburg, Ill.-based analysis and consulting firm. New-car registrations are down 34.8% or an average of 430,500 units each month.

[URL="http://www.forbes.com/2009/11/25/best-used-cars-lifestyle-vehicles-pre-owned-cars_slide_2.html"]In Depth: Best And Worst Used Vehicles (http://buzz.yahoo.com/buzz?publisherurn=forbes&guid=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.forbes.com%2F2009%2F11%2F25% 2Fbest-used-cars-lifestyle-vehicles-pre-owned-cars.html%3Fpartner%3Dyahoobuzz)

Consider the Honda CR-V (http://www.forbes.com/2009/11/25/best-used-cars-lifestyle-vehicles-pre-owned-cars_slide_2.html) or Lexus ES (http://www.forbes.com/2009/11/25/best-used-cars-lifestyle-vehicles-pre-owned-cars_slide_3.html)--they're two of the best used-car buys on the market today. But avoid the Chrysler Sebring convertible (http://www.forbes.com/2009/11/25/best-used-cars-lifestyle-vehicles-pre-owned-cars_slide_11.html) and Dodge Grand Caravan (http://www.forbes.com/2009/11/25/best-used-cars-lifestyle-vehicles-pre-owned-cars_slide_4.html)--they're two of the worst.

Behind the Numbers :

To compile our list of the best and worst used cars, we consulted reliability data from Consumer Reports and residual value data from Cars.com (http://www.cars.com/) and Kelley Blue Book (http://www.kbb.com/). We used Consumer Reports' Best and Worst Used Cars report--reliability ratings culled from 1999 to 2008--to isolate which cars the agency rates as the most- and least-reliable models sold.
To pare down the list, we evaluated each 2009 model's two- and five-year residual values. Residual value is what percentage of the manufacturer suggested retail price a vehicle retains after a given amount of time. We then separated out our winners and losers by evaluating trade-in values for model years 1999 (unless a model debuted in a later year, which we used instead) and a middle year, such as 2004 or, if available, 2006. That gave us a good idea of how the models during the 1999-2008 span fared for consistency of value, reliability and performance.


All trade-in values assume the base engine option and trim level, automatic transmission, and 2WD unless otherwise stipulated. For 1999 models, we estimated 90,000 miles on the vehicle; for 2004 models, we estimated 71,000 miles. These are the standard mileages KBB uses to evaluate trade-in value.
Keep in mind, some of the brands on our "worst" list, such as Kia (http://www.forbes.com/2009/11/25/best-used-cars-lifestyle-vehicles-pre-owned-cars_slide_8.html), have made high-quality vehicles that can be trusted to run for years. But the Kia Sedona (http://www.forbes.com/2009/11/25/best-used-cars-lifestyle-vehicles-pre-owned-cars_slide_8.html), while having posted some improvement in recent years, suffered poor reviews of its electrical system, fuel system and engine.
And not every car made by Lexus or Acura--two brands mentioned on our "best" list--gets a positive review from Consumer Reports. Indeed, Jake Fisher, the senior automotive engineer at Consumer Reports, often advises buyers not to judge a single vehicle by its brand, or vice versa.

Quality Sells :

Western-U.S. drivers looking to buy a used car would do well to consider the Subaru Impreza WRX (http://www.forbes.com/2009/11/25/best-used-cars-lifestyle-vehicles-pre-owned-cars_slide_5.html). Subaru sales are notoriously strong in Oregon, Washington and Idaho, and the Impreza sedan--both the high-performance WRX and mainline version--consistently scores better than average on Consumer Reports reliability tests. The WRX scored "better" or "much better" than average for the years 2004 and 2005; the sedan scored the same for 2000, 2005 and 2007. Any year after 2003 is rated "better" or "much better" than average for the Impreza Wagon.


(http://www.forbes.com/digg/mostrecent)

(http://www.forbes.com/digg/mostrecent)

Those with a less rugged lifestyle should consider Toyota's Prius (http://www.forbes.com/2009/11/25/best-used-cars-lifestyle-vehicles-pre-owned-cars_slide_7.html), another used-car winner. It has earned "much better than average" reliability ratings since 2001 and retains almost 40% of its value after five years, much better than the typical 20% to 25%. James Bell, an automotive analyst for Kelley Blue Book, says the hybrid's proven reliability has bolstered the value of its used models, even though consumers were skeptical at first.



"When hybrids first came out, there was concern that you'd be seeing them along the road with melted dead batteries and that they'd be expensive to maintain, and it just hasn't proven to be true," says Bell, who bought his first Prius in 2003. "The market started to say, 'OK, this seems to be the real deal.'"
Sales of new hybrids tend to fluctuate with gas prices, but Bell says proven hybrids like the Prius will likely always have a firm place on the used-car market.
Time is of the essence, though, when it comes to cashing in on the tough economy and scoring a good deal on a used car. Experian's latest market-share report says that while used-car registrations experienced a "fundamental, sustained drop" earlier this year, they've already hit bottom.
From the dealer perspective, Burks agrees: "The used cars have really leveled, have really bottomed out, and they've even started to come back up."

[Rav]

nu stiu daca e articol, dar, pare interesant:

http://www.pjlighthouse.com/2009/09/07/cool-stuff-honda-concept-car-honda-ra-x/ (http://www.pjlighthouse.com/2009/09/07/cool-stuff-honda-concept-car-honda-ra-x/)


http://www.pjlighthouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/honda-ra-x-concept-car-1.jpg

http://www.pjlighthouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/honda-ra-x-concept-car-2.jpg

http://www.pjlighthouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/honda-ra-x-concept-car-5.jpg

http://www.pjlighthouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/honda-ra-x-concept-car-3.jpg

http://www.pjlighthouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/honda-ra-x-concept-car-4.jpg

http://www.pjlighthouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/honda-ra-x-concept-car-6.jpg


http://www.pjlighthouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/honda-ra-x-concept-car-7.jpg

http://www.pjlighthouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/honda-ra-x-concept-car-8.jpg


TOKYO EDIT: mergea "sus" la prima sectiune, CONCEPTE HONDA :)

http://www.hondafan.ro/forum/showthread.php?t=3411

[tokyodream]

Reader’s Rides & Import Tuners!


http://rides.importtuner.com/ride/1190322/cshondaman1/1994/honda/civic/index.html (http://rides.importtuner.com/ride/1190322/cshondaman1/1994/honda/civic/index.html)

1994 Honda Civic - Cshondaman1


"cshondaman"

Cshondaman1 (http://rides.importtuner.com/user/profile.html?UserIdShort=6416266)
Year:1994
Make:Honda
Model:CivicEst

This 1994 Honda Civic, owned by Cshondaman1, has an estimated 0 horsepower. Check out some of the pictures and ratings of this Tuner Car below, as well as other info about this ride.

About my Civic


Name: Curt Sommer
Team:
Location (City, State): Orlando Fl
E-mail Address: csv-tec@cfl.rr.com
Make: Honda
Model: Civic
Year: 1994
Transmission: Manuel
Color: Blue/Black

Modifications (Interior, Exterior, Engine, Etc):
Engine- jdm civic type R b16b motor sir tranny stage 5 act clutch/extreme pressure plate/6 lb fly wheel, Full msd Kit, revolution intake,Headers,2 and a half inch piping with mugan twin loop muffler, Gator racing axels, Racing 175 amp alternator, optima Batterie Yellow top, Bride short shifter.

Interior- everything inside the vehicle is black rsx type S s eats front, Rear seats 2000 si, 2000 si gage cluster, 2000 si center counsel, 7inc touch screen DVD player, carbon fiber c/pillar bar, 32 blue led spot lights, four 6x9 speakers, 1 jbl ten inch subwoofer.
Exerior- One of a kind custom blue paint, The hood,Roof and trunk are, jet black paint. Full body kit, 2000 si side skirts, Ram hood, skunk 2 three inch drop springs, brembo drill and slotted rotars front and back, 15 inch black light weight rims, sir rear tale lights, Halo H.I.D head lights, 2000 si rear wing,

Etc)- About three years ago I bought this car at a junk yard for only 300 dollars as soon as it was sent to my house I started working on it at my parents garage. It took me about 2 and a half years to complete the job. The style of my car is different from everyone else, it has been in my imagination for so long that I have completed my goal on what I wanted to do. Thanks to my wife for supplying me with money and motivation to complete the car. This is a car that I take to car shows and win. Every time I look at my car it makes me feel good on how I accomplished my goal and dream haha my wife also reminds me every day but it’s a unique car and so does everyone else think of it. Now my next goal is to be sponsored and put in a magazine.
Website (If any):
Link to your Online Photos (or e-mail photos): http://rides.importtuner.com/ride/1190322/cshondaman1/1994/honda/civic/index.html (http://rides.importtuner.com/ride/1190322/cshondaman1/1994/honda/civic/index.html)


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http://wlns.images.worldnow.com/images/static/gfx/pxl_trans.gif

Honda Odyssey Wins Drive Car of the Year 'Best People Mover'

http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2009/11/27/486011.1.jpg (http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2009/11/27/486011.1-lg.jpg)



http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2009/11/27/486011.html

TULLAMARINE, AUSTRALIA – November 27, 2009: For the fourth time in five years, the Honda Odyssey has won the prestigious Fairfax Drive Car of the Year Award for the Best People Mover.
The third-generation Odyssey won the Drive award in 2004, 2005 and 2006 and this fourth-generation model continues the winning tradition.
Toby Hagon, Drive Editor said, “The new Odyssey fits seven seats into a sensibly sized family package that now boasts world-class safety.”
Honda Australia Managing Director and CEO, Mr. Yasuhide Mizuno is delighted with the result.
“We are very proud to win this award again for the fourth time. It really highlights the exceptional qualities of the Odyssey, which has been one of our most successful cars, winning several awards in Australia and Car of the Year (Automotive Researchers and Journalists Conference) 1994 in Japan. I am delighted this new model has continued to be a favorite among the motoring critics – it is certainly a favorite among buyers.
“With superb driving enjoyment, advanced styling, comfort and comprehensive safety features, the 2009 Honda Odyssey is the ultimate family car,” he added.
With the introduction of the fourth-generation version in April 2009, Honda aimed to improve the already successful Odyssey revealing a more stylish, spacious and powerful model that proves this car is more than just a people mover.
The 2009 Odyssey features a more powerful engine (132kW), improved safety, visibility, versatility and outstanding fuel economy (8.91/100km), along with all the quality aspects of the previous model.
The Odyssey has a 2.4L DOHC i-VTEC engine coupled to a 5-speed automatic transmission with Grade Logic Control and Shift Hold. With tilt and telescopic steering and double wishbone suspension, its drivability and handling are more car-like than ever.
The 2009 Odyssey also features the highest level of safety, with six airbags and Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) for the first time.
As with every Honda, passenger safety is an important consideration and the Odyssey is fitted with 3-point seatbelts in all seven positions and active front seat head restraints.
Featuring slim-line ‘A’ pillars, the 2009 Odyssey provides the driver with a panoramic front view and improved overall visibility.
Motion Adaptive Electric Power Steering (MAE) is also standard across the range.
Inside, the Odyssey sets a new standard in styling and comfort with the unique ‘V’ shape seating structure, providing all passengers with a clear view forward.
Contributing to its car-like appeal, the all-new Odyssey’s advanced styling makes the fourth-generation model more masculine and sporty.

