Archive for Honda

Honda seems to be very into video as a promotional tool. First they had Drive Every Drop, which was pretty much like a travel show. When a host landed in each country or state, he checked the local scene around in a Honda of course.

Now comes Live Every Litre – even the name sounds quite alike to Drive Every Drop. It’s also a show, but the concept is completely different. With Live Every Litre, Honda will put real participants behind the wheel of a Honda CR-Z, and cameras mounted around the car will record the participants’ journey and/or challenges across Europe.

VIDEO: Live Every Litre ‘Trailer’

Participants can do whatever they want. Honda gave a few examples in their press release – “propose to their girlfriend in Paris, take their band to play a charity gig, trace their ancestry to find a long lost relative, drive on a road they’ve always dreamed off.” Reactions, emotions, and experiences will be captured by the cameras.

All the footage will then be edited into a documentary-like film by Swiss filmmaker Claudio Von Planta and his team.

If you want to participate, you can logon to Live Every Litre’s website. I think it’s only fair to assume that you have to actually be in Europe to enter. As of today, you have 43 days left to apply, and they will begin filming in May.

As most of you should know if you’ve been keeping up with the news on this site, there has been a recall for the 1st generation Honda Jazz and the 2nd generation Honda City (based on the 1st gen Jazz) worldwide due to a issue where water could possibly enter the power window switch and potentially cause a fire.

Honda Malaysia Sdn Bhd will be participating in the exercise, but they also reported that there are currently no reported incidents in Malaysia. There are currently 12,935 units of 2nd Generation City 2008 YM with 7,713 units of V-TEC and 5,222 units of i-DSI respectively. As for the Jazz, there are 3,090 units of 1.4-litre Japan made 2003 YM.

Honda Malaysia says that when the power window master switch is exposed to excessive amount of water (such as rainwater), especially when windows are left open for prolonged period of time, electrolyte materials from rainwater would sip into the power window switch unit. This would decrease the insulation resistance between the electric circuits, which could lead to current leaks. In severe cases, the switchboard would melt or burn. According to Honda Malaysia, there are a total of 3 burn cases reported so far, 2 in the US and 1 in South Africa.

“We will be writing to all our customers directly and inform them of the preemptive measures to address this situation. We are in the midst of preparing the replacement parts and we will then carry out the necessary inspection and replacement when the parts are ready. All charges incurred in the inspection and replacement work will be borne by the Company. We would like to assure our customers that all current selling models are not affected,” said Toru Takahashi, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Honda Malaysia.

For more information, please call Honda Toll Free number at 1-800-88-2020, or visit any authorised Honda dealer. Of course, this recall exercise should logically only apply for customers who bought their Jazz from Honda Malaysia. But being a popular JDM model, there are most likely be grey import units out there as well. These owners have to somehow do something about it as well.

Honda Malaysia says that they will assist owners of grey import cars without discrimination but they are unable to confirm at time of publishing whether any work on grey import customers cars regarding to this update will be subject to any charges or not.

Coming just after Toyota’s sticky accelerator pedal recall, Honda joins the fray with a recall for its Jazz. BBC reports Honda saying that a master switch defect could cause water to enter the power window switch. potentially causing a fire. A total of 646,000 cars will be called in globally to fix this switch defect. This includes Jazz/Fit models built in Japan, China, Brazil, Thailand, Malaysia and India. The total figure also includes “27,000 City models in Asia”, the report added.

However, Honda Siel Cars India said that India will not be a part of the global vehicle recall. “There won’t be any impact on the recall in India because the Jazz that is being sold in India is a second generation vehicle, which is not a part of the global recall.” The official said the Jazz that is being recalled globally is the previous generation model.

So far, three cases of fires due to the defect have been reported – two in the US and one in South Africa. The latter, which happened in September last year, saw two-year-old Vanilla Nurse killed in Cape Town when the Jazz she was sleeping in caught fire.

No news yet from Honda Malaysia, but we will channel any official announcement as it comes our way.

