Ultimele articole din presa straina referitoare la Honda

[alecsus27 Member Find all posts View Profile Close alecsus27]

Locul 1 in lume la fiabilitatea motorului:

http://www.fleetdirectory.co.uk/flee...ne-reliability

[tokyodream Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close tokyodream]

Poti copia tot articolul, dupa cateva zile/saptamani va disparea link-ul de pe net:

http://www.fleetdirectory.co.uk/flee...ne-reliability

German carmakers shamed by engine reliability

Businesses and fleet operators tend to love German cars, their reputation for reliability and strong residual values-in themselves driven by that reputation for reliability-make them a staple of the business car sector.

But German reliability is not as strong as some may believe, according to Warranty Direct which found that engine reliability may be an area where the reputation outstrips reality, with Audi, BMW and Volkswagen found to have some of the least reliable engines around.

The warranty firm studied data from 50,000 live consumer policies to find that the only engines to have failed more often than Audis in the past year were those from the now defunct MG Rover group, while the MINI finished a disappointing third from bottom. BMW and Volkswagen featured seventh and ninth from respectively in the power plant scale of shame.

At the other end of the scale, it was Japanese carmakers which are recognised as producing the most reliable engines with Honda and Toyota at the top, while Mercedes-Benz upheld some German honour by taking the third best accolade.

Engine repairs can be some of the most expensive to hit a driver and, amongst Warranty Direct’s customers, 1 in 13 MG Rover motors failed in the past year, while 1 in 27 Audi owners had issues with theirs. At the opposite end of the scale, just 1 in every 345 Honda owners had a problem with their power unit.

The study of motor repairs also highlighted huge potential costs for motorists. An engine failure on a Range Rover Vogue recently led to Warranty Direct’s highest claim – £12,998.46 – while one dealer quoted £14,853.60 to repair an engine on a Range Rover Sport after it failed.

Warranty Direct Managing Director Duncan McClure Fisher said of the study: “Engine failures are the biggest fear for any motorist as they’re the ones that can lead to the most astronomical costs because of the parts and hours or labour required to fix them. The number of failures may be low compared to areas such as axle and suspension damage but engine repairs almost always result in costs reaching the thousands for motorists who aren’t covered by a warranty.”

Least reliable manufacturer/Engine Failure Rate (1 in x)

1. MG Rover-1 in 13 fail

2. Audi-1 in 27

3. MINI-1 in 40

4. Saab-1 in 40

5. Vauxhall-1 in 41

6. Peugeot-1 in 44

7. BMW-1 in 45

8. Renault-1 in 46

9. Volkswagen-1 in 52

10. Mitsubishi-1 in 59



Most Reliable Manufacturers/Engine Failure Rate

1. Honda-1 in 344

2. Toyota-1 in 171

3. Mercedes-Benz-1 in 119

4. Volvo- 1 in 111

5. Jaguar-1 in 103

6. Lexus-1 in 101

7. Fiat- 1 in 85

8. Ford-1 in 80

9. Nissan-1 in 76

10. Land Rover-1 in 72

[tokyodream Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close tokyodream]

http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2...ot-review.html

Heels on Wheels: 2013 Honda Pilot Review

INTRO TO THE PILOT VEHICLE
The mid-size Honda Pilot SUV hasn’t budged much in overall design and instead distributes efforts in a calculated manner, like offering a third row that can actually accommodate adults comfortably and a V6 engine capable of delivering a combined fuel economy of 20 miles-per-gallon with all-wheel drive.

I drove a 2013 Honda Pilot with the standard and singular 250-horsepower i-VTEC V6 engine with Variable Cylinder Management paired to a five-speed automatic transmission with Grade Logic Control and four-wheel drive. My top-of-the-line Pilot Touring trim came with the following standard feature highlights: ten-way power driver’s seat; leather-trimmed upholstery; heated front seats; XM Radio; Bluetooth; Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System; rearview camera; rear DVD entertainment system; trailer harness; fog lights; power tailgate with lift-up hatch; and moonroof. Total vehicle cost came to $41,270.

I’ve been studying the Honda Pilot consecutively over the past four years, and with each passing model the vehicle makes seemingly minor adjustments that actually equate into large successes for the utility segment and thus consumers. The most accurate competitors are your more rugged mid-size models like the Toyota 4Runner and Chevrolet Tahoe but also more formidable types like the Nissan Armada and GMC Yukon.

HEELS ON WHEELS REVIEW CRITERIA

Stylish But Comfortable Results: The Pilot did take on a new three-slate front grille design, restyled headlights and new wheels last year along with a new center stack design to support connectivity technology. Honda does remain on top of basic styling and convenience issues although this SUV doesn’t possess as much on an off-road presence as the 4Runner or conjure up a history like the Chevy Tahoe. But what matters most is its comfortable and roomy inside with excellent visibility for all eight passengers. This is a tough attribute to offer, with the Ford Flex deserving some recognition in the mix for offering a better third row ease-of-access than all competitors mentioned. Also, a rearview camera is a standard feature at the base level – a nice power play on Honda’s part.

Reliability & Safety Factor: The Honda Pilot is recognized by The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) as a Top Safety Pick and The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gives in an overall score of 4-Stars. Standard safety equipment includes vehicle stability assist with traction control, hill start assist, an advanced airbag system, and anti-lock brakes with electronic brake distribution.

Cost Issues: A two-wheel base Honda Pilot starts at $29,520 with standouts including modern technology features like a rearview camera, Bluetooth, eight-inch audio display, a USB interface and steering-wheel mounted controls. A Tahoe starts at $39,830 and a Toyota 4Runner at $31,340, which makes the Pilot a very value-oriented choice.

Activity & Performance Ability: My love for the Pilot’s performance increases with each test drive, lead by the SUV’s excellent visibility and comfortable seat dimensions turning just about any driving situation for a busy mom – from navigating tricky incline driveways to off-the-line acceleration at onramps– into experiences greeted with great confidence. Every time you’re backed by dependable grip, a generous turning radius, and minimal cabin noise.

The Green Concern: One of the best attributes of this three-row utility vehicle is a combined fuel economy of 20 miles-per-gallon with four-wheel drive (that’s 17-city and 24-highway). Fuel economy estimates are 18 miles-per-gallon city and 25 highway with two-wheel drive.

FINAL PARTING WORDS
The 2013 Honda Pilot keeps utility rugged, comfortable and affordable with an adjusted fuel economy of 20 miles-per-gallon combined and a starting price lower than most competitors. This underdog SUV also delivers just the right amount of technology and other interior upgrade in a way that causes low fret when up to eight passengers start tromping about your ride.

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http://www.autonet.ca/auto-news/auto...ple-with-gear/

Honda keeps it simple with GEAR

If you can remember that first fixed gear bicycle you had as a kid, you know that nothing on wheels could be easier to operate. And it’s that kind of simplicity that Dave Marek, design director at Honda R&D Americas, Inc., wanted to impart in the GEAR Concept Study that made its world debut at the 2013 Montreal International Auto Show. GEAR will now make its way across Canada to other auto shows, such as those in Toronto and Calgary, and will eventually be displayed in the U.S.
“Subcompact cars are usually either utilitarian, but uninspiring, or they’re fun, zippy cars that are impractical and too expensive for Gen-Y buyers,” said Marek. “GEAR tears down those walls – it’s practical but fun, customizable, connected and affordable.
“It all started when we asked ‘why don’t we do a car like we used to – simple?’” Marek said. “It’s purely a design study and wasn’t meant to be part of the Honda lineup, but who knows?”


Marek said Honda’s Gen-Y focus groups always say they don’t want an urban vehicle to compromise between people and space to carry stuff. So GEAR was designed to carry four people in comfort and, with the rear seat folded forward, provide as much floor space as a CR-V crossover.
Cost, always important to Gen-Y buyers, would be kept low by using bits and pieces from Honda’s parts bin.
“If nothing else, it’s proof that Honda does get it,” Marek said. “We just wanted a chance to show it.”
Although GEAR is a concept study – without a drivetrain and not built on any particular Honda platform – it has about the same footprint as a Fit. And, as Marek says, who knows? If it creates enough buzz on the auto show circuit …
At least it’s proof that small urban vehicles don’t have to be ugly – a pretty good accomplishment in itself.

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http://www.autonet.ca/auto-news/auto...ear-finalists/


AJAC names car of the year finalists

The Hyundai Elantra is looking for its second straight Canadian Car of the Year win after the five-door GT model was announced as a finalist for the honour at the 2013 Montreal International Auto Show on Thursday. The two other finalists are the Honda Accord sedan and Porsche Boxster.
The overall winner will be announced on February 14 at the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto. Two other awards will be handed out that day, for Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year, with the Ford Escape and Hyundai Santa Fe Sport up for that prize, and Best New Design, with the Cadillac ATS, Porsche 911 Carrera S, and Porsche Boxster vying for the top honour.


The list of three finalists was pared down from nine vehicles that were crowned the winners of their individual categories in October at TestFest, which is the annual week-long car of the year testing event. Members of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) drive and evaluate dozens of all-new vehicles split up into different segments, and announce the category winners on the final day.
The Hyundai Elantra sedan won the overall award last year, beating out its sibling the Hyundai Accent, as well as the Kia Optima. The Volkswagen Touareg TDI was crowned Utility Vehicle of the Year, and the Hyundai Veloster was named the winner of the Best New Design.

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http://www.indiandrives.com/honda-ur...a-preview.html


Honda Urban SUV Concept in India :Preview

Honda Jazz is the most appreciated hatchback in India. With this vehicle, the Japanese carmaker filled the long vying gap of its product line. The hatchback market in India is mostly dominated by its very own Maruti Suzuki Swift. In spite of being highly priced, Jazz forayed into the Indian Territory successfully. Honda’s hatchback is also a world renowned moniker which had received overwhelming response from the entire domain wherever it was launched. It is also known as ‘Fit’ in US and some other parts of the world. Taking this one to some notches higher will not justify it to the collection of ‘bad ideas’. Though, this is what the Carmaker had applied in Honda Urban SUV Concept. Compact SUV is the most sought after segment throughout the world. Not only in US but in India also it is witnessed that many of the four wheelers which plies on road are CUVs. Previously, this type of craze was felt for hatchbacks. It will not be wrong to say that they are now fully grown, and also capable of bullying every other model without an exception to sedans. Almost everybody in auto industry had revealed their CUVs, it was only Honda who was left behind. By removing the cover from Honda Urban SUV concept in North America International Auto Show (NAIAS), it made an announcement that it is not going to spare anyone.

This new Honda is based on the framework of next generation Jazz. On exteriors, it is sharper and bolder that any other metal in this segment. The all new front grilles are assimilating with futuristic LED headlamps. It also bears the same traditional Honda logo on the boldly chromed strip which brightly connects both of the headlights. Edge cutting lines flow all over the eye soothing candy. Rear door handle is placed near to the C pillar, which was earlier seen as a debut on the Chevrolet Beat in India. Front handle is placed more smartly under the slit of bumper line which flows till the mid of car. Rear is much beautifully designed. Mostly, it is kept simple but a lot is added if viewed from the glasses of a car expert. Rear spoiler adds a much reclining factor to the roof which resembles it to a coupe. Other bits like body colored mirrors with engraved signal lights add some more tweaks to its sophistication persona. Moving onto the interiors, it is done in such that it envies BMW and other German beauties. Use of chrome can be figured out extensively, but in a descent output. Minute detailing like steering mounted controls are also highlighted with chrome outlines. Two tone leather i.e. dark brown and off white, is used for all the others components. Steering wheel is seen draped in a leash brown leather cover with contrasting white stitches joining both the ends. Doors and dashboard also follow the same. Adding some tech smartness to it, a LCD is placed at the centre which really completes the look alike of a cockpit. The most dominating feature of this smart cabin is foldable second row. One can make lot of space for cargo while heading to a long journey. Two-seater luxury can also be experienced when the rear passenger seat is knocked down. Carmaker also said that they will deploy (and also debuts) ‘telematics’ system on this Jazz based crossover.

Engine specifications are not yet unveiled but we got the confirmation from Honda that Earth Dreams Engine will be bolted in its engine bay. There are no further revelations on this part. We expect this crossover to bolt down the option of 1.6 liter i-DTEC oil burner which will be seen under the hoods of Civic and Amaze as soon as it will hit the Indian shores. It is presently processed in Swindon plant of UK which sweeps out a total lot of 500 in a day. Japanese diesel dwells the carbon print of 94g/km along with 120 PS and a maximum torque of 300 Nm at 2000 RPM. It also employs aluminum metal for its cylinder head and engine block with a (cylinder) wall membrane of 8mm, which in return grips it in the band of lightest oil guise of the class. Thriving for the quality quotient on throttling and driving experience (in which Honda is very famous amongst petrol variants), rotating parts are optimized to nib off the friction and brace up responsiveness. There are some more exasperating bits which we had saved for the last. Wheels look like the one that will chop off everything which is going to prop in its way. Whenever we tried to look other proportions, our attention got jammed in the macs (mac wheels) only. Urban’s length of 169.3 inches (which is nine inches shorter than CR-V and eight inches longer than Jazz) shelves it as the younger sibling of CR-V.

As it is some Oz lesser than its elder rub-off (CR-V), it may be priced at $22,700 in US. In India we expect this one to cost somewhere near to the upcoming Compact Sport Utilities. Numbers can be termed between 14-16 lakh INR (in CKD form) and more than 2 million INR (in CBU form). There is no hope for CBU here, because Honda boffins are working hard on price reductions. We also got to know that CR-Vs will also follow a CKD route instead of CBU for India. Japanese also confirmed that the production spec will be approximately similar to the concept model. In other cases it tends to happen that productions go off the conceptualized tracks. Honda Urban Concept will arrive at the US showrooms in early 2014, so its landing in India is still a long way to go.

