Thursday, October 28, 2010

Honda to Debut All-New Electric Vehicle Concept at Los Angeles Auto Show - Honda.com

Honda to Debut All-New Electric Vehicle Concept at Los Angeles Auto Show - Honda.com
Plug-in hybrid platform will also be revealed

An all-new Honda electric vehicle concept will make its world debut November 17 at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show, the company announced today. Additionally, Honda will reveal a plug-in hybrid platform showcasing the next-generation of Honda hybrid technology. Both the electric vehicle concept and the plug-in hybrid platform along with the FCX Clarity fuel cell electric vehicle demonstrate the company's vision for the future of personal mobility and its continued commitment to developing advanced environmental technologies.

Honda Motor Co., Ltd. President and CEO Takanobu Ito will attend the press conference, marking the first time Honda's global Honda CEO has introduced a worldwide vehicle debut during the Los Angeles Auto Show press days.

Details on the electric vehicle concept will be announced on November 17, 2010 at the Los Angeles Auto Show in the Honda booth and webcast live at www.hondanews.com.

[Read More: Honda News]

Friday, October 22, 2010

Honda Air Lightweight Concept Car Is Propelled By Compressed Air - Ecofriend

Honda Air Lightweight Concept Car Is Propelled By Compressed Air - Ecofriend
Honda has designed an all new Air Concept car, which the company showcased at the 2010 LA Auto Show’s Design Challenge competition. Designed to weigh less than 1000lbs, the vehicle can carry up to four people. The Honda Air is a vision of a coastal cruiser for the aggressive lifestyle and has been inspired by roller coasters and skydiving wing-suits.

Powered entirely by compressed air and a pneumatic regulator system, the vehicle uses turbo vacuums and external air-flow to regenerate tank pressure for extended range and increased boost for an estimated 100 miles. To reduce the overall weight of the car, the body panels and fairings have been made from vegetable-based polymers. The cockpit is aimed at maximizing the open air driving performance.

[Read More: Ecofriend]

Pushing the 2011 Honda CR-Z Into The Red - KickingTires

Pushing the 2011 Honda CR-Z Into The Red - KickingTires
Cars.com’s editors recently drove the sporty Honda CR-Z hybrid on a mileage challenge using its standard drive setting with the objective of replicating how most people drive most of the time. The 2011 CR-Z lets you select Econ, Normal and Sport modes, and they kept it in Normal mode at all times on the mileage challenge, with the trip computer registering 37.7 mpg over 330 miles. However, when switched to the more responsive Sport mode and driven in a sporty manner, can the CR-Z still return good gas mileage? I flogged a manual-transmission CR-Z for a weekend and drove it like a sporty car, not a hybrid, to see if the self-proclaimed “Sport Hybrid Coupe” could be efficient in that sportiest of modes.

[Read More: KickingTires]
[Download a Honda CR-Z brochure]
[Buy a Honda CR-Z]

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Police Try to Thumb a Ride With Anti-Texting Message - WSJ.com

Police Try to Thumb a Ride With Anti-Texting Message - WSJ.com
Iowa police are on the lookout for drivers who send text messages behind the wheel. So far, the effort is all thumbs.

Instead of tickets, police are giving texting drivers colorful bands to wear on their thumbs that say: "TXTNG KILLS."

The bands are part of a statewide campaign to raise awareness about the dangers of texting while driving under a new law prohibiting the practice that took effect July 1. For the first year, police can give scofflaws warnings only. Next year, fines will kick in.

[Read More: TheWallStreetJournal.com]

Monday, October 18, 2010

2011 Honda Odyssey Touring Elite vs. 2011 Toyota Sienna XLE Comparison Test

Comparison Test: 2011 Honda Odyssey vs. 2011 Toyota Sienna Video
According to Edmunds.com Inside Line, the 2011 Odyssey is still the top minivan in the market earning the 1st Place award. The 2011 Honda Odyssey Touring Elite is still the best-equipped, best-driving minivan money can buy today.



