Honda EV-N Concept tucks U3-X personal transporter inside door

Thanks for the tip Chris!
Look, we admit it: Honda's U3-X unicycle gave us a bit of a chuckle when we first peeped the video last week. Now look at this, just look at it! Not only does the Honda EV-N Concept steal all the best retro styling from the classic Fiat 500 (or Honda 600 closer to home), it also integrates the miniscule U3-X electric transporter directly into its passenger door frame -- adding an additional 22-pounds, at least, in the process. Oh, and this little guy's electric with a solar roof panel. The EV-N will makes its debut at the Tokyo Motor Show next month where we hope to give it a great big hug just for showing up. A few more pics after the break, fully gallery just beyond that read link.

Source;
http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/30/honda-ev-n-concept-tucks-u3-x-personal-transporter-inside-door/

09 Tokyo Auto Show Preview: Honda EV-N

The EV-N Concept is part of a larger display called the “HELLO!” (Honda Electric mobility Loop) display, where Honda will be showcasing a total “ecosystem” of mobility products. You have products that supply electricity, vehicles that run on electricity and products with innovative electronic technologies.
There will be solar panels that supply electricity and battery electric vehicle that emit zero emissions in use. The HELLO showcase is pretty much a preview of the potential of a low-carbon society of the future of course centered around Honda products. In addition, each HELLO! vehicle features communication technologies that showcase fun ways in which mobility devices can interact with people and society.

Source;

http://paultan.org/2009/09/30/ev-n-concept-hondas-retro-styled-electric-car/#ixzz0Sb990Wbo

09 Tokyo Auto Show Preview: Honda SKYDECK Concept

Apart from releasing images and details of the CR-Z Concept 2009, Honda has also revealed that it will showcase an MPV concept, called the Honda Skydeck at the next month’s Tokyo Motor Show. Just like the CR-Z, this concept is also powered by a hybrid drivetrain. We don’t have details regarding the drive system, but we do know that the battery pack is placed somewhere within the centre console, instead of mounting it beneath the rear floor.

As you can see, the concept MPV features scissor doors upfront and has sliding rear doors. It has a third seating row, thus it can comfortably seat six. Another interesting feature it has, are second row seats that can slide forward, and under the front seats.

Source;

http://www.icars.sg/2009/9332/honda-skydeck-mpv-concept-to-make-appearance-at-the-tokyo-motor-show/

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

Well here is Honda's concept lineup for the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show.

Honda CR-Z Concept (Above)

Honda Skydeck Concept (above)

Honda FCX Clarity (Above)

Honda EV-N Concept (Above)Honda ACTY Truck Concept (Above)

Honda Motor Co., Ltd. has announced its lineup of production and concept-model automobiles, motorcycles, power products and other highlights for its display at the 41st Tokyo Motor Show 2009. Organised by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, the event will take place at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan, between 24th October and 4th November.

Covering the largest floor area of any single brand at the show, the Honda stand combines automobiles, motorcycles, power products and other highlights to present the distinctive world of Honda mobility. Driven by dreams and passion, and with the stand concept of "Creating the never before!" Honda strived to propose attractive products that please and amaze its customers.

Honda's automobile exhibit will present a variety of environmentally responsible approaches to mobility, including hybrid vehicles, a fuel cell electric vehicle and a battery electric vehicle. The display will also highlight models with innovative packaging and enhanced driving performance that communicate the enjoyment an automobile can provide.

With the motorcycle display, Honda offers products which are filled with creativity and dreams and create new value to further broaden the potential of motorcycles. The motorcycles on display range from large-displacement sports bikes that offer new riding pleasure to compact commuter models powered by electricity.

Also on display are butane gas canister-powered power products, as well as a new personal mobility device which was developed based on the concept of "harmony with people."

The display zone named "HELLO!" (Honda Electric mobility Loop) will feature a comprehensive display of electricity-based products, including products that supply electricity, vehicles that run on electricity and products with innovative electronic technologies.

Outline of Honda stand exhibition

HELLO! Zone

The HELLO! (Honda Electric mobility Loop) Zone will provide a comprehensive display of Honda's electromotive technologies, including automobiles, motorcycles, power products, and more-everything from products that supply electricity to products that incorporate electronic technologies. By linking solar panels that supply electricity with battery electric vehicles that emit zero CO2 in use, Honda envisions the low-carbon society of the near future. In addition, each HELLO! vehicle features interactive communication technologies that showcase the fun ways in which mobility devices can interact with people and society. On display will be the FCX CLARITY, a fuel cell electric vehicle that runs on the electricity it produces from hydrogen; the EV-N battery electric vehicle; the EV-Cub electric motorcycle; the EV-MONPAL electric personal mobility device; the new U3-X, a one-wheel personal mobility device that uses balance control technology that was developed through the ASIMO bipedal humanoid robot; and LOOP, a portable communication tool that allows people and mobility devices to communicate with each other.

Automobiles

The automobile display will focus on hybrid vehicles, which Honda believes offer one of the most practical means of addressing environmental concerns at the present time. Joining the Insight, which has been very well received since its release in Japan in February 2009, will be the CR-Z Concept 2009, a hybrid with a new sense and feel, making its world premiere, and the SKYDECK, an innovative six-passenger, multi-purpose hybrid vehicle. Other models on display are the all-new STEP WGN and STEP WGN SPADA (both scheduled for introduction in Japan in October 2009), which feature innovative packaging to expand the joy of using automobiles, and the all-new CIVIC TYPE R EURO (scheduled for introduction in Japan in November 2009), which captures the joy of driving, discovered and refined on European roads.

