Archive for Honda

Honda Automobile (Thailand) Co., Ltd. has started selling the all-new Honda City in Thailand today. It will be sold in Thailand for between 524,000 to 694,000 Thai baht. We don’t have much details on the wheelbase and some other details yet.

The new Honda City is powered by solely by a 1.5 liter i-VTEC engine mated to either a 5-speed automatic or a 5-speed manual It is 4,395mm long, 1,695mm wide and 1,470mm tall, so it is slightly longer (+5mm), slightly wider (+5mm) but not as tall (-25mm) as the previous model. Making it wider and not as high reduces the whole hatchback with a boot tagged on look that the City it replaces had.

It’s quite an attractive car and the lines flow alot smoother than the model it replaces. I hope that for those who don’t fancy the grille at the front all that much (as expressed in some previous posts), there will be a replacement Modulo grille that they can opt for. This was an option that Accord owners who preferred not having an “empty” grille – they could opt for a Modulo grille that had a little bar running through it.

UPDATE: More photos including high resolution photos of the new Honda City have been added after the jump. The new City is sold in Thailand in three variants: S, V and SV. The S and V variants come with a beige interior while the top of the line SV model comes with a dark interior and all 3 variants also come with different alloy wheel designs.

Six colours are available – Habanero Red Pearl, Deep Lapis Blue Metallic, Alabaster Metallic, Polished Metal Metallic and Bold Beige Metallic and Crystal Black Pearl. Sadly white is not available but maybe it will be in Malaysia if Honda Malaysia deems it as a potentially popular colour, which I think it would.

More details to be updated soon, for the moment please have a look at a collection of photos of the new City after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of 2009 Honda City officially unveiled in Thailand!

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The Honda Civic facelift or minor model change in Honda speak has been unveiled in its home market of Japan so we now have an idea how our own facelifted Honda Civic will look like. This comes shortly after Honda revealed its American market Honda Civic. Next will be the European Civic hatch I suppose.

True to its namesake, the changes are indeed minor which include a new front grille design which has a thicker chrome bar at the top and reshaped with sharper edges thus giving the grille a wider appearance, a new front bumper with wider air intakes to appear sportier, and new tail lamps with a larger internal lense (no longer round now). That’s about it for the exterior. Thankfully our model does not get the chrome bar between the tail lamps that the USDM version gets.

The interior does not get much changes except for updates to the in-car entertainment system to support the latest inputs like USB as well as new fabric for the seats. The high grade MXST Civic Hybrid also gets an Alcantara interior.

The engines under the hood of the facelifted Civic remain largely the same as the pre-facelift version – a 2.0 liter i-VTEC DOHC engine putting out 155 PS at 6,000rpm (a quick check shows pre-facelift version put out the same 155 PS at a higher 6,500rpm) and 188Nm of torque at 4,500rpm, and a 1.8 liter i-VTEC SOHC engine producing 140 PS at 6,300rpm and 174Nm of torque at 4,300rpm. It’s not known if the engines have any other tweaks or not while remaining with the same power output levels.

Thanks to Vincent for the tip! Look after the jump for more photos of the Civic facelift.

Click here to read the rest of New Honda Civic facelift unveiled in Japan!

Honda has added a new safety feature to its Vehicle Stability Assist system called Motion Adaptive Electric Power Steering (Motion Adaptive EPS). Currently only available with the newly launched Honda Legend, it will be added to the Japanese-market Honda Accord (not the same as our Accord as it is known as the Honda Inspire there) and the next generation Honda Odyssey.

Motion Adaptive EPS provides steering wheel feedback to the driver during an unstable slippery corner to prompt the driver’s action in steering the wheel the right way as sometimes drivers tend to over-correct the steering angle. It can also correct steering input when braking on a surface which causes uneven traction between the left and right side wheels of the car.

While it remains a premium feature for now, like all technologies Motion Adaptive EPS should slowly trickle down to the rest of the Honda range. The only question is how long?

Click for hi-res photo

This is Honda’s second take on a hybrid-only car, to be shown in concept form first at the 2008 Paris Motor Show. The production version of the second generation “Cadillac of hybrids” (as John Travolta’s character called it in the movie Be Cool) the Honda Insight will on sale in April 2009.

