More Renderings from Carscoop on Honda's Next Gen Hybrid

Source;
http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2008/08/renderings-hondas-hybrid-prius-fighter.html

Honda's 'Prius Fighter' gets Another Rendering

We've heard that the new non-Insight will bear a resemblance to Honda's hydrogen-consuming FCX Clarity and we can certainly tell that it will have a certain Prius-esque look to its profile - all in the name of aerodynamics, of course. Armed with all of this information, the scribes at Japan's Best Car have come up with a rendering of the new car. Based on what we know, as discussed a few sentences back, this is surely pretty close though there will undoubtedly be extra details that nobody is aware of yet. Under hood will be a revised version of Honda's familiar Integrated Motor Assist system hooked to a 1.3-liter four cylinder engine. A nickel metal hydride battery pack will prove the necessary juice to the electric motor.

Source; (via Autoblog)
http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2008/08/2010-honda-hybrid-sedan-rendering-of.html

2009 Honda Civic Brochure Pic's

As with the sedan, the front and rear of the Civic Coupe see the most change, though it'll take a trained eye to spot the differences out back. The front grille, though, looks more aggressive and sports a new honeycomb pattern, and the lower bumper has been redesigned with new air intakes.

Source with more pic's;
http://www.autoblog.com/2008/08/29/2009-honda-civic-coupe-revealed-in-brochure/

2009 Honda Odyssey Update

"What's New" for 2009: (Canada)
Power tailgate standard on EX-L and Touring models.

DX, LX, EX, EX-L, EX-L Res, Touring trim levels will remain the same otherwise.

Edmunds Blog; Honda Awaiting New "Super" Lithium-Ion Battery for Next-Generation Hybrids

Honda's Integrated Motor Assist mild hybrid system (right) would get a boost from new high-power lithium-ion batteries the company could start using for 2010 models.

By Bill Visnic, Senior Editor

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. -- Honda Motor Co. is preparing for an all-new, advanced lithium-ion battery that will allow its engineers to extend Honda's Integrated Motor Assist hybrid-electric technology to larger vehicles, a senior company executive told Green Car Advisor during an annual auto-industry conference frequented by heavy-hitters from carmakers' management ranks.

Honda has in the past been non-committal about lithium-ion, but that posture apparently is changing. And Honda recently was linked in lithium-ion talk with Japanese electronics giant and battery developer Sanyo Electric Co.

John German, American Honda's manager of environmental and energy analysis, said the coming lithium-ion battery formula -- the developer of which he wouldn't name -- does not enjoy extra capacity compared with known lithium-ion characteristics. Instead, the new chemistry is targeted at allowing the batteries to charge much more quickly.

This, in turn, will allow for an increased amount of battery capacity that can be assigned to actually powering the motor. And more power means the IMA system can be employed for larger, heavier vehicles.

In addition, German says the new batteries will be markedly cheaper.

Apart from potential for vehicles such as the Ridgeline midsized pickup or the Odyssey minivan, the extra IMA performance could mean a return of the Accord Hybrid - this time using a 4-cylinder engine instead of the first-generation Accord Hybrid's V6.

German says the new butt-kicker lithium-ion chemistry should be ready in about the same timeframe as GM's lithium-ion-dependent Chevrolet Volt "extended-range" electric vehicle, the car that put lithium-ion development on the hot seat.

And while Honda brags about the slenderness of IMA's engine-enhancing electric motor - which is wedged between the engine and transmission - German says underhood space has become so valuable that even the currently required 1.5 inches or so is tough to engineer.

But Honda's advanced lithium-ion battery's potential for the midsize Accord must be tempting, as the company is no doubt anxious to get back in the game against Toyota's Camry Hybrid, of which Toyota reputedly has just a five-day inventory.

Honda's first Accord Hybrid was designed for performance enhancement, coupling the IMA system with the company's thrusty 3-liter V6.

Accord's loyal buyers didn't respond, however, and Honda dropped the Accord Hybrid after the '07 model year and before the next-generation model was introduced for '08.

While Toyota's hybrids keep selling well, German told Green Car Advisor, that he thinks Toyota invested in the wrong technology by opting for the "full" hybrid design instead of Honda's IMA mild hybrid system.

"We get 80 percent of the (full-hybrid) benefit at 60 percent of the cost," German insists.

Source;
http://blogs.edmunds.com/greencaradvisor/2008/08/honda-awaiting-new-super-lithium-ion-battery-for-next-generation-hybrids.html

Honda's Moment Arrives (no, the moment isn't a new car being added to the lineup!)

Here's a nice article on Honda's steady strategy from the Washington Post.


By Warren BrownSunday, August 24, 2008

Honda could have been a contender. But it settled for being a winner instead.