Source (with more info.);

http://www.hondanews.eu/en/news/index.pmode/modul,detail,0,1264-DEFAULT,21,text,1/index.pmode

Charting the Changes into the 2010 Honda CRV for Canada

Well, here are the changes/additions to the trim levels on the CRV.
Source;
Honda Canada

Honda Tuning: 1965 Honda S600 Roadster - Vintage Level

Piecing Together Honda's History
By Rodrez
Photography by Rodrez
Scott King's '65 S600 Roadster & S600 Coupe
As most Honda enthusiasts know, in 1999 Honda introduced the S2000 convertible in celebration of their 50th anniversary. The sporty roadster created a worldwide buzz, with many calling it an instant classic. What many don't know is that Honda had already created a topless roadster, some 35 years earlier.

In the late '50s, it was the Japanese government that dictated which companies would be allowed to produce cars, as well as what types of cars they'd be able to build. Rather than compete with current automakers' model types, Soichiro Honda set out to create a car that would inspire a new demand for something different. His theory would prove invaluable, as it caused quite a stir when the S360 was finally introduced to Japanese dealers. Usually reserved for emergency vehicles, the new offering was unveiled in a bright red hue that demanded attention. Though the S360 was never put into production, its predecessor, the S500, was available for purchase in Japan. In 1964, the S600 Roadster went into full production, and was made available in Europe, Australia, and Canada. As with many great Hondas, the U.S. market would never see the S600.

The S600 Roadster
Scott King of Palm Springs, CA, has always been a Honda fan. In fact, his first car, a '72 N600, was one of the first Hondas ever available in the U.S. "When I was just a kid, my older brother's friend Greg spent a dollar on a raffle ticket and was the lucky winner of a brand new yellow N600. I was always fascinated by that car and continue to be to this day," he recalls. In May of 1995, King received word from a friend that a 1965 S600, in dire need of a full restoration, was calling his name from Pennsylvania. Most likely a Canadian model due to the left hand drive configuration, the car was quickly purchased, and it, along with all of its miscellaneous pieces strewn about in various sized boxes, was shipped to a friend's shop in New York. After some slight adjustments, the car fired up on the first try, even after being stored for over fourteen years. The car was shipped home to California where it would spend the next four years being painstakingly brought back to showroom condition. Parts had to be sourced through Honda gurus and newfound "S" friends that might offer a piece here, or a part there. In order to get into every nook and cranny, the chassis was separated from the body for the rebuild. Koni adjustable shocks replaced the outdated stockers, and while the body received a fresh white coat, the entire frame was expertly powdercoated.

With the exterior up to par, attention was turned to the daunting task of completing the interior. A previous owner had re-covered most of the cabin, and King felt that a red interior was the only option for this classic Honda. Right hand drive S600 dashes are scarce, and left hand drive S600 dashes are essentially non-existent. A specialist was hired to recreate the original dash and preserve the car's authentic feel. In late 2002, after years of searching, waiting, and countless hours of wrenching, King's '65 S600 was finally complete, and ready for the road. He adds "It's really hard to believe that this was once just a rusty heap. I had a lot of fun and frustration restoring the car, made a lot of new friends and learned many new things. But to be honest, I wouldn't say I was itching to start a similar project any time soon." Famous last words.

For the rest of the article, follow this link (more pic's too);
http://www.hondatuningmagazine.com/features/htup_0910_1965_honda_s600_roadster/japanese_classic_car.html

Honda Japan Releases Two New CR-V Modulo Kits

Only available in Japan, here are two new Modulo Kits for the Honda CR-V. Nothing impressive but just enough to give your CR-V the perfect “bad-boy” attitude that many of you, yeah I am talking to you, dream of.The kit includes a new front bumper (two different models), a set of two different side skits and a rear bumper.

Source;
http://www.nihoncar.com/en/news-1145-Honda+Japan+Releases+Two+New+CR-V+Modulo+Kits.html

Car and Driver: 2009 Honda Fit Sport Automatic - Short Take Road Test

Kind of a backhanded complimented article, but a good read none the less....

2009 Honda Fit Sport Automatic - Short Take Road Test

The best cheap automatic, period.
BY DAVID GLUCKMAN, PHOTOGRAPHY BY PATRICK M. HOEY September 2009

When people ask us for car-buying advice, we invariably throw our most recent January issue at them and point to the 10Best Cars list. There may be an annoyed grunt thrown in there somewhere. This reaction comes not because we don’t like talking to people about cars, but instead because they likely won’t listen to us anyway, and the one week we spend each year selecting these cars is enough work without later having to explain the results to friends and family who have inexplicably failed to subscribe to our magazine or read our interweb bleating.

We mention this as we’re preparing to once again head back to the back roads to reselect our qualified top-10 roster. For three years running, the cheapest vehicle on our list has been the Honda Fit, and so it follows that it is the best cheap car. But does it still satisfy when made slower and slightly more expensive by way of an automatic transmission?

How Much Slower, You Ask?
When we got the acceleration test results, they were all positive. That’s positive in a bad way, as in “We’re sorry, Mr. Gluckman, but the test came back positive.” With the Sport automatic, the sprint to 60 took an extra 1.4 seconds (9.9 vs. 8.5) and the quarter-mile was accomplished 1.0 second slower (17.6 vs. 16.6) at a lower speed (79 mph vs. 83). Skidpad grip and braking performance from 70 mph were basically unchanged.

Quantifiables aside, the Fit Sport’s auto is as good a unit as anyone could expect from a car of such economical purpose, with crisp shifts when the lever is in D as well as S (for Sport) mode.

The Sport’s wheel-mounted paddles allow full manual operation and the ability to hold a cog right up to the 6800-rpm redline; D and S will shift at 6500 rpm, just shy of the power peak.