Honda UK’s environmental manager John Kingston said earlier this week that this car will change customer’s perception of hybrids thanks to real economical savings compared to just that mostly “green” feeling that other hybrids give.

The 5-door, 5-seater hatchback car will locate the battery and control unit beneath the cargo space. Like Honda’s previous IMA system it will feature an internal combustion engine and an electric motor for assistance. Honda also claims significant cost and weight reduction with the new car, allowing the hybrid to reach more customers.

The new Insight Concept will be displayed alongside Honda’s two other alternative fuel/hybrid cars – the Honda CR-Z lightweight sports car concept and the Honda FCX Clarity. Look for one more shot of the cars after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of Second Generation Honda Insight Concept unveiled!

Mugen showcased this concept model called the Honda Civic 5D MUGEN at the 2008 Moscow International Automobile Salon. It’s based on the 5-door Civic hatchback sold in European markets. You can see the family resemblance to the Honda Civic Mugen RR concept shown back in 2007 thanks to the usage of triangular shapes in the various design details of the kit. The Civic Mugen RR went into a 300 unit limited production so we may see the Civic 5D MUGEN entering production as well.

Look after the jump for a few more shots.

Click here to read the rest of Honda Civic 5D MUGEN Concept

According to just-auto.com, Honda UK’s environmental manager John Kingston said Honda’s new “cheaper” family hybrid car will be announced tomorrow and will be unveiled to the public as a concept car at the 2008 Paris Motor Show. The car will then go into production in Spring 2009. The new affordable hybrid will be a 5-door hatchback and will carry styling cues from the Honda FCX Clarity (shown above).

The new hybrid car will feature a heavily revised hybrid powertrain with major components made lighter, more compact and placed under the cargo space instead of behind the rear seats like the current generation Civic Hybrid. Weight savings will be significant, further improving fuel economy.

“It is a very important car for Honda and our future direction. This is a car that will change customer perception of hybrids,” added John Kingston. He did not elaborate on how affordable would this new “more affordable” hybrid be, but he said it would be enough for people to choose such cars for economical reasons rather than just wanting to be “green”.

It was also revealed in the story that Honda will add another 3 more hybrids by 2010 – a sports car hybrid, a new hybrid Civic and a new hybrid Jazz.

Source

Honda Thailand has put up a teaser TV commercial for the new Honda City up on their website.

Nothing much is revealed except the new “Optimus Prime” front grille of the car, inspired by the Honda FCX Clarity.

Watch the video after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of 2009 Honda City Teaser Video from Thailand

Official details of the facelifted Honda Civic range in America has surfaced, which should lead to an announcement pretty soon on an updated Civic for our market. Though essentially the same car under the sheet metal, our Civic and the American Civic has a few styling differences especially on the rear end where the Civic has a totally different rear lamp shape compared to ours.

In the US, the base non-Si Civic is only available with the 1.8 liter inline-4 SOHC i-VTEC engine, while we have both the 1.8 liter SOHC and the 2.0 liter DOHC i-VTEC. The only 2.0 liter Civic there is the Civic Si with a high-revving 197 horsepower DOHC i-VTEC engine. For the 2009 model year facelift, the power output for the 1.8 liter motor remains unchanged at 140hp, mated to a 5-speed manual or a 5-speed automatic with dual overdrive ratios.

There are also not much changes to the interior except that the integrated head unit now features USB input as well as a built-in Bluetooth hands-free system. As for the exterior, the front gets a new grille and bumper while the rear gets a new tail lamp lense design as well as a large chrome panel between the headlamps.

Look after the jump for videos and a hi-res gallery of the US-market Civic facelift.

Click here to read the rest of 2009 Honda Civic Facelift for US market

Honda Malaysia Sdn Bhd signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Road Safety Department of Malaysia to support the government’s move for safer cars in Malaysia.

The Road Safety Department recently pushed for car manufacturers to install rear seatbelts on cars that did not have them for free, and Honda is the first non-national make to do so.

According to Honda Malaysia’s CEO Atsushi Fujimoto, there are 25,480 units of the Honda City sold between 2003 to 2005 that do not have rear center seat belts.