The Japanese automobile manufacturer historically has ranked near the middle of the world's top 10 car companies in annual sales, content to earn a living selling mostly small cars with small engines that run nicely on relatively small amounts of gasoline.

That strategy once spawned detractors -- automotive journalists and some industry analysts who urged Honda to join the big league, to start rolling out big cars with big engines, to serve up something like a hot coupe with a banging V-8.

There were rumors that Honda would take the bait. "Those rumors have been around for 20 years," said Dan Bonawitz, Honda's U.S. vice president for corporate planning, speaking to journalists here.

Honda nibbled, offering up the car-based Ridgeline pickup, a bevy of mid-size sport-utility vehicles, and several impressive Acura and Honda sedans with V-6 engines. But Honda mostly remained true to its small-engine legacy, resisting the pressure to produce something with a V-8 and refusing to join Toyota and Nissan in taking on Detroit in the battle for big-truck supremacy.

"We chose to position ourselves for sustainable success," Bonawitz said.

Bonawitz has been saying that kind of thing for several years. But many of us in the media dismissed it as the convenient excuse of a company that didn't know how to make a competitive V-8.

"You could be a contender," we told Honda. "You could play with the majors. Look, even Hyundai is coming out with a V-8 in its Genesis luxury car. Are you guys going to let the Koreans beat you?"

Bonawitz and his people didn't listen. They just kept cranking out cars and pseudo-trucks -- the Ridgeline isn't a real truck -- with four-cylinder and six-cylinder engines. As a result, Honda is now in a league of its own, experiencing steady increases in vehicle sales in a market where most of its rivals are faltering.

Look at the devastation of the U.S. automotive landscape. Toyota is down. Nissan is down. General Motors and Ford are way down. Chrysler is on life support, awaiting rescue from potential partners who can supply it with the cars, especially small cars, it desperately needs to survive.

Honda, meanwhile, is expanding production of its hot-selling Civic compact cars in the United States. It is trying to cope with soaring consumer demand -- up nearly 72 percent in 2008 over 2007 -- for its Fit subcompact, which has been smartly redesigned for 2009.

Honda is planning annual U.S. sales of 85,000 Fits, which is so globally popular that the company is assembling it at plants in Japan, Brazil, Thailand and Indonesia.

"Our business strategy is more like that of the tortoise than it is the hare," Bonawitz said. "We might not be the first to come out with the biggest engine. But we concentrate on what our consumers want -- quality, efficiency, innovation. That doesn't always make a big splash. But it helps us to survive in challenging times like these."

That does not mean Honda will never produce a V-8 for the U.S. market. The company certainly knows how to produce powerful engines and fast cars, as evidenced by the success of Honda-engineered products in a variety of racing venues.

But, unlike its Detroit corporate brethren, Honda never really put much stock in the notion of winning at the track on Sunday and selling in the showroom on Monday. At Honda, a car for the track is one thing. A car for the practical demands of daily life is quite another. Put another way, the company has long understood that getting something right on the track does not ensure getting it right in the marketplace.

A HondaV-8?

Bonawitz laughed.

"These are very challenging times for our industry," he said. "We are witnessing what is likely to be a watershed moment for the American automobile industry" -- a moment when smart power, getting the most out of an engine using the least amount of fuel, trumps horsepower, Bonawitz said.

"At Honda," he added, "we've always been geared toward this moment."

More Information on the 2009 Honda FIT for CANADA

Here are all of the Trim levels for Canada;

2009 Honda FIT DX Manual Transmission (AT)
2009 Honda FIT DX Automatic Transmission (MT)
(Base model, no air conditioning)

2009 Honda FIT DX-A MT
2009 Honda FIT DX-A AT
(Base model, adds air conditioning only)

2009 Honda FIT LX MT
2009 Honda FIT LX AT
(Adds cruise control, 15" alloy wheels, armrest[s], keyless entry)

2009 Honda FIT Sport MT
2009 Honda FIT Sport AT
(Adds 16" alloy wheels, alarm, rear spoiler, front gfx, side gfx, fog lights, leather wrapped steering wheel)

Colours Available

DX and DX-A Trims
-Sapphire Blue Pearl (new)
-Grey (light, almost silver)
-Black
-Red

LX Trims (added to above colours)
-White
-Blackberry Pearl
-Blue (bright)

Sport Trims (added to above colours)
-Orange

I am expecting the first wave of FIT's to arrive between Sept. 05/08 to Sept. 11/08. They are 'drop shipping' the cars into our inventory, which means we have no say as to what colours or trims land. A lot of the vehicles landing are pre-sold, so, I'd get your order in if you need a car soon.