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[tokyodream Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close tokyodream]

http://fenceviewer.com/site/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=79207n-the-road-review-honda%E2%80%99s-2013-accord-ex-l-vs-chevrolet%E2%80%99s-2013-malibu-ltz&Itemid=938

On The Road Review: Honda's 2013 Accord EX-L vs. Chevrolet's 2013 Malibu LTZ

Since 1989, Honda’s Accord has been one of America’s best-selling midsize family sedans. Accords have been sold, and most often built here too, since 1976 — a longer pedigree in the U.S. market than archrival Toyota’s Camry. For 2013, Honda goes a little old school with the ninth-generation Accord, making it shorter and lighter than the previous model, which was close to a full-size sedan. Revised EarthDream four-cylinder engines are intended to improve fuel economy and lower emissions. The V-6 gets retuned for more power as well, plus the Accord Coupe remains part of the lineup. Exterior styling is modestly adjusted, while the interior continues to be a benchmark for packaging — one of Honda’s fortes. Honda promises that a hybrid-powered Accord will debut later this year, but this time with a more fuel-efficient powertrain rather than the robust performance hybrid first developed. But the Accord does not sell in a vacuum. All of the Honda’s competitors have been hard at work, too, working to improve styling, increase power delivery, as well as expanding fuel economy in a race to capture more customers and increased sales for not only their midsize sedans but for all other automotive products affiliated with the respective brands. The industry sells a lot of pickups, but this is the bread-and-butter segment right here — perhaps the real halo vehicle for each manufacturer — midsize family sedans. This is never more apparent than with Chevrolet’s new Malibu. The Malibu nameplate has been around a long time, first appearing as a trim level on the Chevelle in the 1960s and then becoming its own rear-drive family sedan during the late 1970s. In 1997, Chevrolet redesigned the Malibu and shifted it to a front-drive platform. The current car is based on GM’s Epsilon chassis, which is also the foundation for the Buick Regal, all-new Cadillac ATS, as well as certain Opel offerings in Europe. Chevrolet will market the latest Malibu worldwide. Since these two rivals arrived Downeast back-to-back, just after a previous exposure with the Malibu ECO just a few weeks ago, we will draw some comparisons and see how each of these sedans matches up. This week is an overview of each product. Next week’s column will have some video of the Chevy plus a more detailed comparison of how these two sedans perform against each other. Honda Accord The latest Accord — as seen here in top EX-L trim with navigation — is almost 3 inches shorter than the previous model while shedding some weight as well. Interior packaging is unchanged with ample room up front for two occupants plus space for three adults in the rear. The load floor in the back is almost flat, so those three passengers each have their own leg/foot space with wide door openings and narrow thresholds that leave the Accord with graceful entry and exit motions. Cargo space in the boot remains the same, very good, however the rear seat folds forward as one large unit instead of a split design. There is a rear-mounted release lever to make this action easier. In the features department, Honda has been very busy. It needed to be, as most rivals were fast eclipsing the technology and innovation that was available on the previous Accord. New items this year include a dynamic automatic cruise control system, lane departure warning system, a forward collision warning system, Honda-Link — a Smartphone application for apps and entertainment purposes, plus an innovative LaneWatch feature. LED taillamps are now available, plus push-button ignition and passive locks are optional. LaneWatch is probably the most user-friendly — and most important gadget. Flick on your right-turn signal, even the simple touch of the stalk for the three-blinks for a highway lane change, and the in-dash screen for navigation (other purposes in other trim levels) converts into a wide angle view of the whole right flank and right side of the Accord. Great view, great idea, a gotta-have-it feature. In the well-regarded chassis, Honda has abandoned the more expensive double-wishbone front suspension for a more conventional MacPherson-strut layout. Short of racing around a racetrack, few buyers will notice the difference. Inside the engine room, the 3.5-liter V-6 continues to be the high performance option with 278 hp now. You can still get a six-speed stick with the Accord, but not with the V-6. Fuel economy for the V-6 rises to 21/34-mpg with the revised EarthDreams powerplant, aided by a new six-speed automatic. Most buyers will buy an Accord with the retuned 2.4-liter 185-hp EarthDreams four-cylinder engine. Teamed with a new CVT automatic, this powertrain achieves 27/36-mpg rating while delivering a very refined, almost seamless, amount of acceleration. Oddly, the manual transmission is rated two miles per gallon less than the CVT. In EX-L trim, buyers can expect leather trimmed seats, a 360-watt audio system with seven speakers and touch-screen activation, Honda Link with Pandora and AHA Internet access plus XM, push-button ignition, heated 10-way adjustable front seats, 17-inch alloy wheels, heated mirrors with turn signals, LED taillights, moonroof, rearview camera, plus dual-zone automatic climate controls. LaneWatch, the lane departure warning system, and the new forward collision warning system are also included for $27,995. If you need the navigation system, and its attendant accessories, the price rises by $2,000. With the V-6, the EX-L price rises to $33,430. Entry level LX Accord sedans start at $21,680 with a manual transmission. Move up to the popular EX with the CVT automatic and the list price begins at $25,405. Most Accords sold in the United States are made in Ohio. Chevy Malibu The latest Malibu is very similar to the Accord, yet very different. Both cars are 191 inches long. Both sedans have a front track width of 62.2 inches. Both cars are 73 inches wide — an increase of 2 inches for the Malibu. Both cars’ trunks can swallow 14.0 cubic feet of cargo, although the Malibu’s seatback splits to fold. And while both of these sedans shrunk their wheelbase length, the Malibu is now 1.5 inches shorter than the Accord at 107.8 inches. The Malibu counters by possessing a smaller turning-diameter number: 37.4 feet to 38.1 feet. Suffice to say that each of these cars is very close dimensionally and the low-speed turning diameter number illustrates how nimble and efficient each chassis is. For 2013, Chevy revised the Malibu over a rolling course of innovations with the ECO model debuting earlier in the spring. By late summer, the new LTZ with the Ecotec 2.0-liter Turbo (our sample product) was in production. This aluminum engine utilizes variable valve timing, direct injection, and an intercooler for the turbo and replaces the former V-6 powerplant as the top Malibu engine. While offering seven more horsepower (259-horsepower plus 260-pound/feet of peak torque) the 2.0 Turbo produces an increase of four miles per gallon on the EPA cycle — now 21/30-mpg for the same engine that is shared with the Cadillac ATS. All Malibus use a six-speed automatic transmission. Base power comes from a 2.4-liter Ecotec four, making 182 p, or, a new 2.5-liter Ecotec with 197 p. The best fuel economy comes from the mild-hybrid ECO model using the 2.4-liter engine, which achieves an EPA rating of 25/37-mpg. Chevy gave the new Malibu a modified and more expressive stance that shares some obvious lines with the aforementioned ATS sedan from Cadillac. Dual exhaust pipes are integrated into the rear fascia while LED lamps populate the taillights. Inside, the Malibu LTZ has dual-color leather seating with highlight stitching, soft LED ambient lighting for cabin atmosphere, plus a sloping center instrument panel that is a nice blend of right-sized buttons and rotary dials that offer excellent tactile feel. A small diameter, thick-rim leather-clad tilt and telescoping steering wheel fits perfectly in your hands, while seat heaters with memory provide comfort and support. The Malibu matches the Accord with lane departure warning and forward collision warning systems; however they are an extra cost option for the LTZ trim. The keyless ignition and passive door locks are also an extra cost option, although the Malibu has passive access on all four doors not just the front doors, plus the Chevy features remote starting that the Accord does not offer. Chevy is also offering its new MyLink telematics/entertainment link that augments OnStar. Buyers can elect to purchase OnStar service with audible turn-by-turn navigation or, add a separate touch-screen nav system that hides a cargo bin behind the in-dash door. Malibu pricing begins at $22,390 for a base sedan with an automatic transmission, while the mid-level 1LT trim starts at $24,005. ECO models start at $25,335 while the LTZ package without the 2.0-Turbo engine is $27,830, or, $30,165 with the turbo motor. As shown, our Crystal Red LTZ listed for $34,145 with 19-inch wheels, black/brown leather interior, plus other options. Through the end of November, Honda had sold just over 300,000 Accords (the number two selling midsize sedan behind Camry) while Chevrolet dealers had moved 200,000 Malibus, good enough for fifth place behind Altima and Fusion. Next week, we’ll take both of these cars out on the road and you might be surprised how they stack up in real life. ========================================

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/201...ew-car-market/

Honda Captures First And Last Place In Canadian New Car Market

Congratulations to the Big H; Honda managed to capture the top spot in Canadian passenger car sales for the 15th year running, while also earning the dubious honor-or, honour, as it would be spelled in Canada – of offering the slowest-selling vehicle in Canada. Despite the volley of criticism leveled at the 2012 Civic, Canadians made it the best-selling passenger car yet again by a massive margin (by Canadian new car market standards). The second place Hyundai Elantra trailed the Civic by some 14,000 units. 8 of the top 10 passenger cars on the list were small, with the Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Chevrolet Cruze, Ford Focus, Volkswagen Jetta and Hyundai Accent rounding out the list. Adding light trucks to the mix bumps the Civic down to #3, with the Ford F-Series and Dodge Ram taking the top two spots, with the Dodge Grand Caravan bookending the Civic at #4. Following the 5th place Elantra is the Ford Escape and GMC Sierra, while the Chevrolet Silverado trails the Corolla and Mazda3 at 10th place. Clearly, high gasoline prices aren’t stopping Canadians from indulging in the same full-size truck fetish as our American neighbors. At the opposite end of the scale, Canada’s worst-selling car is the Honda Insight, with a mere 168 units sold. In fairness, supply of the Insight, and the CR-Z, Canada’s third-worst seller, are restricted by Honda Canada due to a lack of demand and the poor exchange rate making them extremely unprofitable. But there’s no excuse for not selling more units than the second-place Mitsubishi i, which might be the last truly dreadful car left on sale.

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http://www.kelownacapnews.com/lifestyles/187477941.html

Pilot flies high among intermediate SUV contenders

Honda had forged its reputation on a lineup of small, dependable and fuel-efficient vehicles. But with the passing of time, its models increased in size, along with the North American waistline and the propensity for our smaller families to carry far too much stuff. But that’s another discussion, and for those buyers who still need to haul several kids and hockey bags, the intermediate sport utility – a rugged alternative to the bland minivan and gas-guzzling, full-size SUV – seems to be the vehicle of choice. It’s a competitive segment that includes Chevy Traverse, Dodge Durango, Toyota Highlander and the redesigned Ford Explorer, and one in which the Honda Pilot – my tester for the week – has completed its best year ever in Canada, selling 5,807 units. Although launched as a 2003 model, the Pilot is still only in its second generation, with a redesign that took place in 2012. This gave the Pilot a new look up front with the clunky six-sided grille insert replaced by a more sophisticated three-bar design. Lights and turn signals were tweaked, and a new, more aerodynamic front air dam added. All models received bigger 18-inch alloys, and inside the cabin, the instrument panel was redesigned and given a more intuitive button layout. Also new is a standard equipped eight-inch colour multi-info display. What hasn’t changed is the size, with the second-generation Pilot having virtually the same footprint as its predecessor. This SUV also sits pretty much in the middle of its competition, with Traverse, Durango, Highlander and Explorer having similar dimensions. Ditto for cargo space, with the exception of Traverse, which has significantly more room than the others. Still, Pilot’s 2,464-litre maximum cargo hold (1,351 litres behind the second row) is ample for most needs, and was a huge help in clearing out my father’s basement. And unlike some three-row SUVs I’ve driven, the Pilot offers usable space behind the third row – 589 litres. Honda is a master in carving out bins, nooks and crannies for all your loose items, and in the Pilot, this begins with its large, multifunctional centre console. The look is clean, with a lid that rolls back to reveal a deep well, handy storage tray and two cupholders with rubber grips to keep your Timmy’s double-double upright during the cut and thrust of your morning commute. Lift the armrest for another deep bin that houses both 12- and 115-volt power outlets, along with aux and USB inputs for your MP3 player. There’s another cubbie just below the HVAC controls, a handy partitioned tray above the glovebox, and dual-level storage below each of the door handles. Honda has thoughtfully lined most of these with a nubbed rubber surface, helping keep loose objects from sliding around. The instrument panel has more hard plastic than I’d like, but the fit, not to mention the accents and layout are pleasing. Rear passengers ride in comfort—particularly in top trim. In addition to loads of knee room, occupants in the reclinable 60/40 second row get their own fan and temperature settings as a part of the standard three-zone climate control. They can also enjoy available seat heating, manual sunshades (Touring only) and an optional rear entertainment system. The latter feature is one I always enjoy on long trips, as my kids quietly watch their favourite movies—with headphones—while my wife and I talk or listen to music. The third-row seats aren’t as sumptuous, but as long as the middle passengers slide forward a little, the 60/40 split bench will accommodate full-size adults. But only two comfortably, three in a pinch. In terms of power, the competitors listed above all deliver more, but Honda’s proven 24-valve i-VTEC 3.5-litre V6 is no slouch. Its 250 hp and 253 lb/ft are enough to move the Pilot’s 2,091 kg curb weight with ease, and a little punch when needed. Step hard on the throttle, and the five-speed automatic downshifts briskly yet smoothly, and with a minimum of engine roar entering the Pilot’s well-insulated cabin. Off the line, takeoff is good with zero to 100 km/h acceleration in just under nine seconds. Of course, such driving will have you spending unnecessary time and dough at the fuel pump, so a lighter foot is needed to achieve anywhere near the Energuide rating of 12.3/8.2/10.5 litres/100 km (city/hwy/comb). My own combined rating was closer to 13.0, but that was mostly urban driving. If I’d spent more time on the highway, Honda’s variable cylinder management, which shuts down up to three of six cylinders under light load, would have come more into play. The Pilot’s suspension —Mac struts up front and multi-link in rear—is forgiving and contributes to its excellent road manners in the city. Steering is light, and with a relatively tight turning circle, I had few problems piloting this large vehicle in and around mall parking lots during the Christmas rush. You can purchase a front-drive Pilot, starting at $34,990 for the LX-2WD, but I don’t see the point in what is little more than a minivan with robust styling. All other trim levels include Honda’s front-biased, Variable Torque Management four-wheel drive system. VTM-4 anticipates the need and engages the rear wheels sooner than typical slip-and-grip systems. I drove on snowy and slushy roads much of the week, and gave little thought to the drivetrain. Like most Honda engineering, it draws little attention to itself, working seamlessly while you attend to more pressing matters. My Touring tester, as you’d expect in a fully-loaded model that prices out at $48,590, includes a long list of features like heated leather front seats with 10-way power adjust and memory for the driver, front and rear parking sensors, multi-view camera, navigation, 10-speaker 650-watt AM/FM/CD premium audio system with 5.1 theatre surround sound and 15 GB hard drive, and the previously-mentioned DVD rear entertainment system with 9-inch display. A power tailgate is also available, and is a blessing in winter and early spring. Push a button on the fob, and your hands or gloves will stay free of muck. There are plenty of worthy vehicles in this class, some of which include safety nannies you won’t find on the Pilot. But if you’re looking for a comfortable, practical family hauler—one with Honda’s stellar reputation for build quality – this vehicle should be high on your shopping list. At a glance BODY STYLE: intermediate sport utility DRIVE METHOD: front-engine, four wheel drive ENGINE: 3.5-litre, 24-valve, SOHC, i-VTEC V6 (250 hp, 253 lb/ft) FUEL ECONOMY: 12.3/8.2/10.5 litres/100 km (city/hwy/comb) CARGO CAPACITY: all seats up 589 litres, third row folded 1,351 litres, second and third rows folded 2,464 litres TOWING: 2,045 kg (4,500 lbs) PRICE: (base LX 2WD) $34,990; LX $37,990; EX $40,890, EX-L $43,190; EX-L RES $44,790; as tested (Touring) $48,590 WEBSITE: www.honda.ca

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http://www.autoweek.com/article/2013...NEWS/130129990

How the Honda Civic got a fast makeover
Update aims to limit damage to car's image