Unlike some other manufacturers’ sporty shift modes, this transmission’s will stay way down in third when fifth would be Drive’s choice. It will also accept multiple shift requests in succession, while even some of Mercedes’ AMG transmissions require a beat between paddle thwaps. The auto’s loss of gusto isn’t unnoticeable, but the engaging qualities of this slushbox manage to retain most of the funky Fit’s fun nature.

Two Kinds of Economy
Interestingly, the Fit Sport auto is rated at the same 27 mpg city/33 highway as are manual Fits, while the plain, non-Sport auto is rated at 28/35, so there’s a small sacrifice for the fun and control of the Sport’s shift mapping. We managed 28 mpg with this example, and have previously milked 31 mpg out of a manual model.

As for the reduction in cheapness, the basic auto tacks $850 onto the bill, but to get the S mode and manual paddles you have to opt for the Sport trim, itself an additional $1560 expenditure. (Sport also adds such necessities as keyless entry, cruise control, two more speakers for the stereo, and a USB audio interface, plus aesthetic niceties like a hatch spoiler, body kit, and chrome exhaust tip; the chef recommends.) Our top-spec model also bundled navigation with stability and traction control—the only way to get that safety tech is to get nav—for an additional $1850. Even once it’s all summed up, you still can’t order a Fit from the factory for more than $20K, although dealer accessories like floor mats (all models come bereft of them) and wheels can take you past that mark.

We’d certainly recommend the manual Fit first, for the obvious enthusiast reasons. But as far as cheap cars go, the Fit Sport automatic offers the best manual substitute for commuters or the clutch-averse. So if you’re one of our friends and want new-car advice, there it is—just try not to be offended if we throw a magazine at you.

Source;
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/car/09q3/2009_honda_fit_sport_automatic-short_take_road_test

Honda Wins 2009 Grove Medal For FCX Clarity Fuel Cell Technology

At the 11th Grove Fuel Cell Symposium in London Honda received the prestigious Grove Medal in recognition of the FCX Clarity hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle.

The FCX Clarity has 2-3 times better fuel economy than its petrol equivalent and 1.5 times that of a petrol-electric hybrid. In addition to this excellent fuel economy the FCX Clarity produces no harmful gases, its only emission is water. The FCX Clarity is also a practical car with room for four people and luggage and it is ready for use on the road.

The award was accepted by Yuji Kawaguchi, Managing Director of Honda R&D Ltd. On accepting the award he commented; "We are honoured to accept this medal. At Honda we believe that the automobile holds the potential for limitless dreams and excitement in the future. The FCX Clarity represents the beginning of that future. We hope you will continue to look to Honda with anticipation and we will continue to strive to become a company that society wants to exist. " Honda was chosen for the award by the Grove Symposium Steering Committee. Each individual Committee member proposes one or more possible candidates for the Medal. They must write a supporting case detailing the scientific breakthrough and innovation of the particular development and its importance for the fuel cell industry. They also consider other developments or breakthroughs carried out by the individual or company and their ongoing commitment to fuel cells. The candidates are then discussed in turn in the following Committee meeting and a vote is taken. A clear majority is required to award the medal. Honda's FCX Clarity scored very highly in all categories. The Grove Committee made the following comments regarding Honda's achievement: "Honda's commitment to fuel cells has been evident for a long time. The FCX Clarity shows not only scientific breakthrough but also styling that has captured the public imagination, and Honda's move to small-scale automated production marks a watershed in the introduction of fuel cell vehicles. The Grove Committee was unanimous in its choice and is delighted to present this year's medal to Honda."

Source;
http://www.voxy.co.nz/business/honda-wins-2009-grove-medal-fcx-clarity-fuel-cell-technology/5/25324

(Honda CrossTour) Crossover raises Honda profile

The tall-wagon crossover segment is starting to get crowded....

2010 Honda Accord CrossTour

2010 Acura ZDX

BMW ActiveHybrid X6

Toyota Venza

Based on Accord chassis, Ohio-built vehicle to arrive soon

Honda is joining the growing list of manufacturers introducing sport-utility vehicles that look like sedans or sport coupes, which, remembering a certain American Motors vehicle of the 1980s, isn't an entirely new concept.

The crossover sedan from Honda, called the Accord Crosstour, arrives this fall and will be built on the chassis of the Accord sedan. The vehicle will be built at the East Liberty, Ohio, assembly plant.

A similar sedan-crossover model was introduced last fall by Toyota as the Venza, and a higher-end model with the same design arrives later this year from Acura, Honda's luxury brand. That vehicle is the ZDX, which essentially is an upscale version of the Crosstour.

BMW introduced the similar X6 crossover sedan for 2008, which has the same design concept but a much higher price - ranging into the mid-$60,000s.

Honda's Crosstour looks a lot like a four-door hatchback version of the Accord, but it also bears some resemblance to the AMC Eagle of the mid-1980s, which some say was the first crossover utility vehicle (defined as a cross between a car and an SUV).

I tested one of the AMC Eagles in 1985 and thought it was a pretty decent vehicle until I got it stuck up to its frame in the sand outside of Phoenix. It had tricked me into thinking that with its fourwheel drive, the Eagle could take on the desert just like a Jeep CJ.

But I forgot about the need for large tires and low-range gearing, neither of which was offered on the Eagle.

Likewise, the crossover sedans we're seeing on the market today aren't sandrunners, even when they're equipped with all-wheel drive.

Honda hasn't said yet whether the Crosstour will be offered with all-wheel drive, but early reports hint that it will be available. Even if it is, the system won't have the traditional low-range gearing of true off-road vehicles, and it certainly won't be capable of serious trail riding.

It will have both a higher profile and more ground clearance than the typical sedan, in keeping with its crossover utility vehicle design. Standard will be front-wheel drive.