Pricing and any special finance rates have not been released yet. I do not expect much of a jump over last years pricing. Honda may release rates on the 1st of Sept, contact your nearest dealer for that information.

Motivemagazine's Retro Review of the Buick Grand National

I know, I know, this has absolutely nothing to do with Honda, but it is one of my favourite cars of all time, the 1987 Buick Grand National. For those interested, here is a article that I stumbled on giving a historic review of the iconic car.

Whether or not it was cheating depended on whose side of the story you believed — winner Bobby Allison, or virtually everybody else at Daytona that Valentine's Day. Nearly all the General Motors teams in NASCAR were campaigning the 1982 Buick Regal, but there was one persistent problem that nobody could engineer a fix for: The rear bumper, which had to sit at the same level as production Regals, hung so low that it caught air coming off the belly pan and acted as a drogue chute behind the car. Four laps into the race, Allison's rear bumper unexpectedly broke completely off the car, fluttering into the air over turn four.

Accusations ran rampant — some said it was held on with flimsy tack welds "the size of turkey turds" while others claimed Allison was intentionally bumped by Cale Yarborough. It didn't matter. With the bumper torn away, Allison's Regal pinned its ears back and flat-out disappeared. The question then wasn't whether he would lead the race, but by how large of a margin. 196 laps later, NASCAR certified Allison's win over the protests of other racers. The story of "bumpergate" has become so intertwined with the '82 Daytona 500 that the introduction of a special-edition Buick before the race is often forgotten. A car that GM hoped would generate excitement for Buick by celebrating its motorsports involvement. A car that Buick designers named after the Winston Cup series' predecessor: the Grand National.

Though they looked like high-performance machines, the first Grand Nationals began life as stodgy Regal coupes that were plucked from the assembly line in Pontiac, Michigan. In batches of fifteen, they were trucked down the road to Cars and Concepts in Ann Arbor, where the cars were disassembled and underwent the conversion process. The sides of the Regals were masked off and sprayed in a silver two-tone. A front air dam was fitted underneath the Buick's chrome bumper, and a rear duckbill was stuck onto the trunklid's trailing edge. Bolstered seats from GM supplier Lear Siegler replaced the standard velour park bench, and Buick's "Power 6" badges found their way onto the fenders and wheel centers.

Far from the powerhouse the name Grand National conjures, the first cars were equipped with only one engine: a frumpy, emissions-choked 4.1-liter V-6. Making an unremarkable 125 horsepower, the 4.1 was supposed to offer the power of a V-8 and the fuel economy of a V-6, but Americans never twigged to it. The Buick's V-6 was, however, shared with Cadillac during its nadir, as an option for customers who didn't want the woesome V-8-6-4 engine.

After disappearing for the 1983 model year, the Grand National returned for 1984, dechromed and relieved of all of its body moldings. Every inch of the exterior was finished with liberal doses of jet-black lacquer. The headlamp surrounds? Black. Window trim? Black. Grille? Surprise — black. Introduced during the same summer as Return of the Jedi, people quickly dubbed the Grand National "Darth Buick", and the name stuck inside the halls of GM's ad agency. When Chevrolet's equally sinister Impala SS debuted in 1994, it was followed by the tagline, "Lord Vader, Your Car is Ready."

The 1982 model's 4.1-liter V-6 had been replaced by a smaller, 3.8-liter cousin that was dressed with sequential fuel injection and a non-intercooled turbocharger. With 15 psi from its Garrett AiResearch T3 turbo — a kissing cousin to the unit Ford was strapping on the Mustang SVO — the "hot air" V-6 threw 200 horsepower and 300 lb-ft of torque at its four-speed Turbo-Hydramatic transmission. In a July, 1985, road test by Car and Driver, that power was adequate to eke out 0-to-60 in 7.5 seconds and a quarter in 15.7 seconds at 87 mph. If those numbers don't rock your world, you're not alone. In the same article, David E. Davis, Jr. called the Grand National "a performance car that [isn't] really all that fast."

It really wasn't all that fast for 1985, either, as Grand National received naught but a few cosmetic updates. And that's where the Grand National's story could have ended; as an amusing footnote of a trim package on a sister car to the Olds Cutlass and the Chevy Monte Carlo. It could easily have been consigned to the same pile of history as the Citation X-11 and the front-drive Electra T-Type: standouts of their time, which now are largely forgotten and loved only by a small contingent of old-car queers.

Then the 1986 Grand National rolled up, told the footnotes to get stuffed, and barked second as it peeled away. The only mechanical difference between the '86 Grand National and the previous year was the addition of an air-to-air intercooler, and it's a difference that changed the car from an also-ran into the business. Power went to 235 horses, torque went to 330 lb-ft, and Chevrolet's marketing department went apeshit. The 1986 Grand National was now more powerful than any American car on the market, violating GM's long-standing rule that nothing — ever — was allowed to outgun the Corvette. Buick's pandering "official" estimate had the car running high 15s but trapping at 97.3mph, which in the real world puts the Grand National deep into 14-second quarters.

