Honda Mile Makers

Found something interesting on http://www.autoblog.com/, where Honda has a site that allows people to send a photo of their Honda with reported mileage, only above 100,000 miles (or 160,935 km's). Depending on the amount of mileage, you will get a status of Bronze, Silver, Gold and silver for 1,000,000 miles or 1,609,344 km's. You also get to post a story of your car.

Honda Mile Makers is simply recognition of the passion, inspiration and dedication of these Honda drivers. And the loyalty, durability and reliability of the Hondas driven.

Here's the link to join the club for those interested;

http://automobiles.honda.com/mile-makers/

1964 Honda T500, Honda Ridgeline 0.1?!?

Just thought I'd pass this one on, I had never seen one of these before and I stumbled accross this article here;

http://news.windingroad.com/etc/vintage-literature-1964-honda-t500/

10,226 of these trucks were produced from '64-'67 and were based on the smaller model, the T360, which was Honda's first mass produced vehicle. The T500 was available in a standard pick up truck model or with a flat bed with collapsable sides. These trucks were never exported out of Japan.

2009 Honda Pilot, What we know so far;

Well, it's been a pretty slow week for news, so I decided to put together a recap of everything that we know about the new 2009 Honda Pilot.

- At 1:45 PM on Sunday, January 13th, Honda will be revealing their prototype of the 2009 Pilot at the 2008 North American International Auto Show.

-Expected release date is in June/July of 2008.

-A Diesel powertrain is expected to be released later in the year, however I expect it to be in the 2010/2011 model year.

-A 3.7Litre or a 3.8Litre engine is expected, up from the 3.5Litre that it has now.

-Horse Power is expected to go upwards to around 270hp from the 244hp it has now.-The new Pilot is said have more towing and cargo hauling capacity.

-The Diesel is expected to be Honda's new 3.5Litre V6, and is expected to get approx. 30% better fuel economy than the regular gas engine.

-The Pilot will run on regular unleaded fuel and won't be thirsty for premium.

-Honda said the new Pilot is sleek and futuristic-looking and will have advanced safety and fuel efficiency technology.

-The future Pilot is unlikely to employ a V-8 engine.

-A less-boxy and more-sculpted look than today's Pilot is expected.

-Judging by the latest MDX, the 2009 Honda Pilot is likely to add two inches to its wheelbase and overall length, and could swell two or three inches wider, all for more passenger and cargo room. Standard three-row seating will continue.

-Rumours of Variable Cylinder Management on all models abound (Cylinder deactivation, 6 to 4) to conserve fuel.

-The model will also pack in a complete overhaul of the interiors.

2008 Honda Inspire Modulo Concept pic's

http://www.autoblog.com/ has a nice article on the 2008 Honda Inspire Modulo Concept vehicle, here are a few snap shots with a link to more. The Honda Inspire is the North American Honda Accord, just sold in Japan.

Here's the link;

http://www.autoblog.com/2007/12/28/tokyo-auto-salon-08-honda-inspire-modulo-concept/

Popular Mechanics; The Case for Diesel: Clean, Efficient, Fast Cars (Hybrids Beware!)

I stumbed across a good article via AutoblogGreen for 12.28.07 about "Hybrids, beware of diesels". I find this interesting since Honda has been really bringing the developement of 'clean diesel' engines to the forefront. Here's a link to a previous post of mine;
http://thehondaportal.blogspot.com/2007/09/clean-diesel-to-north-america-2010.html

Here are some highlights of the article;
-Most Americans have a bad impression of diesel cars. We think of them as loud, hard to start and foul-smelling. We sneer at them for lacking the get-up-and-go of their gasoline-powered cousins. And we dislike them for their perceived environmental sins, chiefly the polluting brew of sulfur and nitrogen compounds that they emit into the atmosphere. All those complaints were fair a generation ago.
-Today, diesel powertrains are on the map again, for both car manufacturers and efficiency-minded drivers. The technology could be here to stay, even if fuel prices (improbably) decline. The new cars run as well as their gasoline-powered competitors. And as for the emissions problems of the past—well, the dirty bird of fossil fuels isn’t so dirty anymore.
-The fuel contains more energy per unit volume than gasoline, and diesel engines operate at higher compression ratios than gasoline engines—typically 14:1 to 25:1, compared to 8:1 to 12:1. (The compression ratio is the relationship between the volume of the cylinder when the piston is at the bottom of its stroke and the volume when it’s at the top.) The higher the compression ratio, the more mechanical energy an engine can squeeze from its fuel/air mixture. So each time the mixture in a diesel engine’s cylinder ignites, the car gets a slightly bigger push than it would in a gasoline engine. That means it takes less fuel to move the car down the road. It also means that the engine generates a lot of power even when it isn’t cycling fast—and that’s the source of the beefy low-end torque these vehicles are famous for.
- A recent study by J.D. Power and Associates found that in 2007, 23 percent of U.S. car buyers were considering a clean diesel for their next purchase, up from 12 percent the year before.
-“This is going to be remembered as the decade when we transformed diesel.”