As senior product planner for the redesign of the 2012 Honda Civic, Guzowski was shepherding the compact car from design freeze to market. But as he listened to others around the American Honda conference table -- with a year to go before the car's on-sale date -- he heard a disturbing refrain: The upcoming Civic was not good enough. He had heard it before, but now there was a drumbeat from corporate managers, r&d engineers and dealers. In 2009, Honda had witnessed the wreckage of the global economy after the Lehman Brothers collapse. The Civic's development had almost reached design freeze when Honda executives decided the car would seem too upscale for an entry-level offering. The content level needed to be reduced to reflect cautious consumer tastes. Honda Motor Co. CEO Takanobu Ito's decision to take content out of the 2012 Civic would delay the car's launch by nearly six months, from late 2010 to early 2011. In the interim, though, industry scuttlebutt was that the competing Hyundai Elantra, Chevrolet Cruze and Ford Focus redesigns weren't cutting back on equipment and content just because consumer confidence had taken a hit. The photos, renderings and prototypes confirmed just that. The new Civic looked cheap by comparison. The interior materials and fabrics chosen may have cut costs but were clearly inferior. The layout of the instrument panel and center cluster was cluttered and jumbled, with too many cut lines and low-grade plastics. Changes to the exterior styling were barely discernible from the outgoing model. "The feedback we heard was loud and clear," Guzowski said. "I was taking the temperature and making sure it wasn't a one-off we were hearing." Guzowski looked at his calendar -- April 2010. Then 33 years old, he had been at Honda only a few years, after stints at Volvo Cars of North America and American Suzuki's ad agency, Colby & Partners. Guzowski, a former instructor at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, Calif., and analyst with Honda R&D Americas, understood when Honda stylists and engineers described their worries about the car. His next task was to steel himself to inform his bosses far up the executive ladder that their franchise car didn't measure up. It was too late to save the 2012 Civic. All Honda could do was limit the damage. "We read the market wrong," admitted Vicki Poponi, American Honda assistant vice president of product planning and a former executive at Honeywell's Garrett turbocharging division. "After the Lehman shock, we thought there would be different consumer behaviors. We knew that unemployment would last a long time and that there would be recessional trends. We thought consumers would be more sparse in their needs and be tightening their belts. The Civic was going to reflect that world," Poponi said. But after internal study teams expressed concern that the 2012 Civic was underwhelming, Honda executives faced a big decision. Honda could let the Civic run for the traditional three model years of the five-year cycle before implementing midcycle improvements. Or the company could deem the car's problems so deep-seated that they needed attention sooner. The former would involve heavy incentive spending and hurt the brand's image. The latter would require replacing machinery and tooling before they were amortized and would strain Honda's r&d resources. Making big changes to a car before three model years also waves a red -- or white -- flag to the rest of the industry. But the Civic is Honda's most crucial car. Although the subcompact Fit is beneath it in the lineup and the mid-sized Accord is often a bigger seller, the Civic is the main entry point to the brand. The Civic was key in the trend of modified tuner cars among young buyers in the '90s. The United States represents almost half of Civic worldwide sales. Nearly one in four Americans who buys a Honda buys a Civic. Through mid-2010, a few meetings with top management at American Honda--including CEO Tetsuo Iwamura and sales boss John Mendel, as well as Honda R&D Americas President Erik Berkman--showed that Honda couldn't wait. The possibility of damaging the brand was too great. A proposal to quick-change the Civic was sent to Toshihiko Nonaka, head of Honda R&D in Japan, who concurred. "We saw that it wasn't going to be best in class," Poponi said. "We saw that we didn't go far enough. There was no wait-and-see, no gnashing of teeth or debates about what we have to do. Everybody was right on board." Because Honda is a proudly lean organization, blame for the 2012 Civic could be assigned to many people. But after the car was unveiled with a thud, Ito publicly accepted the blame at the Tokyo auto show in November 2011, saying, "The ultimate responsibility rests with me." The intimation was that Ito was ensuring that the 2013 update wouldn't fall short. Fortunately for Honda, the decision to quick-change the Civic was made as most development team members were putting the final touches on the 2012 model. They had not yet been reassigned to their next projects. With the decision to fast-track the update, the team stayed in place, including chief engineer Mitsuru Horikoshi. "Normally, there are different chiefs for [the redesign] and the minor model change," Poponi said. "But the 2012 Civic development team wasn't fully disbanded, so they just stayed with the process. There was no loss in the cadence." Guzowski said there was "very little downtime getting people up to speed" in making the changes. "Honda is a very flat organization. Everybody is involved all the way through the process," Guzowski said. "Everyone had tangential knowledge of what needed to be done. There were no secrets." Besides, the existing team was playing for pride. "The team didn't want to give up, either. There was a lot of emotion and commitment involved," Poponi said. "If Honda were driven by financials, we wouldn't have done this. We never asked if this was financially right for the company. We knew we had to do what was right for the customer and that the rewards would follow." Meanwhile, Honda's marketers had to sell the existing car. The media introduction in March 2011 may have revealed that the automaker knew of the 2012 Civic's shortcomings. A brief drive through clogged Washington morning-rush traffic led to a parking lot at FedExField, where a short, uninspiring autocross course gave little insight. Honda returned journalists to their hotel via bus rather than having them drive back in Civics. But even the fleeting drives were revealing. Scathing reviews began arriving in the media. In July, Autoweek said the Civic "has lost its way in the world." In August, Consumer Reports removed the Civic from its "recommended" list for the first time in memory, describing it as "cheap" and "insubstantial." In October, a Wall Street Journal review called it "a dud" and "a betrayal." But by the time those articles were published, Honda engineers were well into updating the car. Those reviews merely confirmed what the automaker knew. "Our decision to refresh and shift was made way before Consumer Reports," Poponi said. With a nearly clean slate, Honda planners and engineers looked at the needed changes. The deadline: in time for the 2013 model year, or about 18 months from the launch of the 2012 model. "We looked at what were the drivers of the discontent," Poponi said. "Mostly, it was that the instrument panel was too busy and the car overall lacked a premium feel." There were limits to what could be changed. Redesigning too many components or their locations would require new engineering, more crash tests and tens of millions of dollars in modified assembly line tooling. And with the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami crippling Honda's Japanese r&d operations, American Honda and Honda R&D Americas had to pick up much of the development slack. Still, the list of changes was lengthy. The instrument panel layout was redone to remove clutter and reduce the number of irritating seams between components. The instrument panel's rice-paper pattern was replaced with a more traditional embossing. The faux "piano-black" surface surrounding the climate-control buttons was made less shiny and plasticky. The swirl pattern of the seat fabric was changed. A black-on-black interior choice--a Honda mainstay left out of the 2012 model--was added. On the outside, the hood and trunk were given sportier designs. More noise-canceling underbody sheeting was added. The quick change provided another side benefit for the Civic. For the 2013 model year, Honda was planning to introduce its Advanced Compatibility Engineering II, or ACE II, body structure for the redesigned Accord. The additional longitudinal braces in the front crash structure would improve the Accord's safety rating in the new frontal offset tests. Normally, such a dramatic structural change would have had to wait for the Civic's midcycle change in the 2015 model year. But because the team was pulling ahead the program, it incorporated the ACE II body structure into the 2013 Civic. "We didn't just plan this car to countermeasure the obvious shortfalls," Poponi said. "We wanted to leapfrog." But just because the product planners and engineers wanted to make changes, that didn't make them so. Updating assembly lines takes weeks, if not months, and the pressure was on. "We asked the people in the factory to redo things they had just done," Poponi said. "Doing this sort of thing comes from the bottom up. Even if leadership wanted to do it, the shop floor could have dragged their feet. They worked their fannies off." Moving the metal Even though Honda knew a fix was on the way by the end of 2012, that didn't eliminate the problem with selling the 2012 Civic for 18 months. "We knew we would hurt residuals with high incentives. And we don't do fleet, so we had fewer tools to manage," Poponi said. Online interest in the car plummeted quickly after launch, according to data from Compete Inc., a market research company. Honda was losing ground to new launches from Hyundai and Ford. Fortunately for the company, American Honda Finance's strong credit rating and opportunities for low borrowing rates allowed the sales arm to promote attractive lease deals to help move the metal. The outgoing 2011 Civic had lower incentives than the compact segment average--often by several hundred dollars--until the final months' sell-down when incentives spending spiked. But within months of the 2012 Civic launch, Honda opened the incentives spigot, even as the economy recovered, according to TrueCar.com data. Incentives on the Civic climbed from $901 in September 2011 to $1,988 in February 2012, while average segment incentives rose from $1,102 to $1,367. Through summer, Civic incentives remained around $1,700 per unit, often several hundred dollars above the segment average, according to TrueCar.com. In the last months of 2012 sales, American Honda Finance offered a $1,999-down, $149-a-month lease, although some dealers whacked the down payment to zero. Honda also launched a stair-step volume incentive for dealers to encourage them to clear out inventories. Honda executives were forthcoming in saying the Civic was on a short cycle for its changes while the original 2012 Civic was still on sale. The disclosure was unusual for Honda, which usually refuses to discuss upcoming product for fear of hurting the old model's sell-down. The remaining 2012s would be pitched as solid deals for value-minded shoppers. For all the teeth gnashing in the media about the Civic, dealers loved the car. Despite its shortcomings, it was among the segment leaders in sales once post-tsunami inventories reached normal levels. Through November, the Civic outsold the second-place Toyota Corolla by 18,523 units and the third-place Ford Focus by 61,473 units. "The '12 was a great car. Only the press disliked it. The buyers loved the car and bought it in big numbers. We would have done fine with no change at all," said Dave Conant, CEO of Conant Auto Retail Group in Los Angeles, which includes Norm Reeves Honda, one of Honda's top-volume dealerships. "Could it have been better? Yes, I suppose. Did the press expect more? I guess. But the car was a great car regardless," Conant added. All told, when the 2013 model arrived in November, Honda added more than $500 of content, while raising the price of the sedan LX trim level by $160. Honda does not offer the base DX trim with the 2013 sedan. Sales of the 2013 sedan began Nov. 29, with other models following through Feb. 6. A process problem Although Honda heralds the 2013 Civic as a triumph of a lean company moving quickly, Jim Hall, managing director of the 2953 Analytics consultancy, sees a cultural problem that Honda must address. "What's radical about the whole program was that they let the Civic get that bad before they had to fix it in this way," Hall said. "The program should not have gotten far enough along to have been approved in the first place." But Honda already had delayed the 2012 Civic redesign once to reduce the content level. Should the company have delayed it again to get it right, even if it meant carrying the previous version that much longer? Hall says yes. "This was not a cheap fix. They had to pull tooling ahead and they had to scrap tooling that won't have the required number of strikes to amortize it," Hall said. "The interesting thing is that they bit the bullet. But this year's car should have been last year's product." What's more, Hall worries that Honda may be celebrating a near-miss, when it should be looking deeper at what allowed the 2012 Civic to happen at all. "It wasn't a bad product, but it wasn't good enough to be a Honda. They approved it willingly," Hall said. "They have to fix their processes or else this becomes the norm." Meanwhile, Honda may not be done with the Civic. With four model years remaining in the Civic's life, more changes could be down the road. "Our intent is to keep Civic the best vehicle in the segment," Poponi said. "We won't sit on our laurels. We'll react. We can't say, 'This is it.'" Key events Spring 2009: Honda CEO Takanobu Ito orders decontenting of the 2012 Civic, delaying the scheduled fall 2010 launch by 6 months. April 2010: Initial internal reports indicate the final 2012 Civic redesign is inferior, but it's too late to make changes and delay the car again. Summer 2010: Honda execs consider moving up Civic midcycle changes to fall 2012 from spring 2014. Winter 2010: Short-cycling is approved and midcycle change work begins. March 2011: 2012 Civic is unveiled to media; earthquake/tsunami devastate Japan. April 2011: 2012 Civic goes on sale. August 2011: Consumer Reports removes Civic from “recommended” list. Fall 2011: Web traffic for Civic plummets. October 2011: Honda discloses pull-ahead of Civic's midcycle changes. Spring-summer 2012: Civic incentives soar. November 2012: 2013 Civic debuts at Los Angeles Auto Show; sedan goes on sale.

[tokyodream Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close tokyodream]

http://wot.motortrend.com/confirmed-...#axzz2InsEX9A9

Confirmed: Honda Accord Euro to Live On – Will a New Acura TSX Come to the U.S.?

With news that the Honda Accord Euro will live on to see another generation, we’re starting to wonder again whether the rebadged Acura TSX will also be redesigned for the U.S. market. Previously, we’d heard that the TSX and TL lineups will be merged into a new TLX model to fight the BMW 3 Series, Audi A4, and others. Now that Honda CEO Takanobu Ito has confirmed to CarAdvice that Honda is working on a redesigned Honda Accord Euro, could the Acura TSX survive to a third generation after all? Euro spec Honda Accord rear three quarter view 300x187 imageIto was quoted as saying the company was working “really, really hard” on developing the Honda Accord Euro, but stopped short of revealing potential launch timing. As the U.S.-market Acura TSX and Acura TL near the end of their lives, though, we’ll find out soon enough whether the ILX will continue to be offered alongside a TSX and TL, or whether a TLX model will crowd out the TSX. A next-gen TSX could help Honda justify the engineering costs of a new Accord Euro. In 2012, the TSX contributed 28,865 sales (including 4234 TSX wagons), below the TL’s 33,572-unit performance. In December 2012, the smaller ILX outsold the TL and TSX, while Acura’s SUVs — the RDX and MDX — comprised far more than half of the brand’s overall December sales. “Honda understands the unique importance that the TSX has had for the Acura lineup and realizes its strength in its segment,” Honda spokesman Chris Martin previously said during a Motor Press Guild event, to Automotive.com. The fate of the Acura TSX in the U.S. remains uncertain, but confirmation of a new Honda Accord Euro does make us wonder. Before we see any revised TSX, though, expect a refreshed ILX to appear in dealerships.

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[tokyodream Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close tokyodream]

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stor...one-plant.html

Honda will put wind to work at one plant
Two turbines will supply 10% of energy at Russells Point

The Russells Point plant, which employs about 1,150 people, makes transmissions for most of Honda’s assembly plants in North America.

Honda plans to install two wind turbines at its Russells Point plant, allowing the automaker to supply about 10 percent of its own electricity.

The turbines will be hard to miss for people driving through Logan County, with blades that are about 160 feet long standing on 260-foot towers. The electricity output will be about 10,000 megawatt-hours per year, which is roughly enough to provide for the annual needs of 800 houses.

Yesterday, Honda announced an agreement with Juhl Wind Inc. of Pipestone, Minn., to install and operate the turbines. The company got permission for the project in June from local officials.

“We appreciate the support we have received from the township and our neighbors that will help Honda reduce (carbon) emissions,” said Gary Hand, vice president of Honda Transmission, in a statement.

Under the agreement, Juhl will pay an estimated $8 million to develop the project, and Honda is agreeing to a long-term deal to buy the electricity.

The Russells Point plant, which employs about 1,150 people, makes transmissions for most of Honda’s assembly plants in North America.

Honda would be among five or so companies in the state to use wind power on this scale, said Bill Spratley, executive director of Green Energy Ohio, a renewable-energy advocacy group.

The site is close to ideal, he said. “They are over there by the windiest part of the state,” he said.

While Honda is not the first to plan such a project in Ohio, it is the first automaker and the first company that has a well-known brand name. Spratley said he hopes Honda’s high profile will help encourage other companies to follow suit.

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http://www.courant.com/business/cust...,5010356.story

Consumer Reports: For family sedans, the Honda Accord leads

In recent months, many of the most popular midsized sedans have received major redesigns or notable freshenings that have altered the landscape in the category, notes Consumer Reports. That includes the three models in its latest report: the Honda Accord, Chevrolet Malibu and Subaru Legacy.

Lost in the flurry of shapely redesigns is the Honda Accord, which looks a lot like its predecessor. With a roomy interior, very efficient and refined drivetrains, a fun-to-drive character and an attractive list of features, it's convincing evidence that Honda may be back on track after a string of unimpressive introductions. The new four-cylinder Accord tops its class, edging out the Hyundai Sonata and Toyota Camry, and the V-6 model is challenging the Camry Hybrid and V-6 Camry for the top spot among pricier family sedans.

Honda Accord

You may have to look twice before noticing it, but the Accord has had a major redesign for 2013. And though Honda has slipped with other models it redesigned in recent years, it nailed this one. The new Accord is roomy, nice to drive, well equipped and very fuel efficient.

Its 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine, when matched with the smooth continuously variable transmission, squeezes out an excellent 30 mpg overall and 40 mpg on the highway. That's as good as a tiny Honda Fit and better than most compact cars. The 3.5-liter V-6 is supersmooth and quite powerful, snapping off a 6.3-second 0-to-60 mph time that is competitive with some sports cars. And its 26 mpg overall is among the best in its class.

Inside, you are treated to one of the best driving positions available, comfortable seats and terrific visibility. All Accords have a standard backup camera, rare among family sedans. Uplevel models include Honda's new Lane Watch blind spot camera system.

Honda has also kept the Accord's pricing competitive. The $21,680 four-cylinder LX and $27,995 V-6 EX-L cost the same as or less than many other similarly equipped family sedans. In the final tally, the four-cylinder Accord jumped 10 points in Consumer Reports' Ratings to take over the top spot among entry-level sedans. And the V-6 is behind only the Toyota Camry Hybrid and V-6 Camry among high-end family sedans, and neither Camry drives as well.

Consumer Reports' other findings include:

Chevrolet Malibu

You'll appreciate the redesigned Malibu if you prize a plush, comfortable ride and a very quiet cabin. That's where this solid, easygoing sedan excels. It has simple controls, decent fuel economy and sound, secure handling, although the Malibu is clearly no sports sedan. You can expand the large trunk by folding the 60/40-split rear seatbacks.

But the Malibu is no great value. Even the moderately equipped 1LT cost $23,185, notably more than higher-rated competitors.

A reasonably refined and powerful 197-hp, 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine is matched with a smooth and responsive six-speed automatic transmission. That powertrain helps the Malibu get a reasonable 26 mpg overall.

