http://www.autoblog.com/2012/11/19/w...ound-to-honda/
Will Hyundai's MPG malfunction give ground to Honda?
One man's loss is another man's gain. The same notion can be applied to the automotive marketplace, where bad press for one brand presents an opportune time to capitalize for another. A new Bloomberg puts forth a potential automotive example of this – fallout stemming from the recent Hyundai and Kia fuel economy debacle. The Korean automakers were recently marred for incorrectly calculating their fuel economy data, resulting in the downward adjustment of the fuel economy figures for many of their most popular models.
While this represents a setback for Kia and Hyundai, brands like Toyota and Honda are looking to gain ground on the two Korean marques, which have been catching up to Japan's volume automakers thanks to their radically improved lineups.
In 2010, Hyundai began touting its lineup as the most fuel-efficient in America. This stirred emotions at Honda, a brand that had been the nation's top performer in fuel economy for 33 years. With this recent adjustment by Hyundai, Honda is evidently hoping to wear the fuel efficiency crown once again.
According to the report, the Korean automakers' errors came in the EPA's "coastdown" test, in which a test car is driven to 80 mph, put in neutral and "coasted" to 9 mph. Hyundai admits this part of the test was not performed correctly. According to Sung Hwan Cho, president of Hyundai's US technical center, "These were just honest procedure errors in a very complex testing process."
Adding to Honda's opportunity is the recently previewed 2013 Honda Civic, set to go on sale the same day it is revealed at this month's LA Motor Show. The 2012 model came in for harsh criticism from the automotive press, though the model's sales proved largely unaffected by the controversy. Industry analysts suggest that Honda's new (and presumably improved) 2013 Civic should put the automaker in prime position to reclaim both consumer mindshare and the industry's MPG crown.
=======================================
http://www.autoblog.com/2012/11/19/h...-it-come-here/
Honda unveils new diesel for overseas Civic... will it come here?
Honda has indeed been promoting its new Earth Dreams family of fuel efficient engines, and with good reason. The next generation of the Japanese automaker's powerplants are said to deliver more power with less consumption. You can't go wrong there.
So it has greatly piqued our interest that Honda has taken the wraps off the first diesel member of the Earth Dreams family. This 1.6-liter i-DTEC inline-four will be launched in the European version of the Honda Civic starting in the beginning of next year. The engine makes 118 horsepower and 221 pound-feet of torque. It is made up of aluminum block and cylinder heads, and according to Honda, is the lightest diesel engine in its class.
Part of this new engine design is a fourth-generation Garret turbocharger, which features a variable-nozzle design. The speed of the turbo is also electronically controlled to optimize fuel efficiency and minimize turbo lag. The engine is designed specifically with the European market in mind, and will be produced in Honda's Swindon, UK manufacturing facility. Honda is capable of making 500 of these new diesel engines per day, which equates to one new engine every 138 seconds. Not bad for productivity.
So will this diesel mill come to the US market? Right now, it seems unlikely, but with diesel variants of other vehicles popping up in North America (there's that new C-segment Cruze Diesel on its way), it's not unthinkable that Honda would bring this engine over. Until then, we'll just have to keep our fingers crossed. To pass the time, you can also check out the press release below and gallery above, featuring detailed engine photos.
---------------------
Honda Adds High Performance, Low Emission, Small Diesel Engine to the Civic line-up
The new 1.6-litre i-DTEC diesel engine is the first engine from Honda's Earth Dreams Technology series to be launched in Europe. The engine will be introduced on the Civic at the beginning of 2013. Combining competitive power (120 PS) and class-leading torque (300 Nm @ 2000 rpm) with CO2 emissions of just 94 g/km the new Civic 1.6-litre i-DTEC offers impressive fuel economy and performance.
"The key focus of our Earth Dreams Technology philosophy is to balance environmental efficiency with the dynamic performance expected of a Honda," says Suehiro Hasshi, Large Project Leader for all Civic models in Europe including the 1.6-litre i-DTEC. "It is important that our cars are fun to drive."