The Coming Diesel Invasion
AUDI A4 SEDAN
Engine: 3.0-liter V6 Target Release Date: 2008This 240-hp turbocharged direct-injected engine will also be available in the full-size Audi Q7 sport utility.
BMW 3 SERIES SEDAN
Engine: 3.0-liter twin-turbo inline Six Target Release Date: 2008BMW plans to release this 3.0-liter in 5 and 6 Series models in 2008 as well. It reportedly gets more than 35 mpg.
CADILLAC CTS SEDAN
Engine: 2.9-liter TDI V6 Target Release Date: 2009Look for clean diesel also in the Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia and GM light-duty pickups, around 2010.
FORD F-150 PICKUP
Engine: 4.4-liter V8 Target Release Date: 2009Derived from the Euro-spec 3.6-liter currently used in Land Rovers, which get around 31 mpg on the highway.
HONDA ACCORD SEDAN
Engine: 2.2-liter i-DTEC Target Release Date: 2009The British version gets 51.4 mpg in combined city/highway driving. The hybrid Civic gets 50 mpg.
SATURN AURA SEDAN
Engine: To be determined Target Release Date: 2010The Aura’s Euro twin, the Opel Vectra, gets more TDI options in ’09, which will transfer to the model coming here.

Here's a link to the full article, it's a good read;
http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/new_cars/4237945.html

2008 Detroit Auto Show Preview, Toyota's A-BAT Concept Compact Truck

Well, we're slowly starting to get some sneak peaks at what the Detroit Auto Show is going to showcase, and this one's from Toyota. I've never wondered if you married a Honda Element with a Honda Ridgeline before, but in case you have, I think this would be a pretty close rendition. Jokes aside, it's a pretty cool concept.

The uni-body pickup has a four-foot bed that can be extended two feet forward via a fold down mid-gate and another two feet back with the tailgate down. Even with its extended cab, the A-BAT still measures 27" shorter overall than a current extended cab Tacoma and even 9" less than a regular cab Tacoma. In typical Toyota fashion these days the A-BAT uses the Hybrid Synergy Drive with a four-cylinder gas engine. There's no mention of the engine size or drive layout, but the short hood points to a transverse layout driving the front wheels.

2009 Toyota Corolla Reviews Pouring In

Well, we're starting to get a clear picture of what Toyota is bringing to the table to compete with the Honda Civic, and it looks like it's going to be a nice car. Here is a review of the top of the line 2009 Toyota Corolla Sedan Automatic Transmission. I can't wait for this car to come out, it's just going to heat an already hot market up!

What Works:

Interior packaging and presentation; satellite navigation; enormous trunk with 60/40 split-fold rear seat; fuel economy.

What Needs Work:

Electric-assist power steering; tire noise; barely adequate headlamp illumination.

Bottom Line:

Toyota offers more standard equipment and unexpected amenities but little driving pleasure in its all-new Corolla world car.

EDMUNDS REVIEW
A Step Above Basic Transportation
By Chris Walton, Chief Road Test Editor

Here's the Link;

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FullTests/articleId=124046?tid=edmunds.il.home.photopanel..1.*

CAR & DRIVER PREVIEW

No quantum leap for the tenth generation of the best-selling car in history.
By Steve Siler

Here's the Link;

http://www.caranddriver.com/previews/14440/first-drive-2009-toyota-corolla.html

New Designated Honda Hybrid coming in just above the FIT for Pricing

Interesting read on www.egmcartech.com today;

“The real competition has just begun,” Honda CEO, Takeo Fukui said. “Until now, it has been an image-based competition, not a business-based competition.”

Fukui said that Honda will approach the hybrid-war by attacking the pricing. The hybrid-only model that is expected to hit the market in early 2009 where pricing is expected to be below the Honda Civic Hybrid and right above the Honda FIT.

Honda hopes to sell 200,000 units annually for its global hybrid, 100,000 of which are expected to come from North American sales.