Subaru Legacy

If you want an affordable family sedan with all-wheel drive, the Legacy is the only game in town. It's also a nice, value-packed ride, with a spacious interior and good fuel economy. Where it falls a bit short is in refinement and performance.

For 2013, Subaru tweaked the steering and suspension, which helped make emergency handling more secure and predictable. The trunk is large, and the rear seatback folds 60/40 for more space.

The redesigned 173-hp, 2.5-liter "flat-four" engine delivers slightly quicker acceleration and fuel economy of 26 mpg overall, which is impressive for an AWD car. Still, most competing four-cylinder sedans are quicker.

The Legacy's real Achilles' heel is its continuously variable transmission. It's well behaved during casual driving, but it tends to exacerbate engine noise when you're accelerating or merging on the highway, and its performance is a bit rough around the edges.

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http://blog.oregonlive.com/drive-tim...a_odyssey.html

Test Drive: 2013 Honda Odyssey. One luxurious ride might end minivan phobia forever

Looking for a luxury car … that seats 7 or 8 and carries all of their stuff? You can get a large SUV – unless you also want reasonable fuel economy and car-like ride and handling. If so, you need a minivan. Yes, a minivan. Before you go kicking and screaming from the room at the thought of driving such a beast, you need to take a fresh look at the Honda Odyssey Touring, the Toyota Sienna Limited, Nissan Quest or the Chrysler Town & Country. Just take a seat, do your best to forget that you’re in a minivan, and I guarantee you’ll like what you see.
I recently had the opportunity to drive a top-of-the-line Honda Odyssey Touring Elite. I’ll admit an ulterior motive – we’re shopping now for a replacement for our current Odyssey Touring. Despite the multitude of new cars I’ve driven, I have yet to find a better solution for carrying my two- and four-legged passengers.
View full size The third row of the Odyssey folds neatly into a well behind the rear wheels. John M. Vincent/The Oregonian
All Odysseys come equipped with a 3.5-liter V-6 that produces a vigorous 248-horsepower and 250 ft-lbs. of torque. The LX, EX and EX-L trim levels use a 5-speed automatic transmission and achieve EPA mileage estimates of 18 in the city and 27 on the highway. Touring models bump up to a 6-speed automatic to earn estimates of 19/city and 28/highway. The engine uses variable cylinder management to run on three, four, or six cylinders, as conditions demand, to maximize efficiency. A composed car-like ride comes from a long wheelbase and sophisticated suspension with MacPherson struts up front and a multi-link independent setup in back. The only time you feel the van’s large footprint is when you’re parking. Fortunately, variable-assist power steering and a rear-view camera come standard on all models. Touring models add front and rear parking sensors.
View full size Satellite-linked navigation is standard on Odyssey Touring models, while the stereo system produces sound worthy of a concert hall. John M. Vincent/The Oregonian
The Odyssey Touring merges its admirable carrying capacity with a level of luxury equal to that of cars from the company’s Acura division. Sumptuous leather is standard on the upper trim levels of the Odyssey, and the top-of-the-line Touring Elite features luxury car features such as blind spot monitoring and HID headlights. Satellite-linked navigation is standard on Touring models and available on the EX-L. With a 650-watt Dolby 5.1-capable stereo system and a 16.2-inch ultra-wide LCD theater screen, the Odyssey Touring can double as a concert hall or mobile cinema. Bluetooth phone integration and audio streaming is standard on all models.
When you don’t need the third row, the split-bench seats fold neatly backwards into a deep well, creating a nearly flat cargo area. The second-row seats will not fold into the floor as do one competitor’s design, but the seats can be easily removed to fit very large items into the van. All but the base LX models feature power-sliding doors on both sides of the vehicle.
With its electronic safety and stability aids and a full array of airbags – including three-row side curtain protection on all models – the Odyssey claims an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Top Safety Pick and a 5-Star overall score from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Up to 5 LATCH anchors are available in the second and third rows for maximum flexibility in the placement of child safety seats.


View full size All Odysseys are powered by 3.5-liter V-6 engines. Touring models use a 6-speed automatic, while the rest of the line uses a 5-speed. John M. Vincent/The Oregonian


2013 Honda Odyssey Touring Elite

Base price: LX $28,675, Touring Elite $44,025
Price as tested: $44,855 including $830 destination charge
Type: Front-wheel drive, 7- or 8-passenger minivan
Engine: 3.5-liter SOHC V-6 with i-VTEC
Final assembly: Lincoln, Ala.
EPA estimated mileage: 19 city/28 highway (Touring)
Length: 202.9 inches
Wheelbase: 118.1 inches
Weight: 4,560 lbs.


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

[mitch31 Member Find all posts View Profile Close mitch31]

Asiguratorii Francezi au facut un sondaj pentru a clasifica fiabilitatea motorelor ce echipeaza automobilele noastre si Honda este Numarul 1 urmata de Toyota ,Bravo.
Eu din punct de vedere personal sunt multumit cind vad ca producatorii unei anumite tari care au exploatat bunicii mei in lagare de concentrare se gasesc pe locuri "fruntase".
http://news.autoplus.fr/news/1462744...-constructeurs

[merluciu Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close merluciu]

E Warranty Direct asiguratorul care nu e francez, ci englez. Oricum, rezultatele sunt ingrijoratoare pentru masinile nemtesti, ca la cele frantuzesti nu aveam asteptari anyway. Daca mai pui si problemele electrice, electronice de la nemtoaice ajungi la un rotund frumos.

[tokyodream Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close tokyodream]

http://www.4-traders.com/HONDA-MOTOR...tion-15975646/

Honda Motor Co Ltd : Honda Sets All-Time Calendar Year Production Records for Automobile Production Worldwide, Overseas, and in North America

Corporate January 28, 2013 Honda Sets All-Time Calendar Year Production Records for Automobile Production Worldwide, Overseas, and in North America

January 28, 2013 - Honda Motor Co., Ltd. today announced a summary of automobile production, Japan domestic sales, and export results for the calendar year 2012 as well as for the month of December 2012.
Worldwide Production Production Outside of Japan Calendar Year of 2012

Production in Japan experienced a year-on-year increase for the first time in two years (since 2010).

Production in regions outside of Japan experienced a year-on-year increase for the first time in two years (since 2010), setting an all-time record for calendar year production.

Worldwide production experienced a year-on-year increase for the first time in two years (since 2010), setting an all-time record for calendar year production.

Honda sets all-time records for calendar year production in both North America and the United States.
December 2012

Production in Japan for the month of December 2012 experienced a year-on-year decrease for the first time in two months (since October 2012).

Production in regions outside of Japan experienced a year-on-year increase for the 11th consecutive month (since February 2012), setting record high production for the month of December. This includes record high production in both North America and the United States.

Worldwide production experienced a year-on-year increase for the 12th consecutive month (since January 2012).
Sales in the Japanese Market Calendar Year of 2012

Total domestic automobile sales and new vehicle registrations in the calendar year 2012 experienced a year-on-year increase for the first time in two years (since 2010).

Sales of mini-vehicles experienced a year-on-year increase for the first time in six years (since 2006).

<Vehicle registrations - excluding mini-vehicles>
Fit was the industry's third best-selling car among new vehicle registrations for the calendar year 2012, with sales of 209,281 units. Freed was the industry's fourth best-selling car with sales of 106,316 units. Step WGN was the industry's ninth best-selling car with sales of 63,707 units.

<Mini-vehicles - under 660cc>
N BOX was the industry's second best-selling car among mini-vehicles for the calendar year 2012, with sales of 211,162 units. Life was the industry's 10th best-selling car with sales of 43,934 units.
December 2012

Total Japan domestic market automobile sales for the month of December 2012 experienced a year-on-year increase for the second consecutive month (since November 2012).

New vehicle registrations experienced a year-on-year decrease for the fifth consecutive month (since August 2012).

Sales of mini-vehicles experienced a year-on-year increase for the 12th consecutive month (since January 2012).

<Vehicle registrations - excluding mini-vehicles>
Fit was the industry's fourth best-selling car among new vehicle registrations for the month of December 2012 with sales of 8,380 units. Freed was the industry's sixth best-selling car with sales of 4,910 units. Step WGN was the industry's tenth best-selling car with sales of 3,463 units.
<Mini-vehicles - under 660cc>
N BOX was the industry's top selling car in the mini-vehicle category for the month of December 2012 with sales of 13,647 units. N-ONE was the industry's sixth best-selling car with sales of 8,314 units.
Calendar Year of 2012

Total exports from Japan experienced a year-on-year decrease for the second consecutive year (since 2011).
December 2012

Total exports from Japan in December 2012 experienced a year-on-year decrease for the sixth consecutive month (since July 2012).

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http://www.oncars.in/Honda-cars/Hond...-2013/13133518

Honda Civic 2013

Contrary to reports suggesting the discontinuation of the Civic brands in India, OnCars broke the news that the new 2013 Civic will make its way into India. Our sources have confirmed that the new Civic sedan is already on test at Honda’s Indian facilities and that the vehicle will be launched in India by the festive season of 2013.



The all-new Civic sedan was launched in the US market back in 2011, followed by its South East Asian launch in 2012. The US-spec version though had been upgraded again by the end of 2012 due to consumer complaints on ride quality and overall performance. The ASEAN model though, remains unchanged - and this is the same model that will make its way into the Indian market too.

Design-wise, the new Civic doesn’t look as aggressive as the current model - thanks to its Honda City inspired arrow-head styling. It isn’t a bad-looker nevertheless and has the premium poise that you expect from a Civic. The sharp, aerodynamic styling is also sportier than most other cars in the segment.

Under the hood will be a 1.8-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine that produces 140 PS of power and will be sold in manual and automatic versions. The US-spec model does get a 2.2-litre i-DTEC diesel engine and the European Civic hatch gets a 1.6-litre oiler – which is essentially the same mill that is the basis of the 1.5-litre i-DTEC diesel engine that will power the upcoming Amaze. That has us hoping that the new Civic sedan that is being planned for India will get a diesel engine in the due course of its lifecycle.

Upon launch, the Civic will go head-on against its arch-rival, the Corolla and upcoming cars like the Nissan Sylphy and the all-new Skoda Octavia.

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http://www.dispatch.com/content/stor...-new-cars.html

Honda still area leader in sales of new cars

Central Ohio’s dominant new-vehicle brand, Honda, solidified its hold on the market last year, while almost all others held steady or inched upward.

Dealers sold 73,209 new autos to local buyers in 2012, up 13.7 percent from the previous year, according to registration data compiled by the website Autoviewonline.com.

Honda was the leader, with top overall sales and the four top models: Accord, Civic, CR-V and Odyssey. The other top brands, in order, were Ford, Chevrolet, Toyota and Kia.

Kia was the only newcomer to the top five, having leapfrogged Hyundai and Nissan.

“A lot of consumers jumped back into the market” in 2012, said George Byers Kauffman, vice president of Byers Auto Group of Columbus. “We did very well, and a lot of our competitors did very well.”

His company, with nine locations throughout central Ohio, sells 16 brands — including the top five, except for Honda.

Honda led the market in most every measurable way. It was the only brand to exceed 10,000 vehicles sold (13,962).

The brand benefited from a new design for the Accord and an updated one for the Civic.

Honda is a major employer in central Ohio, with assembly plants in Marysville and East Liberty — a factor that contributes to employee purchases and hometown loyalty.

Almost every prospective auto buyer knows somebody who works for Honda or a Honda-parts supplier, said Steve Lindsay, general manager of Lindsay Honda on the Far East Side.

“All things being equal,” he said, “people would rather buy from Honda because it impacts jobs in the state.”

Ford remained the region’s second-most-popular brand, but its overall sales slipped

3 percent. The brand maintained strong sales of the F-150 pickup truck, but the midsizeFusion lost ground.

The numbers include sales to customers in Delaware, Fairfield, Franklin, Licking, Madison, Morrow, Pickaway and Union counties.

According to Ward’s Auto, national new-vehicle sales were up 13.4 percent last year — slightly less than the local increase.

Analysts expect national sales to rise again this year, and local dealers are optimistic the same will happen here.

“You’ve got to remember,” Lindsay said, “that 2010 and 2011 were not very good.”

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http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505123_1...cast-on-china/

Honda profit surges, trims forecast on China

TOKYO Honda's quarterly profit surged nearly 63 percent as production recovered after disruptions from natural disasters, but the Japanese automaker slightly lowered its full-year profit forecast because of sales losses in China.

Tokyo-based Honda Motor Co. reported a 77.4 billion yen ($850 million) profit for the October-December period Thursday. Quarterly sales jumped nearly 25 percent to 2.4 trillion yen ($26 billion).

All the Japanese automakers are seeing a dramatic recovery from the quake and tsunami in northeastern Japan in 2011, which destroyed key suppliers.

Honda was also hurt by flooding in Thailand in late 2011. On top of the sales recovery, they are getting a perk from a weakening yen, which helps lift the value of overseas earnings.

Japanese automakers are reporting solid sales increases in the key U.S. market and in Asian countries such as India and Indonesia. The exception is China where anti-Japanese sentiment flared up last year over a territorial dispute, and Honda expects to lose sales of 20,000 vehicles compared with its earlier plan.

Honda reported quarterly sales growth in all key global regions, including the U.S., Japan, the U.S., Europe and Asia. It also did a healthy business in motorcycles, for which has a long history and reputation, especially in Asia.

Honda kept its sales forecast for the fiscal year through March unchanged at 9.8 trillion yen ($108 billion), but lowered its net profit projection by 5 billion yen ($55 million) to 370 billion yen ($4 billion). The new projection would still represent a 75 percent improvement over its result during the disaster-hammered previous fiscal year.

The maker of the Odyssey minivan, Fit subcompact and Asimo walking robot said it now expects to sell slightly fewer vehicles for the fiscal year at 4.06 million vehicles, although that's up from 3.1 million vehicles for the previous year.

Honda had expected to sell 4.1 million vehicles, but that number was lowered because of the China problems, company spokesman Tsuyoshi Hojo said.

Honda has not had to lower its annual revenue forecast, partly because it is getting a lift from a favorable exchange rate, he said.

Weakening demand in Europe, where some countries are being hit by a slowdown, also contributed to the lowered vehicle sales forecast.

Honda said incentive spending in the U.S. squeezed its profit forecast but the main cause was the lowered vehicle sales in China.

Toyota Motor Corp., the world's top automaker, and Nissan Motor Co., Japan's No. 2 automaker, report earnings next week. They are also expected to highlight a robust recovery in the Japanese auto industry.

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http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57...ome-2013-cars/

Honda adding 'Eyes Free' Siri integration in some 2013 cars

A trio of upcoming Honda and Acura vehicles are getting Siri's "Eyes Free" integration, letting drivers interact with their phones while driving.

Automaker Honda today said it plans to integrate Apple's Siri voice assistant in some of its upcoming Honda and Acura vehicles.

On the list is the 2013 Honda Accord, and two Acura models, the 2013 RDX and ILX.

The feature in question is Siri's "Eyes Free" mode, a way to use Apple's iOS voice assistant without having to rely on visual cues, or interact with on-screen menus. The functionality, which was introduced at last year's WWDC, works over Bluetooth and connects through Honda's HandsFreeLink setup just like other mobile phones.

From Apple's own description:

With the Eyes Free feature, ask Siri to call people, select and play music, hear and compose text messages, use Maps and get directions, read your notifications, find calendar information, add reminders, and more.

Honda is the latest company to offer integration with Apple's software. Last November Chevrolet announced plans to include the feature in its Spark and Sonic automobiles.

Siri is now available on all of Apple's portable products, short of some iPod models, and its Mac computers. The feature requires an active Internet connection to pipe spoken queries through Apple's servers, making it more useful on the iPhone and cellular-enabled versions of the iPad.

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http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/...8LC02120130131

Honda says aims to boost global car sales by 15 pct this year

Jan 31 (Reuters) - Honda Motor Co aims to increase its global car sales by 15 percent to 4.40 million vehicles in calendar 2013, from 3.82 million vehicles last year, a company executive said on Thursday.