"This is a new approach from the ground up," Tetsuya Miyake, Project Leader for the 1.6-litre i-DTEC engine. "There were no benchmarks for us because those targets would have been too low. We were determined to establish a benchmark of our own that our competitors would have to follow."
"Developing this engine has been all about smart, pure engineering," says Suehiro Hasshi. "Our motivation has been to make many small detail improvements that, together, make a major difference. That is the challenge and the beauty of the Earth Dreams Technology philosophy."
The new 1.6-litre i-DTEC engine has been specifically designed for the European market, to meet growing customer demand for low emission diesel engines. The new engine will be uniquely built for the European market at Honda's European manufacturing facility in Swindon, UK. Demonstrating the importance of this new diesel engine to Honda's sales plans in Europe, a new purpose built diesel engine production line has been installed at Honda of the UK Manufacturing (HUM). This new line is capable of producing up to 500 diesel engines in one day. Operating on a two shift pattern this equates to 1 engine every 138 seconds. The new line will produce both the new 1.6-litre i-DTEC and the existing 2.2-litre i-DTEC engines.
The 1.6-litre i-DTEC diesel engine will also be applied to the new CR-V (also built at HUM) later in 2013, and the Earth Dreams Technology philosophy will be applied to all of Honda's power trains in the future.
The New Civic 1.6-litre i-DTEC: The Engine in Detail
Lightest Diesel Engine in its class
Honda's new 1.6-litre i-DTEC is comprised of an aluminium cylinder head joined to an open deck aluminium block. It is the lightest diesel engine in its class, weighing 47kg less than Honda's 2.2-litre i-DTEC engine.
All the individual components have been redesigned to minimise their weight and size and advanced production techniques have helped reduce weight even further.
The thickness of the cylinder walls has been reduced to 8mm, compared with 9mm for the 2.2-litre i-DTEC. This is an exceptional achievement for a diesel engine. In addition, lighter pistons and connection rods have been utilised in the 1.6-litre i-DTEC.
Reduced Mechanical Friction
The key target for Honda's development engineers was to reduce the mechanical friction of the 1.6-litre i-DTEC engine to the level equivalent of a petrol engine. "All the rotating parts have been carefully optimised to reduce their friction," says Tetsuya Miyake. For example, a shorter and thinner piston skirt has been used. At 1500rpm, the 1.6-litre i-DTEC has around 40% less mechanical friction than the 2.2-litre i-DTEC.
"This not only reduces emissions and improves fuel efficiency; it also improves the engine's response, both on and off the throttle, making the car more fun to drive. We have reduced the mechanical friction of the engine to the level equivalent of an existing petrol engine, which is an outstanding achievement."
Clever Turbocharger
The 4th generation Garrett turbocharger used on the 1.6-litre i-DTEC engine features an efficient variable-nozzle design and its rotational speed is precisely controlled by the car's electronics, minimising turbo lag and providing an optimal combination of low- to mid-range pull and high-speed performance. The turbo has a maximum boost pressure of 1.5bar.
Efficient Fuel Injection System and Air Flow
Honda's 1.6 i-DTEC uses a Bosch solenoid injection system which is capable of operating at a high pressure of 1800bar. A high fuel pressure means that the fuel is injected at a faster rate and the finer the atomization of the fuel spray. This improves the fuel mixing with the air resulting in a cleaner and more efficient combustion helping to achieve the low emissions and fuel consumption.
Honda's engineers have also worked to improve the volumetric efficiency of the cylinders, employing a high intake flow and a high swirl head port precisely controlling the combustion process to reduce hot spots that create unwanted emissions. The engine air flow is managed by using an EGR (Exhaust gas recirculation) system that operates at high and low pressure to reduce NOx emissions.
================================================== =======
http://www.leftlanenews.com/honda-sh...ll-museum.html
Honda showcases heritage at Honda Collection Hall museum
Honor takes precedence in Japan and there is no better place for Honda to show off its proud heritage than at Twin Ring Motegi race track a few hours outside of Tokyo.