"Our concept is to broaden the appeal of the Accord lineup by leveraging traditional Accord strengths of fun-to-drive performance and handling while also adapting to dramatic shifts in the light-truck marketplace," American Honda Motor Co. Vice President said Erik Berkman, American Honda Motor Co. vice president.

The roofline curves down to the rear bumper, unlike the boxy rear ends of traditional SUVs and most crossovers.

Despite the steeply raked roof, the Crosstour will have ample cargo space that can handle larger items that wouldn't fit in a sedan's trunk. The rear liftgate allows for easy loading of bulky items. The middle seat will have a fold-down design to expand the cargo area.

The driving position, higher than that of the typical sedan, is one of the features giving the Crosstour the feel of a utility vehicle.

"We know SUV buyers like the commanding view of the road that comes with a high eye-point, and (they) like the comforts of ... an SUV," Berkman said.

"This vehicle meets the needs of buyers looking for those attributes, yet (who) at the same time want an image that is different from a conventional SUV."

No prices have been announced yet, but the Crosstour will be positioned as the top of the Accord line when it goes on sale later this year, Honda said.

That should mean that the base price will be about $30,000, as prices for the 2010 Accord range from $20,905 to $31,155 (plus $710 freight).

Specifications and other details of the Crosstour have not been released, including what engine and transmission choices will be offered.

But the vehicle probably will be available with the same engines used in the Accord sedan. Those include a 190-horsepower, 2.4-liter fourcylinder and a 271-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6, which also is the engine offered in the Pilot, a crossover utility vehicle based on the Accord. Because the recent spikes in gasoline prices spurred consumer interest in the four-cylinder engines, Honda would be remiss not to offer a four in the Crosstour.

Although Honda offers five- and six-speed manual transmissions in the Accord, I would expect the Crosstour to be available only with an automatic.

Honda offers a five-speed automatic in the 2010 Accord, which probably will be the same transmission used in the Crosstour.

But Honda could take the 3.7-liter engine of the Acura ZDX, along with its new six-speed automatic transmission, and use those in the Crosstour. That engine also is used in the Acura MDX, which is a fancy version of the Pilot.

Both of these Acura models are based on the Accord chassis, as well.

The 3.7-liter engine turns out 300 horsepower and 270 foot-pounds of torque.

No fuel-economy ratings have been announced yet for the Crosstour. But the Accord with the four-cylinder engine and automatic transmission is rated at 21 mpg city/31 highway, while the V-6 model is rated at 19 city/29 highway.

The Pilot, with the V-6 engine and automatic transmission, has ratings of 17 city/23 highway when equipped with front-wheel drive and 16 city/22 highway with all-wheel drive.

Acura's new ZDX has ratings of 16 city/22 highway and comes only with allwheel drive.

Source;

http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2009/09/26/cars.html?sid=101

2010 Acura ZDX hits right notes despite styling compromises

By James R. Healey, USA TODAY

NEW YORK — Automakers say they are hearing this message from some important (well-heeled) shoppers: Give us the SUV's high seating position with such a nice view and handy cargo space and the foul-weather and bad-road capability that comes with all-wheel drive and ample ground clearance. But change the look, either to the mainstream appeal of a tailored sedan or the excitement of a sports coupe.

Replies so far include Toyota's Venza in the mainstream category and BMW's X6 in the coupe genre.

Come December, Honda's Acura luxury brand joins the fray with the 2010 ZDX.
PHOTOS/AUDIO: Acura ZDX with Healey's comments

Penned three years ago by Michelle Christensen — then 25, fresh out of design school and newly hired by Honda — ZDX's style is distinguished by a tucked and tailored roof covered in black glass panels and by rear-wheel bulges that would be striking even if the roof's taper did not accentuate them. It's three-dimensional drama. ZDX looks far less exciting in photos than on the road.

It's all but unique for a rookie designer to have sketches embraced by a car company and rendered almost literally.

ZDX is an Acura MDX crossover SUV underneath, though that's hard to believe because of the differences in looks, interiors and personalities. Same wheelbase and track width, similar suspension but retuned for ZDX, same engine. Transmission, developed for the ZDX, is shared, too, beginning with the 2010 MDX.

Acura views ZDX as a niche product: 6,000 sales the first year, maybe 10,000 in a hot year. Only way to make money on so few is such hardware sharing.

A morning in city traffic here, then a rural romp on parkways and lanes to the north, plus 250 hot-shoe highway miles back home to Virginia and a few more miles through suburban duty in two preproduction ZDXs left a crisp impression:

If you are willing to accept the compromises that come with the coupe styling — and coupes are all about style — ZDX is one terrific piece of work.

Acura says ZDX is meant not as a family vehicle, though it seats four or five adults. It's more for a couple with no kids at home and craving something exciting to see and drive. Able when necessary to tote back-seaters in relative comfort, but the front-seaters get the emphasis.

Compromises (as you'd find in any coupe, which typically is a two-door car with sleek styling):
•Awkward rear entry. There are back doors, but the low roofline means you'll duck and tuck like a suspect going into the back seat of a squad car.
Once in, leg and knee room are far better than suggested by the 31 inches of rear leg space in the specifications. That's due mainly to sculpting of the backs of the front seats. The curving roof, though, skirts the skull closely.
•Poor rear visibility. Fat rear roof pillars and a horizontal crossbar partway down the tailgate's glass panel mean you'll need the rear-view camera and the blind-spot warning system.
•Imperfect cargo space. To carry four golf bags, for instance, you remove side panels from the cargo area and put them under the cargo floor.