Honda, Japan's third-biggest automaker, aims to sell 750,000 vehicles in China this year, up from 604,000 vehicles in 2012, Executive Vice President Tetsuo Iwamura told reporters.

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http://www.omaha.com/article/20130131/AP05/301319935

Honda profit surges, trims forecast on China

TOKYO (AP) - Honda's quarterly profit surged nearly 63 percent as production recovered after disruptions from natural disasters, but the Japanese automaker slightly lowered its full-year profit forecast because of sales losses in China.

Tokyo-based Honda Motor Co. reported a 77.4 billion yen ($850 million) profit for the October-December period Thursday. Quarterly sales jumped nearly 25 percent to 2.4 trillion yen ($26 billion).

All the Japanese automakers are seeing a dramatic recovery from the quake and tsunami in northeastern Japan in 2011, which destroyed key suppliers.

Honda was also hurt by flooding in Thailand in late 2011. On top of the sales recovery, they are getting a perk from a weakening yen, which helps lift the value of overseas earnings.

Japanese automakers are reporting solid sales increases in the key U.S. market and in Asian countries such as India and Indonesia. The exception is China where anti-Japanese sentiment flared up last year over a territorial dispute, and Honda expects to lose sales of 20,000 vehicles compared with its earlier plan.

Honda reported quarterly sales growth in all key global regions, including the U.S., Japan, the U.S., Europe and Asia. It also did a healthy business in motorcycles, for which has a long history and reputation, especially in Asia.

Honda kept its sales forecast for the fiscal year through March unchanged at 9.8 trillion yen ($108 billion), but lowered its net profit projection by 5 billion yen ($55 million) to 370 billion yen ($4 billion). The new projection would still represent a 75 percent improvement over its result during the disaster-hammered previous fiscal year.

The maker of the Odyssey minivan, Fit subcompact and Asimo walking robot said it now expects to sell slightly fewer vehicles for the fiscal year at 4.06 million vehicles, although that's up from 3.1 million vehicles for the previous year.

Honda had expected to sell 4.1 million vehicles, but that number was lowered because of the China problems, company spokesman Tsuyoshi Hojo said.

Honda has not had to lower its annual revenue forecast, partly because it is getting a lift from a favorable exchange rate, he said.

Weakening demand in Europe, where some countries are being hit by a slowdown, also contributed to the lowered vehicle sales forecast.

Honda said incentive spending in the U.S. squeezed its profit forecast but the main cause was the lowered vehicle sales in China.

Toyota Motor Corp., the world's top automaker, and Nissan Motor Co., Japan's No. 2 automaker, report earnings next week. They are also expected to highlight a robust recovery in the Japanese auto industry.

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http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20130131D3ZJF610.htm

DJ: Honda Cuts Full-Year Forecast On Weak Europe, China Tensions

TOKYO--Honda Motor Co. (7267) scaled back its full year earnings outlook on Thursday, blaming unexpectedly weak demand in recession-plagued Europe and slow sales in China, where political tensions have hurt demand for Japanese brands.

Japan's third-biggest auto maker also cited a profit squeeze in the U.S.--which accounts for more than half of Honda's vehicle sales--from heavy incentive spending to lift sales.

Honda's cautious outlook underscores the risks that still face Japanese manufacturers, even as the yen's recent sharp drop has fueled optimism about the earnings picture for the country's leading exporters.

Honda reported a sharp rise in net profit to Y77.4 billion ($851 million) in the October-December quarter, up more than 60% from Y47.66 billion a year earlier, when sales and profits were hurt by production disruptions from the earthquake in Japan and flooding in Thailand. But that was well below the Y104.95 billion average forecast by 11 analysts surveyed by Japanese financial information provider Quick.

For the fiscal year through March, Honda scaled back its net profit forecast to Y370 billion. That is up 75% from Y211.48 billion in the previous fiscal year, but down 1.3% from the prior forecast of Y375 billion made in October. And the October projection had been cut 20% from an earlier forecast, as the company cited sluggish sales and yen strength.

Explaining the latest forecast, chief financial officer Fumihiko Ike said at a press conference the main reason was "a sharper drop in Chinese and European sales than we had anticipated."

U.S. sales rose on demand for Honda's mainstay Accord full-size sedan and SUVs like the CR-V. But operating profit in the U.S., which also makes up more than half of Honda's total earnings, fell 5.3% on year to Y70.8 billion on stepped-up incentive spending. Honda officials say that was needed to spur demand for some slower-selling models, especially the Civic compact and the upscale Acura line-up.

"The squeeze on profits in the U.S. came from higher incentive spending on Civic and Acura vehicles like the TL and MDX, not on the Accord," Executive Vice President Tetsuo Iwamura told reporters.

Mr. Iwamura said Honda aims to sell a record 4.4 million vehicles globally this year, up from 3.82 million last year, also a record. To do that, he expects to increase sales in China to 750,000 vehicles from 640,000 in 2012, and to more than 1.55 million vehicles in the U.S., from 1.43 million last year.

Last year, Honda's U.S. market share rose to 9.8%, up from 9.0% in 2011. But that came at a price: The automaker's average spending on incentives climbed to $2,206 per vehicle, higher than the $2,123 the previous year, according to Woodcliff, NJ-based research firm Autodata.

While Honda's average incentives per vehicle remain lower than General Motors Co. and Ford Motor Co., the two American automakers spent less per vehicle last year than in 2011-but also saw their market shares slip on the year.

Honda officials signaled they will do what it takes-even if that means elevated spending on incentives-in order to increase sales. "Our goal is to top our previous all-time high in the U.S., which we hit in 2007" when sales reached 1.55 million vehicles, said Mr. Iwamura, who runs Honda's business in North America.

Honda, the first of Japan's Big Three auto makers to report earnings for the third fiscal quarter, sets the tone for results next week from industry leader Toyota Motor (7203) and No. 2 Nissan Motor Co. (7201).

Analysts and investors have been expecting upbeat reports, focusing on foreign-exchange projections, a key factor for Japanese auto and other exporters. In recent weeks, the yen has weakened against the dollar after hovering near record highs for much of last year.

A weaker yen is a boon to exporters as it increases the value of dollar-denominated profits and makes Japan-made products cheaper overseas.

Honda's forecast suggested, however, that it remains cautious about expecting a big gain from the currency moves. Despite the yen weakening sharply against both the dollar and the euro over the past few weeks, the auto maker barely changed its foreign-exchange rate expectations for the current fiscal year, to Y81 to the dollar from Y80 previously, and to Y105 to the euro from Y103.

Another big question is China. Territorial tensions with Japan's largest neighbor--and the world's largest auto market--prompted widespread boycotts of Japanese goods in China over the past few months, hitting Honda and the other Japanese car makers particularly hard.

But overall there have been signs of improved prospects for Japan's auto industry--at least in terms of sales volume.

Earlier this week, Honda reported record global sales for calendar 2012, with volume rising by 19%. The bounce was similar to those enjoyed by Toyota and Nissan, as all three were lifted not just by the shift in foreign exchange markets, but the recovery from the production disruptions of 2011.

Honda reported its results after the close of trading on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. It reports earnings under U.S. accounting standards.

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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/...n-talends.html


Honda's CR-V is a car with hidden talends
Neil Lyndon tests the new Honda CR-V, but isn't convinced that it's the best SUV on sale.

A new Honda CR-V might have been handy at our place in the Scottish hills during the latest freeze. The CR-V’s advanced all-wheel drive set-up and hill descent control system (on the automatic version) would have been a boon when the unmade track that leads down to our house from a minor road was covered with snow and our parking area became an ice-rink.

We didn’t need the CR-V, however, because we already had our family bus Citroën Berlingo and our workhorse Great Wall Steed pickup, both on winter tyres.

With its terrain selector option and its limited slip differential, the Berlingo XTR climbed the Cresta Run of our drive as sure-footedly as a mountain goat. With its switchable four-wheel drive, including a low-ratio option, I would back the Steed to cross the Greenland ice-cap – so it didn’t turn a hair at tackling our school run.

Most significantly, you could almost buy both of those cars for the price of a single CR-V.

The 2.2 litre i-DTEC EX automatic I drove at the recent launch of the CR-V would cost well over £32,500. The Berlingo starts at £16,795. Our Steed SE is fully-equipped at £15,998. If you occasionally had to drive on tricky surfaces, you could snap up one of those two and send a child to Eton for a few days on the money you would save from not buying a top-of-the-line CR-V.



The flaws in this argument, obviously, are that people don’t buy cars like the CR-V for their all-terrain capabilities. And customers who understand the value of Hondas don’t buy them because they are cheap.

Honda is the only manufacturer recognised and feared as an equal by Volkswagen and Toyota. Unmatched for engineering, build quality and reliability, Honda’s products regularly figure in the top 10 in impartial surveys of all cars for customer satisfaction and dependability. The Swindon-built CR-V has been cherished by suburban yummy mummies as the perfect school-run-and-supermarket vehicle ever since it first appeared in 1995. They may never need it to cross land any more rugged than the school playing-field but they rightly value its bombproof build quality and indomitable dependability.

Now, however, Honda is caught on the claws of a nasty dilemma. With cheaper products, other manufacturers such as Kia are rapidly closing the gap on quality. And, at the same time, Honda’s badge doesn’t have the clout of kudos carried by a BMW or a Mercedes to justify charging a premium price.

The CR-V embodies this quandary. Revisions to the exterior design which were intended to emphasise its “rugged good looks” have largely resulted in making a plug ugly car merely plain. A smoother snout and a lower roofline eliminate a couple of the characteristics that made a CR-V stand out in a crowd and reduce it close to featureless anonymity. Kia’s Sportage is more stylish to about the same extent as Kate Moss outshines Princess Anne. Even Mazda’s CX-5, whose looks are the least of its attractions, is more distinctive. Both are cheaper.

Strikingly and obviously superb as the engineering and build quality on the CR-V may be (take a look at the precision of its shut-lines, sense the complexity of its multi-link suspension in the refinement of its ride), it’s questionable how many people care about such qualities. Does any conversation at the school gate turn around the relative merits of a car’s stop-start system? The CR-V’s may the best yet but you’d have to be desperate for something to brag about to bring it up at the coffee morning.

The CR-V was always the soft-roader that drove most like a conventional car – with the least body roll and the sharpest handling characteristics. That remains true of the new model. But the mercenary question raised by the Berlingo, the Steed, the Sportage and the CX-5 is – how much are those hidden qualities worth to you, Mr/Ms Punter?

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http://jalopnik.com/5981238/forgotte...he-acura-vigor

Forgotten Cars: Honda’s Long-Lost Five Cylinder Engine And The Acura Vigor

Even if you're not a diehard Honda person, you probably are at least a little familiar with their family of engines. You likely know the legendary B-series four-cylinder motors from the Civic and Integra, or its replacement, the K-series, or even the F-series from the S2000 and other cars.

But unless you owned a very particular Acura in the 1990s, work at a Honda repair shop, or are some kind of hardcore Honda fan, you may not know about the G-series. That was their family of not-very-well-known five-cylinder engines.

Wait, Honda made a five-cylinder engine? They did for a few years. Coming in either the 2.0-liter G20A or 2.5-liter G25A, the motor only saw duty on a handful of sedans in the 80s and 90s, during that era when Japan was flush with cash and car companies were diversifying their lineups like there was no tomorrow.

The 2.5-liter G made it stateside in the form of the Acura Vigor beginning in 1992. The little-remembered sedan was Acura's fourth car, slotting in between the bottom-level Integra and the top-level Legend in both size and cylinders. (Way up top was the NSX, which no one has forgotten about.)

What can you really say about the Vigor? It's pretty standard fare Acura from that era: It handled well for a front-driver, it came with a stick, it was classy in kind of a boring way, but it didn't really look all that different from an Accord. Other somewhat interesting features included frameless door windows. I always thought it looked like the car you beat up in the Final Fight bonus stage.

But the Vigor's engine was certainly on the unique side. The idea behind five-cylinder engines is that they combine the power of a six with the fuel economy of a four. It doesn't always work out that way, and sometimes, the reverse ends up being true.

The G was a 20-valve, fuel-injected SOHC engine with an aluminum block and head. If you wanted VTEC, you had to look elsewhere. But it produced decent enough horsepower numbers for its day — 176 horsepower at 6,300 RPM and 170 ft-lbs of torque at 3,900 RPM. Perhaps the most interesting thing about the motor, besides its oddball cylinder count, was the fact that it was longitudinally mounted as if it were powering a rear-wheel-drive car. (The Acura Legend's V6 was positioned the same way, too.) Mounted far back, it gave the car nearly 50/50 weight distribution.

Why did Honda use a five-cylinder motor? They argued in their commercials and promotional videos that their five was smoother than a four and lighter and supposedly more efficient than a six. Regardless of its quirky Audi- or Volvo-ish engine, the Vigor wasn't a hit for Acura. Reviewers at the time dinged its uninspiring styling (the Los Angeles Times said you ran the risk of losing it in a parking lot), poor rear seat room, and the fact that it was within $3,500 of the roomier, more powerful, better Legend.

The Vigor was never a car that really stood out in any way, and after only three years, it was dumped in favor of the TL, which was bigger but equally boring. I'm no fan of Acura's alphanumeric names, but Vigor wasn't all that great either. It sounds like something Buick would try and push on people in retirement homes. The TL also had the five-banger.

But the time the second-generation TL was rolled out in 1998, the G engine was gone, never to be seen again. And it was the last time Honda would experiment with a five-cylinder motor. Why didn't they continue it? I'd love to know that myself, but the fact that it was never a major hit for them probably has something to do with it. It may not be the most exciting Forgotten Car of all time, but it's an interesting relic from when Honda was much more apt to take risks with their cars than they are these days.

If any of you have experience with five-cylinder Acuras, feel free to weigh in.



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http://www.vtec.net/news/news-item?news_item_id=1130292

Honda January Sales Gain Powered by Award-Winning Accord; Acura Sales Increase Again Fueled by RDX and ILX

Honda Division sales up 12.7 percent, Acura sales up 13.2 percent

02/01/2013 - TORRANCE, Calif.
American Honda today reported January 2013 U.S. sales of 93,626 units, an increase of 12.8 percent compared with January 2012. The Honda brand posted January 2013 sales of 84,137 units, an increase of 12.7 percent compared with January 2012. Acura U.S. January sales of 9,489 units increased 13.2 percent compared with January 2012.

Sales of the all-new 2013 Honda Accord were up more than 75 percent from last year - with 10,000 more Accords sold this January than in January 2012. The totally revised Accord has already become one of the most decorated vehicles in Honda history, garnering a host of awards that include being named for a record 27th time to Car and Driver magazine's 10Best Cars list, as well as winning key comparison tests against its mid-size rivals in comparisons from Car and Driver and Cars.com/USA Today/"MotorWeek".

Honda
- Sales of the all-new Accord are up 75.2 percent from last January with sales of 23,924 units
- Reflecting key changes, the new 2013 Crosstour sees sales jump 38.2 percent from last January
- Pilot sales are up 16.3 percent compared with last January, with sales of 7,405 units

"The all-new Accord has the Honda brand right where we left off in 2012 - powering significant sales gains in the new year," said John Mendel, American Honda executive vice president of Sales. "With our strongest vehicle lineup ever and continued sales momentum, we're optimistic 2013 will be a great year for the Honda brand."

Acura
- RDX sets its ninth-consecutive monthly sales record, up over 181.6 percent from last January with sales of 2,489 units
- MDX was the top selling Acura model in January, with sales of 2,575 units
- ILX was again the top selling Acura sedan in January with sales of 1,558 units

"Acura's newest products continue to drive our sales momentum as we begin a new year," said Jeff Conrad, vice president of Acura Sales. "With the positive reception of the all-new Acura MDX Prototype in Detroit, and the upcoming launch of our new flagship RLX sedan, Acura is poised for even greater success in 2013."