On the grounds of the park-like race track's hilly and forested terrain, the rather industrial-looking Honda Collection Hall serves as the automaker's museum. Divided into three floors, the museum contains an extensive collection of both street and racing versions of Honda's motorcycles and passenger cars, plus hints of its less glamorous but still important products like generators, lawn mowing equipment and marine power. At the time of our visit, Honda also dedicated a large portion of its display to the history of ASIMO, its remarkably humanoid robot.
Topped perhaps only by the Dutch in terms of their love for the bicycle, the Japanese have a rich heritage of motorizing the two wheel machines. About half of the museum's floor space is dedicated to motorcycles, which seems a little unfair given how much less space they take up compared to cars and trucks.
As a result, Honda only has about one third as many cars on display, but the breadth of the collection is more notable than its depth.
In the entryway of the museum, for example, sits a 1924 Curtiss Special race car, an elegant and sleek – by period standards – performance machine that was built by then-18-year-old mechanic Soichiro Honda. The automaker's founder's humble beginnings stand in stark contrast to arch rival Toyota, which was a well-established loom maker before a family heir pushed the company to produce vehicles.
Since Honda didn't actually begin building four-wheeled vehicles en masse until the early 1960s, it would be easy, if not fair, to state that the company doesn't have much of a history. However, the powder blue T360 mini pickup – the brand's first model – offers several glimpses into what eventually became a gigantic global automaker.
The big H logo that adorns the T360 showed that Honda was already a known entity for its motorcycles. Taking a page from trucks designed for Europe, the T360's engine is mid-mounted for optimal space and weight balance.
The truck might have been Honda's volume model, but the S500 sports car (a red one is on display at the museum) hints that the T360 was merely a means for justifying something vastly more entertaining. With a 9, 500 rpm redline (and a gauge that, literally, goes to 11 – 11,000 rpm, that is), the S500 is an intriguing fusion between motorcycle and roadster.
That injection of passion is found in almost every model Honda had on display during our visit, although not all are as obvious as the S-badged roadsters or the Honda NSX (sold here as the Acura NSX) mid-engine high performance car.
But what good is a sporty car without some competition credentials? Honda reserved one of the museum's three floors to its storied racing heritage. Though the Honda-dominated Indycar series reigns supreme in North America, the automaker has competed in numerous series across the globe. A few Formula 1 vehicles serve as a reminder that Honda was long a major player in that series – and many anticipate that the big H will be back in F1 before long.
Enjoy the photo gallery. We've attempted to precede every vehicle photo with a shot of a placard or sticker that serves as an identifying marker. We also included a handful of motorcycle shots for the two-wheel enthusiasts out there.
Words and photos by Andrew Ganz.
Note that Google has mapped out a lap around Twin Ring Motegi with Street View... you're bound to find a quintessentially Japanese surprise at the finish line. The Honda Collection Hall is just south of the track on the other side of the road marked 291. If you've found what looks like a dirt oval track, the Collection Hall is across the large parking lot.
================================================== ======
http://www.leftlanenews.com/honda-ex...n-profits.html
Honda: Big growth in Japan won't outweigh China struggles
Honda says it is confident that new car sales in its domestic market of Japan will grow over the next several months, but a general sentiment in China against Japanese products has forced it to lower its overall profit projections.
The Japanese automaker today ratcheted up its home market sales forecast for the fiscal year ending next March to 850,000 new cars in its home market, a 16 percent increase from what it had projected previously.
The bid of confidence in Japan comes on strong early sales for its two new city cars, the N Box and N One. The two cars, which fall under Japan's special "kei" car tax bracket, boast city-friendly proportions and a dose of style not often seen in the segment.
In addition, Honda will also soon begin selling a hybrid version of its Accord in Japan.
However, the good news out of Japan was offset by what Honda expects will become a 20 percent decline in overall profitability thanks to dramatically lower sales in China.
Japan and China have sparred over a tiny island chain, a territorial dispute that has seen a dramatic backlash against Japanese products in China. Sales of Japanese products of any kind - not just new cars - have plummeted in China.
