by Honda in the News on August 26, 2010
With the subcompact segment becoming more competitive than ever, the team at Motor Trend decided to sort things out by comparing the Honda Fit Sport to two long-time rivals—the Nissan Versa 1.8 SL and Toyota Yaris—along with the new kid on the block, the Ford Fiesta SES. And it turns out that newer isn’t always better: The Fit took home top honors in this battle between automatic-equipped five-door hatches.
While noting that the spec sheets don’t always tilt in the Fit’s favor, Motor Trend made it clear that the Honda offers unbeatable real-world advantages, including “handling that’s kart-like enough to make it the offering here voted most constantly entertaining” and vastly superior sight lines. [click to continue…]
by Honda in the News on August 16, 2010
While Honda is already playing an important role in reducing the country’s dependence on foreign oil, the automaker isn’t about to rest on its laurels. In fact, Takanobu Ito, Honda’s president and CEO, recently announced that a slew of new vehicles will be headed to the U.S. market in the near future, all designed to provide customers with high-efficiency options to vehicles that run solely on internal-combustion engines. [click to continue…]
by Honda in the News on August 13, 2010
While the Honda CR-Z represents a new direction for hybrid vehicles, its promise of sportiness has left some enthusiasts scratching their heads. Its engine, while certainly efficient, produces a mere 122 horsepower and 128 pound-feet of torque. So, it’s no wonder why tuners are eager to get their hands on the new CR-Z to help it find its inner sports car.
One tuner stetting its sights on the CR-Z is HKS Power, which is preparing a supercharger for this new model. Although official specs aren’t available, this supercharger is said to bump the CR-Z’s horsepower up to 170. For a bit of a tease of this supercharged CR-Z on the dyno, check out the video below. [click to continue…]
by Honda in the News on August 6, 2010
Each year, researchers at AutoPacific—one of the auto world’s most widely recognized sources of quality information—surveys thousands of vehicle owners to determine which products best live up to the expectations of the owners themselves. These are the industry’s “ideal” vehicles, those that conform to an “ultimate standard of perfection or excellence.” And this year, three of them are from Honda.
Winners of the AutoPacific 2010 Ideal Vehicle Awards (IVAs) include the Honda Odyssey, which was the highest ranked vehicle in the Minivan segment. The Odyssey’s combination of style, safety, technology and all-around family-friendliness made the difference this year, highlighted by features like its aggressive dynamic styling, three-row side-curtain air bags, voice-recognition navigation system and rear-seat DVD entertainment system. But as impressive as the 2010 Odyssey is, the 2011 model will set the bar even higher. A dramatic new exterior along with dramatically increased fuel efficiency—estimated at up to 19 mpg city/28 mpg highway—are just some of the upgrades customers will see when the new Odyssey debuts this fall. [click to continue…]
by Honda in the News on July 27, 2010
Already offering one of the most unique packages on the market today, the Honda Ridgeline pickup will deliver more value than ever before for the next model year by offering one of the most unique pricing strategies on the market today: The 2011 Ridgeline will start with the exact same MSRP—a customer-friendly $28,900—as the 2010 version.
That price of admission gets drivers into a vehicle that supplies the best of both worlds. The Ridgeline is a true pickup, with a half-ton payload rating and the ability to tow up to 5,000 lbs., while also boasting Honda’s robust Variable Torque Management four-wheel-drive system. The system not only improves traction in challenging driving conditions, but it enhances the Ridgeline’s towing performance as well by optimizing torque distribution to each of its four wheels. Pulling capability is further improved by standard equipment like an integrated tow hitch, transmission and oil coolers, heavy-duty brakes, dual radiator fans and a wiring harness that’s compatible with a seven-pin trailer hookup. [click to continue…]
by Honda in the News on July 26, 2010
The Honda Civic Tour is set to once again ignite the summer music scene, putting Tennessee alt rockers Paramore front and center in what are sure to be some of this year’s hottest concerts—and putting one lucky driver into a custom ride that’s sure to be among the country’s coolest cars: The Paramore Honda Civic Si Coupe.
The Civic Tour has been supporting America’s best new music since 2001, when both Blink-182 and Everclear hit the road under its banner, and the program has also backed groups including the Black Eyed Peas, Fall Out Boy and Panic! At the Disco. This year, with Grammy-winning Paramore as the headliners, the Civic Tour will run from July 23 to September 17 and include more than 25 concert dates around the country. But in between practicing for those upcoming gigs, the members of Paramore also jammed with the team at Santini USA Paint & Body to customize a brand-new Civic Si to give away to one of their fans. [click to continue…]
by Honda in the News on July 22, 2010
Honda became the first Japanese brand to build cars in the U.S. nearly 28 years ago. Now thanks to behind ahead of the curve, one of Honda’s plants in Marysville, OH is celebrating its 10 millionth vehicle built.
The Maryville plant opened its doors in 1982. Today, the plant builds the Accord as well as the Acura RDX and the Acura TL. Out of those 10 million vehicles produced, the Accord has accounted for 8.5 million units. [click to continue…]
by Honda in the News on July 19, 2010
Modern diesels are a far cry from diesel engines of the past. These days, diesels are cleaner, quieter, and more powerful than before. Sadly, they’re still not popular in the U.S.
Among the brands that are turning their backs on diesels, for now, is Honda. According to Reuters, Honda is abandoning its plans to increase the number of diesel engines in its lineup. Instead, Honda is choosing to bolster the number of hybrid vehicles it offers. [click to continue…]
by Honda in the News on July 15, 2010
One of the best-selling cars in America has gotten even better for the 2011 model year, as the 2011 Honda Accord was recently unveiled with crisp new styling and a wide range of enhancements specifically designed to improve fuel efficiency.
Both the Accord sedan and coupe get new, more sculpted front fascias, with the two-door getting a particularly aggressive look. The coupe now has a much more athletic stance that inspires a feeling of motion even when the car is standing still. On the sedan, Honda has taken a subtler approach, providing a more powerful presence that’s directly in line with its appealing mix of sophistication and dynamic driving capabilities. [click to continue…]
by Honda in the News on July 14, 2010
If you’re looking for a nicely priced car that mixes the dynamic driving experience of a sports coupe with the fuel efficiency of a hybrid, look no further than your local Honda dealer: The 2011 Honda CR-Z will go on sale this summer with an MSRP that starts at just $19,200.
That price gets you into a dramatically styled and streamlined coupe that boasts nimble handling and a unique hybrid powertrain designed to provide what Honda calls “efficient performance.” Specifically, the CR-Z joins one of Honda’s trademark i-VTEC I4 engines to a compact, lightweight Integrated Motor Assist system, with the resulting power handled by the segment’s very first six-speed manual transmission. It’s a combination that keeps the driver fully engaged with the road and can be further enhanced by using the CR-Z’s three-mode driving system. [click to continue…]