The Grand National's G-body platform already had a date with the hangman, though, so despite moving over 20,000 examples in it last year, the line at GM's Pontiac assembly plant shut down after the 1987 production run. One of those cars was driven home from the dealer and parked in a northern Illinois garage, rolling over only 30,000 miles in fifteen years, when Ken Heslinga of Streamwood, Illinois bought it in 2002. With a tick over 40,000 miles on the clock now, Ken was kind enough to loan us his Grand National so that we could try to draw a bead on the Darth Buick's appeal.

At first blush, the Grand National is a muscle car. It certainly has the cojones to back up that claim — if all the tolerances were right from the factory, the turbo Buick could run fast enough down a dragstrip that NHRA rules would require the driver to wear a helmet.

Brake-torquing the car from a stop light, the cabin is filled with a straining V-6's moan until the turbo comes online. Then the shriek of compressor blades accompanies the howling of the blower inhaling untold CFM of air in great, heaving gulps, and the whole ensemble hits the resonant frequency of the frameless side windows, which pitch and slap against their weatherstripping in a way that focuses the sound waves at a locus two inches behind the eyeballs. This is naked aggression of the sort that was once Detroit's stock in trade.

For the rest of the review;
http://www.motivemag.com/pub/feature/retro/Motive_Retro_Review_1987_Buick_Grand_National.shtml

Rendering of Nissan's 2011 240SX

What could this mean to Honda? It could ignite the 'spark' needed to get the Next Gen Prelude moved from 'pipe dream' to reality. Although on the down side of sportscar news, Toyota has said that they've scrapped ideas for the upcoming Supra so that they could focus their efforts towards Hybrids.

The Honda Accord is Creeping up on the Toyota Camry's No1 Spot in the U.S.

Toyota Camry: No. 1 But for How Long?

The '09 version of the best-selling Camry is a near-flawless car but it could lose its crown to the surging Honda Accord

by Thane Peterson of Businessweek

I hear more and more people claiming that Toyota's (TM) Camry has seen its better days. The Camry's fit and finish aren't as good as they once were, the critics say, and some of the materials used in the cabin are a bit chintzy. The editor of Car and Driver claims General Motors' (GM) new Chevy Malibu is just as good, and Consumer Reports dropped the six-cylinder version of the '07 and '08 Camry from its recommended list. Among the critics are many BusinessWeek.com readers (check out the comments about my review of the Malibu (BusinessWeek.com, 12/10/07)

I think the critics are all wet about the Camry declining in quality, especially as concerns the fuel-efficient four-cylinder version, which is what most shoppers want these days. I recently test-drove the four-cylinder '09 Camry LE under all kinds of conditions, and I can find very little to criticize about the car. The Camry was completely redesigned for the '07 model year and has remained largely unchanged since then. It certainly isn't exciting to look at. But for what it is—an affordable family sedan designed to appeal to Middle American tastes—the Camry is still a flawlessly executed vehicle.

Of course, you can't tell much about a car's long-term reliability from a one-week test drive. But if the Camry were really in trouble, its resale value would be plunging, something J.D. Power & Associates sees no sign of. In fact, the Camry continues to hold its value at least as well as Honda's (HMC) Accord (BusinessWeek.com, 11/19/07). For instance, in the first quarter of 2006, the '05 Camry had a resale value of $17,864, vs. $20,539 for the '05 Accord, J.D Power says. The '05 Accord was more valuable because its original average price was higher. But since then, the '05 Accord's resale value has fallen faster than the Camry's, dropping 24.2%, to $15,571, compared with only a 17.5% drop, to $14,739, for the '05 Camry, J.D. Power figures. (Like BusinessWeek.com, J.D. Power & Associates is a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies (MHP).)

There are early signs that the redesigned '07 Camry and Accord are reversing roles, with the Camry costing more initially and losing value a bit more quickly. Since the third quarter of 2006, the value of the '07 Camry has fallen by 18.2%, from $23,036 to $19,070, while the '07 Accord's resale price dropped 17.2%, from $22,750 to $18,839. But J.D. Power says the numbers may be skewed because the '07 Camry came out earlier than the '07 Accord. The Accord also was redesigned the following year. My take: Even if the Camry only matches the Accord on resale value, that's still terrific.

For the rest of the article;

http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/aug2008/bw20080815_802849.htm?autos+product+review

Supercar Being Built out of WOOD, no, Seriously....

