Honda wins four awards in J.D. Power and Associates 2007 Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study
J.D. Power and Associates has released its 2007 Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study and Honda has emerged victorious in four individual vehicle segments, besting all other nameplates. The APEAL survey ?measures owner delight with the design, content, layout and performance? of new vehicles during the first 90 days of ownership, according to J.D. Power. Over 91,000 buyers and lessees were interviewed between February and May of 2007, and the results determined this year?s rankings.
The four Honda models recognized as winners include the Fit (tie; Sub-Compact Car), CR-V (Compact Multi-Activity Vehicle), Ridgeline (Midsize Pickup) and Odyssey (Van). In the Compact Car segment, the Honda Civic was also recognized among the top three finishers.
Source: J.D. Power and Associates
Honda Worldwide website goes green
The Japanese automaker Honda has long built vehicles satisfying go-green environmental advocates. Today?s Honda lineup includes hybrid-electric vehicles and a natural gas burning compact Civic. Tomorrow?s portfolio features advanced clean diesel engines and hydrogen fuel cell technology. Accordingly, Honda has revamped its worldwide website to better reflect the company?s commitment to clean, renewable and sustainable energy.
Honda has developed a dedicated ?Green Technology? homepage section highlighting hybrid-electric, fuel cell, diesel, natural gas and ethanol oriented measures of propulsion. The separate subsections include news, information, photos, available models and upcoming concepts. Throughout the homepage, the FCX fuel-cell prototype is also featured prominently.
Source: Honda Worldwide via AutoblogGreen
Image: Honda Worldwide
Honda considers diesel engine options, may apply technology to Ridgeline pickup and others
Honda?s CEO Takeo Fukui has announced that a V6 diesel engine could arrive optionally in vehicles such as the Honda Ridgeline pickup truck, Pilot SUV, Odyssey minivan and Acura MDX crossover SUV, reports Automotive News. The diesel application is still far off, however, as the V6 will follow Honda?s previously announced 2.2-liter four-cylinder diesel scheduled to reach the U.S. marketplace in 2009. Other vehicles could get the technology as well, although Honda has not yet identified any definite recipients.
Also announced was Honda?s potential to develop turbocharged gasoline engines. This year the all-new Acura RDX debuted with a 2.3-liter turbocharged engine developing 240 horsepower and 260 foot-pounds of torque. Acura is Honda?s luxury division and the RDX represents the first factory turbocharged Honda Motor Company automobile in the United States. Some analysts have speculated that Honda will keep the technology exclusive to Acura, but Fukui indicated that Honda products could adopt the exhaust-driven turbines as well.
Source: Automotive News [Subscription required]
Image: Honda press
Honda hybrid and natural gas vehicles eligible for IRS tax credit
Honda has announced that customers who purchase a hybrid-electric or natural-gas powered vehicle from the Japanese carmaker may be eligible for a federal tax credit the year the car was bought. Based on the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and a ruling by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), buyers of the 2007 Honda Accord Hybrid, Honda Civic Hybrid and Honda Civic GX (natural gas) will gain access to tax relief. Specific customer circumstances dictate the availability of credit, and Honda encourages its customers to contact the IRS to determine if they qualify.
Those Accord Hybrid buyers who do qualify will receive a $1,300 credit, while Civic Hybrid owners enjoy $2,100 in relief. Purchasing a Honda Civic GX (natural gas) vehicle is the most tax effective, adding a $4,000 credit and up to $1,000 more if the customer installs ?Phill,? the home-based natural gas refueling station. Currently, Honda Civic GX models powered by natural gas are only sold in California and New York at select dealerships.
Source and image: Honda news [2007 Honda Civic GX]
Two Honda sport utility vehicles earn Insurance Institute for Highway Safety?s 2007 ?Top Safety Pick? Award
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has named its Top Safety Picks for 2007, and of the thirteen vehicles chosen throughout the industry, two were Honda SUVs. In the ?Small SUV? segment the Honda CR-V was joined by the Subaru Forester, while in the ?Midsize SUV? category the 2007 Honda Pilot was one of three winners, including the Acura RDX and Subaru B9 Tribeca.
The Top Safety Pick Award requires a vehicle to achieve a ?Good? rating ? the top honor ? in front impact collision safety, side impact safety and whiplash protection due to rear impacts. To be considered, a vehicle must be equipped with electronic stability control, at least optionally, as the IIHS and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) believe stability control in every vehicle could save 10,000 lives annually in the United States. Last year?s ?Gold? and ?Silver? safety ratings have been replaced by the single and more stringent ?Top? rating.
Source: CNN Money
Image: Honda [2007 Honda CR-V EX-L]
Honda shows off factory-tuned Civic Si sedan MUGEN edition
Honda revealed a specially-tuned 2007 Honda Civic Si MUGEN sedan at the 2006 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas, Nevada. The limited-edition model will be produced in a low annual quantity of 500 and should hit dealerships in the spring of 2007.
Unique MUGEN features include a race tuned suspension that lowers the Honda Civic Si by 0.6 inches and increases spring rates between 8 and 24 percent, lightweight 18x7.5-inch forged aluminum wheels inside 215/40-series BFGoodrich g-Force KDW summer tires, sport exhaust system, special shift knob, interior placard and an aerodynamic body kit with a front spoiler, side skirts, large rear trunk-mounted spoiler and rear underbody air diffuser.
MUGEN is a highly-respected Honda tuning company that has been associated with the manufacturer for three decades, so Honda offering a factory-equipped Civic Si sedan model indicates the brand?s commitment to high performance and enthusiast-oriented design. The regular production-model Honda Civic Si sedan went on sale on November 1, 2006 as an all-new model.
Source and image: Honda News
Honda ready to raise Civic production due to strong demand
In an effort to both respond to strong customer demand and demonstrate its flexible manufacturing capacity, Honda Motor Company is taking the necessary steps to raise four-cylinder Civic production by up to 60,000 units annually. The company has been struggling to keep up with demand for the fuel-efficient Honda Civic, so the decision to shift production strategy arrives not a day late.
Beginning in February 2007, production of the Honda Pilot SUV will slowly move to the company?s Lincoln, Alabama plant, leaving Canada where it is built now. Following that move, in April 2007, Civic Sedan models will begin production in Honda?s Alliston, Ontario, Canada Plant 2. Since it opened in 1998, Plant 2 has been used exclusively to build light truck models. However, both Civic Sedans and Coupes are built already in Alliston?s Plant 1, and the added production in Plant 2 will not affect Number One?s output.
Along with Plant 1, Honda currently builds Civic models in Ohio?s East Liberty Plant. However, both locations have required overtime production in order to meet current demand. Sales of the redesigned Civic are up 7.1 percent through September 2006 compared with the first nine months of 2005. Honda anticipates that continued concerns over fuel prices will drive customers toward economical, fuel efficient vehicles such as the Civic.
Source and image: Honda News