Free installation of belts for the affected cars will begin in October 2008 and all costs will be born by Honda Malaysia. It will be done in batches and owners will be informed on when they can come in to install their belts.

UPDATE: All Honda Citys do have 2 rear seatbelts at the rear. This exercise is to install a 5th seat belt for the middle seat.

UPDATE: 2009 Honda City: in-depth details and specifications. Click the linked text to find out you need to know about the upcoming new Honda City in Malaysia.

It’s confirmed – the car we’ve been seeing in China and India is indeed the new Honda City. Reader xstan pointed out this flickr page with photos of the new Honda City – fully uncovered including photos of the interior!

It’s not known at the moment which country these photos come from. As expected, the interior is no longer based on the one in the Honda Jazz but instead uses a design that is perhaps cheaper to cast and manufacture.

Look after the jump for full images and details!

Click here to read the rest of New Honda City i-VTEC fully undisguised exterior and interior revealed!

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Honda has launched the new Honda Jazz in Malaysia and although the two engine options are gone, the single i-VTEC engined model comes in two different equipment levels – Grade S and Grade V priced at RM104,800 and RM109,800 respectively.

Let’s look at the new Honda Jazz after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of New Honda Jazz S and V launched in Malaysia

The American market 8th generation Honda Civic which has different styling cues compared to our Asian market Honda Civic has been facelifted and revealed in these brochures scanned by a member of the 8thCivic forums.

The facelifted USDM Civic has a larger, more prominent grille that has a trapezoidal shape. This is obviously to bring the Civic closer to the Jazz, Stream and Accord in terms of “family resemblance” as the other two cars also feature this more angular grille shape. The front bumper looks more muscular while the rear gains a new chrome stripe between the two rear lamps.

Since the USDM Civic has been facelifted, we can expect a similiar refreshment to our Asian market Honda Civic very soon.

More images after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of US-market Honda Civic facelift unveiled!

The same car that we saw on test in India and was presumed to be the new Honda City has now been spotted in China. These photos from sohu show the same car finished in a nice white paint. Unlike the previous shots, we can now see the tail lamps in full glory.

What is this mysterious car? If it is truly the new Honda City it will definitely sell like hot cakes, it looks really good! It will have a winning formula of good looks, above average fuel economy, a price of under RM100k (under 70K is a dream but maybe possible with 1.3 manual?), and a Honda badge!

If you look closely at the ceiling of the interior through the windows, there is something that looks roughly like a sunroof, but oddly shaped as its not very clear. I could be mistaken. Can you see what I am seeing? The City may be an economical model to us but in countries like India where it is high-end, it is available with a sunroof.

The current generation Honda City one of the Honda cars available in China and have also been used as Chinese police cars in the past.

Look after the jump for more shots of the car.

Related Posts:
New Honda City spotted on test in India
Artist’s impression of the new Honda City
Photoshopped Honda City found on Thai forums

Click here to read the rest of New 2009 Honda City spotted in China?

Reader Simon wrote in with a pointer to a thread on pantip.com that is discussing what is supposed to be a product shot of the new Honda City that is expected to be unveiled internationally sometime in the late third quarter or early fourth quarter of the year.

The rendering looks similiar yet different from what Autocar India came up with. The Autocar India rendering (based on internal sources and spyshots) looked like a sedan version of the European Honda Civic and was much sleeker.

This image shows a rather high roofline, making it much more similiar to the current generation City. It is more proportionate though. The front end is inspired by the design of some more recent Hondas such as the Honda FCX Clarity.

What do you think of the new Honda City?

Reader Sodi snapped a trailer transporting a few units of the new Honda Jazz on the KESAS Highway at about 12:50PM in the afternoon from Klang heading towards Shah Alam. The trailer is carrying white and blue painted units, so we know at least two of the colours being offered now.

Other details seen are the wing mirrors with signal indicators, and the alloy wheel design. It’s a shame the rear wheel did not manage to be included in the photo so we cannot see if the rear brakes are discs or drums.

The white Jazz looks quite good and is in line with the current trend of white being a popular colour for a car.

Look after the jump for two more shots of the trailer.

Click here to read the rest of New Honda Jazz on trailer spotted on KESAS!