This is interesting, a NC State graduate student Joe Harmon is building a 240 mph Supercar out of wood. He is far from finished, but the finished product will look like the above photo.

Anyway, here's the guys blog link with his official site below;
http://joeharmon.blogspot.com/
http://www.joeharmondesign.com/

Even More Pic's of the 2009 Honda City (again, not for north america)

Just some more pic's of basically a Fit sedan with the FCX front end. Looks really nice, but with how well the Civic and the Fit sell here in North America, I think that there'd be alot of 'self-cannabalization' within the lineup.

Source;
http://www.burlappcars.com/2008/08/honda-city.html

Honda FIT Hybrid Not Coming to North America

Over the past year, Honda officials have spoken extensively about plans for hybrid vehicles to be added to the lineup. Starting next spring, a new hybrid-only five door hatchback that looks like a scaled down version of the FCX Clarity will debut at a price expected to be less than $19,000. That will be followed by a second dedicated hybrid coupe based on the CR-Z concept. The Civic hybrid will also be staying in the U.S. lineup. What U.S. buyers won't be getting is a fourth model that has been mentioned by CEO Takeo Fukui. Honda will add its IMA hybrid system to the Fit, but only for the Japanese market. During the recent media drive of the new 2009 Fit, I asked spokesman Sage Marie when the Fit hybrid would be arriving. Marie explained that because of supply constraints of the Fit, there were no current plans to bring the hybrid model to the U.S. Much like the MINI Cooper D that is already selling at capacity, Honda is selling every existing Fit it can get, and adding another variant wouldn't likely help the business case. American buyers have shown a preference for a dedicated hybrid and Honda plans to attack that segment with two new cars in 2009.

Source; (Honda)
http://www.autobloggreen.com/2008/08/22/honda-fit-hybrid-not-coming-to-the-us/

2009 Honda Pilot EX-L Review

Found a nice article on the new 2009 Honda Pilot EX-L, so, here it is;

By William C Montgomery
August 4, 2008

Growing up, I thought the Porsche 911 was hideous. Its bug eyes and lumpy lines made me wonder if the designer had accidentally knocked modeling clay off his drafting table and submitted the splatter. This notion persisted until I drove one. Some 130 mph later, I considered the 911 the most beautiful automotive form on earth. Driving the all-new 2009 Honda Pilot EX-L kinda sorta triggered the same type of perceptual realignment. Call it Zen and the art of "challenging" design.

That's not to say I hated the new Pilot's looks at first glance. The effete minivan-ish look of the first generation CUV needed beefing-up more than an anorexic body-builder. So I was ready for something radical. And boy, did I get it. The new Pilot's grill "features" a thick chrome double-D rotated 90-degrees to the right; an affectation that's more Tranformers than transformative. The Pilot's rear end demonstrates the classic SUV refrigerator-on-wheels look, easily confused with the new Liberty (sans trapezoidal wheel wells). Taken as a whole, the new Pilot is like the big-boned girl that people can't decide whether she's an ugly duckling or the next "it" girl (I'm looking at you Scarlet Johansson).

The Pilot might not have turned out exactly as Honda's chief designer Dave Marek intended, but the look certainly projects greater solidity and presence than it's predecessor. Stylistically, the new Pilot harks back to a simpler time, when real men (and their wives) drove SUVs [kidding-ish]. If you think that the new Toyota Highlander looks like a contemporary example of Japanese design running awry of American taste, and that futuristic CUV's such as the Ford Edge and Mazda CX-9 look more at home on the cover of a Journey album than rolling around U.S. highways, they you'll find Pilot's masculine simplicity a step in the right direction. If not, not.

The Pilot's inner confines are free from the pseudo-luxury pretenses that afflict nearly every other car on the road. Aside from the cowhide pulled tight over seats and steering wheel, all surfaces are fashioned from easy-to-clean durable plastic. These are not brittle poor-quality polymers masquerading as chrome or wood, but proud durable materials that know that their primary role is to serve families with messy kids.

The Pilot's front seats are comfortable and supportive enough for non-track trekking. The second and third rows are little more than padded benches that fold flat. Kids are cool, but the Geneva Convention specifically prohibits adults from extended tours of duty. Parents that don't pony-up for the Touring Edition with satellite navigation still avoid smushed tikes and trikes via the Pilot's rearview backup camera, with a display conveniently located in the rear view mirror.

The '09 Pilot's handling dynamics now boast contemporary car-like excellence. Soccer moms and suburban dads can now schlep kids to school, fetch groceries and commute to work without wrestling with the tiller. The base Pilot's tendency to torque steer, introduced when Honda deleted all wheel-drive (in pursuit of mpg), hasn't been eliminated. But drivers are now unlikely to push the engine above 4800 rpm, where the twist wreaked havoc with the FWD model's steering. By 5500 rpm, the power steering boosts to counteract the torque, and all steering feedback blacks out.