[tokyodream]

Honda Civic Si 1.8 i-VTEC !

http://www.kilmarnockstandard.co.uk/lifestyle/motoring-car-news/2009/11/28/honda-civic-si-1-8-i-vtec-81430-25278869/ (http://www.kilmarnockstandard.co.uk/lifestyle/motoring-car-news/2009/11/28/honda-civic-si-1-8-i-vtec-81430-25278869/)

EVEN several years after its launch, the Honda Civic still looks cutting edge and avant garde.
If you like something just that little bit different in the compact segment it still stands out as the obvious choice.
When it was launched it dispelled the staid and conformist image many have of Honda in an instant.
A new variant has now arrived which offers a sporty take on those distinctive looks - the new Si.
The high-spec option is available across the entire five-door Civic range and the most distinctive aspect is a set of graphite coloured alloy wheels.
The Si also comes with colour-coded bumpers, front fog lights, a Type R-style mesh front grille and dark chrome door handles and fuel cap - like the one on the Championship White Type R.
Inside, Si models have half leather upholstery and a USB port for iPod connectivity, something I made the most of and found to be quite an asset and easy to use.
The idea is that you get five-door practicality with sporty styling, evoking something of the legendary Type R but without the price tag.
You also get kit that is already standard on SE Civics, including electric windows, climate control air conditioning, a refrigerated glove box, CD tuner with RDS and steering wheel mounted audio controls.
This carl was the 1.8-litre i-VTEC petrol-powered model, which sits somewhere in between the 1.4-litre petrol and 2.2-litre diesels - this and the diesel have larger alloys than the 1.4.
The radical design theme extends to the interior too, with instrumentation and a dash that is streamlined, striking and high tech.
The Civic's main design downside remains, in the shape of limited rear visibility due to its slightly bubble-esque shape and the addition of a rear spoiler but it is something you do get used to to a degree.
The Civic handles nicely enough, feels well put together and does a pretty good job as a motorway cruiser.
The 1.8 1i-VTEC engine is smooth and powerful, delivering a decent blend of performance and economy.
I even managed to get pretty close to the manufacturer's stated combined mpg figure of 42.2 overall which is impressive to say the least.
It also featured the eco drive system you get in the latest Insight, which suggest when to change gear to maximise economy and has a kind of 'econometer' to let you know when you are driving in an economical (or should that be ecological) style - or not as the case may be.
I didn't always do as it said but did refer to it on occasion which probably helped when it came to managing an overall fuel economy figure of around 40mpg.

FAST FACTS:

Honda Civic Si 1.8 i-VTEC
Price: £16,835
Mechanical: 140ps, 1,799cc, 4cyl petrol engine driving front wheels via 6-speed manual gearbox
Max speed: 127mph
0-62mph: 8.9 seconds
Combined mpg: 42.2
Insurance group: 11
CO2 emissions: 155g/km
BiK rating: 19%
Warranty: 3yrs/ 90,000 miles

http://images.icnetwork.co.uk/upl/article/19075502/2009/11/29/12857232.jpg









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2004 Honda Odyssey: Honda's minivan was safe, dependable family hauler !


http://www.startribune.com/cars/buy/70390302.html?elr=KArksi8cyaiUBP7hUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU (http://www.startribune.com/cars/buy/70390302.html?elr=KArksi8cyaiUBP7hUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU )

For those who struggle for ideas when it comes to selecting gifts, here is an opportunity to be a hero this holiday season. When considering what to give, think about something for the entire family - like a minivan. Few gifts have the opportunity to make such a long-lasting impression on the entire family, a gift they will put into use every day for years to come. I'm serious.
One vehicle worth considering is the highly acclaimed 2004 Honda Odyssey. Winner of numerous awards for quality, dependability, safety and customer satisfaction, the seven-passenger, front-wheel drive Odyssey is a gift every member of the family can get excited about.
Produced in three trim lines for the 2004 model year - LX, EX and EX-L - the Odyssey was powered by a 3.5-liter, V-6, 240-horsepower engine and mated to a five-speed automatic transmission. The Honda minivan had an EPA fuel economy rating of 18 city/25 highway using regular unleaded gasoline. It also featured four-wheel, anti-lock brakes with electronic brake distribution and traction control as standard equipment. With the ability to tow up to 3,500 pounds when properly equipped, it was well suited for towing a boat or camper to those weekend family getaways.
Standard equipment on the LX included dual sliding doors, intermittent rear wiper with washer, dual power mirrors, rear privacy glass, immobilizer theft deterrent system, dual front airbags with front seat side impact airbags, front bucket seats with armrests, power windows with auto down for driver's side, power rear-quarter windows, power door and tailgate locks, front and rear air conditioning, AM/FM/cassette audio system, retractable center tray table with sliding extension, adjustable steering column, second row bucket seats, third row Magic Seat, child-proof rear door locks and front seat illuminated vanity mirrors.

http://stmedia.startribune.com/images/208*136/Honda+Odyssey+2004.jpg

The EX added power dual sliding doors, vehicle security system, remote keyless entry, heat-rejecting glass, automatic headlights, eight-way power driver's seat with lumbar support, automatic climate control system, six-speaker audio system with CD player and steering wheel mounted audio controls and HomeLink remote system. EX-L added heated leather seats. Several models were sold with the optional satellite navigation system and rear seat entertainment system.

EPA fuel economy:

City: 18, Highway: 25

Kelley Blue Book:

$10,100 to $11,450

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1992 Honda Civic - JDM 500 HP !


"JDM TOURQUE MONSTERS"

JDM500HP (http://rides.superstreetonline.com/user/profile.html?UserIdShort=6431724)

Year:1992
Make:Honda
Model:CivicEst.
Horsepower:510
Under The Hood: B16 BLOCK GSR HEAD BUILT, 60-R GARRET BB AR-60. BBK INTAKE,880RS"S,BENNEN FUEL RAIL, UNORTHDOX.UNDER DRIVE, AEM TIMING GEARS,++
Outside:CARBON FIBER HOOD DUCK, GAS,ANTENNA ELIM. $
Inside:GSR LEATHER
Stiff Stuff:TEIN STRUTS SPRINGS, HASPORT BODY MOUNTS, MEGAN REAR CONTROL ARMS,
Rollers/Stoppers:ROTA "S RAR DISC CONV..

http://rides.superstreetonline.com/ride/1190457/jdm500hp/1992/honda/civic/index.html

[/URL] (http://rides.superstreetonline.com/ride/1190457/jdm500hp/1992/honda/civic/photos/1.html)[URL="http://rides.superstreetonline.com/ride/1190457/jdm500hp/1992/honda/civic/photos/3.html"] (http://rides.superstreetonline.com/ride/1190457/jdm500hp/1992/honda/civic/photos/2.html)

[tokyodream]

Honda Civic – Cea mai fiabil model in Marea Britanie , iar ca Brand –Honda pe locul 2 dupa BMW.

Un studiu efectuat pe aproximativ 840.000 de automobile operate de cele mai importante 50 de companii de leasing din Marea Britanie
a plasat HONDA pe poziţia secunda în topul fiabilităţii - performanţă reuşită pentru al doilea an consecutiv in primii 5 , iar pe locul 1 – BMW .


Bineinteles pe locul second s-a aflat HONDA avand insa rezultate remarcabile per model :

Locul 1 ; Honda Civic
Locul 3 ; Honda Jazz
Locul 4; Honda Accord

http://f1106.mail.yahoo.com/ya/download?mid=1%5f1276657%5fAMoNw0MAAWOKSxOlTA3%2f% 2bQeSOsg&pid=2&fid=Inbox&inline=1
Studiul de fiabilitate FN50, realizat de Fleet News şi de consultanţii financiari Grant Thornton şi care acoperă 840.000 de automobile,
a cerut companiilor de leasing să catalogheze fiabilitatea în funcţie de numărul de defecţiuni ale fiecărui model din flota lor.
Majoritatea automobilelor evaluate în studiu fac parte din flote corporate, sunt utilzate în regim intens în orice condiţii şi acoperă distanţe peste medie.
Aceasta, alături de numărul mare de automobile urmărite în studiu, reprezintă o bază foarte elocventă pentru măsurarea fiabilităţii.
Alături de titlul de “Cea mai fiabilă marcă”, constructorul german a avut două modele clasate între primele cinci, prin BMW Seria 3 (locul al doilea),
BMW Seria 5 (locul al cincilea). De asemnea MINI a obţinut poziţia a opta.

Stephen Briers, editor la Fleet News, a declarat: "Acestea este unul dintre cele mai mari studii privind fiabilitatea automobilelor şi analizează o piaţă
unde maşinile sunt supuse unora dintre cele mai dificile condiţii de testare. În consecinţă, simpla prezenţă în acest clasament este o realizare deosebită.
Totuşi, pentru a fi numit in primele 3 branduri pentru cele mai fiabile automobile este o mărturie clară a muncii asidue şi a angajamentului din partea acestor
constructori de a produce automobile pe care oamenii de afaceri din Marea Britanie să se poată baza în fiecare zi".

Rezultatele studiului FN50 :

Cel mai de încredere constructor auto
1. BMW
2. Honda
3. Audi
4. Toyota
5. Volkswagen
6. Mercedes-Benz
7. Ford
8. Mazda
9. Nissan
10. Skoda

Cel mai fiabil automobil
1. Honda Civic
2. BMW Seria 3
3. Honda Jazz
4. Honda Accord
5. BMW Seria 5
6. Audi A4
7. Mercedes-Benz C-Class
8. MINI
9. Toyota Avensis
10. Volkswagen Golf

http://www.fleetnews.co.uk/RiskManagement/story/FN50-The-most-reliable-fleet-cars-revealed/51457 (http://www.fleetnews.co.uk/RiskManagement/story/FN50-The-most-reliable-fleet-cars-revealed/51457)

Multumiri pentru traducere domnului Repanovici de la HTRO :)


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Montana: State Fleet Meeting Fuel Efficiency Goals!

HELENA – Montana has surpassed goals set two years ago to make its fleet of state vehicles more fuel efficient, according to the state Department of Transportation.

The agency set a goal to reach an average of 30 miles per gallon in its fleet of vehicles by 2010 and has already surpassed that goal at 31 mph, said director Jim Lynch.