The daily selling rate (DSR) is calculated with 25 days for January 2013 and 24 days for January 2012. Year-to-date, the DSR is calculated with 25 days for 2012 and 24 days for 2011. All percentages in release are unadjusted; see table for adjusted DSR figures.





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http://paultan.org/2013/02/03/video-...est-at-50-kmh/

VIDEO: Honda Civic side impact crash test at 50 km/h

The results of the first phase of ASEAN NCAP wasn’t the only thing the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) had to offer at its open day – all who were present were also treated to a live demonstration of the side impact crash test (as per ECE: Reg 95) that’s set to feature in the second phase of ASEAN NCAP.
Under the demo, a mobile lateral impact trolley was collided perpendicularly against the right-hand side of a stationary Honda Civic 2.0 at a closing speed of 50 km/h. Three ES II dummies, made specifically for side impact, were used, comprising one adult dummy in the driver’s seat and two child dummies at the back (one CRS-restrained, the other unrestrained) – look after the jump for a gallery of photos.


ASEAN NCAP is a collaborative effort between MIROS and Global NCAP, with the first phase funded by the latter. At this level, the programme also receives support from automobile associations such as AAM, AAP of the Philippines and AA of Singapore. Additionally, MIROS also works with Australia’s ANCAP to ensure adherence to NCAP test protocols and procedures.
The MIROS PC3 lab took RM6 million and three years to develop, beginning in 2009. At a press conference during the event, MIROS revealed that the lab’s current location in the grounds of Akademi JPJ in Ayer Molek, Melaka is somewhat temporary, and that there are plans to move.
“This particular site is on JPJ land,” said MIROS director-general Prof Dr Wong Shaw Voon. “We are trying to secure a 100-acre site in Sepang, near LCCT. This (current) location, we’re looking at a period of three to five years.


“We hope this year we can get Reg 94 (frontal impact, first phase) done, then we’ll move on to Reg 95 (side impact, second phase).”
What’s in the future then, rollover tests, possibly? ”We do recognise the importance of the rollover test, but for the time being it’s not in our focus,” Wong replies. ”Of course, the need will come, especially when you consider MPVs and SUVs, but for compact cars, rollovers are less of an issue. In terms of the number of fatalities, frontal collisions are still the highest.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=mhu4UO62WRw


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http://www.trucktrend.com/features/n...les/index.html

January 2013 SUV Sales - Ford Escape Tops Honda CR-V, Explorer Dominates Midsizers

Just showing that success can't always be taken for granted, the first month of 2013 was a stunning role reversal for the Honda CR-V, with sales falling nearly 8000 units from December, as well as being surpassed by the archrival Ford Escape by more than 2000 units. The steady-as-she-goes Chevrolet Equinox maintained its third-place spot, with sales up a strong 26.1 percent compared with last year.

The Ford Explorer surged decisively ahead of the Jeep Grand Cherokee with a more than 3000 unit margin, leading the pack for the midsize models. The Toyota RAV4 took fifth place overall, up 18.2 percent from a year earlier, with sales a mix of leftover 2012 inventory and the all-new 2013 model starting to roll into showrooms. Two other fixtures on the 2012 SUV sales list, the Nissan Rogue and Jeep Wrangler, stayed in the top 10, but not as dominant as they have been in the past, with the Rogue taking eighth place for January, and the Wrangler coming in ninth.

2013-ford-escape-titanium
1. Ford Escape - 19,939, Up 15.5 Percent

The race for the crown between the Escape and Honda CR-V has been the sales battle to watch for 2012, with the two trading places between first and second for most of the year, but the Honda prevailing most of the time. But not for January. Ford pulled off a more than 2000-unit lead over the CR-V for January, prevailing despite a rash of embarrassing recalls late in 2012. Ford's proactive treatment of the issues, as well as the Escape's compelling breadth of trim levels and powertrain options, seems to be paying off.

2013 SUV of the Year Contenders
2. Honda CR-V - 17,809, Down 6.1 Percent

Although bumped off the top spot by the Escape for January, you can count on the CR-V retaking the sales lead sometime during 2013. No major official updates have been announced for the 2014 model-year CR-V, but a good bet would be the addition of the Earth Dreams direct-injected four-cylinder and CVT from the Accord, along with some styling tweaks. We also don't yet know a timeline for the 2014 model's on-sale date. Model years have lately become very arbitrary, case-in-point with Toyota's 2013 RAV4 going on-sale close to New Year's and the 2014 Mazda CX-5 rolling into dealers in late January. Our guess would be late-spring, mid-summer for the availability of a refreshed 2014 CR-V.

2013-chevrolet-equinox-ltz-3-6
3. Chevrolet Equinox - 17,223, Up 26.1 Percent

The Equinox has tenaciously held on to its third-place sales spot among SUVs for quite a while now. January was up a solid 26.1 percent over 2012. But with the new Toyota RAV4 now in showrooms, it will be interesting to see how well the Equinox fares against the all-new RAV. The Equinox now has the advantage of a V-6 option over the RAV4's now exclusively four-cylinder model range, although historically, the V-6 has not been a huge seller, and its days may be numbered in the Equinox as well.

2013 Ford Explorer Limited
4. Ford Explorer - 14,554, Up 46 Percent

The Explorer and Jeep Grand Cherokee have duked it out for the better part of 2012 for top spot among the midsize SUVs. January gave the Explorer a dominant 3000+ unit lead over the Grand Cherokee, but that shouldn't be cause for complacency in Dearborn. Jeep just unveiled a comprehensively-refreshed 2014 Grand Cherokee with a styling refresh, improved fuel economy, eight-speed transmissions across-the-board, and a decisive edge in towing capacity over the Explorer.

2013-Toyota-Rav4
5. Toyota RAV4 - 11,610, Up 18.2 Percent

January is an interesting month for the RAV4, and not necessarily indicative of its fortunes going forward in 2013. With an uncharacteristically late introduction for a 2013 model, the new RAV4 has just recently started to supplant the leftover inventory of 2012 models. It was clear Toyota had the Honda CR-V squarely in its sights with the 2013 redesign, hoping its more tightly focused formula might challenge the 800-pound gorilla of the segment. We've driven the new RAV, and feel it is a supremely competent, if safe-to-a-fault entry. We shall see if it has the goods to be a top-three player.

2012-jeep-grand-cherokee
6. Jeep Grand Cherokee - 11,065, Up 4 Percent

Although knocked down a few notches by a surprisingly strong Explorer for January, don't count the Grand Cherokee out. It has proven its enduring popularity, and with the 2014 redesign just months away from the showroom, including the highly anticipated diesel model, the refreshed Grand could prove to be a formidable competitor to the Explorer, and retake midsize lead.

2013-2014 Truck and SUV Buyer's Guide
7. Ford Edge - 9614, Up 15.6 Percent

Filling the "just right" niche for many customers looking for something larger and more comfortable than the Escape, but smaller and more fun to drive than the three-row Explorer, the Edge has never been a consistent top-five player, but with monthly sales figures usually in the five-figure range, and six-figure annual sales totals, the Edge is a valuable player in Ford's SUV lineup. Like its little brother Escape, the Edge offers a variety of trim levels and powertrain options for all buyers.

2013-2014 Truck and SUV Buyer's Guide
8. Nissan Rogue - 8951, Down 9.6 Percent

On its face, the Rogue seems like an unlikely candidate for being a top-selling SUV, having debuted in 2008, and styled like a shrunken last-generation Murano. Power and fuel economy, while acceptable for the class, aren't class-leading. But for pure practicality and value, the Rogue is a reasonably compelling purchase, and its no-nonsense functionality has kept it among the top 10 for the better part of 2012. Due for a full redesign soon, it will be interesting to see how the Rogue fares against fresher, more efficient rivals.

2013-jeep-wrangler-rubicon
9. Jeep Wrangler - 8854, Up 12 Percent

The originator of the SUV genre continues to find fans from coast to coast, and while nowhere near the SUV leaders in fuel economy or practicality, mid-cycle updates have given the Wrangler a surprising level of refinement, making it a reasonable proposition for a daily driver, rather than just a weekend toy. Changes ahead for the standard-bearer could include an optional diesel, and as usual, more trim and special-edition variations.

2013-Toyota-Highlander
10. Toyota Highlander - 8831, Up 28.8 Percent

If consistency is a winning formula, the Highlander delivers for Toyota. Selling considerably fewer units than the RAV4, the Highlander is nonetheless a solid top 10 model, ceding the spot occasionally to the Kia Sorento, but often breaking the five-figure monthly sales mark. With prices ranging from the high $20s to mid $40s, there's a Highlander for every taste and budget. But Toyota had better keep an eye out for the redesigned 2014 Sorento, bringing better economy, more power, richer materials and improved cabin tech to the party.

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

http://www.autoweek.com/article/2013...CAGO/130209910

Honda brings 2013 Civic Si to Chicago Auto Show in Forza Horizon
Guests get a chance to race an Indy pro




Honda will bring its Xbox 360 and Forza Horizon to the Chicago Auto Show. Guests will have a chance to play the game with a new 2013 Honda Civic Si coupe, an original 1986 Civic Si and the Honda Performance Development B-Spec Rally Fit. Players will have a few more spectators to contend with than they would in their mom’s basement.

Forza Horizon came out in October of last year. The game play was a departure from the previous entries in the series in that it followed a narrative, rather than just lining up races.

We checked out the game in the fall, and found its open world to be a nice break from the rigid race structure of some of the simulators. Check out our full review here.

At the Chicago show, players can race virtually against Honda IndyCar driver Scott Dixon, and try to beat his fastest time in a 2013 Civic Si. The winner of the contest will get a chance to meet the Indy 500 winner and get a custom Civic Si-themed Xbox gaming console.

After the show, starting Feb. 15, Forza Horizon will launch a photo contest online with the Honda Civic Si. Players will have to shoot in-game screen captures of the car at various locales. The best one will be featured on Honda social-media channels and on the Honda website. Winners of the photo contest will also get an Xbox 360.


About the Chicago Auto Show

The Chicago Auto Show is held every February at McCormick Place and bills itself as "The Nation's Largest." Pickup trucks traditionally have had a big showing in Chicago, as have green and small cars. This year marks the 105th Chicago Auto Show; press days are Feb. 7-8 while public days are Feb. 9-18.

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

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/...E8LN0120130204

Honda says Jan China car sales up 22 pct yr/yr

Feb 4 (Reuters) - Honda Motor Co Ltd and its China joint ventures sold 47,248 cars in the country in January, up 22 percent from a year earlier, the Japanese automaker said on Monday.

That shows an improvement from December when sales fell 19.2 percent compared with a year earlier, though figures were skewed due to weak holiday-hit sales in January last year.

Showrooms in the world's largest auto market are often closed for much of China's Lunar New Year holiday, a week-long break that fell in January last year but comes in February this year.

Honda makes vehicles in China in partnership with Dongfeng Motor Group Co and Guangzhou Automobile Group Co . (Reporting by Fang Yan in BEIJING and Kazunori Takada in SHANGHAI; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)

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

Honda’s $33,000 Accord Coupe Wails Like a Ferrari

This car seems alive. The engine crests 6,800 revolutions per minute and the entire frame of the Honda Accord coupe thrums as if awaiting release. My left foot drops onto the clutch and I shift to third.

The car takes a breath, then the process begins anew. The tachometer needle sweeps right. The front wheels scrabble madly on the asphalt, power overcoming grip. The dashboard’s traction control alert blinks rapidly, the car’s electronic mind trying to intervene.
Enlarge image 2013 Honda Accord EX-L V-6 Coupe

The 2013 Honda Accord EX-L V-6 Coupe sports a 3.5-liter V-6 engine with 278 horsepower and 252 pounds per foot of torque. Source: 2012 American Honda Motor Co., Inc. via Bloomberg
Enlarge image 2013 Honda Accord EX-L V-6 Coupe

A 2013 Honda Accord EX-L V-6 Coupe, with six-speed manual transmission, reaches 60 miles per hour in about 5.8 seconds. Source: 2012 American Honda Motor Co., Inc. via Bloomberg
Enlarge image 2013 Honda Accord EX-L V-6 Coupe

The interior of a 2013 Honda Accord EX-L V-6 Coupe. A click of the right blinker shows potential blindspots on the navigation screen from a rear-mounted camera. Source: 2012 American Honda Motor Co., Inc. via Bloomberg
Enlarge image 2013 Honda Accord Sport Sedan

The 2013 Honda Accord Sport Sedan, with a direct-injected, 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine. Source: 2012 American Honda Motor Co., Inc. via Bloomberg

If this Accord really was an animal, it would be a scrappy, jaw-snapping Tasmanian Devil.

Yes, we’re talking about a Honda. An Accord even, that most mild mannered of family cars.

It’s been a long while since I felt this good about a Honda. The company once seemed bullet proof (the quality of the cars certainly was), until a rash of recalls and the release of a new generation of Civic which was rather substandard.

Then there were a bunch of new models that few consumers seemed to want. The Crosstour crossover (and its Acura cousin, the ZDX), the CR-Z sports hybrid and the Insight, which Honda hoped would unseat the Toyota Prius as the go-to hybrid of choice. All are still available and rather unloved.
Major Makeover

The Accord got a huge makeover for its 2013 model year. The rejuvenated version helped push sales to more than 330,000 last year, a 40 percent uptick, making it the company’s best-selling car. The vast majority of those were the most proletarian version: a four-door with a four-cylinder engine and an automatic transmission.

Everyone knows that the Accord is for grown-ups. College kids drive Civics, their parents own the Accord. But the secret has always been that if one is mated to the right equipment, it can be buzzingly fun.

So it is with the one I’m testing, a combination of options which make it as rare as a Ferrari. At $33,140, my car has two- doors and a 3.5-liter V-6. And look, it’s a unicorn! A manual transmission.

I’ve always loved a stick in a Honda, but these days they are an utter rarity, with 99 percent of Accord sedans sold as automatics. Only nine percent of the coupes are equipped with three pedals.
Red Lining

Which is a shame, because a Honda i-VTEC engine under full assault (and pushed into the redline by a manual) is as unique and special as the rumble of a 5.0-liter V-8 mated to a Ford Mustang or the wailing keen from a mid-engine Ferrari. A quality and timbre all of its own.

The i-VTEC V-6 doesn’t produce crazy torque (252 pound- feet), and its horsepower, at 278, is modest. Yet there’s an inherent rubber-band elasticity that keeps stretching into the higher rpms until you’re not sure what will snap first, it or you. There’s that moment when I’ve got the coupe at redline and I feel like the entire vehicle is just going to take off and launch into the sky.

That is a feeling which isn’t mild mannered at all. It’s exuberant and free-wheeling. One of my first cars was a manual- equipped Honda Civic and I lived for that feeling. The CR-Z sports coupe, released several years ago, should have delivered that same sensation. As a hybrid, it simply didn’t.
Good Mileage

That’s why I’m so thrilled to pilot this Accord. And it still gets 28 miles per gallon on the highway.

The interior has leather and is determinedly better than the previous generation. Still, some details are disappointing. Open up the storage compartment between the driver and passenger and you’ll find a patch of unattached coarse material -- I wouldn’t call it carpet -- sitting at its bottom, covering up raw plastic and several bolts.

If I bought this car for $32,000, that kind of stuff would drive me to distraction. Hyundai and Kia are doing better than that, and so too will Honda if it wants to continue to compete.

The most clever trick? Click the right blinker and a camera mounted on the right side of the vehicle activates, broadcasting potential blind spots onto the navigation screen.

Most consumers prefer the practicality of the sedan, and I get that. The coupe looks cooler, but you lose easy access to the rear seats and some legroom.
Luggage Room

So I also drove a $24,180 Accord Sport sedan around the rural roads of Michigan. It had a direct-injected, 2.4-liter four-cylinder. It got good gas mileage (24 city, 34 highway) and fit all of my luggage. Adult, right?

Right. At least until I put spurs to the thing. The Sport model has 189 hp and the smaller engine is still game for a healthy workout. It handles well, too. I spun the car around a series of loops and it gamely followed ever more aggressive cornering.

