John Mendel, Executive Vice President, Automobile Division, American Honda Motor Co., Inc.
John Mendel:
Hello everyone. And thank you for joining Honda this morning. I know
there are a few press conferences still to come, but we are pleased to
bring down the curtain on the OEM side of the 2015 North American
International Auto Show.
Over the past day and a half you've probably attended more than 25
press events here in Cobo Center, but not one has showcased the diverse
array of advanced products you see here on the Honda Stage this morning.
These products and many more still to come are why we're calling 2015
"The Year of Honda." Over the next 12-18 months, you're going to see
multiple big Honda dreams come true, the new Acura supercar you saw
yesterday, a next-generation Honda fuel cell vehicle, an incredibly
innovative business jet and our return to Formula One racing. No other
automaker in the world has the depth of R&D know-how and experience
to take on all of these challenges, let alone bring them to market.
These are all-new products and technologies for our customers and for
the future of mobility everywhere, innovations that are truly something
only Honda can deliver. As you can see here, and across the aisle,
we're bringing to life our mantra, "The Power of Dreams", in very real
and compelling ways.
Our springboard is the incredible momentum we created in 2014, with
all-time record sales for the Honda brand. In addition to selling the
most Honda vehicles in the 45 years since we began automobile sales in
America, what makes it especially satisfying is that we continue to do
it the Honda way. That means without compromising our commitment to our
customers.
The record number of customer relationships we created last year was
based almost exclusively on sales to individual buyers, earned one
customer and one vehicle at a time. Accord, again, was the most popular
car in America with retail car buyers. Civic, again, was the
best-selling compact car with retail buyers. And CR-V, again, was the
outright best-selling SUV in America; in fact, it's been the
best-selling SUV in America for the past decade.
For the second straight year, these three models topped over a
million units in sales. And, full-size trucks notwithstanding, this is
another achievement that only Honda has accomplished.
But when we talk about "Only Honda" and The Power of Dreams in 2015,
we're talking the fulfillment of some really big dreams. We're tapping
into the roots of Honda's passion for innovation in mobility powered by a
technological tour-de-force unrivaled in the global auto industry.
We can start with the all-new NSX, and while you heard plenty about
this new supercar yesterday, the NSX demonstrates our passion for
engineering expertise and broad based experience in powertrain
innovation, hybrid systems, super-handling technology and advanced body
construction, just to name a few.
And today, we showcase these very same strengths, but in a different
type of advanced technology vehicle, the Honda FCV Concept. Making its
North American debut, this fuel cell vehicle represents Honda's more
than 25 years of expertise in the development of fuel cell technology.
The new, more compact Honda fuel cell stack fits completely within
the front engine compartment. This is a significant achievement for the
future application of fuel-cell technology in our industry. The new
stack provides a 60 percent boost in power and a 33 percent reduction in
size.
As a result, the FCV Concept delivers even greater passenger space than its predecessor, including seating for up to five.
Moreover, the FCV Concept has a driving range of more than 300 miles
and an anticipated refueling time of approximately 3 minutes at a
pressure of 70 MPa, which is significantly faster than battery
recharging.
We all know that infrastructure is a major concern. So, we also
recently invested nearly $14 million dollars in First Element Fuel to
further accelerate the network of public hydrogen refueling stations in
California. This commitment adds considerable momentum to the future
infrastructure for fuel cell vehicles.
Importantly, the FCV Concept we will launch in 2016 serves as the
first of an entire new generation of Honda's future advanced technology
vehicles. And today in Detroit, we're announcing that we will introduce
an all-new battery electric model, and an all-new plug-in hybrid model
by 2018.
Together, these vehicles will help create a new volume sales pillar by meeting a variety of customer needs for mobility.
So, while the FCV Concept and NSX may be at opposite ends of the
technology spectrum, they're both emblematic of our passion for
technology and innovation that benefits the customer and society.
This same challenging spirit and passion will be expressed in another
Honda dream that has been decades in the making, and that will
literally take Honda power to the skies. This year, Honda Aircraft
Company will begin customer deliveries of the highly anticipated
HondaJet, seen here in quarter-scale.
A pure expression of our commitment to innovation in human mobility,
the most significant of
HondaJet's many breakthroughs is the unique
Over-The-Wing Engine Mount configuration. Engineered and proven by Honda
after more than 20 years of extensive research and development, this
design helps make HondaJet the fastest, highest flying, and most
fuel-efficient aircraft in its class.
And don't let this scale model version fool you. It's not a concept,
it's just that while there have been longhorns on Jefferson Avenue, we
couldn't land the plane there. The fact is we're already mass-producing
HondaJet, even as we enter the final phase of FAA approval.