================================================
Will Hyundai's MPG malfunction give ground to Honda?
One man's loss is another man's gain. The same notion can be applied to the automotive marketplace, where bad press for one brand presents an opportune time to capitalize for another. A new Bloomberg puts forth a potential automotive example of this – fallout stemming from the recent Hyundai and Kia fuel economy debacle. The Korean automakers were recently marred for incorrectly calculating their fuel economy data, resulting in the downward adjustment of the fuel economy figures for many of their most popular models.
While this represents a setback for Kia and Hyundai, brands like Toyota and Honda are looking to gain ground on the two Korean marques, which have been catching up to Japan's volume automakers thanks to their radically improved lineups.
In 2010, Hyundai began touting its lineup as the most fuel-efficient in America. This stirred emotions at Honda, a brand that had been the nation's top performer in fuel economy for 33 years. With this recent adjustment by Hyundai, Honda is evidently hoping to wear the fuel efficiency crown once again.
According to the report, the Korean automakers' errors came in the EPA's "coastdown" test, in which a test car is driven to 80 mph, put in neutral and "coasted" to 9 mph. Hyundai admits this part of the test was not performed correctly. According to Sung Hwan Cho, president of Hyundai's US technical center, "These were just honest procedure errors in a very complex testing process."
Adding to Honda's opportunity is the recently previewed 2013 Honda Civic, set to go on sale the same day it is revealed at this month's LA Motor Show. The 2012 model came in for harsh criticism from the automotive press, though the model's sales proved largely unaffected by the controversy. Industry analysts suggest that Honda's new (and presumably improved) 2013 Civic should put the automaker in prime position to reclaim both consumer mindshare and the industry's MPG crown.
=======================================
http://www.autoblog.com/2012/11/19/h...-it-come-here/
Honda unveils new diesel for overseas Civic... will it come here?
Honda has indeed been promoting its new Earth Dreams family of fuel efficient engines, and with good reason. The next generation of the Japanese automaker's powerplants are said to deliver more power with less consumption. You can't go wrong there.
So it has greatly piqued our interest that Honda has taken the wraps off the first diesel member of the Earth Dreams family. This 1.6-liter i-DTEC inline-four will be launched in the European version of the Honda Civic starting in the beginning of next year. The engine makes 118 horsepower and 221 pound-feet of torque. It is made up of aluminum block and cylinder heads, and according to Honda, is the lightest diesel engine in its class.
Part of this new engine design is a fourth-generation Garret turbocharger, which features a variable-nozzle design. The speed of the turbo is also electronically controlled to optimize fuel efficiency and minimize turbo lag. The engine is designed specifically with the European market in mind, and will be produced in Honda's Swindon, UK manufacturing facility. Honda is capable of making 500 of these new diesel engines per day, which equates to one new engine every 138 seconds. Not bad for productivity.
So will this diesel mill come to the US market? Right now, it seems unlikely, but with diesel variants of other vehicles popping up in North America (there's that new C-segment Cruze Diesel on its way), it's not unthinkable that Honda would bring this engine over. Until then, we'll just have to keep our fingers crossed. To pass the time, you can also check out the press release below and gallery above, featuring detailed engine photos.
---------------------
Honda Adds High Performance, Low Emission, Small Diesel Engine to the Civic line-up
The new 1.6-litre i-DTEC diesel engine is the first engine from Honda's Earth Dreams Technology series to be launched in Europe. The engine will be introduced on the Civic at the beginning of 2013. Combining competitive power (120 PS) and class-leading torque (300 Nm @ 2000 rpm) with CO2 emissions of just 94 g/km the new Civic 1.6-litre i-DTEC offers impressive fuel economy and performance.
"The key focus of our Earth Dreams Technology philosophy is to balance environmental efficiency with the dynamic performance expected of a Honda," says Suehiro Hasshi, Large Project Leader for all Civic models in Europe including the 1.6-litre i-DTEC. "It is important that our cars are fun to drive."