Honda has a ways to go before it’s back in top form. The latest Accord proves that the blueprint is still there. The company just needs to embrace it.
The 2013 Honda Accord EX-L Coupe At a Glance

Engine: 3.5-liter V-6 with 278 horsepower and 252 pound-

feet of torque.

Transmission: Six-speed manual.

Speed: 0 to 60 mph in about 5.8 seconds.

Gas mileage per gallon: 18 city, 28 highway.

Price as tested: $33,140.

Best feature: The buzz-worthy drive.

Worst feature: Some of the finer interior details still

need attention.

Target buyer: The secret speedster.

@bloomberg.net.
=============================

http://www.madhunt.com/honda-sales-j...-20130207.html

Honda sales open new year on a lower note



Honda Canada reported sales of its vehicle divisions were down 21 per cent in January over the same month last year.

Combined January sales were 7,220 units, of which Honda brands accounted for 6,211, down 27 per cent. The Accord, up 147 per cent, and Fit, was up 68 per cent. The Acura division sold 1,009 units, up 41 per cent over last year, led by the RDX, up 136 per cent.

"January 2012 was an exceptional sales month for us as we caught up to unfulfilled demand for Civic caused by lack of supply in the last three months of 2011," said Jerry Chenkin, Executive Vice President, Honda Canada Inc.

Honda Canada's run in 2012 was its best since 2008, with 148,712 vehicles sold, which was an increase of 21 per cent over 2011.

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

http://www.leftlanenews.com/spotligh...lanewatch.html

Spotlight On: Honda LaneWatch

Ever the innovator, Honda has come up with a new, less expensive way of keeping drivers apprised of a vehicle in their blind spot. The technology debuted for 2013 as an option on the Honda Accord.

Of course, we had to check it out.

Honda also now offers LaneWatch on its Accord-based Crosstour. Other Honda vehicles will likely gain the tech in the near future. Notably, vehicles made by Honda's luxury brand – Acura – use a conventional blind spot monitoring system.

LaneWatch vs. conventional blind spot monitors
An increasingly large number of vehicles are now offered with blind spot monitoring systems that flash a light to alert you that another car is driving in your over-the-shoulder dead zone. This technology debuted back in 2007 on the Volvo S80, but it has rapidly arrived on other vehicles.

While the system used on Volvos and other vehicles relies on a pair of sensors typically mounted to both exterior review mirrors, Honda takes a simpler, more cost-effective approach. Naturally, this has both upsides and downsides.

Honda mounts a single camera on the passenger side exterior mirror pointing to where a driver's blind spot would typically be. Although careful mirror adjustment in any car can nearly eliminate the blind spot entirely, industry-wide increasingly large roof pillars (to satisfy safety standards) and high decklids (which improve aerodynamics and save fuel) have made blind spots harder to overcome.

The camera sends a live feed to the car's large, dashboard-mounted LCD screen. Mounted on the end of the turn signal stalk is a button that toggles between constantly showing the camera feed or showing it only when the right turn signal is activated. Yellow and red lines also give a scale of how far away the car in the next lane is.

In addition, the camera can be turned off entirely through the vehicle's infotainment screen.

While LaneWatch is undoubtedly flashier than that used on rival vehicles, it also saves Honda – and, presumably, the customer – some money since fewer parts are involved. Conventional systems like Volvo's rely on lights either mounted to the vehicle's front pillars or in the rearview mirror assemblies, and they use two sensors instead of just one camera. LaneWatch uses significantly fewer parts – just a single camera and some wiring.

On the other hand, the LaneWatch forces a compromise since it only displays blind spot information for the passenger's side. Honda says that it didn't want to include a second camera since it wouldn't be intuitive for drivers to look to their right to check out their left blind spot. We agree with this notion.

In addition, most of Honda's newer products - including those with LaneWatch - feature what the automaker bills is an "expanded view" driver's side mirror that offers a wide angle curve at its outer edge.

Honda has released a video that gives a very basic overview of LaneWatch.

Real world test
Since the Accord's LCD screen is mounted high on the dashboard, it allows drivers to quickly – and safely – give it a glance while on the go. A large obstruction like a vehicle should be immediately visible.

Although the picture quality is hardly high definition, it does give a clear enough view of the car's blind spot regardless of sunlight conditions. At night, we found LaneWatch arguably more effective since a vehicle's lights were very easy to see.

Over the course of a week in our Accord test vehicle, we quickly got used to glancing at the LCD screen before attempting to move into another lane.

We didn't like having the screen up at all times, although we contend that there might be some high traffic situations where being able to constantly view a car behind you is desirable.

On the downside, LaneWatch takes up the entire LCD screen, so any audio or navigation functions that were displayed there disappear while the camera is active. This is hardly a convenience for drivers, but passengers flipping through radio stations or programming an entry into the navigation system were often mildly irritated by the changing screen.

Also, LaneWatch doesn't audibly alert drivers if they start to move into an occupied lane the way some blind spot monitors do.

Leftlane's bottom line
Is LaneWatch a replacement for a blind spot monitor? Not quite, but it's an interesting effort that will probably impress buyers in the showroom.

Although we're still bigger fans of defensive driving – which includes properly adjusting outside mirrors - we've grown used to the prevalence of blind spot monitors in new vehicles. As a result, we're used to having sensors on either side of the vehicle alert us of an occupied lane. Since LaneWatch only keeps track of the passenger side, its usefulness is comparatively limited.

That said, Honda has so far been aggressive about including LaneWatch at a price point where most competitors don't offer a blind spot monitor. Given the value equation, LaneWatch strikes us as a solid effort.

Leftlane's Spotlight On series aims to provide new car shoppers with an in-depth look and critical evaluation of new technologies and features. Since high-tech items tend to evolve quickly, it is important to note that the information presented here is accurate as of the publish date above.

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

[tokyodream Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close tokyodream]

http://www.sbwire.com/press-releases...ire-205932.htm

Gaadi.com Reviews the New Version of Honda Civic

Haryana, India -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/11/2013 -- Gaadi.com, India’s leading online marketplace for used cars and new cars provides a sneak peak into the amazing features the new version of Honda Civic brings, and explains what makes the Civic a class apart from the rest. Users can now find all that is there to know about this ground-breaking new sedan which hit the Indian markets in November 2012.

This car, a new and upgraded version of the existing Honda Civic, boasts of higher style quotient and safety. The car boasting of fighter jet like looks gets its style enhanced thanks to the newly introduced sunroof, sleek exterior features which include grille fog lamps and sporty headlamps, and some cosmetic changes made to the interior. The most interesting feature is the addition of new sunroof which gives more spacious and panoramic experience.

Once again, Honda has delivered on its reputation to bring unmatched safety standards with style. The new Civic comes loaded with completely new safety features like G-CON Technology which protects driver in unavoidable collision. Other new safety features includes the Anti-lock Braking System and Electronic Brake-force Distribution which assists in braking, the Pretensioner Seat Belts, SRS Airbags, and Anti-theft Immobilizer.

The mean machine is powered by the all new 1.8 liter i-VTEC engine. This sophisticated engine, containing four cylinders, 1799 cc, 1.8 litre tank, helps provide a top power of 132 ps. The engine is among the most efficient in its category and provides mileage of 15.5 kmpl on highways and 10.8 kmpl in urban roads.

This D-segment car comes in three variants - Honda Civic S MT with manual transmission gearbox, Honda Civic V MT, and V AT which come with manual and automatic transmission options, respectively. Pricing for the new Civic starts at Rs. 13 Lac plus (on road-price).

Gaadi.com unveiled a detailed page of the Civic providing complete specification, features, expert and user reviews along with some amazing pictures of the Honda Civic. It also contains the exhaustive review of the first drive that took place in Japan for select few Indian journalists last year.

About Gaadi.com
Gaadi.com is the leading online automotive marketplace bringing together car buyers and car sellers. New car buyers can research their car purchase while used car buyers can browse through the largest collection of inventory online. It is the best resource for new car research in India, providing users with information, opinions & tools to ease the process of finding a suitable car. Gaadi.com’s used car marketplace is the best in online space with a comprehensively curated and photographed stock of used cars. It provides a transparent and reliable platform for used car listings with detailed information for used car buyers.

Himanshu Bhagat
Gaadi Web Pvt. Ltd.
18004192277

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

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/mosl...win-heart.html

Honda has sold over five million CR-Vs, but can this new one win my heart?

Thursday is Valentine’s Day, lads. Mess it up at your peril. Long gone are the days when an oversize card from Athena with a teddy bear on the front was enough to melt your girl’s heart.

Now the bare minimum is flowers, card and dinner. I’ll be in a restaurant – not wandering around with a basket of roses, but behind the stove where I belong.

Don’t get me wrong; I love going out for dinner with my missus. But one look through the doors into the dining room on Valentine’s night reminds me of what’s about to happen in my life. I think I want to hold on to the stove top for one more year at least.

Appropriately, this week I decided to write about the world’s most romantic car: a car to melt your lover’s heart as you sweep her off her feet. But it wasn’t available, so I got the new Honda CR-V.

Poor old Honda has been having a tough time of it. Last month it said 800 jobs would have to go at the Swindon plant where the CR-V is made, only a year after adding 500 jobs there.

This confusion is all down to the eurozone, especially the austerity-struck south, where car sales dropped off a cliff even as they boomed here and in America.

At the same time, Honda’s unique offer of being cheap and reliable but still fun is no longer unique now that Kia and Hyundai have caught up and arguably overtaken.

Can a new CR-V change all that?

Probably not, to be honest. In a fair world it would be flying off the shelves. They’ve sold over five million CR-Vs worldwide and this fourth generation is sleeker, quieter, more efficient and handles better.

Plus there’s a new front-wheel-drive version to make it more affordable. But when the tide’s against you there’s not much you can do.

Let’s not think sad thoughts, because on a lot of levels this is a success.

Everything about it is calculated to make your life easier, from the lower loading sill and bigger boot to the hill descent and cruise control to the comfier, wider seats.
There are two screens in the dash - one for the sat-nav and another above it for driver info

There are two screens in the dash - one for the sat-nav and another above it for driver info

You’d think there’d be less headroom because of the more streamlined roof, but they’ve thought of that and lowered the rear bench; they’ve also designed it to fold flat with one light yank of a lever.

But the best thing about the new CR-V is the way it drives around town, with an amazingly small turning circle and nicely weighted steering that helps you place it in tight gaps without sweating.

This will be easier if you pay for a higher trim: the second one up, SE, gives you parking sensors and a rear-view camera.

The highest, EX, gives you every bell and whistle you can think of.

Inevitably they gave me an EX, and though I like an electrically adjustable heated leather seat, a power tailgate, sat-nav and a panoramic sunroof as much as the next man, I don’t like the idea of paying £33,000 for a 150hp Honda. I’d stick with the SE and save five grand.

Outside it’s a lot prettier and inside it’s a lot quieter than previous CR-Vs.

Although the decor isn’t as posh as on some rivals, it is quite hi-tech, with two screens in the dash – one for the sat-nav and another above it for driver info.

This includes the dreaded green leaves, which show you how eco-friendly your driving is.

As usual I turned the ECON button off, but all that did was to adjust how the air conditioning worked, since the throttle response on diesel models is permanently set to maximise efficiency.

My 2.2-litre diesel is supposed to get 41mpg. I got near, averaging 37 over the week. It’s not the most powerful engine on earth, but I couldn’t fault it for smoothness, with no real turbo lag and a good auto box that doesn’t dither.

If you went for the petrol 2.0 you could choose 2WD and save a grand or so, but now that Snow Chaos is an annual event you’re probably better off with 4WD.

It only sends torque to the back wheels when the front loses grip anyway – using a new, faster electronic system that saves weight.

I’m not going to pretend I fell in love with the new CR-V. But there aren’t many cars this easy to live with.

If Honda can get through this rough patch, it deserves to sell tons, to the kind of people who value comfort over sex appeal. Which in a funny way brings us back to relationships.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to finish my menu for the 14th, then book a table somewhere for me and the missus on the 15th or my life won’t be worth living.

Oh God, I need a card, too. I’ve just googled Athena and Clinton Cards and they’ve both gone bust. If I find out petrol stations no longer sell roses, this could go badly.

TECH SPEC

£32,650, honda.co.uk

Engine 2.2-litre turbodiesel four-cylinder

Power 148hp

0-60mph 10.3 seconds

Transmission Five-speed automatic, on-demand four-wheel drive

Top speed 118mph

Fuel consumption 41.5mpg

CO2 emissions 180g/km (£215/year tax band)

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

http://www.freep.com/article/2013020...yssey=nav|head

Honda exec: Weak yen no edge for Japanese firms

ORLANDO -- A Honda executive rejected suggestions that Japanese automakers have gained an edge on U.S. companies as the Japanese government moves to weaken the yen to spur economic growth.

John Mendel, executive vice president of automotive sales for American Honda, said the Japanese policies are "certainly not" an advantage for Honda.

"I don't think the current level of 90-plus yen to the dollar is cause for alarm," he said at the J.D. Power & Associates International Automotive Roundtable.

A weaker yen reduces production costs in Japan and boosts profitability of vehicles exported to the U.S.

Matt Blunt, president of the American Automotive Policy Council, said in a statement last month that the Japanese policies "distort trade" by giving Japanese exports a "huge unfair advantage." The council represents General Motors, Ford and Chrysler.

The yen has hovered at historically high levels relative to the U.S. dollar for most of the last three years, and Japanese manufacturers have suffered because of it. That, in addition to the tragic 2011 earthquake and tsunami, has caused Japanese automakers to shift more production from Japan to North America.

Mendel said Honda doesn't benefit much from a weak yen because it is making more than 90% of the vehicles it sells in North America at assembly plants here and did even before the disaster of two years ago.

He said that figure will rise to 95% in a few years after Honda completes expansions at its plants in Ohio, Indiana, Alabama and Mexico.

"No other international automaker can come even close to that number," Mendel said.

With seven plants in North America, Honda has production capacity of 1.63 million vehicles on this continent. That will increase to 1.9 million after current expansions are complete.

At the North American International Auto Show last month in Detroit, Toyota said it may eventually make all of its U.S.-bound vehicles in North America.

"Somewhere down the road" it's possible, said Bill Fay, vice president and general manager of Toyota's U.S. division.

Automakers prefer to build vehicles close to the final sale point. Honda is also shifting the responsibility for perfecting manufacturing processes from its Japanese plants to its North American factories. That includes the Accord, Civic and CR-V.

"Now our North American operations will take this lead role, preparing new models for production and sharing production knowhow to other Honda plants throughout the world," Mendel said.

The Japanese companies have also started to shift more engineering and design resources to the U.S. as more vehicles are built here.

Mendel said Honda is giving more authority to its U.S. research and development operations in Ohio.

Toyota has similarly shifted more responsibility to its U.S. operations, such as its Ann Arbor Technical Center, which engineered the all-new Tundra pickup revealed this week at the Chicago Auto Show.

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

http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2013.../hond-f08.html

UK: Honda slashes nearly one third of jobs at Swindon


Honda UK Manufacturing Ltd (HUM), the UK subsidiary of the multinational auto company, has announced the loss of 800 jobs at its Swindon plant. Taking into account the previously announced loss of 325 temporary jobs, 1,100 workers are to lose their jobs, nearly a third of the Swindon workforce.

The announcement comes less than six months after British politicians, business circles and the media praised Honda to the skies for its plans to invest £267 million at Swindon, creating 500 jobs and increasing production of the new Civic car from 183,000 to 250,000 a year by 2015, its biggest single UK investment programme for a decade. Business Secretary Vince Cable held up Honda as the prototype for the solution of Britain’s economic woes, saying, “The investment supports the government’s ambition to encourage new investment and exports as a route to renewed growth and a more balanced economy.”

“The Honda story is part of a much bigger picture of optimism, of feeling that Britain is a really good place to manufacture and make cars,” Cable concluded.