On the other hand, ZDX is:
•Exotic. That roofline, especially seen from above. And covering the roof in black glass, attached to a metal frame, is daring. On a black ZDX, the monochrome look is delectable.
A skylight covers both front and rear seats and includes a sliding sunroof over the front. The dashboard, including challenging convex surfaces, is covered in premium leather (inspired by leathered walls at the St. Regis hotel in San Francisco).
•Erotic. Dangerously close to a Cialis ad, Acura says ZDX is for couples who might like a weekend getaway to, uh, reconnect. Goes pretty much anywhere they'd like, any time they wish, Acura says.
The wide rear fenders are supposed to suggest wide, sexy shoulders, the automaker says, illustrating with a photo of a woman's shoulders graced only by narrow straps.
•Exciting. The 3.7-liter V-6 romps quickly up the rev range, catches a shrieking second wind between 4,000 and 5,000 rpm and the new-for-ZDX six-speed automatic snaps up to the next gear so quickly your senses almost don't notice.

The high-end model, Advance, has an adjustable suspension. The driver chooses "sport" for feisty moves or "comfort" when the road's a beast. Each setting automatically adjusts within a range. The test car with that system was a dream. Comfort was smooth, not sloppy; sport was firm, not harsh.

The less-than-handy configuration imposed by the dramatic style could be a turnoff, but those who can make allowances might find ZDX irresistible.

About the 2010 Acura ZDX
•What? Sleek, four-door, five-passenger, crossover SUV aimed at coupe lovers who don't need family-style passenger room but want the stance, capabilities of an SUV. To be marketed as a car but classed by the government as a truck.
•When? Mid-December.
•Where? Built at Alliston, Ontario.
•How much? Not set yet, but between the $41,000 MDX and $47,000 RL.
•What's the hardware? Acura MDX SUV chassis, retuned; 3.7-liter V-6 rated 300 horsepower at 6,300 rpm, 270 pounds-feet of torque at 4,500 rpm; new six-speed automatic; standard SH-AWD (Acura-speak for its performance-oriented "super-handling all-wheel drive); driver-selectable suspension (optional).

Rear camera with selectable views (normal, fish-eye, straight down); side-curtain air bags with separate chambers that inflate near the roof in the event of a rollover.

•How big? Midsize SUV outside, compact car inside. ZDX is 192.4 inches long, 78.5 in. wide, 62.8 in. tall on a 108.3-in. wheelbase. Passenger space is 91.2 cubic feet. Cargo space, 26.2 cu. ft. behind rear seat, 55.8 cu. ft. when the seat's folded.
Tows 1,500 lbs., weighs 4,424 lbs. to 4,462 lbs., depending on model.

•How thirsty? Rated 16 miles per gallon in town, 22 mpg on the highway, 18 mpg in combined city/highway driving.

Trip computers in the preproduction test vehicles showed 18.8 mpg and 19.8 mpg in two legs of brisk driving on rural parkways, 22 mpg in high-speed interstate highway driving, 14.2 mpg in spirited suburban use.

Burns premium, holds 21.7 gallons.

•Overall: Entertaining, exciting if judged (as Acura intends) as an all-weather, all-road sports sedan rather than as a family-oriented SUV.

Source;
http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/reviews/healey/2009-09-24-2010-acura-zdx_N.htm

Honda’s very own Segway: the U3-X

Both Honda and Toyota seem to be quite interested in producing Segway-like personal mobility devices for human usage. Toyota has the i-REAL, and this latest gadget from Honda is called the U3-X. It’s still a concept for now, a compact experimental device that fits between the rider’s legs, to provide free movement in all directions just as in human walking – forward, backward, side-to-side, and diagonally.

Honda’s balance control technology – gained from the robotics research of Honda’s bi-pedal ASIMO robot – enables the rider to control the U3-X by leaning his or her upper body to shift body weight. The U3-X moves via a wheel that Honda calls the Honda Omni Traction Drive System, or HOT Drive System. The letter U stands for “unicycle” and “universal”.

It enables movement in all directions, including not only forward and backward, but also directly to the right and left and diagonally. Basically you sit on it like a stool, and lean around to move. The height of the device is designed to enable the user to be placed roughly the same eye level as other people. Top speed isn’t much, considering your upright position perhaps it’s for the better. You can travel at speeds of up to 6km/h. The U3-X itself weighs less than 10kg, can run for an hour with a full charge, and uses a lithium ion battery.

The U3-X will be one of Honda’s exhibits at the 41st Tokyo Motor Show 2009 that will happen towards the end of October 2009. You can probably expect the new Honda boss Takanobu Ito to ride out onto the stage on one of these to deliver his opening speech.

Source with Video and more pics;
http://paultan.org/2009/09/24/hondas-very-own-segway-the-u3-x/#more-16335

For autos, ‘quality’ is in the eye of the beholder

Dependability may no longer just mean: Will the engine last?
By Dan Carney
updated 6:23 a.m. CT, Fri., Sept . 11, 2009

Is a bit of grimy brake dust on a car’s wheels as serious a quality defect as a blown engine? The widely respected J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study thinks so, rating cars’ dependability based on factors such as brake dust, wind noise and placement of radio knobs.

This may come as news to consumers who probably expect that “dependability” means what the industry refers to as “things gone wrong,” such as a blown engine, leaking transmission, or a heater that won’t.

As economic considerations encourage consumers to look harder at domestic brands they may have avoided in recent years, shoppers anxiously consult the myriad quality ratings available in an effort to avoid buying a lemon. But doing so can be so confusing that quality scores may not provide the desired assurance. Cars that score well on one rating fare poorly on another.

The issue here is what factors consumers think contribute to quality rankings, and what factors are actually used. Does having to hose off dusty wheels every so often really put a car’s reliability on the same level with another car that may have stranded its driver at the side of a dangerous highway with an engine failure?

“In our measure, brake dust is a thing gone wrong,” explained Dave Sargent, vice president of automotive research for J.D. Power and Associates. “The consumers who report this as a problem do believe this is a defect,” he said.