As the state updated its fleet, it has added 98 hybrids, including the Ford Escape SUV, the Toyota Prius and Honda Civic.

Lynch said the plan is to buy another 27 new hybrids this spring, including some SUVs.

"When you factor those in, we'll go from a fleetwide average of 31.6 miles per gallon to 34.2 miles per gallon," Lynch said.

"We still have some of the older cars in our fleet and they're still factored in. But when those older cars reach their maturity and are replaced, our mileage will continue to increase."

While hybrids cost more, their resale value is often higher. Two older hybrids sold at auction for $7,000 and $8,900 while an older Ford Taurus might sell for $3,000 to $5,000, Lynch said.

The increased gas mileage of hybrids saves the state money on fuel costs over their useful life of about six years, he said.

Lawmakers sought to make the fleet more fuel efficient in 2007 after fuel costs for 2005 through 2007 exceeded the motor pool's budget by about $5 million.

http://www.flatheadbeacon.com/articles/article/montana_state_fleet_meeting_fuel_efficiency_goals/14458/

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[Rav]

... Locul 4 - hehe tot nu e rau!

[tokyodream]

New Acura Dealership to Open in South Charleston!


It's the only one of its kind in the Charleston area.

Story by Dave Kirby
Email (dkirby@wowktv.com) | Bio (http://statejournal.com/bios.cfm?func=viewbio&bioid=179) | Other Stories by Dave Kirby (http://statejournal.com/bios.cfm?func=viewstories&bioid=179)

SOUTH CHARLESTON -- A new automobile dealership is coming to South Charleston.
Dunbar native Sim Fryson is starting an Acura dealership at the former Joe Holland Chrysler location.
The new dealership, which should employ approximately 30 people, is expected to open sometime this month.
Acura, owned by Honda, has only one other dealership in West Virginia. It's in Beckley.


http://statejournal.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=71204 (http://statejournal.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=71204)


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Top 10 Cars 2009 from Car and Driver Magazine!


http://www.huliq.com/8059/89319/top-10-cars-2009-car-and-driver-magazine






As the most unstable year in the history of the automotive industry comes to a close, Car and Driver magazine this week announced its 28th annual list of 10 Best cars sold in America. Only two of the ten cars included on this year's list manufactured by US car companies indicating that US car manufacturers have some catching up to do to keep up with the imports.

A positive sign of the times for an US car manufacturer is the fact the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid made the coveted list as only the second hybrid ever to be included. The Toyota Prius made the list in 2004.

Following are the 2010 Car and Driver 10 Best winners list, in alphabetical order. The number next to the name of the car indicates how many times they have won in the past:

2010 Audi S4 (2)
2010 BMW 3-series / M3 (19)
2010 Cadillac CTS / CTS-V (2)
2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid (1)
2010 Honda Accord (24)
2010 Honda Fit (3)
2010 Mazda MX-5 Miata (11)
2010 Mazda 3 / Mazdaspeed 3 (3)
2010 Porsche Boxster / Cayman (3)
2010 Volkswagen GTI (7)

A panel of 18 Car and Driver editors determined the winners by rating them on a scale of 1-100 with a focus on functional performance, driving satisfaction and value.
Vehicles considered for the award must be available in the United States by January 2009 and priced below the cap of $80,000. Winners from the previous year are re-nominated if they are still available under the price cap.


Written by Cheryl Phillips
HULIQ.com





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Green Car of the Year: 2010 Audi A3 TDI !

The 2010 Audi (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/audi_2010) A3 TDI was awarded the 2010 Green (http://www.nissanreports.com/category/green,new) Car of the Year Award today at the Los Angeles Auto Show (http://www.thecarconnection.com/autoshow/los-angeles) by Green (http://www.luxurycarreport.com/category/green,new) Car Journal, which has presented the award for five years.
It follows last year's winner, the 2009 Volkswagen (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/volkswagen_2009) Jetta (http://www.teenwheels.com/overview/volkswagen_jetta_2001) TDI, to make two clean diesels in a row to win the award.
The 2010 Audi (http://www.allcarselectric.com/make/audi,new) A3 TDI is a compact five-door hatchback (http://www.hondacivicreviews.com/category/hatchback,new), powered by a 2.0-liter turbodiesel engine. The sporty A3 TDI is meant to appeal to the frugal side of Audi's (http://www.greencarreports.com/make/audi,new) affluent buyers, with a base price of $30,000 (http://www.greencarreports.com/blog/1034903_2010-audi-a3-tdi-priced-at-30k-8k-over-2010-vw-golf-tdi).

Audi A3 TDI clean diesel - European modelGallery (http://www.greencarreports.com/pictures/1039566_green-car-of-the-year-2010-audi-a3-tdi_gallery-1)

The 2010 Toyota Prius
Enlarge Photo (http://www.greencarreports.com/image/100229773_the-2010-toyota-prius)


2010 Honda Insight - front three-quarter
Enlarge Photo (http://www.greencarreports.com/image/100183623_2010-honda-insight--front-three-quarter)


Euro-spec Volkswagen Golf TDI - 5/09
Enlarge Photo (http://www.greencarreports.com/image/100182035_euro-spec-volkswagen-golf-tdi--5-09)

It beat one other diesel--the 2010 Volkswagen Golf (http://www.volkswagenreviews.com/overview/volkswagen_golf_2010) TDI--and no fewer than three all-new hybrids (http://www.saturnreports.com/category/hybrid,new), the 2010 Honda Insight (http://www.hondainsightreviews.com/overview/honda_insight_2010), the 2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid (http://www.collegecarguide.com/overview/mercury_milan-hybrid_2010), and the 2010 Toyota Prius (http://www.toyotamonitor.com/overview/toyota_prius_2010).

Need for fuel efficiency today:

In making the award, Green (http://www.hyundaireports.com/category/green,new) Car Journal editor Ron Cogan noted that despite the plethora of hybrid (http://www.chevroletreports.com/category/hybrid,new), plug-in hybrid (http://www.chevytruckreviews.com/category/hybrid,new), and electric cars on display at the show, the award was meant to answer the question, "What about our needs [for fuel efficient cars] now?"
Award jurors lauded the 2010 A3 TDI for its 46-mpg highway fuel economy, a 50-percent increase over a comparable gasoline model, its "rakish styling," its substantial torque at a low 1750 rpm, and the entry luxury (http://www.buickreports.com/category/luxury,new) features including standard leather seats.

Hybrids miss out:

The hybrid (http://www.allsmallcars.com/category/hybrid,new) models include the two highest-volume dedicated hybrids (http://www.toyotacamryreviews.com/category/hybrid,new) sold by Toyota (http://www.allaboutsuvs.com/make/toyota,new) and Honda (http://www.allminivans.com/make/honda,new). The midsize hatchback (http://www.hondareports.com/category/hatchback,new) 2010 Toyota Prius (http://www.allaboutprius.com/overview/toyota_prius_2010) is the latest generation of the world's most successful hybrid-electric vehicle, with more than 1 million sold globally since its 1997 launch in Japan.
The 2010 Honda Insight (http://www.familycarguide.com/overview/honda_insight_2010) is the lowest-priced hybrid (http://www.hondaaccordreports.com/category/hybrid,new) on the U.S. market, with a base price of $20,470 (http://www.greencarreports.com/blog/1019359_2010-honda-insight-base-price-under-20k-sort-of) including shipping. It's a compact five-door hatchback (http://www.kiareports.com/category/hatchback,new) with a mild hybrid (http://www.cadillacreports.com/category/hybrid,new) system (meaning it can't run in pure electric mode for more than a few seconds), and Honda's (http://www.crossoverreviews.com/make/honda,new) first dedicated hybrid (http://www.porschereports.com/category/hybrid,new) since the original 1999-2006 Insight two-seater.
The third hybrid (http://www.gasmileagenews.com/category/hybrid,new) is the 2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid (http://www.thecarconnection.com/modelintro/mercury_milan-hybrid_2010) midsize sedan, which was chosen over its much higher-volume counterpart, the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid (http://www.fordreports.com/overview/ford_fusion-hybrid_2010), for its more upscale design and interior fittings.

One other clean diesel:

The other clean diesel (http://www.audireports.com/category/green,new) from Germany was the 2010 Volkswagen Golf (http://www.thecarconnection.com/modelintro/volkswagen_golf_2010) TDI. Like the 2010 Audi (http://www.motorauthority.com/make/audi,new) A3 TDI, it too is a compact five-door hatchback (http://www.dieselreports.com/category/hatchback,new). The two cars share a 2.0-liter turbodiesel engine, but are intended for very different market segments.
The 2010 Volkswagen Golf (http://www.thecarconnection.com/modelintro/volkswagen_golf_2010) TDI is the lowest-priced clean diesel (http://sportscarmonitor.com/category/green,new) on the U.S. market, starting at just $21,990. As we've said many times, we think the Golf TDI will be the big diesel winner (http://www.greencarreports.com/blog/1020052_will-the-2010-volkswagen-golf-tdi-be-diesels-biggest-winner) in the U.S. market.

http://www.greencarreports.com/blog/1039566_green-car-of-the-year-2010-audi-a3-tdi (http://www.greencarreports.com/blog/1039566_green-car-of-the-year-2010-audi-a3-tdi)

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ALG announces 11th Annual Residual Value Awards !