[Read More at Edmunds.com Inside Line]
[Download a 2011 Honda Odyssey Brochure]
[Buy a 2011 Honda Odyssey]

Friday, October 15, 2010

Honda CR-Z hits the red carpet at the Vancouver Film Fest

Honda CR-Z hits the red carpet at the Vancouver Film Fest:
Honda’s latest advanced technology vehicle CR-Z made a red carpet entrance at the 29th Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF).

State Farm Data Shows That October Remains Most Dangerous Month for Teen Crashes - Forbes.com



State Farm Data Shows That October Remains Most Dangerous Month for Teen Crashes - Forbes.com
Newly analyzed State Farm claims data shows the trend continues - October remains the most dangerous month of the year for teen driver crashes. According to claims data spanning the last seven years, the highest number of injury or collision claims filed by 16- and 17-year-old drivers continues to hit a high point in October, spiking by about 15 percent when compared to other months of the year.

[Read more Forbes.com] [State Farm Teen Driver Site]

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety

AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety
Teens Not Exposed to Diverse Driving Experience Prior to Licensing, Finds AAA Foundation Study
In advance of National Teen Driver Safety Week (October 17-23), today the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety released the first naturalistic study using in-vehicle cameras to capture teenage drivers and their parents during their supervised driving phase. Nearly half (47 percent) of parents in the study reported that after the year-long learner’s stage, there was still at least one condition in which they did not feel comfortable letting their teen drive. Yet, more than one-third (37 percent) of these families allowed their teen to obtain a license within a month of being eligible, although a few families restricted driving in certain scenarios.

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers in this country. The first few years of unsupervised driving are the most dangerous – 1,368 U.S. teen drivers age 15-18 died in traffic crashes in 2008. However, teens are clearly a danger to others as well because the total number of deaths resulting from these crashes was 3,431. 

[Read More: AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety]
[SeeVideo footage of the study]

Monday, October 11, 2010

2012 Honda Civic exposed | CarMiddleEast.com

2012 Honda Civic exposed | CarMiddleEast.com
Seems like CAR Middle East are the first ones in the world to bring the first pictures of the next generation of the Civic sedan, completely naked of all camouflage!

They snapped these twin silver prototypes during a spell of early morning hot weather testing. Apart from a few missing ‘H’ badges, this is the Civic you can expect to see in UAE showrooms next year.


[Read More: CarMiddleEast.com]
[Buy a Honda Civic Sedan] [Download a Honda Civic Brochure]

Friday, October 8, 2010

Honda Launches Refreshed Fit and New Fit Hybrid in Japan, Receives 10,000 Orders for Gas-Electric Model

Honda Launches Refreshed Fit and New Fit Hybrid in Japan, Receives 10,000 Orders for Gas-Electric Model
Honda on Friday introduced the Japanese domestic market version of its new Fit (Jazz in Europe) Hybrid alongside the regular Fit model, which benefits from a minor cosmetic refresh and equipment upgrades for the 2011 model year.

The car, which makes use of the same IMA system with a 1.3 liter i-VTEC engine as the Insight Hybrid, will go on sale in certain European markets from early 2011 as the Jazz Hybrid. According to the Japanese automaker, the Jazz Hybrid's fuel economy is estimated at 4.4 lt/100km [53.5 mpg US] in the combined European cycle. Honda has not yet said if and when it will offer a Fit Hybrid for the North American market.

[Read More: CarScoop]
[Buy a Honda Fit] [Download a 2010 Honda Fit Brochure]

Automaker Rankings 2010 | Union of Concerned Scientists

Automaker Rankings 2010 | Union of Concerned Scientists
Honda wins for the fifth consecutive time as the greenest automaker on the road, beating Toyota and Hyundai by a narrow margin, according to a study released Thursday by the Union of Concerned Scientists.  The award honors the company whose U.S. motor vehicle fleet produces the lowest levels of smog-forming and greenhouse gas emissions.

The Union of Concerned Scientists is the leading science-based nonprofit working for a healthy environment and a safer world.

[Read More: Union of Concerned Scientists]