HUM managing director Dave Hodgetts stated that the £267 million investment “underpins Honda’s commitment to manufacturing in Britain and to our UK workforce... It reaffirms the Swindon plant’s position as the cornerstone of Honda’s European operations, as it has been for the last 25 years.”

Employment at the Honda plant reached a peak of 5,000 workers in 2006. Seven years and 2,000 lost jobs later, Honda’s “commitment” to its workers and Cable’s expressions of optimism have been shattered. Swindon’s two Conservative MPs, Justin Tomlinson and Robert Buckland, spoke of how “devastating” and “extremely disappointing” the redundancies were and how they have “taken steps to make sure Honda and the Job Centre work closely, so that the people affected will get the best support during what will be a difficult and traumatic time for their families.”

Tomlinson’s claims that he has personally received assurances from Honda of their “long term commitment to Swindon” should be taken with a bucket of salt by Honda workers. The hypocrisy of both MPs is demonstrated in their vote only last week for the cuts in the Welfare Benefits Up-rating Bill.

Honda workers should reserve their anger primarily for the trade unions. Over the years, under the guidance of the Unite union, they have made concession after concession in the name of saving jobs and remaining competitive. In 2009, after too few staff took up the offer of voluntary redundancy, Unite led a “successful” campaign for workers to take a 3 percent pay cut for 10 months under the pretext of saving 490 jobs. Unite regional officer Jim D’Avila had the audacity to dress up the pay cut as socially progressive, describing it as “a measure of the calibre of industrial relations at the plant” and a reflection of “true solidarity in difficult times to protect hundreds of jobs.”

Since the latest announcement, the Swindon Advertiser reports that D’Avila has assembled a team of 14 shop stewards for negotiations with Honda and an additional 3 stewards “to cover areas where previously we haven’t had much representation” who will undergo three days of training by Unite “to cover all matters relation to redundancies” (sic).

D’Avila told the Swindon Advertiser that Unite “will be pressing Honda incredibly hard to minimise the number of compulsory redundancies” and would be “pulling no punches under the banner of ‘Honda jobs for Honda associates’.”

Such promises carry little weight with workers, who have drawn lessons from the years of inaction and systematic betrayals of their struggles. D’Avila’s interview with the Swindon Advertiser resulted in a striking debate in the paper’s comments section. One response hoped “that Unite negotiate for the best deal for the workforce rather than themselves…. There is a growing resentment within the factory that Unite are only in it for themselves.” Another reader wrote: “Jim D’Avila trying to sound like he is going something, when all he has done is confirm what we already know.”

It is only five months ago that a Daily Telegraph article, “How Britain won the global car war,” was celebrating a renaissances of the British car industry that was leaving “industry veterans—hardened by years of failure—pinching themselves to make sure it’s real.... Over the past 18 months, virtually all those involved in the British automotive industry have announced expansion of some form, a collective total of around £4.5bn of new investment.”

The basis for the so-called renaissance of the British automotive industry is the super-exploitation of car workers in the UK. Achieving this by offering up their members’ pay and conditions for sacrifice has been the central preoccupation of the trade unions over an extended period.

The unions in the UK, like their counterparts in Europe, have promoted a divisive struggle by car workers that has already resulted in the closure of the GM’s Opel car plant in Antwerp, Belgium. As a partner in the exploitation of the workforce, the unions are helping management use high unemployment and the threat of transferring production overseas as a means to pressure workers to accept ever-higher levels of exploitation for lower rates of pay.

In August 2012, after a summer shutdown at the Tata-owned Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) plant in Halewood, workers switched to three-shift, continuous production with 20 percent pay cuts for new employees. Nearly half of the 3,400 workforce is now on this lower rate, and half are under 25. Tony Woodley, Unite’s executive officer and former general secretary, described the negotiations on a new two-year contract as “delicate and interesting”.

The JLR deal followed hot on the heels of a similar deal at General Motors, in which a pay freeze, an increase in weekly hours from 37 to 40, shift working, flexibility and other major concessions were made in return for paper promises that the nearby Vauxhall plant in Ellesmere Port would stay open until 2020. At the same time, GM was preparing to close its plant in Bochum, Germany, with the loss of 3,000 jobs.

The British unions have made it clear that they view the closure of Bochum as a positive development, since it will supposedly protect jobs in the UK. John Fetherston of Unite described the Vauxhall deal as a “saviour” for Ellesmere Port. The Conservative/Liberal Democrat government’s business secretary, Vince Cable, said the plant had been saved by a “team UK effort” in which he included Unite officials led by Woodley.

The fact that Unite is a full partner in the exploitation of the workforce was hailed by Roger Maddison, the union’s car industry national officer, who stated, “We’ve seen a lot of the car industry leave the UK. Thankfully, a lot of that is coming back now because we’re much more flexible on shifts, mobility of labour, and so on.”

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http://www.businesswire.com/news/hom...r-Company-2013

Research and Markets: Analysis of Honda Motor Company Ltd 2013



DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/re...lysis_of_honda) has announced the addition of the "Analysis of Honda Motor Company Ltd" company profile to their offering.

Analysis of Honda Motor Company Ltd. A complete and comprehensive analysis of Honda Motor Company Ltd, includes an overview of the industry the company operates in, a PEST Framework Analysis of the industry, and then moves on to analyzing the company itself.

Company analysis includes a history of Honda Motor Company Ltd, a business segment analysis of the segments Honda Motor Company Ltd operates through, a look at the organization structure of the company, a geographical operating segments analysis, an analysis of the company's major competitors.

A financial analysis of Honda Motor Company Ltd is presented in the report which includes a ratio analysis, basic profit and loss analysis, presentation of the company balance sheet, and much more.

A SWOT Framework Analysis of Honda Motor Company Ltd and its competitors completes this in-depth company analysis.

Key Topics Covered:

A. Executive Summary

B. Looking at the Industry

B.1 Industry Definition

B.2 Brief Profile of the Industry

B.3 Impacts on the Industry

B.4 Challenges Facing the Industry

B.5 Future Perspective

C. Industry PEST Framework Analysis

C.1 Political Aspects

C.2 Economic Aspects

C.3 Social Aspects

C.4 Technological Aspects

D. Looking at the Company

D.1 Company Profile

D.2 History of the Company

D.3 Ownership Pattern in the Company

D.4 Corporate Hierarchy

D.5 Organizational Divisions

D.6 Profiling the Key Executives

D.7 Products & Services

D.8 Recently in the News

E. Looking at Business

E.1 Business Segments

E.2 Geographical Segments

E.3 Company Subsidiaries

F. SWOT Framework Analysis

F.1 Strengths to Build Upon

F.2 Weaknesses to Overcome

F.3 Opportunities to Exploit

F.4 Threats to Overcome

G. Profiling the Competition (Includes SWOT Analysis of Competitor Companies)

G.1 Ford Motor Co.

G.2 General Motors Corporation

G.3 Toyota Motor Corporation

H. Financial Analysis of the Company

H.1 Current Financials

H.2 Balance Sheet

H.3 Profit & Loss Statement

H.4 Ratio Analysis

I. Future Perspective

J. Appendix

K. Glossary of Terms

Companies Mentioned

Honda Motor Company Ltd
Ford Motor Co.
General Motors Corporation
Toyota Motor Corporation

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/re...lysis_of_honda
Contacts

Research and Markets
Laura Wood, Senior Manager.
press@researchandmarkets.com
U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907
Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716
Sector: Company Reports

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http://www.farmanddairy.com/news/hon...any/47351.html

Honda partners with wind energy company

PIPESTONE, Minn. — Juhl Wind, Inc., an established leader in the renewable energy industry with a focus on community-based wind power development, ownership and management, has reached an agreement with Honda Transmission Mfg. of America, Inc. to develop, install and operate two utility-scale wind turbines that will generate electricity for the plant in Russell’s Point, Ohio.

Juhl Wind is providing full development services along with construction management of the $8 million project, which is scheduled to be completed in 2013. Juhl acquired the development asset from Boulder, Colorado-based NexGen Energy Partners in 2011, and Juhl is expected to take ownership in the project under its Juhl Renewable Asset subsidiary.

Juhl will be providing oversight of the construction and ongoing operation of the turbines.
Growing effort

The Honda Wind Project represents a growing niche within our renewable energy development services, which includes installing “behind the meter” wind and solar facilities for large industrial electricity users and corporate clients.

The goal is to continue to grow this sector of our business by providing quality development services to companies that are looking to utilize renewable energy at their planned or existing facilities.”

Once the turbines begin operating later this year, the Honda transmission plant will be the first major automotive manufacturing facility in the United States to obtain a substantial amount of its electricity directly from wind turbines located on its property.
The dimensions

The turbines, with blades approximately 160 feet long, will be installed on 260-foot towers on Honda Transmission property, which is suited for a maximum of two wind turbines.

An evaluation of the project shows that renewable energy from the two wind turbines will supply approximately 10 percent of the plant’s electricity, while also reducing CO2 emissions. Studies commissioned by Honda Transmission indicate that wind-generated power is a cost-effective source of electricity for the plant, and that the project will not adversely impact local wildlife or the environment.

Globally, Honda has established voluntary goals to reduce the environmental impact of its products and manufacturing operations by 2020. This includes a 30 percent reduction in CO2 emissions from Honda products, and significant CO2 reductions from the company’s plants and other operations, compared with year 2000 levels.

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http://www.oncars.in/Car-News-Detail...9-95-lakh/3651

2013 Honda CR-V launched in India at Rs 19.95 lakh

Honda’s first offering for the year 2013 is here and ready to take on the competition!

Honda India has rolled out its all-new crossover, the 2013 CR-V in India with a starting price of Rs 19.95 lakh. The premium offering is out in the market to take on the likes of Mitsubishi Outlander and Chevrolet Captiva.

Offered with a total of two petrol-only engine options and four variants, prices for the 2013 Honda CR-V start at Rs 19.95 lakh for the entry-level 2-litre MT variant while the top-of-the-line 2.4-litre AT with AVN (Audio/Video/Navigation) costs Rs 23.85 lakh (Both prices are ex-showroom, New Delhi).

As for the engine and drive-train specifications, the 2-litre petrol unit produces 156 PS of power and 190Nm of torque with a fuel economy of 13.7 kmpl. While the 2.4-litre petrol unit produces 190 PS of power and 226Nm of torque with a fuel economy of 12 kmpl. Both the engines are mated to a 5-Speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters, while the 2-litre MT unit can be had with a 6-Speed manual gearbox as an option.

The 2.4-litre petrol variants run the 4WD (Four Wheel Drive) system, while the 2.0-litre variants have a FWD (Front Wheel Drive) configuration. All automatic variants will come with paddle shifters.


Furthermore, the fourth-generation CR-V has implemented low friction bearings and electric power steering, which contributes towards better fuel economy. There is also an ECON mode in the model, which when activated uses a more sober tune for the air conditioning, engine and transmission to achieve optimum fuel economy.

Feature wise, there is an integrated 6-speakers Audio with CD, USB and iPod connectivity, while the top-end variant comes with a 6.1-inch touchscreen System which is compatible with video and satellite navigation. There is also an Electric Sun Roof, Cruise Control, Driver Seat Adjustment, Steering Adjustment and Dual-Zone AC. Safety features include Rear View Camera, ABS with EBD, Hill Start Assist, Parking Brake, which comes as standard and six dual-SRS airbags.


To enhance the cosmetic appeal of the CR-V, Honda has charted out two accessory packages - Inspire Style Package and Elegance Style Package. The Urban Inspire Style Package adds a dash of chrome on the visor, garnish the side-step and exhaust pipe and features a tail gate spoiler and a running board. The Elegance Style Package, on the other hand features a tweaked front grille and a chrome fog light in addition to the chromed exhaust pipe, side-step and tail-gate.

A total of five exterior colours options are being offered - Carnelian Red Pearl, Sparking Brown Metallic, Urban Titanium Metallic, Taffeta White and Alabaster Silver Metallic.


Given below is the list of all the variants and the corresponding prices of the 2013 Honda CR-V.



2013 Honda CR-V 2.0L MT - Rs 19.95 lakh

2013 Honda CR-V 2.0L AT - Rs 20.85 lakh

2013 Honda CR-V 2.4L AT - Rs 22.40 lakh
2013 Honda CR-V 2.4L AT with AVN - Rs 23.85 lakh

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http://www.adotas.com/2013/02/afaik-...to-lsn-mobile/


AFAIK: Honda, MediaBrix, Rightster, MediaShift, Travora Media, Adap.tv, Marketo, LSN Mobile

Here’s what our virtual drum circle is pounding out today:
Honda has partnered with MediaBrix on a fully integrated, immersive and interactive advertising experience within SongPop as part of the company’s launch of the 2013 Civic. The campaign kicked off yesterday. Honda reportedly is also the first automotive company to feature a branded playlist on SongPop, which includes music by the featured artist in the Civic commercials. Through the Music Awards Mix branded playlist, Honda will become an integral part of the gameplay, reaching the large (60 million players), dedicated SongPop user base.

Rightster, the fast-growing video distribution and monetization firm helmed by British entrepreneur Charlie Muirhead (pictured), made three big announcements this morning. The company has:

• acquired Preview Networks, Europe’s leading distributor of movie trailers, allowing Rightster to roll out YouTube services out across Europe and to establish itself as having one of the largest YouTube Multi Channel Network footprints in the world. Preview Networks, with 35 employees, will add more than 300 rights holders and 2,500 publishers including Disney, MTV and Sony, while extending Rightster’s presence in France, Germany, Italy and Spain as well as the Nordic markets.
• secured the rights to offer live and on demand Australian Football League games outside Australia and New Zealand. Rightster will manage subscription packages as well as the technology required to provide footage to computers, tablets and smartphones.
• appointed Skype’s Scott Leishman as Global VP of Talent and Resourcing, bolstering Rightster’s senior team in line with rapid company expansion.

JMG Exploration, Inc., soon to be renamed MediaShift, Inc., has completed its second acquisition in the digital advertising space by acquiring Travora Media, a leading travel ad network. MediaShift will be leveraging the ad technology of AdVantage Networks, a wholly owned subsidiary, to enhance Travora’s offerings with more robust tech-based solutions for advertisers and publishers. An initial focus will be on enhancing data profiles to allow for deeper audience segmentation and richer data insights. With over 30 million unique visitors per month, according to a press release, Travora and AdVantage Networks will offer advertisers one of the largest audience platforms targeting on-the-go consumers.


Adap.tv is touting its new In-Target Audience Optimization technology as an industry first that enables advertisers to maximize delivery against demographic audiences as measured by verification providers such as Nielsen Online Campaign Ratings and comScore validated Campaign Essentials. Developed on the Adap.tv Platform, In-Target Audience Optimization is designed to dramatically reduce this waste using a proprietary algorithm to predict audience composition across any publisher, and enable buyers to specify their desired demographic and instantly forecast their in-target delivery, in-target CPM and TRP estimates. Adap.tv technology then targets impressions that are expected to index high against Nielsen Online Campaign Ratings and comScore validated Campaign Essentials while minimizing ad spend. For publishers, In-Target Audience Optimization aims to give sellers the ability to deliver TV-like targeting against their inventory and increase yield against lucrative demo segments.
Marketo will release what it’s calling its flagship guide, “The Definitive Guide to Marketing Automation” on Tuesday, February 12. Previous guides have focused on Lead Nurturing, Marketing Metrics and Analytics, Lead Scoring, Social Marketing and most recently, Event Marketing.)




LSN Mobile has named Louis K. Gump (pictured) as president and chief executive officer. Gump, who will lead the overall strategic direction of the company, including day-to-day operations and team development, will also become a member of the board of directors. Current CEO and co-founder Lee Durham will remain as executive chairman and will transition to lead business development for the company. Durham’s primary operational role will be to cultivate LSN Mobile’s growing network of affiliates and partners. Gump, who has more than 20 years experience in mobile media, technology and business development, comes to LSN Mobile from CNN, where he was the global VP of mobile and was responsible for its global mobile strategy and growth. Before that, he was vice president of mobile with The Weather Channel.


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