“They clearly consider it to be a quality problem in their definition, which might be different from an engineer's definition,” Sargent added.

“It is weighed the same as engine failure,” by J.D. Power’s dependability study, Sargent acknowledged.

Many different ratingsBut car shoppers looking at reliability ratings may expect that a top rating means that the car doesn’t break and that a low rating indicates that a door is apt to fall off.

Adding to the confusion is the proliferation of quality and satisfaction ratings, each looking at some different aspect of owners’ satisfaction with their cars. J.D. Power alone offers the Initial Quality Study (which looks at the first 90 days of ownership), the Vehicle Dependability Study (which looks at the first three years of ownership) and the APEAL study (which looks at cars’ performance, execution and layout of controls). Competitors such as Strategic Vision offer ratings like the Total Quality Index, which examines the buying, owning and driving experience, and breaks out winners by product segment.

Land Rover trumpets its victory in the Strategic Vision TQI in the luxury utility segment, in which it was the most improved brand and the highest-scoring. But Land Rover was next to last in the J.D. Power IQS report, sandwiched between smart and Mini.

Of the bottom six brands in IQS, three are the world’s premiere off-road brands, Hummer, Jeep and Land Rover, and the other three are European boutique brands with enthusiastic followings — all exactly the kinds of products that score well in other measures of customer satisfaction.

'Did things break or not?'Further muddying the picture is the meteoric rise in the quality scores of longtime basement dwellers such as Hyundai. This leaves consumers to wonder if those cars have really improved that much, or if the scoring system is somehow defective.

The company made a concerted effort to upgrade to better materials in the construction of its cars, reports Barry Ratzlaff, Hyundai’s director of product quality. Once the company made its cars more sturdy and durable — the old definition of reliability — it addressed the new definition of reliability by attacking annoyances that customers complained about.

“In the 80s, ‘quality’ meant ‘Did things break or not?’” Ratzlaff observed. “The more modern definition now really does include the whole gamut of things from design quality that includes the ease of operation, material quality, aesthetic quality.”

The company’s effort to address this new definition has been hugely successful. “In two of last four years we’ve beaten Toyota and Honda in [J.D. Power] Initial Quality,” he said.

That meant doing things like changing cars’ interiors to darker colors that don’t show dirt as easily. “We’ve seen improvement of one or two problems per 100 cars based on that,” he said, referring to J.D. Power’s unit of measure for quality.

Another change was to make the rubber gasket ring on the gas cap harder, so it doesn’t compress as much when the cap is tightened, making it easier to unscrew the gas cap. Hyundai also discovered that metal valve stem caps can interfere with the radio signal from its tire pressure monitors, so the company has specified plastic caps only.

The result is that the new Hyundai Genesis sedan scored 84 problems per hundred cars in J.D. Power’s IQS study, putting it on par with the vaunted Lexus brand’s average for its models.

Consumer Reports captures overall pictureSo if the well-known quality scores are determined partially by criteria such as the ability to hide dirt on the upholstery and brake dust on the wheels, where can car shoppers find information that really reflects a model’s reliability?

Ratzlaff recommends the ratings in Consumer Reports. That magazine surveys subscribers about their experience with their own cars and reports on the reliability of those cars. It might not be a perfect sample of the population, but it does give a useful snapshot of other drivers’ experiences. “I think that crucible captures the overall picture the best,” opined Ratzlaff.

“When people get confused by ‘satisfaction’ and ‘quality,’ they become loaded words,” said Jake Fisher, a senior automotive engineer for Consumer Reports. “What we concentrate on is breakdowns. That is reliability. It is not 'initial quality' and it is not ‘satisfaction.’"

Perhaps the good news is that one reason for the evolution of the term “quality,” is that modern cars really have become so good that real failures are very infrequent. Which is good news for drivers of all brands of cars.

Source;

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32509285/ns/business-consumer_news/

Acura introduces six-speed manual gearbox on its 2010 SH-AWD range

A manual transmission model has been added to Acura’s TL range for model year 2010. This installment makes it the most diverse line-up ever in the carmaker’s history.

The luxury division of Japanese manufacturer Honda announced the addition of a manual transmission model to the TL range for model year 2010, making it the most diverse line-up in the manufacturer’s history. In a release, Jeff Conrad, Acura sales vice president said that the new manual transmission equipped TL SH-AWD allows the driver to take full advantage of the performance of Acura’s SH-AWD system. He claims that the new 6-speed manual transmission model is the best performing Acura TL ever.

It is also claimed to be the top handling performer among every vehicle in its class. Particularly, the transmission is a 6-speed, partnered for the first time with Acura’s Super Handling All-Wheel Drive system. Since the close gear ratio gearbox is about 110 lbs lighter than the Sequential SportShift automatic transmission, it further improves TL’s acceleration, braking and cornering. The transmission, when paired with the car’s 3.7l V6 engine, provides enhanced shift accuracy.

Another feature is the Hill Start Assist system, preventing the vehicle from rolling backwards when on a hill. When it is active, the brakes automatically hold momentarily as the driver’s foot transitions from the brake to the accelerator pedal. For safety, the Acura TL’s standard features consist of six airbags and active head restraints, side-curtain airbags, ABS, EBD, VSA, Tire Pressure Monitoring System and daytime running lights.

Source;
http://www.4wheelsnews.com/acura-introduces-six-speed-manual-gearbox-on-its-2010-sh-awd-range/

Honda and Ford take top sales spots in August

Richmond Hill, Ontario - The Honda Civic and Ford F-Series topped the Canadian car and light truck sales in August, according to industry analyst Dennis DesRosiers. Civic sales were down 18.5 per cent when compared to August 2008, but the F-Series was up by 7.6 per cent.