"This is a new approach from the ground up," Tetsuya Miyake, Project Leader for the 1.6-litre i-DTEC engine. "There were no benchmarks for us because those targets would have been too low. We were determined to establish a benchmark of our own that our competitors would have to follow."
"Developing this engine has been all about smart, pure engineering," says Suehiro Hasshi. "Our motivation has been to make many small detail improvements that, together, make a major difference. That is the challenge and the beauty of the Earth Dreams Technology philosophy."
The new 1.6-litre i-DTEC engine has been specifically designed for the European market, to meet growing customer demand for low emission diesel engines. The new engine will be uniquely built for the European market at Honda's European manufacturing facility in Swindon, UK. Demonstrating the importance of this new diesel engine to Honda's sales plans in Europe, a new purpose built diesel engine production line has been installed at Honda of the UK Manufacturing (HUM). This new line is capable of producing up to 500 diesel engines in one day. Operating on a two shift pattern this equates to 1 engine every 138 seconds. The new line will produce both the new 1.6-litre i-DTEC and the existing 2.2-litre i-DTEC engines.
The 1.6-litre i-DTEC diesel engine will also be applied to the new CR-V (also built at HUM) later in 2013, and the Earth Dreams Technology philosophy will be applied to all of Honda's power trains in the future.
The New Civic 1.6-litre i-DTEC: The Engine in Detail
Lightest Diesel Engine in its class
Honda's new 1.6-litre i-DTEC is comprised of an aluminium cylinder head joined to an open deck aluminium block. It is the lightest diesel engine in its class, weighing 47kg less than Honda's 2.2-litre i-DTEC engine.
All the individual components have been redesigned to minimise their weight and size and advanced production techniques have helped reduce weight even further.
The thickness of the cylinder walls has been reduced to 8mm, compared with 9mm for the 2.2-litre i-DTEC. This is an exceptional achievement for a diesel engine. In addition, lighter pistons and connection rods have been utilised in the 1.6-litre i-DTEC.
Reduced Mechanical Friction
The key target for Honda's development engineers was to reduce the mechanical friction of the 1.6-litre i-DTEC engine to the level equivalent of a petrol engine. "All the rotating parts have been carefully optimised to reduce their friction," says Tetsuya Miyake. For example, a shorter and thinner piston skirt has been used. At 1500rpm, the 1.6-litre i-DTEC has around 40% less mechanical friction than the 2.2-litre i-DTEC.
"This not only reduces emissions and improves fuel efficiency; it also improves the engine's response, both on and off the throttle, making the car more fun to drive. We have reduced the mechanical friction of the engine to the level equivalent of an existing petrol engine, which is an outstanding achievement."
Clever Turbocharger
The 4th generation Garrett turbocharger used on the 1.6-litre i-DTEC engine features an efficient variable-nozzle design and its rotational speed is precisely controlled by the car's electronics, minimising turbo lag and providing an optimal combination of low- to mid-range pull and high-speed performance. The turbo has a maximum boost pressure of 1.5bar.
Efficient Fuel Injection System and Air Flow
Honda's 1.6 i-DTEC uses a Bosch solenoid injection system which is capable of operating at a high pressure of 1800bar. A high fuel pressure means that the fuel is injected at a faster rate and the finer the atomization of the fuel spray. This improves the fuel mixing with the air resulting in a cleaner and more efficient combustion helping to achieve the low emissions and fuel consumption.
Honda's engineers have also worked to improve the volumetric efficiency of the cylinders, employing a high intake flow and a high swirl head port precisely controlling the combustion process to reduce hot spots that create unwanted emissions. The engine air flow is managed by using an EGR (Exhaust gas recirculation) system that operates at high and low pressure to reduce NOx emissions.
================================================== =======
http://www.leftlanenews.com/honda-sh...ll-museum.html
Honda showcases heritage at Honda Collection Hall museum
Honor takes precedence in Japan and there is no better place for Honda to show off its proud heritage than at Twin Ring Motegi race track a few hours outside of Tokyo.