As you'd expect, Honda told their engineers to preserve the Pilot's performance while squeezing more fuel economy from the package. The '09 Pilot is powered by a new 3.5-Liter 24-Valve SOHC i-VTEC V-6 engine that's good for an adequate (i.e. faint praise) 250hp and 253 lb-ft torque. The minor power increase offsets the new truck's extra 84 lbs. (about two percent more), keeping the horsepower-to-weight ratio nearly identical to the outgoing model. In real world driving, anyone familiar with the old Pilots won't discern any difference.

The powerplant features Honda's improved Variable Cylinder Management system (previously only available on the FWD Pilots). While the resulting 17/22 mpg might make Civic drivers cringe, according to the fine folks at the EPA the system delivers up to seven percent better fuel economy in town and 10 percent on the highway. At the least the bump removes a psychological barrier for re-upping Pilots.

The Honda Pilot may not have hardcore towing or off-road ‘wheeling machine skills, but it can do both in a limited capacity. It's best to simply think of the Pilot as a slightly larger eight-passenger version of Honda's excellent CR-V. Rock solid. Safe. Unpretentious. Practical. Reliable. Zen for families that appreciate the finer points of basic transportation.

Source;
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2009-honda-pilot-ex-l-review-take-2/

2010 Honda Civic Hatchback for UK Rendering

Bold Honda takes cues from ExCeL star and there's a Hybrid model and Type R on the way, too

The new Honda Civic is here – and yet again it’s set to break the mould in the family hatchback sector! These exclusive shots show how the next car will look when it hits the showroom in 2010, and as you can see, the Japanese maker has opted for a shape that is even bolder and more individual than the current model.

With Vauxhall set to launch a stylish new Astra, and the next, sleek Ford Focus due in 2010, competition is fierce – but Honda has pulled out the stops to create a real stunner. As revealed in Issue 1,023, the OSM concept seen at the British Motor Show was more than simply an ‘Open Study Model’ – as the face of the new Civic is almost identical.

There are hints of VW’s IROC concept, which was toned down to become the Scirocco, in the gaping front grille. The new hatchback adds elements carried over from the current Civic, too, most notably the trademark single strip light cluster at the rear. But Honda fans will note that the split rear screen has been dropped to improve visibility. Shallow glass areas, broad shoulders and a nose-down stance give this three-door model a sporty and purposeful look.

The hatchback ‘coupé’ pictured here will be aimed at younger buyers, who want style and image more than outright practicality. So, as well as big alloys and a contrasting black bodykit, the three-door gets lowered suspension and a dark interior with deeply sculpted seats.

The three-door will be distinct from the five, as Honda adopts an approach similar to the Renault Mégane by pitching the two cars at different buyers. So, the five-door will be more for the family, with a taller roofline offering plenty of space, a bigger boot, plus a softer ride and handling balance.

Here's the rest of the article;

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/autoexpressnews/226578/new_civic_revealed.html

09 Honda City Spied in China

Again, there are no plans of bringing this slightly bigger version of the FIT in a sedan form to North America, but it will sell in the UK, Japan, and elsewhere. Looks alot like a BMW from the back end.

Source;
http://paultan.org/archives/2008/08/19/new-2009-honda-city-spotted-in-china/

Autoblog Green's 1st drive of the 2009 FIT

When Honda introduced the first generation Fit to the North American market in mid-2006, its timing couldn't have been better. The entry level hatchback appeared just as fuel prices in the U.S. were heading skyward. Ever since then, the Fit has been selling as fast as Honda can bring them in from Japan. The Fit (or Jazz as its known in some markets) debuted in 2001 and the second-generation model went on sale in Japan last fall. Honda showed the new U.S.-spec Fit at the New York Auto Show last spring and we had our first opportunity to drive it on the roads north of Ann Arbor MI last week.

As is typically the case with new models, the updated Fit has grown a bit (about 4 inches in overall length) but it's only about 44 lbs heavier than the outgoing model. Also in the usual fashion, Honda strove to increase the refinement of the Fit while not losing any of the fun-loving qualities of the original. In the process, Honda has had to deal with rising raw material and shipping costs while keeping the price from getting out of hand. Read on to find out if the spiritual descendants of Soichiro Honda have succeeded.

The debut of the modern MINI earlier this decade clearly demonstrated that a small, fuel efficient car didn't have to be a cheap, plasticy, under-performing penalty box from which to suffer your commuting activities. The MINI's BMW origins, however, meant that it was a bit on the pricey side as well as having a minuscule back seat. The arrival of the Fit on our shores took those same driving qualities but added a more reasonable price and vastly more space for occupants. The Fit is taller and longer than the MINI, but smaller than cars like the Nissan Versa and Ford Focus.