Sixty-six years ago Honda's first motorbike was powered by a
half-horsepower 50cc engine. The HondaJet is equipped with the most
powerful engine Honda has ever produced, the Honda-designed GE Honda
HF120 turbofan, rated in excess of 2,000 pounds of thrust.
And since we're here at the Detroit Auto Show, I'll point out that
the HondaJet is likely the first business aircraft to fully utilize
automobile interior design processes, improving quality and efficiency
in mass production.
And, like 98-percent of our automotive products, both the HondaJet
and its turbofan engine are built in North America; in fact, both are
built in the birthplace of human flight, North Carolina.
Now, if innovation is the heart of Honda, racing is its soul. And
2015 will see one more major dream realized, and an expression of the
Honda Racing Spirit with our return to Formula One racing.
On stage today is a fully operational, exact replica of the F1 car
Richie Ginther drove to Honda's first 1st Grand Prix victory in 1965.
2015 marks the 50th anniversary year of that first F1 checkered flag, a
win that occurred in North America, in the Mexican Grand Prix. Now, in
that video, it was long-time Honda IndyCar driver and 3-time Indy 500
champion Dario Franchitti behind the wheel. And Dario is with us here
today. Thanks Dario, for all you do to advance Honda's Racing Spirit,
and for remaining a true friend of Honda.
In the upcoming 4th era of Honda's F1 history, McLaren and Honda have
reignited a partnership that earned an incredible eight world
championships, including the most dominating single season performance
in F1 history.
We have a couple of great drivers and proven champions as part of the
McLaren Honda team in Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button, and we will
compete to win in this inaugural season.
Honda broke new ground in the 1980s by creating a turbocharged engine
that was unparalleled in both output and efficiency. F1 engines have
been downsized to 1.6 liters and paired with energy recovery systems,
similar to those on conventional hybrid and electric cars.
Honda engineers are leveraging our considerable experience with
electric drive and energy recovery systems in our production vehicles to
develop this F1 power unit. And in the future, the technologies
developed through F1 will be fed back to production cars.
Let's not forget motorcycle, MotoGP is the world's top racing series.
And Honda won consecutive championships in 2013 and 2014 with the Honda
RC213V ridden by Marc Marquez who dominated MotoGP last season winning
13 of 18 races. Last year, Marquez introduced an incredible prototype
street version of the RC213V championship machine at the Milano
Motorcycle show. It's another example of a Honda dream come true, and
this RC213V-S Prototype is set to become the ultimate street bike.
To those of you not attuned to MotoGP racing, that would be like a street legal F1 car.
So, what do all of these new Honda dreams have to do with our
automobile business? It's about spirit, the spirit of innovation that's
powering a strong cadence of innovative products heading your way in the
coming months, with the revitalization of our light truck lineup, a
major expansion of alternative powertrain vehicle sales, and the further
growth of our small car lineup.
This includes the all-new
2016 Honda HR-V crossover this spring, a
new benchmark in a growing segment.
Shortly after, we'll introduce an
all-new Pilot SUV that will redefine what is possible with an
8-passenger mid-size SUV. And further ahead, a completely reengineered
Ridgeline pickup. And we have some more excitement on the passenger car
side of our lineup this year as well. So, watch this space.
All this happens as we continue to rollout our new generation of
powertrains that are developed and manufactured here in North America.
And again, today, we're announcing our first application of the new
Honda VTEC® turbo 4-cylinder engines, and that they will be made at our
Anna Engine Plant in Ohio.
We will also expand application of our 2- and 3-motor hybrid systems.
It is all of these new products and powertrains that will serve to
strengthen our competitiveness in key growth areas.
All of these new products and technologies are among the reasons
we're calling 2015 the "Year of Honda." It's going to be an exciting and
groundbreaking year. And we're targeting not just a record year for the
Honda brand, but an all-time mark for total American Honda sales, all
accomplished while maintaining our focus on individual buyers. And we
look forward to having you along for the ride.
And speaking of rides, we're going to close out with one more
technology that only Honda could create. Developed as a personal
mobility device that's compatible for use around people, this UNI-CUB
features balance control and other technologies, which originate from
Honda's robotics research.
These technologies allow the rider to move forward, backward,
side-to-side and diagonally as freely as walking, simply by shifting
body weight and leaning toward the intended direction.
While I currently exceed the GVW of this particular model, I've been
assured they're working on a Mendel-sized version. But you might have
seen this unique expression of Honda's robotics expertise in a music
video released several months ago by the rock group OK Go.
So, we thank you for joining us, we look forward to sharing this Year of Honda with all you, and now let's OK Go!
Source;
http://www.hondanews.com/releases/honda-press-event-2015-north-american-international-auto-show-show-remarks