On the grounds of the park-like race track's hilly and forested terrain, the rather industrial-looking Honda Collection Hall serves as the automaker's museum. Divided into three floors, the museum contains an extensive collection of both street and racing versions of Honda's motorcycles and passenger cars, plus hints of its less glamorous but still important products like generators, lawn mowing equipment and marine power. At the time of our visit, Honda also dedicated a large portion of its display to the history of ASIMO, its remarkably humanoid robot.
Topped perhaps only by the Dutch in terms of their love for the bicycle, the Japanese have a rich heritage of motorizing the two wheel machines. About half of the museum's floor space is dedicated to motorcycles, which seems a little unfair given how much less space they take up compared to cars and trucks.
As a result, Honda only has about one third as many cars on display, but the breadth of the collection is more notable than its depth.
In the entryway of the museum, for example, sits a 1924 Curtiss Special race car, an elegant and sleek – by period standards – performance machine that was built by then-18-year-old mechanic Soichiro Honda. The automaker's founder's humble beginnings stand in stark contrast to arch rival Toyota, which was a well-established loom maker before a family heir pushed the company to produce vehicles.
Since Honda didn't actually begin building four-wheeled vehicles en masse until the early 1960s, it would be easy, if not fair, to state that the company doesn't have much of a history. However, the powder blue T360 mini pickup – the brand's first model – offers several glimpses into what eventually became a gigantic global automaker.
The big H logo that adorns the T360 showed that Honda was already a known entity for its motorcycles. Taking a page from trucks designed for Europe, the T360's engine is mid-mounted for optimal space and weight balance.
The truck might have been Honda's volume model, but the S500 sports car (a red one is on display at the museum) hints that the T360 was merely a means for justifying something vastly more entertaining. With a 9, 500 rpm redline (and a gauge that, literally, goes to 11 – 11,000 rpm, that is), the S500 is an intriguing fusion between motorcycle and roadster.
That injection of passion is found in almost every model Honda had on display during our visit, although not all are as obvious as the S-badged roadsters or the Honda NSX (sold here as the Acura NSX) mid-engine high performance car.
But what good is a sporty car without some competition credentials? Honda reserved one of the museum's three floors to its storied racing heritage. Though the Honda-dominated Indycar series reigns supreme in North America, the automaker has competed in numerous series across the globe. A few Formula 1 vehicles serve as a reminder that Honda was long a major player in that series – and many anticipate that the big H will be back in F1 before long.
Enjoy the photo gallery. We've attempted to precede every vehicle photo with a shot of a placard or sticker that serves as an identifying marker. We also included a handful of motorcycle shots for the two-wheel enthusiasts out there.
Words and photos by Andrew Ganz.
Note that Google has mapped out a lap around Twin Ring Motegi with Street View... you're bound to find a quintessentially Japanese surprise at the finish line. The Honda Collection Hall is just south of the track on the other side of the road marked 291. If you've found what looks like a dirt oval track, the Collection Hall is across the large parking lot.
================================================== ======
http://www.leftlanenews.com/honda-ex...n-profits.html
Honda: Big growth in Japan won't outweigh China struggles
Honda says it is confident that new car sales in its domestic market of Japan will grow over the next several months, but a general sentiment in China against Japanese products has forced it to lower its overall profit projections.
The Japanese automaker today ratcheted up its home market sales forecast for the fiscal year ending next March to 850,000 new cars in its home market, a 16 percent increase from what it had projected previously.
The bid of confidence in Japan comes on strong early sales for its two new city cars, the N Box and N One. The two cars, which fall under Japan's special "kei" car tax bracket, boast city-friendly proportions and a dose of style not often seen in the segment.
In addition, Honda will also soon begin selling a hybrid version of its Accord in Japan.
However, the good news out of Japan was offset by what Honda expects will become a 20 percent decline in overall profitability thanks to dramatically lower sales in China.
Japan and China have sparred over a tiny island chain, a territorial dispute that has seen a dramatic backlash against Japanese products in China. Sales of Japanese products of any kind - not just new cars - have plummeted in China.
================================================
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