The original Fit was designed well before Honda decided to bring the car to North America, so it didn't incorporate much in way of U.S. demands. Nonetheless, in its first two years on the market, American drivers took to the Fit and Honda sold as many as they could bring in from Japan. Besides its capabilities on the road and fuel efficiency, features like the rear Magic Seats and cargo space also contributed to its popularity. For the second generation Honda wanted to build on what made the original a hot seller without diluting any of those properties.

Here is a link to the rest of the article;
http://www.autobloggreen.com/2008/08/19/abg-first-drive-2009-honda-fit-sport/

2009 Honda Civic Lineup Receives New Exterior Styling; Available Technology Features Now Include Bluetooth HandsFreeLink and USB Audio Interface

Here is another Honda Press Release to compliment my previous posts, again, some of this won't make it's way to Canada, like the Navigation, but most of this info will apply.

08/19/2008 - TORRANCE, Calif. -

The Honda Civic is enhanced inside and out for 2009 with new exterior styling, colors and available tech-friendly features like Bluetooth® HandsFreeLink® and a USB Audio Interface 1. An exclusively-equipped Civic LX-S Sedan debuts with alloy wheels and sportier interior styling. A new Civic DX Value Package (DX-VP) Sedan builds on the Civic DX Sedan's standard features by adding air conditioning and an audio system.

"The Civic lineup uniquely embraces traditional gasoline, hybrid, high performance and natural gas technologies like no other vehicle in the world," said Dick Colliver, executive vice president of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. "The exterior styling enhancements and newly-available features help strengthen Civic's position as one of the best-selling vehicles in a market that's embracing small cars more than ever."

All 2009 Civic sedan and coupe models boast redesigned exterior styling features, including a new front bumper cover and grille design and new headlight and taillight color combinations, featuring clear turn indicator lenses with amber bulbs. New alloy wheel designs are introduced on the Civic EX, Civic EX-L and Civic Si models, along with the addition of fog lamps for the Civic Si model.

Interior enhancements come by way of technology-friendly additions. Bluetooth® HandsFreeLink® is added to Navigation-equipped models and a USB Audio Interface added to Civic EX, EX-L, Hybrid and Si models. The Civic Hybrid gains the option of leather-trimmed seating surfaces with heated front seats and side mirrors. Additionally, new cloth materials and patterns on seats, door linings and armrests (when equipped) have been updated to further enhance the interior's look and feel.

New for 2009, Vehicle Stability Assist™ (VSA®), also known as electronic stability control, is now standard on the Civic EX-L and Civic Hybrid, in addition to the Civic Si. The entire line-up maintains a standard array of safety technologies including Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure; side curtain airbags; driver's and front passenger's side airbags with a passenger-side Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS); and dual-stage, dual-threshold driver's and front passenger's airbags (SRS). Active front seat head restraints are designed to help reduce the likelihood of neck injury in the event of a rear collision. Standard active safety features include an anti-lock brake system (ABS) and electronic brake distribution, front seatbelts with an automatic tensioning system, and a pedestrian injury mitigation design incorporated into the front exterior of the vehicle. Driver and front passenger seatbelt reminders and daytime running lights are also standard equipment.

Four engine and four transmission choices range from a 140-horsepower, 1.8-liter i-VTEC engine (Civic DX, DX-VP, LX, EX and EX-L), with either a 5-speed manual or an available 5-speed automatic transmission, to a 197-horsepower, 2.0-liter i-VTEC engine (Civic Si) with a 6-speed manual transmission. The Civic Hybrid is powered by a 1.3-liter i-VTEC engine with Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) gasoline-electric hybrid technology to enhance both fuel economy and performance, and is equipped with a continuously variable transmission. The Civic GX is powered by a dedicated natural gas version of the Civic's 1.8-liter i-VTEC engine - and is equipped with a 5-speed automatic transmission. Both Civic Hybrid and Civic GX are classified as Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emissions Vehicles (AT-PZEV) by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). The Civic GX is classified by the EPA as an Inherently Low Emissions Vehicle (ILEV).

Built on a high-rigidity unit-body platform, the Civic is designed to deliver precise, sharp and refined handling performance with its MacPherson strut front suspension and multi-link rear suspension.

The Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System2, available on Civic EX, EX-L, Si and Hybrid models, has a 6.5-inch motorized display that opens and closes for access to the internal single-disc CD player, and a digital audio-card reader that can play MP3 and Windows Media®3 Audio (WMA) files from CompactFlash®4 cards (via a PC card adapter). The navigation system features more than 7 million points of interest and the voice activation can control the navigation menus and the audio system, along with entering city and street names. New for 2009, the system includes Bluetooth HandsFreeLink, a wireless telephone interface that works with Bluetooth-enabled mobile telephones for hands-free operation via steering wheel-mounted controls.

