Wednesday, December 22, 2010

HondaJet begins FAA certification process

HondaJet begins FAA certification process
Honda Motor Co. has taken to the skies with its first business jet that conforms to Federal Aviation Administration standards -- a development that launches the federal certification process.

Honda Aircraft Co., a unit of the Japanese automaker, announced today that its first HondaJet aircraft that can apply for FAA certification lifted off Monday.

The flight marks a significant step for Honda Aircraft, which operates out of Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro, N.C. The company flew its first jet in 2003, but without FAA approval the aircraft could not be sold commercially.

[Read more: Autonews]

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

2011 Honda Accord Sedan Earns Best-Possible 5-Star Overall Vehicle Score in More-Stringent Federal Government New-Car Assessment Program - Honda.com

2011 Honda Accord Sedan Earns Best-Possible 5-Star Overall Vehicle Score in More-Stringent Federal Government New-Car Assessment Program - Honda.com
The 2011 Honda Accord Sedan has earned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA's) best-possible Overall Vehicle Score of five stars, American Honda Motor Co., Inc., announced today.

Helping the Accord achieve the top score were five-star ratings for overall frontal crash safety, overall side crash safety and rollover resistance. The Accord is one of only six vehicles to achieve a five-star Overall Vehicle Score to date, and is the first to achieve five stars in each of the three ratings categories: 5-star frontal crash rating, 5-star side crash rating (combined results of side barrier and side pole) and 5-star rollover rating.

The newly introduced Overall Vehicle Score is part of the federal government's more stringent New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) that is first being applied to 2011 models. As a convenience to new car shoppers, the Overall Vehicle Score represents the combined results of the overall ratings from the frontal crash tests, the side crash tests2 and the rollover-resistance3 into a single, summary score between one and five stars.

[Read more: Honda News]
[Read the full report: www.safercar.gov/staticfiles/ncap-2011/2011_Honda_Accord_4DR.htm]

2011 Honda Fit - 10Best Cars - Car and Driver

2011 Honda Fit - 10Best Cars - Car and Driver
No sooner had the first-generation Honda Fit alighted on U.S. showroom floors than it shouldered its way onto our 2007 10Best list. Now it’s a five-time champ, maintaining its entertaining demeanor through a comprehensive 2009 makeover. Since its debut, the Fit Sport has won a seven-car comparo [May 2006], then faced a pair of brand-new challengers—the Ford Fiesta SES and the Mazda 2 Touring—to score another triumph [October 2010]. One-hundred seventeen horsepower ain’t much—there exist Montanans with lawn mowers as powerful—but the 2500-pound Fit nails 60 mph in 8.3 seconds, 1.8 seconds quicker than the Fiesta and 0.8 second sooner than the Mazda 2. We’re equally zinged by this Honda’s upscale interior, its quick and precise steering, an engaging shifter, spot-on ergonomics, a windshield as big as a minivan’s, and a rear seat that is both adult-habitable and drops to the floor faster than a Marine pumping push-ups. All of the foregoing, plus an observed 34 mpg. Although it’s close, the Fit isn’t perfectly fit. Its 197-foot ­braking distance is substandard, the front seat’s lumbar support is too aggressive, and the air conditioning strains to keep up with the solar load caused by all that glass. Nonetheless, the Fit offers a fun-to-drive quotient that proves basic transportation isn’t always basic.



[Source: Car and Driver]

Friday, December 17, 2010

2011 Honda Accord - 10Best Cars - Car and Driver

2011 Honda Accord - 10Best Cars - Car and Driver
The current Accord sedan, the eighth generation of the company’s bestselling midliner, has a few flaws. It isn’t as frisky and playful as its predecessor, and it looks a touch homely, especially parked next to a Hyundai Sonata. But flaws don’t equal failure: The Accord remains inscrutably excellent. It manages to combine all the practical virtues you need in a family sedan—plenty of ­interior space, lots of available infotainment and trim choices, a quiet and relaxed ride, subdued engines, and effortless transmissions—with a fluid chassis that urges a driver to wring it out on back roads and off-ramps. The optional V-6 engine is one of the best of its breed, but the Accord becomes quite pricey when loaded with options such as a navigation system. The Accord range is rounded out by a sporty five-seat coupe. Although the V-6 model strays too close to Mustang GT money, it can be mated to a six-speed stick for a 0-to-60-mph time in the mid-fives. The coupe is refined and far more stylish than the sedan, and the less-expensive four-cylinder versions make more sense and have the spirit of the old, much-loved Prelude. For the 25th time, the Accord wins a 10Best spot because it marries excellence and affordability so brilliantly. Our favorite? The sedan with the 190-hp four-cylinder mated to a slick five-speed manual, of course. 