This new promo was created by Wieden+Kennedy London for Honda UK and it basically showcases Honda’s wide range of products, all in one ad. Quite befitting for the title of the ad which is “Everything”.

Honda has always called itself a mobility company instead of a car company. They have a very wide range of products from cars, ATVs, marine engines, motorcycles, the Honda Jet, the ASIMO robot (this could lead to Honda robotic prosthetics?), and even funky new concept devices like the U3-X.

The car featured is the FN Civic, which is made in the UK. Enjoy!

Click here to read the rest of Honda ‘Everything’ Commercial from Honda UK

With the retirement of the Honda S2000 recently, Honda was for a while left with no real niche sporty model. Just a bunch of sedans, wagons, MPVs and SUVs, which if not for a few exciting products such as the Type R seemed a little sterile for a company with its kind of heritage and brand image.

The Honda CR-Z, which pretty much looks like a two seater short wheelbase version of the Insight to me, could be considered Honda’s new niche model, especially since the new NSX has been cancelled. During the development of the CR-Z, Honda took a look at a few cars like the MINI, the Elise and the Scirocco, and it was the performance of the Elise that was the inspiration of the CR-Z development team during the development process.

The car definitely looks interesting and the focus seems to be on driving pleasure. The CR-Z had better be damn good in the handling department to make up for its rather anemic amount of horsepower! I’m really hoping that this new ‘CR-Z’ is in fact not the sole variant, and a high revving version could come later. Why not, since they’ve managed to mate a gasoline engine and electric motor with a manual transmission. The K20A could use the motor to help it with the low end torque that it lacks and the sheer high revving madness can take over later! Now that would be damn fun!

Click here to read the rest of Honda tells a story about the new CR-Z

Honda Malaysia and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have announced the opening of new applications for the Honda Dreams Fund (HDF) Scholarship programme. The submission window is from now till March 31.

For the past three years, HDF has sent 60 young people towards achieving their dreams by providing tertiary education, which they would not have been able to afford. For 2010, 20 more students will benefit from this goodwill. HDF is a full and non-binding scholarship which aims to provide underprivileged but determined students education or skills training.

In 2008 and 2009, HDF reached out to communities in rural areas and visited schools in Sabah, Sarawak, Pahang, Perak and Kedah to garner applications. This year, HDF plans to visit Kelantan and Terengganu as well. Honda Malaysia has allocated RM1 million for this year’s HDF and UNDP will manage and oversee the awarding of the scholarships.

To be eligible, one must be Malaysian, between 17-24 years of age, completed and passed SPM/STPM, and have a combined household income of less than RM1,500 per month. Do spread the news and assist anyone you know who is deserving of help. To learn more about HDF or to apply, go to www.honda.com.my/hdf

Here are pics of the Honda HSV-010 GT race car which will make its competitive debut in this season’s Super GT series. Previously, Honda only released one single picture, while the rest you saw on this site were from eager snappers camping at Suzuka for a closer look while Honda Super GT drivers were having an early feel of the car.

As a recap, the front engine, rear-wheel drive HSV-010 GT competes in the GT500 class and will be powered by a 3.4-litre V8 engine, as per Super GT regulations. HSV stands for Honda Sports Velocity. Super GT is meant for production cars, but Honda has managed to find a loophole in rulebook that permits cars that are production ready (which this prototype NSX is), though not necessarily in production.

The 2010 Super GT season starts on March 20-21 at Suzuka.

More pictures after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Super GT Honda HSV-010 official pics released!

This is another Honda concept destined for the Tokyo Auto Salon 2010 – and it’s a Honda Freed. This should be interesting for us Malaysians as it’s no secret that the Freed will be landing on our shores soon.

There’s no Modulo name tagged onto this one, instead it is labelled a “design study”. It’s quite a feminine design, going beyond the pinkish paintjob. Check out the little butterfly and floral ‘tattoos’ around the body.

Look after the jump for hi-res pix of the modded Freed.