Auxiliary audio input jacks are standard equipment on Civic LX and above trim levels and allow for portable music device playback through the audio system. The Civic LX Coupe has a six-speaker 160-watt audio system with a CD player (four speakers for the LX sedan). All audio systems are capable of playing MP3 and WMA formatted CDs. Standard Speed-sensitive Volume Control (SVC) automatically adjusts the volume based on vehicle speed. Audio displays include CD/MP3 text readout, and all coupes (except for the DX) plus the Civic Si Sedan provide a customizable welcome screen (exclusively on models without the available navigation system).

Here is a link to the rest of the spec's, which is nothing new from the 2008's;

http://www.hondanews.com/categories/1097/releases/4686

All-New 2009 Honda Fit Big on Style and Refinement, Small on Price and Fuel Consumption

Here is the press release from Honda News, this is for the US, but with the exception of the Navigation, almost all of it applies to us in Canada.

08/19/2008 - TORRANCE, Calif. -

The completely-redesigned 2009 Honda Fit is set to go on sale August 26 with a Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) starting at $14,550, plus a destination and handling charge of $670, American Honda Motor Co., Inc., announced today. The Fit Sport, equipped with additional premium features, is also set to debut with a starting MSRP2 of $16,060, plus destination and handling.

The Fit is designed to lead the subcompact segment with a quality feel and a multi-functional interior. The Fit has become more refined for 2009 with a sportier demeanor through improved suspension, steering and body rigidity enhancements; an improved rear Magic Seat®; and a high level of standard safety equipment, including the addition of the Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure and front seat active head restraints. A new, more powerful 117-horsepower, 1.5-liter i-VTEC 4-cylinder engine further improves the Fit's high-revving, fun-to-drive character.

"With the all-new Fit, Honda is offering premium features and advanced technology within a high-function, small vehicle package," said Dick Colliver, executive vice president of American Honda. "Customers who choose the Fit are choosing superior refinement and premium quality, along with value and economy."

Dimensionally compact on the outside with an overall length of 161.6 inches, the interior provides a surprisingly spacious passenger volume of 90.8 cubic feet and a rear cargo volume of 20.6 cubic feet. The seats offer multiple seating and cargo-carrying configurations - tall object mode, long object mode and utility mode - in addition to the standard five-passenger mode.

An improved rear Magic Seat provides one-motion dive-down functionality without having to remove the rear seat head restraints to folds flat into the floor, creating a rear cargo volume of 57.3 cubic feet. Dual-stage, dual-threshold front airbags, dual front-side airbags with passenger-side Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS) and side-curtain airbags are standard equipment on all models.

The engine produces 117 horsepower at 6600 rpm and 106 lb-ft. of torque at 4800 rpm. A 5-speed manual transmission is standard and a 5-speed automatic transmission is available. Steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters allow for manual gear selection on the Fit Sport equipped with the available automatic transmission. The Fit equipped with the available automatic transmission achieves an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) city/highway fuel economy rating1 of 28/35 miles per gallon. The Fit with a manual transmission and Fit Sport with either a manual or the available automatic transmission achieve an EPA city/highway fuel economy rating1 of 27/33 miles per gallon.

The Fit comes with standard amenities such as air conditioning, an AM/FM/CD audio system with four speakers, MP3/WMA playback capability, Radio Data System (RDS), auxiliary audio input jack, power windows, power mirrors and power door locks. The Fit Sport adds alloy wheels, an underbody aero kit, rear roofline spoiler, fog lights, security system with keyless remote entry and cruise control. The Fit Sport audio system provides six speakers, a five-mode equalizer and a USB Audio Interface .

For the first time, the Fit is available with the Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System with Voice Recognition on the Fit Sport, featuring a 6.5-inch screen and more than 7 million points of interest. Models equipped with the navigation system also include Vehicle Stability Assist™ (VSA®), also known as electronic stability control.

The front MacPherson strut suspension and torsion beam rear suspension settings are tuned to provide a sporty, solid and dynamic driving experience. Upgraded by 1-inch on each model, larger 15- and 16-inch wheels (Fit and Fit Sport respectively) are shod with 175/65 R15 84S (Fit) and 185/55 R16 83H (Fit Sport) tires. The standard anti-lock braking system (ABS) with electronic brake distribution (EBD) uses 10.3-inch ventilated discs in the front and 7.9-inch drums in the rear.

Here is the link, look along the right side and you'll see more images;

http://www.hondanews.com/categories/1097/releases/4690