“This month I noticed that, at least on a year-to-date basis, that almost all the top ten passenger cars have substantial sales declines,” DesRosiers said. “Only two of the top ten vehicles are up this year, the Hyundai Elantra and the Ford Fusion. Also notice that almost all the top-ten cars that are down so much are smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles. I thought fuel efficiency was a critical buying variable with consumers? Entry-level vehicle sales as a group are actually underperforming the market a little this year.”

The top ten best-selling passenger cars in August were, in order, the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Hyundai Elantra, Hyundai Accent, Ford Focus, Toyota Matrix, Nissan Versa, Ford Fusion, and Pontiac Vibe. There were 68,383 passenger cars sold in August 2009, down from 80,932 in August 2008.

Year-to-date, the top ten were the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Hyundai Elantra, Hyundai Accent, Toyota Yaris, Ford Focus, Nissan Versa, Toyota Matrix, and Ford Fusion.

The top ten light trucks in August were, in order, the Ford F-Series, Chevrolet Silverado, Dodge Caravan, GMC Sierra, Ford Escape, Dodge Ram, Ford Ranger, Toyota RAV4, Hyundai Santa Fe, and Honda CR-V. There were 66,968 light trucks sold in August 2009, down from 66,046 in August 2008.

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

Source;
http://www.canadiandriver.com/2009/09/21/honda-and-ford-take-top-sales-spots-in-august.htm

Honda Aims to Profit from Rivals' Woes

The "Lehman shock" signaled perhaps the worst year in the history of Japanese carmakers, but Honda is having a better crisis than big rivals

While none of Japan's automakers has followed General Motors and Chrysler into the bankruptcy courts, it is hard to overestimate the sense of crisis triggered by Lehman Brothers' collapse last fall. For Japanese carmakers, plunging sales around the world were compounded by a surge in the value of the yen against the dollar and other currencies, eroding competitiveness at the worst possible moment. In January, Toyota's (TM) new president, Akio Toyoda, called the downturn "a once-in-a-hundred-year crisis." A few months later, Toyota announced its first annual loss in six decades. Meanwhile, carmakers and suppliers have contributed to Japan's unemployment rate reaching a postwar high and, on Aug. 30, an almost unprecedented change of government.

Yet, for all the many headwinds battering Japan's car industry, the pain hasn't been shared equally among Japan's nine major vehicle makers. Among Japan's Big Three, Toyota, Honda (HMC), and Nissan (NSANY), Honda looks like the winner, at least in terms of financial performance.

For the fiscal year that ended in March, Honda made a profit of $1.5 billion. That compares favorably with Toyota and Nissan, which both fell into the red, losing a combined $7 billion. What's more, with auto sales still struggling and the yen gaining ground once again, the trend looks set to continue. For the current year, Honda expects modest earnings of around $579 million, but Toyota and Nissan reckon they will lose another $4.7 billion and $1.9 billion, respectively. "We're taking the view that sales will continue to be slow, but compared to the others we are perhaps better off," said Takanobu Ito, Honda's new president and CEO, in an interview with BusinessWeek at the company's offices in Tokyo.

What separates Honda from its rivals? One big factor, of course, is a lack of gas guzzlers. When U.S. auto sales first began to weaken amid high gasoline prices and the fallout from the subprime crisis, big SUVs and pickups suffered first. Honda, with its lineup of gas sippers, was positioned to benefit from the downsizing trend, and its sales initially fared well. Only after the sales plunge spread to smaller models last fall did its numbers really start hurting.

Focusing on Green
Nevertheless, that focus on fuel-efficient small cars and hybrids continues to prop up the profit and loss statement. Smaller, more fuel-efficient models have benefited from cash-for-clunkers schemes. In Japan, the Insight hybrid, introduced in February, is a big seller as customers rush to take advantage of subsidies for green cars.

Then there's Honda's motorbike business—the largest in the world—which the company expects could account for half of operating profit during the current financial year on solid sales in emerging Asia and Brazil. "The bike business is going quite well and offsetting the weakness in car sales," says Ito, 55, who replaced Takeo Fukui as Honda chief in June.

For all that, industry watchers say that Honda's relative success amid the crisis in auto sales is about more than just a favorable product mix. They point out that its corporate culture, characterized by responsive management, a conservative investment approach, and a dose of healthy realism regarding the company's capabilities, shows up more in a crisis. "The thing about Honda is their pragmatism—it's one of the reasons they don't lose money," says Andrew Phillips, an analyst at KBC Securities in Tokyo.

Honda's lack of large vehicles, for instance, is no accident. When executives chose not to follow Toyota and Nissan as they expanded large pickup offerings earlier this decade, they did so against the advice of many in the auto industry. Instead, Honda did its own thing and focused on making healthy profit margins from what it does best—building small and midsize vehicles. While there is an automotive industry maxim that smaller models make less money, Honda finds economies by selling four key models—the Fit compact, the Civic and Accord sedans, and the CR-V crossover SUV—in larger numbers. The four account for more than 75% of its unit sales. Ito says that for a company of Honda's size—it has about half the sales of Toyota—it is vital to cut its cloth accordingly. "We have to be bold on the one hand but also quite prudent," Ito says. "We have to focus and be selective."

A No-Frills Culture
Another differentiator is that Honda, despite annual revenues of around $100 billion, is a relatively un-bureaucratic, no-frills kind of company. Senior executives, usually engineers by training, look more comfortable by a test track in overalls than in the boardroom. Among top managers, only Ito, as company president, has a chauffeur-driven car, which Honda says is for security reasons. Other executives, from the chief financial officer down, either ride the train or drive to the company's head office in Tokyo's Aoyama district. Discussion is actively encouraged.