Santa Barbara, California - Automotive Lease Guide, a provider of data and consulting services to the US and Canadian automotive industry, has announced its 11th annual Residual Value Awards, honoring the vehicles in each segment that are predicted to retain the highest percentage of their original price after a conventional three-year period.
This year’s awards are based on 2010 model year vehicles. For the eighth year, ALG has also included awards for the brands with the highest overall predicted resale values among all mainstream and all luxury vehicles. The awards are derived after careful study of segment competition, historical vehicle performance and industry trends. The list of winners can be found on www.alg.com (http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&div=lbfggdacib&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.alg.com&esheet=6111375&lan=en_US&anchor=www.alg.com&index=3&md5=2d05bb84d7971e751a5595b02e721d7f).
Subaru of America has won the Mainstream Brand Residual Value Award for the first time, jumping over perennially strong Honda. Subaru also received individual segment awards for the Forester in the Compact Utility Vehicle category and the Outback in the Midsize Utility Vehicle category.
“Subaru combines distinct product attributes, such as standard all-wheel drive and the wide use of turbo charged boxer engines, with a rugged but practical brand positioning to generate fierce loyalty among its buyers,” said James Clark, General Manager of ALG. “Subaru also has been restrained with incentives over the past year, and its three core models have all been recently redesigned, helping it to move from second place to first this year.”
Acura, a division of American Honda Motor Company, has won the Luxury Brand Residual Value Award for the second consecutive year.
Mr. Clark commented, “Acura has taken a different tack than most luxury brands, and its decision to stick with front-wheel drive platforms and smaller engines has served it well in the current uncertain times. Acura’s outstanding reliability, simple packaging schemes and value pricing with low incentive levels were major factors in its repeat finish at the top of the luxury market this year.”
Honda, the runner-up for the Mainstream Brand Residual Value Award, received three segment Residual Value Awards, for the Fit (Entry Compact Car); the Accord (Midsize Car); and the Odyssey (Minivan).
Toyota Motor Sales, USA also won three segment awards, for the Sequoia (Large Utility Vehicle); the Tacoma (Compact/Midsize Pickup); and the Prius (Hybrid/Alternative Powertrain). In addition, Toyota’s Lexus division – the runner-up for the Luxury Brand Residual Value Award – received two segment awards, for the Lexus LS (Luxury Car) and the Lexus RX (Near Luxury Utility Vehicle).
BMW was the only other winner of more than one segment award, for the Mini Cooper (Sporty Car) and the BMW 1 Series (Near Luxury Car).
Among domestic manufacturers, the only winner was Ford, for the F-150 (Fullsize Pickup).
Other segment winners included the Nissan Maxima (Fullsize Car); the Audi S5 (Luxury Sports Car); the Mazda 3 (Mid-Compact Car); and the Range Rover Sport (Luxury Utility Vehicle).
Mr. Clark concluded, “We continue to believe that residual value is the best metric for evaluating the overall strength of an automotive brand, and we congratulate all of the 2010 winners for their successful products and marketing strategies.”

Summary of 2010 Residual Value Award Winners Mainstream Brand: Subaru of America
Luxury Brand: Acura, a division of American Honda Motor Company, Inc.


Entry Compact Car: Honda Fit
Mid-Compact Car: Mazda 3
Midsize Car: Honda Accord
Fullsize Car: Nissan Maxima
Compact Utility Vehicle: Subaru Forester
Midsize Utility Vehicle: Subaru Outback
Large Utility Vehicle: Toyota Sequoia
Minivan: Honda Odyssey
Compact/Midsize Pickup: Toyota Tacoma
Fullsize Pickup: Ford F-150
Sporty Car: Mini Cooper
Near Luxury Car: BMW 1 Series
Luxury Car: Lexus LS
Luxury Sports Car: Audi S5
Near Luxury Utility Vehicle: Lexus RX
Luxury Utility Vehicle: Range Rover Sport
Hybrid/Alternative Powertrain: Toyota Prius

http://www.canadiandriver.com/2009/12/03/alg-announces-11th-annual-residual-value-awards.htm

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Honda Civic Just Keep on Going and Going !

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/honda-civic-just-keep-on-going-and-going.html

If you are like a majority of people, you may have thought that with the release of the 2006 Honda Civic Honda would be taking a long break from designing and manufacturing a new generation of Civics. Well, like most people you were wrong in thinking this. It seems that the engineers and designers at the Honda Company do not sleep. Looking at Honda’s history, it would be true to say that Honda designers and engineers are always two paces ahead of all of us. Every time they release a new generation of Civics into the market, it doesn’t take them a long time to release the next all improved version of the preceding generation.

So far Honda has kept true to its theme of fuel efficient vehicles that are affordable. Honda Civics first gained popularity when the first generation hit the markets in 1972. The four cylinder engine with a capacity of 71.3 cu was a hit in the market because it was released a year before the fuel crisis experienced in 1973. The car’s performance was also notable considering the amount of fuel it consumed in comparison with the horsepower the engine was capable of providing.

Having gained footing in the market and obtaining a reputation of producing high performance, fuel efficient cars, Honda decided to continue with this trend with subsequent generations of Civics. The second generation of Civic was released in 1979. It was a redesign of the first generation but with a larger engine (its capacity was 91.5 cu). This meant it had increased power. The re-designs also included the replacement of the two speed automatic with the three speed automatic. This generation saw the introduction of the four door sedan and an S model that was sport oriented.

Subsequent generations have been re-designs of preceding ones. Honda has always made a few adjustments on older generations resulting in new generations that almost seem like new creation and not redesigns of a previous one. The changes that are made include, redesigns of the car’s body to suit the style of the current time, remodeling of the interiors to suit different interests such as sports or luxury and introduction of new technology such as MP3 players and Bluetooth support facilities.

The most significant changes that have been seen down the generations of Honda Civics have been in the engines. The one thing that Honda has aimed at in all their models is fuel efficiency and high performance. The Company has spent large sums of money and time on research towards manufacturing more fuel-efficient vehicles that are still able to provide high performance in terms of power. With this in mind, Honda released a new engine that makes use of a more powerful I VTEC motor and CVT (continuous variable transmission) which both contribute to added power and fuel efficiency in all their cars.

Even with the release of the latest generation of Honda Civics (http://www.hondacivic.info/), we who know Honda’s history are not expecting the latest to be the last. We know that a company with Honda’s history is not sleeping. We are expecting the release of an even more exciting Honda Civic.

By Joel McLaughlin (http://www.buzzle.com/authors.asp?author=20001)
Published: 12/2/2009

[tokyodream]

U.S. News Autos Names 'Best Car for the Money' 2010 Award Winners!

Over 300 models evaluated based on U.S. News car rankings, and IntelliChoice.com cost analysis --
(http://db.theautochannel.com/db/newcarbuyersguide/total_operating_costs.php)

WASHINGTON, Dec. 7, 2009; U.S. News Autos today released its second annual Best Car for the Money awards

The U.S. News Best Car for the Money awards recognize 23 vehicles that earn the highest marks for overall value and appeal within their respective categories. To select the award winners, U.S. News has combined its newly released 2010 car rankings with total cost of ownership data provided by IntelliChoice.com.
"While car shoppers are starting to come back to the showrooms, they are looking for a good value more than ever before," said Jamie Page Deaton, Lead Automotive Editor for U.S. News. "But 'good value' does not simply mean 'cheap'. The Best Car for the Money awards recognize vehicles that can be the most rewarding to own - namely those that win the most praise and offer the most compelling overall value."
The U.S. News car rankings provide an unbiased comparison of each vehicle to its competitors, helping shoppers identify the best cars in each category. Rankings are based primarily on the balanced, diverse opinions of hundreds of professional auto critics, which are analyzed and scored to create a consensus opinion about each car.
With a 22-year history of providing consumers with reliable information about vehicle costs, IntelliChoice.com measures both the target price that consumers can expect to pay for a vehicle as well as its 5-year total cost of ownership. Combining this data with U.S. News car rankings allows different models to be compared on a very useful metric - overall appeal for the money.
"There is no question that car shoppers are now paying more attention to total ownership costs such as resale value, fuel economy, and other factors," said Charlie Vogelheim, Executive Editor of IntelliChoice.com. "Taking into account these real world costs as well as U.S. News's unbiased car rankings, the Best Car for the Money awards identify vehicles that should make any car shopper's short list."
The 23 winners of the 2010 Best Car for the Money awards are listed below: About the U.S. News Media Group

Subcompact Cars Nissan Versa
Compact Cars Hyundai Elantra
Hatchbacks Honda Fit
Midsize Cars Toyota Camry
Family Sedans Ford Taurus
Upscale Compact Cars Volkswagen GTI
Upscale Sedans Hyundai Genesis
Luxury Sedans Acura RL
Hybrid Cars Toyota Prius
Affordable Sports Cars Mazda MX-5 Miata
Luxury Sports Cars Chevrolet Corvette
Compact Crossover/SUVs Honda CR-V
Midsize Crossover/SUVs Toyota Venza
Full Size SUVs Toyota Sequoia
Luxury Compact Crossover/SUVs Infiniti EX
Luxury Midsize Crossover/SUVs Lexus RX 350
Luxury Full Size SUVs Toyota Land Cruiser
Hybrid SUVs Lexus RX Hybrid
Off-Road SUVs Toyota FJ Cruiser
Minivans Honda Odyssey
Wagons Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen
Compact Pickup Trucks Toyota Tacoma
Full Size Pickup Trucks Ford F-150

For complete information about this year's Best Car for the Money winners and the awards methodology, visit http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-truck/best-cars-for-the-money/ (http://www.theautochannel.com/link.html?http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-truck/best-cars-for-the-money/). For more information about the Total Cost of Ownership and other related data, visit http://www.intellichoice.com (http://www.intellichoice.com/). The U.S. News Media Group is a multi-platform digital publisher of news and analysis, which includes the monthly U.S. News & World Report magazine, the digital-only U.S. News Weekly magazine, www.usnews.com (http://www.usnews.com/), and www.rankingsandreviews.com (http://www.rankingsandreviews.com/). Focusing on Health, Money, Education, Politics & Policy and Automotive, the U.S. News Media Group has earned a reputation as the leading provider of service news and information that improves the quality of life of its readers. The U.S. News Media Group's signature franchises include its News You Can Use® brand of journalism and its "America's Best" series of consumer guides that include rankings of colleges, graduate schools, automobiles, hospitals, health plans, and more.
About IntelliChoice.com and Source Interlink Companies, Inc.
IntelliChoice.com, part of Source Interlink Media, LLC, is the market leader in automotive ownership cost and car values analysis. Founded in 1986, IntelliChoice.com is committed to empowering consumers to make better purchase decisions by providing independent and essential automotive information and tools. Through the IntelliChoice.com web site (www.intellichoice.com (http://www.intellichoice.com/)), consumers get the help they need to research, compare, configure and price new cars. The site also connects buyers to the buying alternatives of their choice, including vehicle manufacturers and an online car buying guide. Source Interlink Media LLC is a subsidiary of Source Interlink Companies, Inc., a recognized provider of targeted media and marketing services, a leading U.S. distributor of home entertainment products and services and one of the largest publishers of magazines and online content for enthusiast audiences.

http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2009/12/07/457569.html (http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2009/12/07/457569.html)

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Honda Poised To Pass Chrysler In Sales, Become Number 4 In U.S.!

http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1039686_honda-poised-to-pass-chrysler-in-sales-become-number-4-in-u-s (http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1039686_honda-poised-to-pass-chrysler-in-sales-become-number-4-in-u-s)


2010 Honda Civic Si Coupe
Enlarge Photo (http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/image/100231969_2010-honda-civic-si-coupe)

It's no longer just Toyota (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/toyota) that's running with the Big Three in terms of sales. Over the past month, Honda (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda) has quietly passed Chrysler (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/chrysler) as the number-four automaker in the U.S. market.
That places American Honda (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda) after Toyota (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/toyota) Motor Sales and the new General Motors Company in U.S. sales.
The change in the ranks is more an indicator of a continued slide at Chrysler (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/chrysler) than it is a market surge for Honda (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda). American Honda (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda) executive VP John Mendel told AN that the automaker has already made a "painful" decision to cut 200,000 units from its production schedule this year.
Earlier this fall Honda (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda) began producing 2010 Civic Sedans (http://www.thecarconnection.com/style/sedans) in Indiana, for export to Mexico, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
For calendar-year 2008, Chrysler (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/chrysler) managed to hold out and maintain its lead over Honda (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda), but this year Honda (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda) has clearly pulled ahead. For 2009 year-to-date through October, Honda (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda) had sold about 185,000 more vehicles than Chrysler (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/chrysler), and Automotive News now reports (http://www.autonews.com/article/20091204/RETAIL/912049986/1078) that through November Honda (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda) has a 200,000-unit edge on Chrysler (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/chrysler), at 1.044 million vehicles. Ford (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/ford), in third place, is quite a bit ahead with 1.37 million vehicles sold in 2009 through October.
Although Hyundai (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/hyundai) and Kia (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/kia) are run as separate companies in the U.S., they're products of the same South Korean automaker and if added together they're now the seventh largest, after Nissan (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/nissan).
Curiously, Honda (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda) has produced way more vehicles in the U.S. in calendar year 2009 than Chrysler (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/chrysler). As of late November, Honda (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda) has built a total of about 655,000 vehicles in the U.S, while Chrysler (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/chrysler), with its plants idled for a significant portion of the year, made about 425,000 in the U.S.