[Source: Car and Driver]

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Honda: What's New for 2011

Honda: What's New for 2011
What's New for Every 2011 Honda Car, Truck, SUV and Crossover

2011 Honda Accord: All Accord styles will be updated for 2011 with a new front grille, bumper, taillights and alloy wheels. EX trim levels and above plus the LX-S coupe will offer a USB audio interface. The Accord sedan will be updated with a new trunk lid and a rearview camera when fitted with navigation. The Accord coupe (V6 EX-L styles) will now include steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters.

2011 Honda Accord Crosstour: This tall Accord wagon continues unchanged for 2011.

2011 Honda Civic: All Civic styles remain unchanged for 2011 in anticipation of an all-new version next year.

2011 Honda CR-V: Honda added a new LX-based Special Edition (SE) CR-V for 2011. Special Edition CR-Vs add alloy wheels, a six-CD changer audio system with six speakers, steering-wheel-mounted audio controls and privacy glass. Otherwise, the CR-V has no significant changes.

2011 Honda CR-Z: Honda calls its new-for-2011 CR-Z a sport hybrid. We'd argue there is no such thing, but no other carmaker has made any effort to build a hybrid that's engaging to drive. Designed roughly as an homage to the original CRX, the CR-Z offers small dimensions, efficient operation and sporting intentions. It utilizes a 1.5-liter four-cylinder joined in parallel to a 13-horsepower electric motor. Power goes to the ground via a six-speed manual transmission.

2011 Honda Element: Honda's entry into the cube wars sees no significant changes for 2011.

2011 Honda FCX Clarity: Available for lease only in low volumes in Southern California, Honda's fuel cell vehicle remains unchanged for 2011.

2011 Honda Fit: The addition of stability control as standard equipment on Fit Sport styles is the only significant change to the Fit for 2011. Floor mats are now standard on Sport styles as well.

2011 Honda Insight: We're expecting a midcycle refresh for the Insight soon, but it's unclear whether that will come for 2011 or 2012. As of press time Honda won't reveal details on the 2011 Insight so we'd guess it will be sooner rather than later.

2011 Honda Odyssey: Fully redesigned for 2011, the Odyssey is a fully updated minivan that's more efficient than the model it replaces despite being larger and more powerful. Added versatility in both the second and third rows along with the ability to carry eight passengers when properly equipped is also a plus.

2011 Honda Pilot: This Odyssey-based utility vehicle remains unchanged for 2011.

2011 Honda Ridgeline: This pickup truck-style package built on the platform of the Odyssey minivan continues unchanged for 2011.

[Source: Edmunds Inside Line]

Monday, December 13, 2010

Hybrid and Diesel Tax Credits to End on December 31 - Carscoop

Hybrid and Diesel Tax Credits to End on December 31 - Carscoop
If you’re still in the market for a hybrid or clean diesel, you should try to get one this holiday season, as most tax credits are going to expire on December 31, with no new tax breaks in sight for next year. Among the diesel models, the Mercedes ML350 BlueTec is one of the victims, while the natural gas-powered 2011 Honda Civic GX will also lose its $4,000 tax credit. The same goes for the recently introduced 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid and 2011 Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid.

Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf buyers are safe for now: both EVs have separate tax credits that don’t expire this year. The Alternative Motor Vehicle Credit was legislated under the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and supported buyers of eco-friendly vehicles with incentives. Currently, hybrids get tax breaks ranging from $900 up to $3,400.

[Read More: Carscoop]

All Honda Models Are Designed with Hybrid in Mind | Hybrid Cars

All Honda Models Are Designed with Hybrid in Mind | Hybrid Cars
Honda President Takanobu Ito says around 10 percent of Honda’s global sales will be hybrids by 2015, and all of its models are built with the ability to quickly adapt into hybrids.

In a Dec. 6 article, Automotive News primarily focused on how Kohei Hitomi, chief engineer of the Honda Fit, was asked by Honda’s top management in 2003 to make the Fit easily adaptable into a hybrid. So, Hitomi built in extra space below the rear floorboard flap for a potential electric motor in the engine housing. In the hybrid, the space houses the battery pack, inverter and controller—but it’s left empty in the gas-powered Fit.

The Honda Fit Hybrid went on sale in Japan in October, and will be sold in Europe in early 2011. The Fit Hybrid’s fuel efficiency and price aligns with the 2010 Honda Insight, rated at 40 mpg in the city and 43 on the highway. There are currently no plans to bring the Fit Hybrid to the United States.

[Read More: hybridcars.com]

Honda Teases 2012 Civic Concept - KickingTires

Honda Teases 2012 Civic Concept - KickingTires
As we edge closer to the 2011 Detroit auto show, Honda has released the first rendering of the Honda Civic concept that will be unveiled at the show next month.

Overall, the new look shows that Honda has decided to go evolutionary with the design. A lot of design traits from the current-generation Civic remain, though the new headlamp designs remind of us of Saab’s new “ice block” treatment.

While this is just a concept for now, the difference between a concept Honda and the real thing is usually only slight. Expect the production version of the 2012 Civic sedan and coupe to go on sale in the spring as 2012 model year vehicles.

[Read More: Kicking Tires]