Honda Jazz Hybrid spotted in Taiping, launch on March 15

UPDATE: Reader Prebetsabu sent in a shot of the Jazz Hybrid on display at a Honda showroom in PJ - www.paultan.org

It’s no secret that the next hybrid car to be launched here will be the Honda Jazz Hybrid – we have already received the event invites and will bring you full details of the car this Thursday. But for now, let’s have one last round of spyshots before the car makes its official debut.

Reader Rui Hao was caught in a jam on a rainy March 12 evening, and in the gridlock heading towards Taiping town (in Perak, for those who don’t know), he spotted this truck ferrying four units of the Jazz Hybrid.

Like our last series of spyshots, we see only green and sliver coloured units here, so perhaps these are the only colour options for the car. The Lime Green metallic colour you see here is the model’s signature hue.

Source;

http://paultan.org/2012/03/13/honda-jazz-hybrid-spotted-in-taiping-launch-on-march-15/

2013 Nissan Altima in production form?

Source;
http://www.woodyscarsite.com/2012/03/2013-nissan-altima.html

Woodyscarsite/TOV Find: 2013 Honda Accord Rendering

*UPDATE*-- Turns out that this is a Temple of Vtec original! Great work as usual TOV Design Director Neal McDaniel! www.vtec.net
Source (has since been taken down by Woody since learning of the misrepresentation);
http://www.woodyscarsite.com/2012/03/2013-honda-accord-sedan.html

Toyota aims to supply thousands of hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles by 2020

Interesting, I wonder how this compares to the Honda FCX-Clarity....
Toyota Motor Corp. unveiled its hydrogen-powered FCV-R Concept car at the Geneva Motor Show, restating its aim to sell vehicles based on the non-polluting sedan by 2015. Toyota, the largest seller of hybrid vehicles in the world, hopes that in the next decade, it will be able to supply thousands of hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles annually in anticipation of the demand for petroleum-free autos. Didier Leroy, head of Toyota's European operations, said that the company is undertaking preparations so that it would be able to make “tens of thousands” of these vehicles each year in the 2020s.

John Hanson, a spokesman for the company's U.S. unit, said that Toyota has yet to announce the price or marketing plans for fuel-cell cars or set a global sales target. Toyota is currently selling the plug-in version of its Prius hybrid while this year, it has built vehicles that will be made at the battery-powered RAV4 and Scion iQ models. He added that there will still be challenges, including having to cut costs and resolve technical complications that had prevented retail customers from buying hydrogen fuel-cell cars.

Hydrogen is ideal to be used as fuel due to its abundance and as it’s able to make vehicles go on distances comparable to that of gasoline. The disadvantages include the high expense in making the fuel cells, the layers of plastic film coated with platinum placed between metal plates that make electricity, and the fact that there are only a few stations that have the equipment to dispense hydrogen fuel. At the 2012 Geneva Auto Show, Toyota presented the FT-Bh concept vehicle. Toyota claims that the carbon emissions level of this small, lightweight gasoline-electric hatchback is less than half the average for cars of the same size.

Source;

http://www.4wheelsnews.com/toyota-aims-to-supply-thousands-of-hydrogen-fuel-cell-vehicles-by-2020/

Translogic Interviews Jetman

This is so cool, my dreams of becoming a real life Boba Fett have come closer to fruition....

Jetman Yves Rossy isn't waiting for the promise of personal flight to come to him--he's jumping out of a plane after it! We head to Bex, Switzerland to catch up with Yves and his jet-powered carbon wing.

Source (via autoblog);

http://translogic.aolautos.com/2012/03/05/translogic-94-jetman/

Honda Statement on the first anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake

Thank you for your continuous understanding and support for Honda's activities.

One year has passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake that occurred on March 11, 2011. Honda would like to express its deepest sympathy and condolences to the victims of the disaster and our sincere hopes for the earliest possible reconstruction of the affected areas.

Despite the fact that we caused our customers some inconvenience during the past year due to the impact of the earthquake, such as delays in the delivery of some new products, we received a great outpouring of support and heartwarming messages from our friends and customers inside and outside of Japan. For this we are extremely grateful.

Honda would like to contribute to the earliest possible reconstruction of the affected areas by continuing our support activities and by dedicating ourselves to continue delivering products and services that please our customers.

In Europe, Honda have set challenging plans to achieve complete recovery as shown by the 2011 launch of the new Civic and seven all new motorcycle models. Furthermore, we are recruiting 500 new employees at our European manufacturing facility to support the Autumn launch of our all new European CR-V.

We appreciate your continuous support for our activities.

11 March, 2012
Ken Keir,
Executive Vice President, Honda Motor Europe

Source;
http://www.hondanews.eu/en/news/index.pmode/modul,detail,0,2204-DEFAULT,21,text,1/index.pmode

2013 Hyundai Santa Fe previewed on Twitter ahead of NY reveal

Very nice....

By Alex Nunez
In a lineup packed with new and/or freshly styled vehicles, Hyundai's two larger crossovers, the Santa Fe and its all-but-forgotten three-row counterpart, the Veracruz, still wear the automaker's last-generation styling language. That will be addressed (in part, at least) at next month's New York Auto Show when Hyundai unveils the 2013 Santa Fe.

To get people talking, Hyundai published two renderings of its new CUV this evening via its Twitter feed. Predictably, the 2013 Santa Fe gets sharper lines that are much more in keeping with the rest of the model lineup, and the new face validates a spy photo that hit the web back in January.

Hyundai calls the crossover's fresh styling language "Storm Edge," saying it's an evolution of the "Fluidic Sculpture" theme it's been using the last few years.Based on the the profile shot, which shows a very small window aft of the rear doors, it appears that the Santa Fe will, for the time being, continue to be a two-row crossover (its optional third row was canned after the 2009 model year) that's designed to battle the likes of the Nissan Murano, Ford Edge, and Toyota Venza.

Whether Hyundai will also use the occasion to formally confirm the rumored long-wheelbase, three-row variant to replace the Veracruz remains to be seen. It's clear the automaker knows that it's hurting in that department.

Source;
http://www.autoblog.com/2012/03/10/2013-hyundai-santa-fe-previewed-on-twitter-ahead-of-ny-reveal/

2014, The Year of the Fully Redesigned Honda Ridgeline

Just spoke to a reliable source at Honda Canada, no word on a 2013 full model change as I was expecting, however it is slated for the 2014 model year. I have not seen any sketches or 'leaked spyshots' of any proposed redesigns but have been affirmed that the Honda Ridgeline is still on.

Source;

Honda Canada

*May 2013 UPDATE*
http://www.thehondaportal.blogspot.ca/2013/05/the-next-generation-honda-ridgeline.html