2010 Honda Accord Crosstour EX-L
Enlarge Photo (http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/image/100232182_2010-honda-accord-crosstour-ex-l)


2010 Honda Element
Enlarge Photo (http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/image/100230541_2010-honda-element)


2010 Honda Civic Sedan
Enlarge Photo (http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/image/100231944_2010-honda-civic-sedan)


Honda (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda) has a manufacturing capacity of 1.62 million in North America (including Mexico), including 1.18 million vehicles in the U.S.:

2010 Honda (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda_2010) Accord Coupe and Sedan; 2010 Acura TL (http://www.thecarconnection.com/modelintro/acura_tl_2010) and Acura RDX (http://www.thecarconnection.com/modelintro/acura_rdx_2008) – Marysville, Ohio
2010 Honda CR-V (http://www.thecarconnection.com/modelintro/honda_cr-v_2010), Honda Element (http://www.thecarconnection.com/modelintro/honda_element_2008), and Accord Crosstour – East Liberty, Ohio
2010 Honda Ridgeline (http://www.thecarconnection.com/modelintro/honda_ridgeline_2010), Odyssey, Pilot, and V-6 Accord Sedan – Lincoln (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/lincoln), Alabama
2010 Honda Civic Sedan (http://www.thecarconnection.com/modelintro/honda_civic-sdn_2010) and GX – Greensburg, Indiana
The automaker also has the largest auto engine plant in the world, in Anna, Ohio, capable of building 1.16 million engines a year, plus a V-6 plant in Lincoln (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/lincoln), Alabama, four-cylinder engine production in Alliston, Ontario (Canada), and automatic transmission plants in Russells Point, Ohio, and Tallapaloosa, Georgia. Honda (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda) also builds Honda CR-V (http://www.thecarconnection.com/modelintro/honda_cr-v_2008) models in El Salto, Mexico; and Civic Sedan, Coupe, and Si models plus the Acura MDX (http://www.thecarconnection.com/modelintro/acura_mdx_2008) in Alliston, Ontario.
[Automotive News (http://www.autonews.com/article/20091204/RETAIL/912049986/1078)]

2010 Honda Civic Si CoupeEnlarge Photo It's no longer just Toyota that's running with the Big Three in terms of sales. Over the past month, Honda has quietly passed Chrysler as the number-four automaker in the U.S. market. That places American Honda after Toyota Motor Sales and the new General Motors Company in U.S. sales. The change in the ranks is more an indicator of a continued slide at Chrysler than it is a market surge for Honda. American Honda executive VP John Mendel told AN that the automaker has already made a "painful" decision to cut 200,000 units from its production schedule this year. Earlier this fall Honda began producing 2010 Civic Sedans in Indiana, for export to Mexico, Latin America, and the Caribbean. For calendar-year 2008, Chrysler managed to hold out and maintain its lead over Honda, but this year Honda has clearly pulled ahead. For 2009 year-to-date through October, Honda had sold about 185,000 more vehicles than Chrysler, and Automotive News now reports that through November Honda has a 200,000-unit edge on Chrysler, at 1.044 million vehicles. Ford, in third place, is quite a bit ahead with 1.37 million vehicles sold in 2009 through October. Although Hyundai and Kia are run as separate companies in the U.S., they're products of the same South Korean automaker and if added together they're now the seventh largest, after Nissan. Curiously, Honda has produced way more vehicles in the U.S. in calendar year 2009 than Chrysler. As of late November, Honda has built a total of about 655,000 vehicles in the U.S, while Chrysler, with its plants idled for a significant portion of the year, made about 425,000 in the U.S. 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour EX-LEnlarge Photo 2010 Honda ElementEnlarge Photo 2010 Honda Civic SedanEnlarge Photo Honda has a manufacturing capacity of 1.62 million in North America (including Mexico), including 1.18 million vehicles in the U.S.: 2010 Honda Accord Coupe and Sedan; 2010 Acura TL and Acura RDX – Marysville, Ohio 2010 Honda CR-V, Honda Element, and Accord Crosstour – East Liberty, Ohio 2010 Honda Ridgeline, Odyssey, Pilot, and V-6 Accord Sedan – Lincoln, Alabama 2010 Honda Civic Sedan and GX – Greensburg, Indiana The automaker also has the largest auto engine plant in the world, in Anna, Ohio, capable of building 1.16 million engines a year, plus a V-6 plant in Lincoln, Alabama, four-cylinder engine production in Alliston, Ontario (Canada), and automatic transmission plants in Russells Point, Ohio, and Tallapaloosa, Georgia. Honda also builds Honda CR-V models in El Salto, Mexico; and Civic Sedan, Coupe, and Si models plus the Acura MDX in Alliston, Ontario. [Automotive News]

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J.D. Power releases sat-nav study findings, crowns Ford tops!

Not only does Ford (http://www.autoblog.com/make/ford/) rank number one on J.D. Power and Associate's 2009 navigation system survey, it ranks number two as well. The top ranking system, according to Power's study, is the one found in the Lincoln MKS (http://www.autoblog.com/tag/lincoln+mks/), followed by a nearly identical system (if not 100% identical) in the Ford Flex (http://www.autoblog.com/tag/ford+flex/). And get this, Ford took down five of the top ten spots with the F-150 (http://www.autoblog.com/tag/ford+f150/) coming in fourth and the Escape (http://www.autoblog.com/tag/ford+escape/) and Edge (http://www.autoblog.com/tag/ford+edge/) taking seventh and eighth place, respectively.

<B>To anyone that's driven a modern Sync-equipped Ford with navigation, these survey results probably won't come as any sort of shock, as FoMoCo has been making some of the best systems in the business ever since they released Sync with Sirius Travel Link (http://www.autoblog.com/tag/sirius+travel+link/). Here's what Ford user interface design engineer Jason Johnson had to tell us about why Ford got ranked tops:
"I think what really makes our system stand out is the fact it's designed with the user in mind. Yes, it has all the features you'd expect from a high-level navigation system -- the 3-D maps, the digital jukebox, the customizable home screens, and of course we pride ourselves on SYNC and SIRIUS Travel Link -- but it's more than that. This system is easy to use. It's intuitive. The buttons are where you'd expect them to be, the grouping is logical and the graphics are bright and easy to read. Everything is integrated, so it all works together, simply and easily."
</B>
Non-Ford top ten nav-system finishers include the Acura TL (http://www.autoblog.com/tag/acura+tl/) (third), Porsche 911 (http://www.autoblog.com/tag/porsche+911/) (fifth), Cadillac CTS (http://www.autoblog.com/tag/cadillac+cts/) (sixth), Hyundai Genesis (http://www.autoblog.com/tag/hyundai+genesis/)(ninth) and Infiniti FX-series (http://www.autoblog.com/tag/infinit+fx/) (tenth). Interestingly, Ford is the only non-luxury/premium brand to make it into the top ten. If you were wondering, seven of the bottom ten nav-systems were made by Toyota, with the Avalon (http://www.autoblog.com/tag/toyota+avalon/) finishing dead last. Complete results list and official press release available after the jump.
[Source: J.D. Power (http://www.jdpower.com/corporate/news/releases/pressrelease.aspx?ID=2009249)]
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/12/jdp-navi.jpg


PRESS RELEASE:

J.D. Power and Associates Reports:
Popularity of Real-Time Traffic and Voice Recognition Features in Navigation Systems Increases

The Clarion Navigation System Supplied to the Lincoln MKS
Ranks Highest among Factory-Installed Navigation Systems

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.: 1 December 2009 - Real-time traffic and voice recognition are becoming increasingly popular features among factory-installed navigation system owners, compared with 2008, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Navigation Usage and Satisfaction StudySM released today.

The study finds that 26 percent of owners report having a factory-installed navigation system equipped with real-time traffic capabilities-twice the proportion of owners in 2008 who said the same. Among owners whose systems do not currently have the real-time traffic feature, nearly 80 percent report interest in having the option in the future. Real-time traffic capability has a considerable impact on overall navigation system satisfaction, as satisfaction averages 8.1 (on a 10-point scale) among owners with the feature, compared with 7.3 among those without.

Approximately 60 percent of owners report having voice recognition on their factory-installed navigation system. Among those owners who do not currently have the feature, two-thirds of respondents express an interest in having it in the future. Overall navigation system satisfaction is positively impacted by the presence of voice recognition. Among owners who report having the feature, satisfaction averages 7.7 compared with an average of 7.2 among owners of systems without voice recognition technology.

"Among the 10 navigation systems with the highest levels of customer satisfaction, all of them have real-time traffic capabilities, and a majority are equipped with voice recognition-underlining the positive effect these advanced features have on overall navigation system satisfaction," said Mike Marshall, director of automotive emerging technologies at J.D. Power and Associates. "With 39 percent of consumers in the study reporting that they would have purchased another vehicle if navigation wasn't available (up from 31 percent in 2006) there is a growing segment of automotive consumers who are driven by technology. Integrating and delivering advanced user-facing technology in vehicles will continue to gain importance among manufacturers fighting for market share."

Now in its 11th year, the study identifies six factors that contribute to overall customer satisfaction. In order of importance, they are: ease of use; system routing; system appearance; voice directions; navigation display screen; and speed of system. The study also measures quality by examining problems per 100 (PP100) navigation systems, in which a lower score reflects higher quality.