Click here to read the rest of Something for the girls: Honda FREED Styling Study at Tokyo Auto Expo 2010

Among the tricked out sporty concepts that Honda will be displaying at the 2010 Tokyo Auto Salon is this Honda Insight Sports Modulo Concept. The theme for this Insight is basically “Exciting Eco”, which is a term I believe can also probably be applied to the new CR-Z, since that one actually has a manual transmission!

Other than the obvious bodykit bits, the Modulo concept kit for the Insight also includes components such as an A-pillar aero-form garnish, a new LED rear combination tail lamp, and air-split tail fin, and a rather interesting “quarter fin” for the wheels which you can see in the image above.

Look after the jump for a full hi-res gallery of the kitted Insight.

Click here to read the rest of Honda Insight Sports Modulo concept set for Tokyo Auto Salon 2010 showcase

As reported earlier the CR-Z hybrid coupe by Honda was revealed at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show. On top of some official high-res images that were shown to you, we now have live images of the new vehicle that were taken at the event. The two-seater 2011 Honda CR-Z is powered by a hybrid system that is made up a 1.5 liter i-VTEC engine and an IMA electric motor. Potential buyers can also select a CVT or a 6-speed manual cog box.

Total power output is rated at 122hp at 6,000 revs and 173Nm of torque available between 1,000 revs and 1,500 revs, which sounds pretty good. Other technologies that will enable you to reduce precious consumption of fuel include brake energy regeneration as well as auto start-stop for the engine. You can also choose between three driving modes: Economy, Normal and Sport where the third mode is more suited for spirited driving.

Look for an image gallery filled with live pictures after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Honda CR-Z: Live pictures from Detroit

After many concepts showing us how the design of this new compact has been slowly refined over time, we finally see the production version of the new Honda CR-Z unveiled as a 2011 model year car at the 2010 North American International Auto Show.

From what I can tell the CR-Z is a two-seater and it is powered by a sole engine option – a 1.5 liter i-VTEC engine mated to an IMA electric motor. Honda says this is the first hybrid car designed with style and fun taken into consideration as well as efficiency and economy. That is why other than a CVT that you usually see with Honda’s IMA system, you also get the standard option of a 6-speed manual!

Even if you can’t be bothered with a clutch, you can swap cogs with paddle shifts and when in Sport mode, the transmission is programmed to stay within a certain gear even if you hit the rev limiter, which means you will bounce off the limiter instead of the CVT automatically upshifting on its own. This is the preferred ’sports mode’ behaviour for many.

The 1.5 liter hybrid system’s peak output is 122 horsepower at 6,000rpm and 173Nm of torque from between 1,000rpm to 1,500rpm. This is of course the peak torque that is achieved only when the IMA motor kicks in to boost acceleration, but it’s still very very nice torque figures from just a thousand revolutions! Should be quite fun! The IMA motor is rated at 14 PS and 78Nm and is powered by a 100V IMA nickel-metal hydride battery pack. The system also has brake energy regeneration and auto start-stop.

The production CR-Z has a three-mode drive system that allows the driver to switch between Sport, Normal and Economy driving modes. You can choose between these modes via three backlit buttons to the left of the steering wheel (presumably to the right in a right hand drive car). Sports mode is as its namesake – sportier throttle response, EPS steering weight and how often the IMA motor kicks in to assist with power.

In addition, the RPM meter inner ring changes its illumination to red. In Economy mode, this inner ring changes between blue and green depending on how efficient your driving is – you know you’re driving fuel efficiently when the ring turns green. Normal mode has a similiar behaviour, but with a more balanced setting instead of a full eco-friendly mode.

What we see here is the American version but the blue-ish European version shown above will also feature daytime running lights with 8 LEDs running across the edges of the two headlamps.

The chassis sits on MacPherson struts at the front and a H-shaped torsion beam at the rear. Compared to the Insight, the CR-Z has a 115 mm shorter wheelbase and is 295mm shorter in overall body length. Standard wheels are 16×6 inchers wrapped with 195/55R16 tyres but optional are 17×7 inch wheels with larger 205/45R17 tyres. There is ABS as standard, with disc brakes at all four wheels.

