Honda Teases Two New Concepts For 2012 Beijing Auto Show

Hmmm.... is this a concept drawing of the next gen Honda Accord????
Honda has announced it will unveil two new concept cars at the 2012 Beijing Auto Show taking place later this month.

The automaker states that the concepts are a preview for models focused on Chinese customers and that their Beijing appearance will be their official world premiere.

Along with the announcement, Honda released these two teaser sketches which show the outline of a sedan and a hatchback.

Comparing the sketches with previously revealed concept and production models from Honda, it’s likely that the sedan concept is a preview of the Chinese market 2013 Honda Accord, which Honda has already previewed with a coupe concept in U.S. specification at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show.

The hatchback concept, meanwhile, appears to share many lines with the European market Honda Civic and is likely to be a preview of the Chinese version.

No other details have been released so we’ll have to wait until the 2012 Beijing Auto Show’s April 23 opening day.

Sharing Honda’s stand at the show will be the CR-Z, Insight and Fit Hybrid, while the upmarket Acura division will be showing off the NSX supercar concept and new ILX and RDX models.

Honda has also confirmed that the new Acura NSX will be sold in China once the car is launched in around three years, while the upcoming RLX flagship sedan will launch next year.

Source;
http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1075240_honda-teases-two-new-concepts-for-2012-beijing-auto-show

New Honda Civic Touring Car Wins Brands Hatch

Touring car racing is the mainstay for the Honda Civic, as the hatchback gets its image there. With the arrival of the 2012 Civic, a new touring car has also been developed, and it looks like it’s going to be a top contender this year.

The Honda Yuasa Racing Team kicked off its 2012 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship challenge with victory for its new Civic at the Brands Hatch season opener.

Race one was lost, as a BMW won due to a clash that delayed the Civic. But in race two, reigning champion driver Matt Neal manages to fight off rival Jason Plato.

Race three only saw a seventh place finish for the Civic, but Neal is still second overall now.

“When he hit me the second time I smiled – in a good way!” said Neal. “He was quicker than me at that stage. Once ahead he braked a little early at Druids and I gave him a nudge. Then, at Clearways where he had been strong all day, he ran wide and left the door open.”

“The car is good,” he said. “Honda had a one-two in race two [with Andrew Jordan’s Pirtek Civic following Neal home], which is great, but it’s personally frustrating. I don’t think it’s anything the team is doing or I am doing. Everything electrical was changed and we still had the problem.

When I’ve been running I’ve been fine. To start from the back and finish fourth isn’t a bad effort. The tyres last well and we had a good balance when the car was running well.”

Source;
http://www.autoevolution.com/news/new-honda-civic-touring-car-wins-brands-hatch-43831.html

2011 Honda Civic Type R Euro Launched in Japan, Limited to 1,500 Units

I don't know, maybe it's just me but, wouldn't this make more sense for a entry level Acura rather that the Civic rebadged CSX?!?....
Honda has introduced a new model year version of its British-built Civic Type R Euro in Japan. The 2011MY batch will be the last of this model series to make its way to Japan as production of the current generation three-door Civic Type R has been terminated in Europe because its 2.0-litre VTEC engine does not meet the Euro V emissions regulations.

The Japanese automaker had imported 1,850 examples of the Civic Type R Euro from Britain in late 2009. This time, Honda will bring a total of 1,500 units of the 2011MY version of its high-revving hot hatch. The only changes over the previous model year are the addition of a new Crystal Black Pearl color, some trim updates such as the different finish of the fuel cap and a new numbered plaque.

In Japan, prices for the 2011MY Civic Type R Euro start from 3,000,000 Yen [including consumption tax] or about US$37,200.

Source;
http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2010/10/2011-honda-civic-type-r-euro-launched.html

Honda Japan Confirms new A-Segment Hatchback with Sneak Peak of Future Products

This looks like it will pertain mostly to other parts of the world, although I wouldn't be surprised if we saw something like this here in North America sometime in the 5 to 7 year range. 'TIF' eh?
When Honda’s CEO Takeo Fukui delivered his 2008 year-end speech in mid-December last year, everyone went nuts over the announcement that the Japanese company was going to cancel its new NSX project and will be pulling out of Formula One. After all, didn’t Soichiro Honda say if Honda does not race, there is no Honda?

But what some people missed is the official acknowledgment by the Japan HQ that Honda will be entering the entry-level small car segment for the first time, out of Japan of course. This juicy piece of information was previously only communicated by Honda’s presence in India, Honda Siel Cars India. Honda has plenty of small cars in Japan (like the Honda Life), thanks to the city lifestyle and the Japanese government’s K-car tax bracket.

Details on the new car are sparse, but an introduction is expected within two to three years. The new small Honda will be an A-segment hatchback like the Suzuki Alto, the Hyundai i10 and the Kia Picanto. The car will be built with minimal reliance on expensive materials to minimize the impact of fluctuating and rising raw material prices. With so many people flocking to commodity-investment in the futures market, things are going to be tough in this department. Honda can easily adapt the recently launched Honda Life’s chassis for the new small car. The K-car’s size and wheelbase is roughly similiar to other A-segment hatches.

The same speech also confirmed what Honda Siel Cars India had revealed earlier, the development of a small displacement turbodiesel engine that will enable a diesel-powered Honda City, perhaps a 1.4 or 1.5 liter oil-burning motor producing power in various stages of tune ranging from about 60hp to 100hp?

Other juicy details in the speech include the possibility of Honda’s IMA hybrid system being added to medium and large models, that would mean the large vehicles in the Acura line-up and perhaps even the Honda Accord! Speaking of hybrids, the Honda CR-Z sports-hybrid will go on sale by end-2010, which is designed around the theme “the joy of driving”, which somehow these days also include the joy of watching the fuel gauge barely moving as you rack up the miles.

For those sticking to bikes, an all-new Honda Wave 100 for the ASEAN market with fuel injection will be introduced first in Thailand this month and subsequently other ASEAN markets. We should get it swiftly as Honda Japan has an official presence in the bike business here now. Another interesting piece of news is a new battery-powered electric motorcycle which will be launched in 2 years from now, somewhere in end-2010/2011. We already sort of knew this was coming, thanks to a teaser that was unveiled during the Honda Cub’s 50th anniversary.

Source;
http://paultan.org/archives/2009/01/05/honda-japan-confirms-new-a-segment-hatchback-gives-sneak-preview-of-future-products/