The Clarion navigation system supplied to the Lincoln MKS ranks highest in consumer satisfaction with factory-installed navigation systems and performs particularly well with the ease of use factor. The Clarion navigation system supplied to the Ford Flex follows in the rankings, while the Pioneer navigation system in the Acura TL ranks third.

The study also finds the following navigation system trends:

* More than one-half of respondents report using their system on a regular basis (at least one to two times per week).
* Among consumers who have previously owned a vehicle equipped with a factory-installed navigation system, approximately 80 percent say that their current system is performing at the same level or better than their previous system.
* Approximately one-fourth of consumers say they believe that an annual update for mapping software is necessary and would be willing to pay an average price of $57 for updates.

The 2009 Navigation Usage and Satisfaction Study is based on responses from 16,939 owners who recently purchased or leased new 2009 model-year vehicles with factory-installed navigation systems. The study was fielded in October 2009.

About J.D. Power and Associates
Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services company operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, performance improvement, Web intelligence and customer satisfaction. The company's quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually. For more information on car reviews and ratings, car insurance, health insurance, cell phone ratings, and more, please visit JDPower.com. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.

About The McGraw-Hill Companies
Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP) is a leading global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor's, McGraw-Hill Education, Platts, Capital IQ, J.D. Power and Associates, McGraw-Hill Construction and Aviation Week. The Corporation has more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2008 were $6.4 billion. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/ (http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/).

No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information in this release without the express prior written consent of J.D. Power and Associates. www.jdpower.com/corporate (http://www.jdpower.com/corporate)

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/07/jd-power-releases-sat-nav-study-findings-crowns-ford-tops/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+weblogsinc%2Fautoblog+%28Auto blog%29 (http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/07/jd-power-releases-sat-nav-study-findings-crowns-ford-tops/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+weblogsinc%2Fautoblog+%28Auto blog%29)

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Audi, Acura Buyers Offered $100 To Test 2010 Suzuki Kizashi!


http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1039755_audi-acura-buyers-offered-100-to-test-2010-suzuki-kizashi (http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1039755_audi-acura-buyers-offered-100-to-test-2010-suzuki-kizashi)

2010 Suzuki Kizashi
Enlarge Photo (http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/image/100231076_2010-suzuki-kizashi)

The 2010 Suzuki Kizashi (http://www.thecarconnection.com/modelintro/suzuki_kizashi_2010) has been a fairly big hit with auto journalists. Our own Bengt Halvorson gave it an impressive 8.2 rating (http://www.thecarconnection.com/fullreview/suzuki_kizashi_2010) and favorably compared it to the Ford Fusion (http://www.thecarconnection.com/modelintro/ford_fusion_2009), the Mazda6 (http://www.thecarconnection.com/modelintro/mazda_mazda6_2009), and the Subaru Legacy (http://www.thecarconnection.com/modelintro/subaru_legacy_2009), but Suzuki (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/suzuki) has more upmarket aspirations for the new sedan. Specifically, Suzuki (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/suzuki) wants customers to think of the Kizashi in the same league as the Audi A4 (http://www.thecarconnection.com/modelintro/audi_a4_2009) and the Acura TSX (http://www.thecarconnection.com/modelintro/acura_tsx_2009) -- and it's offering them $100 to do so.
Here's the deal: if you text drive a Kizashi between now and January 2010 and you purchase an Audi A4 (http://www.thecarconnection.com/modelintro/audi_a4_2009) or Acura TSX (http://www.thecarconnection.com/modelintro/acura_tsx_2009) within 10 days of your drive, Suzuki (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/suzuki) will give you $100. It's an aggressive move on Suzuki's (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/suzuki) part -- one that's likely to generate a good amount of press for very little dough. And hey, if you're already set for an A4 or TSX and want some holiday cash.... Anyway, you can flip through the rules and regs in the press release below.

[tokyodream]

Dodge Challenger Grabs "Most Satisfying Car" Crown: Consumer Reports!


YONKERS, New York — The Dodge Challenger (http://www.insideline.com/dodge/challenger/2010/2010-dodge-challenger-gets-plum-crazy-paint-job.html) was named the "most satisfying car" by readers of Consumers Reports, beating out the Toyota Prius (http://www.insideline.com/toyota/prius/epa-fuel-economy-honor-roll-crowns-hybrids.html) — a longtime favorite.
The consumer watchdog reported that 92 percent of Challenger owners said they would "definitely buy another one given the same opportunity." But the win was tempered by some bad news for Chrysler: The Chrysler Sebring (http://www.insideline.com/toyota/prius/epa-fuel-economy-honor-roll-crowns-hybrids.html) was the lowest-scoring car in the report, which is based on 380,000 responses from subscribers.
The Ford Fusion Hybrid (http://www.insideline.com/ford/fusion-hybrid/2010/2010-ford-fusion-hybrid-full-test.html) was named the second most satisfying car. Other high-scoring vehicles included the Chevrolet Corvette, Porsche 911, the Prius and the Acura TL, said Consumers Reports in a statement.

Other poor performers included the Dodge Nitro (http://www.insideline.com/dodge/nitro/2007/full-test-2007-dodge-nitro-rt.html) and Pontiac Torrent FWD.
To be named to this satisfaction list, at least 80 percent of a model's owners must answer "definitely yes" to the question: "Considering all factors [price, performance, reliability, comfort, enjoyment, etc.] would you get this car if you had to do it all over again?"
Consumers Reports pointed out that "only 10 models received the lowest satisfaction rating, indicating that less than half their owners would definitely buy the same car again. All were older designs from Detroit-based automakers."
Inside Line says: Well-earned kudos for the Dodge Challenger, but a stern warning for Detroit automakers to clean up their act. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent

http://www.insideline.com/dodge/challenger/dodge-challenger-grabs-most-satisfying-car-crown-consumer-reports.html (http://www.insideline.com/dodge/challenger/dodge-challenger-grabs-most-satisfying-car-crown-consumer-reports.html)


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November Sees Stabilization in New Vehicle Sales as 2009 Winds Down!

Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles Continue to See Stronger Pricing as Demand Rises Among Consumers and Supply Shrinks
ATLANTA, Dec. 9 -- The Ford F-150, one of America's best-selling vehicles, again took the crown as AutoTrader.com's Most Viewed New Vehicle during the month of November. It was followed closely by the two most popular sedans in the United States, the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. Views for the F-150 were up 15% year-over-year, while average asking prices also increased 15%, going from $30,813 in November 2008 to $35,708 in November of this year.
Many manufacturers saw upticks in new vehicle shopping activity during the month on AutoTrader.com. Additionally, asking prices continued to rise as consumers begin to return to the nation's showrooms, lured by exciting new vehicles rather than high-cost rebates and significant dealer discounts.
"After the wild ride of the 2009, manufacturers, dealers and consumers alike are starting to see inventories and prices normalize," said AutoTrader.com President and CEO Chip Perry. "More importantly, consumers are generally beginning to open their wallets again, and are moving forward with that new vehicle purchase that they had been delaying up until now."
In particular, Chevrolet's new Traverse full-size crossover saw a 90% jump in traffic, landing the vehicle at number 17 on the list of 20 Most Viewed New Vehicles on AutoTrader.com during November. Meanwhile, Ford's popular new Fusion midsize sedan saw a 13% increase in average asking prices, with that average price being $25,672 for the month of November. The Fusion's popularity pushed it from the No. 23 most-viewed new car on AutoTrader.com in October to the No. 13 most-viewed new car in November.
Other big jumpers on the list included the Ford Escape SUV, up from the No. 29 spot in October to No. 19 in November; the Ford Focus, up from No. 32 in October to No. 13 in November; the Chevy Malibu, up from No. 19 in October to No. 10 in November; and the Toyota Corolla, up from No. 18 in October to No. 6 in November.
CPO Prices Continue to Rise
Among Certified Pre-Owned vehicles, prices rose significantly year-over-year among trucks and SUVs. The Chevrolet Tahoe SUV, for example, saw a 23% jump in average asking price, going from $24,496 in November of 2008 to $31,445 in November 2009. These increases were found in trucks from both foreign and domestic makes, such as the Toyota Tundra pick-up, which recorded an almost 19% increase in average asking price, going from $21,284 last year to $25,268 in 2009.
"As awareness of Certified Pre-Owned programs and the benefits offered continues to grow, a greater number of consumers will continue to opt for these vehicles in lieu of a traditional used or new vehicle," said Perry. "At the same time, because many CPO vehicles are off-lease cars and a lot of the leasing activity dried up as a result of the credit crunch or the past two years, there are fewer cars available via this channel. As a result of these trends, we may see continued increases in the prices for CPO cars."
AutoTrader.com Site Traffic Continues to Rise
Further evidence of a general stabilization of the marketplace was shown by continued increase in traffic to AutoTrader.com in November. Traffic on AutoTrader.com increased by 5% year-over-year during November, reaching a total of 13.5 million visitors during the month. Site traffic to AutoTrader.com has been steadily trending upward throughout 2009, despite the turmoil recorded in the automotive industry.
"The migration of shoppers to the Internet to search for new and used vehicles, combined with the general recovery of the automotive marketplace, is a boon for both manufacturers and dealers," said Perry. "The Internet offers both the OEM and the retailer an effective, efficient way to reach the largest number of in-market shoppers at any given moment with the latest information consumers seek when making a purchase."
About AutoTrader.com
AutoTrader.com, created in 1997 and headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., is the Internet's leading auto classifieds marketplace and consumer information website. AutoTrader.com aggregates in a single location millions of new cars, used cars and certified pre-owned cars from thousands of auto dealers and private owners. The site attracts about 15 million unique monthly visitors. Through innovative merchandising functionality such as multiple photos, videos, detailed descriptions and comprehensive research and compare tools, AutoTrader.com unites new and used car buyers and sellers online to improving the way people research, locate and advertise vehicles. AutoTrader.com is a majority-owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises. The venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers is also an investor. For more information, please visit www.autotrader.com (http://www.autotrader.com) .

TABELE: http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2009/12/09/457798.html


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Honda Adds to Trophy Cabinet!

http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2009/12/10/457918.html

TULLAMARINE, AUSTRALIA – December 10, 2009: Honda has continued its winning form in the United States taking home multiple trophies in the 2009 ALG Residual Value Awards.