No prices yet though! View a full hi-res gallery after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Honda CR-Z production car unveiled at Detroit!

These are the official images of the Honda New Small Concept, which was just unwrapped at the Auto Expo 2010. The production version of this five-seater concept will be launched in India and Thailand by 2011, executive vice president Koichi Kondo said at the Delhi show.

Honda promises a vehicle that is “beyond the expectations of customers in rapidly growing markets and offer it at an affordable price by leveraging Honda’s global parts sourcing network”. The company calls the concept’s design “Efficient Energetic Exterior”.

As reported earlier, the New Small Concept will jointly developed by R&D teams in India and Thailand; both countries will also manufacture the A-segment car. It is rumoured to come with a 1.2-litre engine.

UPDATE: Full gallery after the jump!

Click here to read the rest of Delhi 2010: Honda New Small Concept makes debut

Here are some screenshots of a video featuring the production Honda CR-Z, which is due for a February 2010 launch in its home market. This green reincarnation of the CR-X comes with a hybrid powertrain that combines a 1.5-litre four-cylinder i-VTEC engine with an IMA electric motor.

According to Honda’s official brochure that has also found its way online, the engine makes 113 bhp at 6,000 rpm and 145 Nm of torque at 4,800 rpm. The electric motor meanwhile produces 13 bhp at 1,500 rpm and 78Nm at 1,000 rpm. Unusually for a hybrid, the CR-Z comes with a six-speed manual transmission in place of the common CVT, which better suits its sporty positioning. The sprint from 0 to 100 km/h will take 9.7 seconds. The steering is an EPS system.

We also now know the CR-Z’s dimensions. Length, width and height is 4080 mm, 1740 mm and 1395 mm respectively, while the wheelbase is 2435 mm long. To give you an idea of the CR-Z’s footprint, it’s a significant 315 mm shorter than a Honda City, but is marginally wider by 25mm.

Look after the jump for the screenshots and scans of the official brochure!

Source

Click here to read the rest of Leaked Honda CR-Z screencaps and brochure!

There is a possibility of Honda’s New Small Concept coming to our region after all! Set for a world debut at the upcoming India Auto Expo, the New Small Concept will be a low cost A-segment car for Honda to penetrate the booming Indian small car segment. But according to The Financial Express, which quotes a source with direct knowledge of the development, the new Honda will also be developed and made in Thailand.

Which means that there’s a possibility of it being exported to Malaysia. “Recently, Honda had hired around 30 engineers for its research and development team at Greater Noida (Honda Siel India’s base). The team will work closely with the R&D team in Bangkok to develop the small car and also focus on bringing down the production cost of this car by optimising component costs,” read the report.

The same source also revealed that the small Honda will come with a 1.2-litre engine and will be priced around Rs 4-4.5 lakh (about USD 8500 to 9600). It will hit the Indian market in 2011. Honda’s current smallest car in India is the Jazz, which is priced from Rs 7 lakh (USD 15,000).

Source

There have been no updates from Honda on its HSV-010 Super GT challenger since the first announcement last week. But the good folks of Motors Blog from Japan have been hanging out at Suzuka with their zoom lenses and caught these pics of the 3.4-litre V8 powered HSV testing.

According to Motors Blog, there were four units around the track, three with Bridgestone tyres and one wearing Dunlops. Pilots of the day were Loic Duval, Yuji Ide, Takuya Izawa and Yuki Nakayama representing Honda Racing’s GT500 customer teams Nakajima Racing (Epson NSX), Team Kunimitsu (Raybrig NSX) and Autobacs Racing Team Aguri (Arta NSX).

It’s such a pity that the NSX project was shelved – this car looks great!

More pics after the jump – Source

Click here to read the rest of GALLERY: Honda HSV-010 GT caught testing!