Ito and other executives, for instance, share a large open-plan office in which Ito sits at a 5-ft.-by-2-ft. desk. Behind him, there is a small round table and four stools where executives can chat freely about pressing issues. Analysts say employees further down the corporate ladder are encouraged to speak up even if it is not what managers want to hear. "The beauty of Honda is that they are willing to hear the painful reality," says Tatsuo Yoshida, an analyst at UBS (UBS) in Tokyo.

That, says Ito, explains Honda's ultimately speedy response to plunging sales last fall. Ito, who led the team of executives that drew up a raft of cost-saving measures, recalls that because it initially resisted the downturn, Honda was slower than some rivals to begin tackling the crisis. But "once we started to consider what we had to do, we were quite quick in the decision-making process."

That culminated in a hastily arranged press conference last December in which Ito's predecessor Takeo Fukui listed a series of painful measures, including delaying a new flagship factory and putting off the introduction of clean diesels in the U.S. and Japanese markets, aimed at cutting costs and averting red ink. The hardest cut, Ito says, was pulling out of Formula One motor racing just three weeks before the start of a new season. Quitting the sport saves Honda an estimated $500 million a year, but one concern was the impact on the motivation of the 400 engineers out of a total of 13,000 in Japan that were assigned to supporting the Formula One effort. Ito, though, says he has "no regrets whatsoever. What's important now is focusing on what we've decided to do and improving our business efficiency."

As part of the shakeup, Ito is keen to further improve Honda's nimbleness. One example: He is also taking charge of Honda's research and development unit. By overseeing R&D and the company as a whole, he says, he will help the company give customers what they want faster.

Room for Improvement
With the outlook for the auto industry still uncertain, Ito now must steer the company through a period of depressed sales while positioning it to benefit from a future recovery. One challenge is implementing its green-car strategy: an ambitious plan to make hybrids account for about 10% of sales in the next few years. The launch of the new Insight hybrid has been a limited success.

The car, which is smaller than the Toyota Prius, is on its way to meeting a global sales target of 200,000 a year, but the numbers in the U.S. have been disappointing. Ito says one reason is that Honda, faced with unfavorable currency rates, has redirected sales to Japan, where the Insight is manufactured and in big demand. But he admits more needs to be done to make U.S. customers buy Honda hybrids. "We recognize there are some issues with the Insight and will make every effort to improve," he says.

Some critics complain that Honda, driven by a desire to balance the books, has dropped its fun-to-drive vehicles. For instance, the S2000 roadster ceased this year and a long-awaited successor to the NSX sports car has been shelved. The attractive CR-Z, a new sporty hybrid due for release in 2010, may appease enthusiasts, but Ito says Honda, having carved out a reputation for fuel efficiency, has no plans to add high-performance models unless they are environmentally sound. "We want to offer consumers fun-to-drive vehicles, but high-output models—so-called gas guzzlers—are not something we want to do," he says.

Source;

http://www.businessweek.com/print/globalbiz/content/sep2009/gb20090918_497393.htm

Toyota 8th, Honda 18th in ranking of 100 best global brands

NEW YORK —
Toyota moved down by two notches to eighth place and Honda advanced to 18th from 20th in BusinessWeek’s annual ranking of the Best Global Brands for 2009, according to the latest edition of the business magazine. Coca-Cola retained its top slot for the ninth consecutive year, followed by IBM in second and Microsoft in third, both unchanged.

GE ranked fourth and Nokia fifth, both also unchanged from 2008, the magazine said. Google climbed from 10th to seventh, with its brand value rising 0.25 percent in the past year, the largest percentage increase among the 100 brands. Toyota saw its ranking fall for the first time since BusinessWeek started releasing the report in 2001. Among other Japanese companies, Honda ranked 18th, up from 20th, Sony 29th, down from 25th, Canon 33rd, up from 36th, Nintendo 39th, up from 40th, and Panasonic 75th, up from 78th.

Source;
http://www.japantoday.com/category/business/view/toyota-8th-honda-18th-in-ranking-of-100-best-global-brands

Here's the link to the actual list;
http://www.interbrand.com/best_global_brands.aspx

Custom S2000

It's pretty cool to see what some people will do to their car, this S2000 has been done up reeaaalll nice.
"Lets look at the details. No knockoffs here…the real deal Mugen Dry Carbon roof and you know what…he painted it! Check the carbon fiber accents. That is how it is done right there. Leaving large parts fully carbon is old news, on a street car it is all about classy integration. Rob knows the deal.

So what do you want to know? The pictures show that it is all done right. Mugen SS rear bumper and diffuser with special titanium SS exhaust (higher mounted than stock, yet another reminder of the theme I was saying earlier with higher mounted exhausts). J’s Racing front bumper, twin canards and type V carbon hood. Craftsquare mirrors. Prodrive wheels with the J’s Racing special Endless big brake kit behind them. Spoon kevlar buckets with Prodrive harnesses and a Mugen roll bar. Mugen SS carbon wing, carbon trunk. You name it, this car has it and has done it tastefully.

And dont forget the rareness…the original discountined M’s kevlar intake system. This is the OG JDM. ASM sold and ran these before they started having M’s make their own intakes. And I passed on buying the last 5 sets from Kanayama-san of ASM when he asked me, looking back I should have taken that last bit of stock since it is a classic. Oh yeah, J’s SPL valve cover and ARC titan cooling plate, check.

I mean, check out the interior execution. Rob did not miss a thing. Mugen Steering wheel, Navi integrated into the dash, reworked leather, its all super clean.

And the last pics are evidence. The car was always class. He was even rocking the ASM front fenders back in the day that we imported for him.

Just a great example here of how you can build a high quality car with high performance parts and still keep things in an understated and usable way."

Source;
http://www.bespokeventures.com/blog/2009/09/17/customer-car-ultra-clean-street-spec-s2000/