The Accord, Fit (Jazz in Australia) and Odyssey Minivan have been named as recipients in the 11th annual ALG Residual Value Awards, which honour the vehicles in each industry segment that ALG predicts will retain the highest percentage of their original price after a three-year period.
The Accord won the award in the Best Midsize Car category, the Fit was the winner in the Best Compact Car category and the Odyssey Minivan (with its body style unique to North America) prevailed in the Best Minivan category. Since 2001, the Honda brand has earned 20 model awards and six overall brand awards from ALG.
“In a challenging economy, residual value moves up on the list of buyer considerations,” said Mr. John Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. “These ALG awards once again recognise Honda’s commitment to offer high-quality products with long-term value.”
Acura, a division of American Honda Motor Company, was also awarded the Luxury Brand Residual Value Award for the second consecutive year.
“Acura has taken a different tack than most luxury brands and its decision to stick with front-wheel drive platforms and smaller engines has served it well in the current uncertain times,” said James Clark, General Manager of ALG.
“Acura’s outstanding reliability, simple packaging schemes and value pricing with low incentive levels were major factors in its repeat finish at the top of the luxury market this year,” he said.
The Accord and Fit were also recently named in Car and Driver Magazine’s prestigious and highly competitive annual “10 Best Cars” awards. The eigth-generation Accord has achieved “10Best” status 24 times in 28 years, more than any other vehicle in the award’s history. The Honda Fit has been honored with 10Best status in each of the four years that it has been on sale in the United States.
Honda continues to achieve widespread recognition from the industry and motoring journalists as a result of its ongoing commitment to innovation, sustainability and manufacturing excellence.
The company, which this year celebrates 60 years of success in Japan, 50 years in the U.S and 40 years in Australia, is expected to add to its already impressive trophy cabinet with the upcoming release of a number of new models, including the second-generation Honda Insight and a hybrid sports model based on the CR-Z concept.

[tokyodream]

Green Tires From Orange Peels Use Less Oil, Bring Better MPGs!

http://www.greencarreports.com/blog/1039964_green-tires-from-orange-peels-use-less-oil-bring-better-mpgs (http://www.greencarreports.com/blog/1039964_green-tires-from-orange-peels-use-less-oil-bring-better-mpgs)


http://images.thecarconnection.com/sml/yokohama-db-super-e-spec-tire_100300667_s.jpg

Sadly, they're not actually orange. Nor do they smell like citrus when they get hot. But by infusing orange oil into natural rubber, a new line of tires from Yokohama cuts four-fifths of the petroleum needed to manufacture a tire.
They lower rolling resistance too, meaning better fuel efficiency.
Subcompacts and fuel cells and hybrids, oh my
Yokohama is initially offering its dB Super E-Spec lines of tires in four different sizes for both 15-inch and 16-inch wheels, to fit smaller vehicles. The company names one subcompact, four hybrids (http://sportscarmonitor.com/category/hybrid,new), a natural-gas vehicle, even one hydrogen fuel-cell car, as well as "many others."
The hybrids (http://www.gmcreports.com/category/hybrid,new) are the Toyota Prius (http://www.allsmallcars.com/overview/toyota_prius_2008) and Camry Hybrid (http://www.collegecarguide.com/overview/toyota_camry-hybrid_2009), the Honda Civic Hybrid (http://www.teenwheels.com/overview/honda_civic-hybrid_2008), and the now-discontinued Honda Accord Hybrid (http://www.greencarreports.com/overview/honda_accord-hybrid_2007). Honda (http://www.crossoverreviews.com/make/honda,new) has both the natural-gas vehicle--its Civic GX model (http://www.greencarreports.com/blog/1019612_2009-honda-civic-gx-the-other-green-fuel-is-natural-gas)--and the fuel-cell car, the Honda FCX Clarity (http://www.motorauthority.com/overview/honda_fcx-clarity_2008). The subcompact is the Nissan Versa (http://www.nissanreports.com/overview/nissan_versa_2008).

http://images.thecarconnection.com/sml/2010-toyota-prius-5dr-hb-ii-natl-angular-front-exterior-view_100247890_s.jpg Angular Front Exterior View - 2010 Toyota Prius 5dr HB II (Natl)
Enlarge Photo (http://www.greencarreports.com/image/100247890_angular-front-exterior-view--2010-toyota-prius-5dr-hb-ii-natl)


http://images.thecarconnection.com/sml/2009-honda-civic-sdn_100184028_s.jpg 2009 Honda Civic GX
Enlarge Photo (http://www.greencarreports.com/image/100184028_2009-honda-civic-gx)


http://images.thecarconnection.com/sml/2010-porsche-911-gt3-cup-race-car_100227327_s.jpg 2010 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Race Car
Enlarge Photo (http://www.greencarreports.com/image/100227327_2010-porsche-911-gt3-cup-race-car)


http://images.thecarconnection.com/sml/porsche-gt3-cup03-1_100216355_s.jpg porsche gt3 cup03 1
Enlarge Photo (http://www.greencarreports.com/image/100216355_porsche-gt3-cup03-1)

Lower rolling resistance and lighter
The dB Super E-spec line also reduces rolling resistance up to 20 percent even over the low-resistance tires fitted to the Toyota Prius (http://www.familycarguide.com/overview/toyota_prius_2008) and other hybrids (http://www.allaboutsuvs.com/category/hybrid,new). And it's two pounds lighter as well, reducing unsprung weight, which improves the ride of any car.
And its inner liner allows less air to escape--1 to 3 percent a month, versus 3 to 5 percent on standard tires--meaning the tires stay inflated longer. As then-presidential candidate Barack Obama famously pointed out, if every U.S. vehicle had its tires properly inflated, enough oil could be saved to make his rival's proposed increase in offshore drilling unnecessary.
OJ discards
As Yokohama notes, since vulcanized (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulcanization) rubber was invented in 1844 by Charles Goodyear, tires have mostly been made of rubber, petroleum, and other substances that reduce both the natural stickines of the rubber and its brittle natural when cold.
To make its new tire, Yokohama adds orange oil that is extracted from peels discarded by orange-juice manufacturers. In fact, 80 percent of the materials in the new tire are based on something other than petroleum, a majority of it from renewable resources.
From Porsche GT3 Cup to your car
Yokohama's racing engineers originally came up with the idea of combining orange-peel oil with natural rubber. The same technology is used on the tires provided for the cars competing in the Porsche (http://www.allcarselectric.com/make/porsche,new) GT3 Cup.
Under cornering, the orange oil heats up and interacts with the rubber, making the tires hotter and grippier. The tires wear the same as standard tires, though an Automotive News reviewer called them "a little more prone to squeal and howl under duress."
The company first put the tires on sale in July, after showing them at last year's SEMA trade show. Currently, the Yokohama dB Super E-spec tire costs roughly 30 percent more than a typical aftermarket tire.
[Automotive News (http://www.autonews.com/article/20091208/OEM05/912089994/1186) (subscription required), Yokohama Tires (http://www.yokohamatire.com/tires/e-spec.pdf)]


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Rival pentru CIVIC in China:

China: SAIC MG6 Launched !


By Global Auto Systems Staff December 15, 2009 SAIC will face off its MG6 in China against the Honda Civic, Toyota Civic and Volkswagen Sagitar.

Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp (SAIC), China’s number-one automaker, has just launched its MG6 in China. The new model faces off against the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla and Volkswagen Sagitar in the highly competitive mid-class auto segment in China.

The MG 6 hatchback, equipped with a 1.8-liter turbo engine, will be produced by SAIC Co at its Lingang plant.

SAIC will also start production of the MG6 in a plant in the United Kingdom next year as it tries to revive the 85-year history of the British icon globally. The company said the MG6, which was unveiled at the 2009 Shanghai Auto Show last April, is specifically designed for Asian and European markets.

In China, “There will be market potential for the MG6 if SAIC prices the car competitively,” said Ye Sheng, an auto analyst at automotive consulting firm B. Thinking Management in Shanghai.

SAIC has operated the sporty MG brand as its own since the carmaker acquired smaller domestic rival Nanjing Auto at the end of 2007. SAIC now produces the MG7, MG3SW and MG TF sports car in China, as well as the Roewe series that came from the Rover Group of the U.K.

Tang Yuejin, communications director of SAIC Motor, said the MG 6’s unique design targeting young consumers should be its competitive edge.

http://media.il.edmunds-media.com/mg/as/09/sh/mg_oth_09-sh-as_15_717.jpg

SAIC will also launch a new smaller-engined MG3 sedan in 2010.


http://www.globalauto.net/index.php?id=1856&task=view&option=com_content

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Cash or Coupon for Honda Civic Hybrid Owners In Mileage Lawsuit!

http://www.greencarreports.com/blog/1040182_cash-or-coupon-for-honda-civic-hybrid-owners-in-mileage-lawsuit (http://www.greencarreports.com/blog/1040182_cash-or-coupon-for-honda-civic-hybrid-owners-in-mileage-lawsuit)

If you're one of the 120,000 people who own a Honda Civic (http://www.hondareports.com/overview/honda_civic_2004) Hybrid (http://www.allsmallcars.com/category/hybrid,new) made between 2003 and 2008, you may already know about the proposed settlement to a lawsuit against Honda (http://www.gasmileagenews.com/make/honda,new) contending its advertising overestimated the gas mileage of your car.
If you're not aware of the suit, read up quick.
EPA ratings: 49 mpg city, 51 mpg highway
In brief, two Honda Civic (http://www.teenwheels.com/overview/honda_civic_2004) Hybrid (http://www.allpickuptrucks.com/category/hybrid,new) owners in California sued the car company, saying that their cars hadn't returned anything like the gas mileage shown on the window sticker. The EPA ratings at the time those cars were sold were 49 mpg city, 51 mpg highway, whereas their cars--says the suit--returned "only" 31 miles per gallon.
The lawsuit specifically doesn't challenge the methods by which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency calculates mileage, which are quite clearly noted as estimates. Remember that old phrase, "Your mileage may vary"?
Is it Honda's fault?
Instead, the suit accuses Honda (http://www.allaboutsuvs.com/make/honda,new) of not doing enough to tell Civic Hybrid (http://www.crossoverreviews.com/category/hybrid,new) buyers that their mileage might vary from the figures on the window sticker.
That can cut both ways: Owners of Volkswagen (http://www.greencarreports.com/make/volkswagen,new) TDI clean diesels have boasted for years that their cars get far better mileage than their EPA ratings (http://www.greencarreports.com/blog/1019256_volkswagen-jetta-tdi-much-more-mileage-than-epa-admits) in real-world use.
Nonetheless, in 2008 the EPA changed its gas-mileage calculation methods, which cut mileage for most cars across the board. The latest 2010 Honda Civic Hybrid (http://www.familycarguide.com/overview/honda_civic-hybrid_2010) is rated at 40 mpg city, 45 mpg highway.
80 gallons a year
The difference in actual gasoline consumption between 33 and 50 miles per gallon (to make the math easy) is 1 gallon every 100 miles, or 80 gallons a year if you drive 8,000 miles. That's because Miles-Per-Gallon is not a linear measure (http://www.greencarreports.com/blog/1019426_miles-per-gallon-is-just-stupid-no-really-it-is).
At $3 a gallon for gasoline (slightly higher than today's prices), the total annual cost difference would be less than $250. Apparently, that was enough for a lawsuit.
$1,000 if you sell, $500 if you keep the car
Honda (http://www.motorauthority.com/make/honda,new) argued that it complied with all laws. Nonetheless, the company chose to settle out of court, offering owners a $1,000 discount on a new Honda (http://www.allminivans.com/make/honda,new) if the old one is sold, or $500 if the buyer keeps the Civic Hybrid (http://www.toyotamonitor.com/category/hybrid,new). Or, any owner who can prove that he or she complained to Honda (http://www.pickupconnection.com/make/honda,new) about the mileage will get $100.
The most galling irony of all: Buyers may not use their $1,000 or $500 discounts to buy a Honda Insight (http://www.allcarselectric.com/overview/honda_insight_2006) or Civic Hybrid (http://www.hondaaccordreports.com/category/hybrid,new), the company's two hybrid (http://www.nissanreports.com/category/hybrid,new) models, or the Fit, its high-mileage subcompact.
Why do we suspect that the only winners here are the lawyers?
[The New York Times (http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/14/civic-hybrid-owners-sue-honda-for-mileage-claims/)]

http://images.thecarconnection.com/sml/2007-honda-civic-hybrid-4-door-sedan-angular-front-exterior-view_100266058_s.jpg

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Toyota, Honda Top 2009 Online Auto Searches!

http://www.wpxi.com/automotive/21973296/detail.html

(http://www.wpxi.com/automotive/21973296/detail.html#COMMENTTOP)
The disappointing years turned in by U.S. automakers carried over into Internet search traffic, according to a new report from Yahoo! Autos.

The search engine's most-searched-for car brands in 2009 were Toyota and Honda. Both of the Japanese automakers shared the spotlight in 2009 with successes ranging from the 2010 Toyota Prius and the continuing sales of mainstays such as the Honda Civic and Accord.

Meanwhile, two of Detroit's "Big Three" automakers, General Motors and Chrysler, emerged successfully from bankruptcies with the help of federal loans. Only Ford avoided bankruptcy or accepting a government bailout in 2009.

Of course, Toyota's ranking at the top of the list might not be entirely due to good news. The company also suffered from unexpected recalls and pulled out of Formula 1 racing to conserve cash.

Ford ranked third, with Nissan fourth and BMW fifth.

When it comes to ranking the most-searched-for individual models in 2009, America's taste for the iconic muscle car apparently beat out the growing popularity of hybrids and the need for better fuel efficiency.

The 2010 Chevy Camaro topped the list, with the 2009 Ford Mustang coming in at No. 3, the 2010 Dodge Charger at No. 7 and the 2010 Dodge Challenger at No. 8. The fifth American-made car on the list was the 2009 Jeep Wrangler at No. 9.

Smaller, fuel-efficient models and imports were well-represented on the list too, with the 2009 Honda Civic coming in at No. 2 along with the 2009 MINI Cooper at No. 4, the 2009 Smart ForTwo at No. 5, the 2009 Honda Accord at No. 6, and the 2009 Mazda3 at No. 10.

[tokyodream]

Honda Settles Lawsuit, Offers Vouchers To Civic Hybrid Owners!


http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1040275_honda-settles-lawsuit-offers-vouchers-to-civic-hybrid-owners (http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1040275_honda-settles-lawsuit-offers-vouchers-to-civic-hybrid-owners)


So, it turns out that 2003 - 08 Honda Civic (http://www.thecarconnection.com/modelintro/honda_civic_2004) Hybrids (http://www.thecarconnection.com/style/hybrid) may not actually return 49/51 mpg. In fact, owners claim that the vehicles earn an average of 31 mpg -- and they sued. Without admitting wrongdoing, Honda (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda) has now settled with plaintiffs, offering them either (a) a $1000 voucher toward the purchase of a new Honda (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda) when the Civic Hybrid (http://www.thecarconnection.com/modelintro/honda_civic-hybrid_2008) is sold or traded-in, or (b) a $500 voucher toward the purchase of a new Honda (http://www.thecarconnection.com/make/honda) if the owner chooses to keep the Civic Hybrid (http://www.thecarconnection.com/modelintro/honda_civic-hybrid_2008). Weirdly, neither of those vouchers can be used to purchase a Honda Insight (http://www.thecarconnection.com/modelintro/honda_insight_2006), Civic Hybrid (http://www.thecarconnection.com/modelintro/honda_civic-hybrid_2008), or Fit -- exactly the sort of fuel-efficient cars that Civic Hybrid (http://www.thecarconnection.com/modelintro/honda_civic-hybrid_2008) owners might buy. John Voelcker sheds light on the shenanigans at GreenCarReports (http://www.greencarreports.com/blog/1040182_cash-or-coupon-for-honda-civic-hybrid-owners-in-mileage-lawsuit). [NYTimes (http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/14/civic-hybrid-owners-sue-honda-for-mileage-claims/) via GCR (http://www.greencarreports.com/blog/1040182_cash-or-coupon-for-honda-civic-hybrid-owners-in-mileage-lawsuit)]
Angular Rear Exterior View - 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid 4-door SedanEnlarge Photo So, it turns out that 2003 - 08 Honda Civic Hybrids may not actually return 49/51 mpg. In fact, owners claim that the vehicles earn an average of 31 mpg -- and they sued. Without admitting wrongdoing, Honda has now settled with plaintiffs, offering them either (a) a $1000 voucher toward the purchase of a new Honda when the Civic Hybrid is sold or traded-in, or (b) a $500 voucher toward the purchase of a new Honda if the owner chooses to keep the Civic Hybrid. Weirdly, neither of those vouchers can be used to purchase a Honda Insight, Civic Hybrid, or Fit -- exactly the sort of fuel-efficient cars that Civic Hybrid owners might buy. John Voelcker sheds light on the shenanigans at GreenCarReports. [NYTimes via GCR]

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Library receives Honda Element from Foundation!

http://www.westlifenews.com/2009/12-16/riverlibrary.html (http://www.westlifenews.com/2009/12-16/riverlibrary.html)

By Danielle Toth
Rocky River
Published Dec. 16, 2009
Outreach librarian Janet Sponseller will be cruising in style in the Rocky River Public Library’s new Honda Element. The Rocky River Public Library Foundation donated the vehicle to the Outreach Service because the van the library was previously using was old and beat up. The Outreach Service shared the van with the maintenance department.
The new vehicle has three panels advertising the service. The sides of the vehicle show books from the library’s collection fading out to portray motion. The back of the vehicle shows the inside of the library.
The Outreach Service is a program the library provides that includes free delivery and pick up of books and other library materials for Rocky River residents who are home bound due to age, illness or physical disability. Participants in the program have access to the library’s entire collection, and a librarian personally comes to the participant’s home with a personalized selection of materials tailored to the individual’s preference. Participants can choose individual items or have the librarian choose materials for them.
The service, which has been in place for about 20 years, also delivers books to assisted living communities and nursing homes, including Harbor Court Retirement Community, The Normandy, Pinzone Tower, Rockport Independent and Assisted Living, Sunrise Assisted Living and the Rocky River Senior Center.
The foundation chose to make a donation to the Outreach Service because it goes above and beyond regular library service, said Jean McQuillan, president of the Rocky River Public Library Foundation.
“It was the perfect opportunity for the foundation to step in and help a service that is exceptional for our community,” she said. “The big part of the foundation stepping in was that the Outreach Service had been around for many years but could only do a small number of residents.
“There’s a need for this service in the community, and we wanted to expand it. We like to think that this year the library really found out that the foundation is there when times get tough. We’ll continue to do good for our community,” she said.
The new vehicle will allow the library to expand the program because it will be able to use it specifically for the Outreach Service and it is able to hold many library items. Right now, there are about 80 people who utilize the service, Sponseller said.
Many participants in the program enjoy the service because of its personalized nature, said Kitty Sommers, the library’s marketing and development director.
“More people more and more are calling everyday about this service,” she said. “Other libraries have similar programs, but mail the items out through UPS or have a stranger drop off the materials. Our librarians spend time with the resident, which we believe is really important.”
Anna Thomas, a Rocky River resident who participates in the program, said the program is vitally important to her because books are her life.
“Thank God for them (the Outreach librarians),” she said. “I used to go to the library every week, and I practically had to drag the books back and forth or find somebody to take me. Janet saw me lugging the books back and forth and said she could help me. It’s been a Godsend. She comes every two weeks and brings a bag of books.
“I’m 80 years old, and my life is all around my books. It always has been. I couldn’t get along without them. It (the service) is heaven-sent. There are wonderful people at the library. It makes you feel good.”
The library chose the Element because it wanted a larger vehicle that could hold many library materials. It obtained the vehicle from a Ganley dealership, which gave it a great price, said John Lonsak, director of the Rocky River Public Library.
“We’ve been using it for a few months now,” he said. “It’s been a great gift. We really appreciate the help.”
For more information on the Outreach Service, call Janet Sponseller or Rosemary Ward at (440) 895-3755.

http://www.westlifenews.com/2009/12-16/librarypix.jpg

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Honda reportedly to build fifth plant in China!

Posted: 19 December 2009 1619 hrs

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Honda


TOKYO: Japan's Honda Motor plans to build its fifth car plant in China to cope with mounting competition in the fast-growing auto market, according to a press report released on Saturday.

The new plant, with an annual capacity of 120,000 units, will boost Honda's production in China by 20 per cent to 730,000 units a year, the business daily Nikkei said.

It will be built next to the existing factory of Honda's Chinese joint venture Dongfeng Honda Automobile in the central city of Wuhan and is due to be operational by 2011, the report said.

Initial investment in the project is estimated at 20-30 billion yen (220-330 million dollars), the report added.

No one was immediately available at Honda's head office in Tokyo to confirm the report.

Car sales in China are forecast to exceed 13 million units this year with the country replacing the United States as the world's biggest auto market, Nikkei said.

Dongfeng Honda's annual production capacity is 200,000 units and the new plant will mainly produce the next all-new Civic subcompact model.

Honda also assembles the Accord and other vehicles at two plants belonging to joint venture Guangqi Honda Automobiles based in the southern city of Guangzhou – at an annual rate of 360,000 units.

It also has another plant in China producing an annual 50,000 cars for export mainly to Europe, the daily said.

Other Japanese carmakers are also trying to expand their share of the Chinese market, in which Volkswagen, South Korea's Hyundai, General Motors and Toyota all have significant stakes.


- AFP/so


http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world_business/view/1025842/1/.html

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Hybrid Sales On the Rise Again, November Sales Increase 21 %!

November sales numbers are in and once again hybrids (http://www.nissanreports.com/category/hybrid,new) are gaining ground in the automotive market.
Total vehicles sale for November rose by only a handful of vehicles. This November, sales came in at 746,928 versus last November at 746,789. Though overall sales rose by a barely perc