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Honda Fit EV Concept – production due in 2012

November 18, 2010 at 12:13 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Honda, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News

Honda Fit EV Concept 1

Honda has debuted its Fit EV Concept at the LA Auto Show. This one hints strongly at the direction and styling that will be taken by the production Fit EV, which will be introduced in the the US and Japan in 2012.

The Fit EV Concept displayed in LA features an exclusive Deep Clear Blue Pearl exterior shade and five-spoke aluminium-alloy wheels with blue inserts. Other exterior cues include unique LED headlights, a chrome front fascia, aerodynamic bumper and clear LED tail lamps. Inside, the seats are finished in an eco-friendly grey bio-fabric.

Honda Fit EV Concept 2

The production model will be powered by a lithium-ion battery and coaxial high-density electric motor derived from the FCX Clarity fuel cell electric vehicle. The car will have a top speed of 145 kph and offer a 160 km range per charge. Battery recharging takes less than 12 hours when using a conventional 120V outlet and less than six hours with 240V.

On call is a three-mode electric drive system, adapted from the Honda CR-Z sport hybrid. The system allows the driver to select between Econ, Normal and Sport – Econ mode, as its tag suggests, offers the most driving range, 17% better than Normal mode and up to 25% more than in Sport mode. The last is claimed to offer performance similar to a vehicle equipped with a 2.0 litre petrol engine.

Honda Fit EV Concept 3

In addition to the three-mode E-Drive system, the Fit EV will include several interactive coaching systems to assist the driver in maximising battery range – among these, a special meter display that advises the driver when to shut off the air conditioning and other accessories to conserve battery power.

The car will also feature a standard connectivity system that allows the driver to stay connected to the vehicle, be it through a smartphone or personal computer, or the vehicle’s interactive remote, which provides connectivity to the vehicle without the need for an internet connection or mobile phone signal.

Honda Fit EV Concept 4

Through the connectivity system, drivers will be able to remotely view the vehicle’s state of charge, initiate charging and activate the air conditioning, even while connected to the grid, to reduce the drain on the battery at start-up.

The mobile application and website also offers the ability to set charging notifications and alerts to optimise utility rates and provides 24-hour roadside assistance, along with a public charging station locator. The company has also developed a prototype charging stand – all one has to do to begin charging one’s EV is swipe a card in front of the screen and the charger then connects to the vehicle.

Gallery after the jump.
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Honda ends domestic sales of the Civic, new car in 2011

November 16, 2010 at 10:43 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Honda, International News

Honda Motor Co will end domestic sales of its Civic sedan as soon as existing stock runs out, according to prominent media group Nikkei. This is in preparation for a “fully updated model” that’s due to be launched next year. The automaker will continue to sell the four-door Civic worldwide though, as the C-segment sedan is still doing well elsewhere.

Nikkei adds that Honda had at first planned to keep the Civic Hybrid on the market, but decided to stop Japanese sales of all Civic models due to weak demand for sedans of that size. In October, Honda sold only 182 Civics and 270 Civic Hybrids in Japan.

This isn’t surprising at all. Back in August, we posted about Honda moving the 8th gen Civic sedan from its car line up page to the Archives section in its Japan website, listing its lifespan as 2007/09 to 2010/08. The Civic Hybrid wasn’t included in that move. Looks like the much awaited 9th gen Civic is really coming soon, although it’ll take awhile for it to reach here after its domestic unveil.

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It’s on a roll – Honda’s CR-Z bags another award

November 11, 2010 at 3:20 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Honda, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News

cr-z

Fresh from being named the Japanese Car of the Year, Honda’s CR-Z has picked up another award, this one being a Best 15 title in Japan’s Good Design Award 2010.

Each year, only 15 projects from five different fields (tagged Society, Living, Work, Network and Human Body) are singled out for the select awards, and the CR-Z, along with Nissan’s Leaf EV, were the two automotive-based recipients this year in the Living category.

The judges described the uncompromising pursuit of aerodynamics of the roof and the flow from the front to the side and quarter panels of the CR-Z as a beautifully finished design, which could redefine the benchmark to determine, as the panel put it, “the attraction of cars.” It’s on this basis that the car has been honoured with a 2010 Best 15 Good Design Award.

This marks the fifth consecutive year that a Honda product has received the Good Design Award Best 15 – previous winning products include the Monpal ML200 four-wheel scooter, the HondaJet, the FCX Clarity hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle and the Insight hybrid.
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Honda Malaysia to bring in Insight hybrid next month!

November 10, 2010 at 5:39 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Honda, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, Local News, Malaysia Budget 2011

It has been only less than a month since full tax exemption for hybrid cars was announced in Budget 2011, but we’ve already seen the sweet fruits of the Government’s decision. First was the Toyota Prius’ RM35K drop in price, then came the Honda Civic Hybrid’s revised price of RM109K, making it cheaper than the CKD Civic 1.8. Now, Honda Malaysia is taking further advantage of the situation and has announced that it will bring in the Honda Insight hybrid next month. The car’s launch should be at KLIMS 2010.

The current Insight is the second-generation car bearing the name, the first being the oddball design with no rear wheel arches. The Insight is a dedicated five-door hybrid model and its hybrid powertrain combines a 88 PS/121 Nm 1.3-litre SOHC i-VTEC engine with a new generation Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) system that’s 19% smaller and 28% lighter. It consists of a 14 PS/78 Nm DC brushless electric motor with a Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) battery pack. A CVT gearbox does transmission duties.

The Insight features a new interactive fuel economy assistant called the Ecological Drive Assist System (Eco Assist). It combines a driver-activated ECON mode (Effective Control), a feedback function that uses a speedo display with changing background colours (green is good, deep blue means you’re naughty) to encourage efficient driving and a fuel-economy scoring function using a plant-leaf graphic. The latter provides current and lifetime score charts so you can keep track of how much fuel you’ve saved.

Here’s hoping that the CR-Z, which has just been crowned 2010 Japan Car of the Year, will be next up!

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Honda CR-Z is Japan Car of the Year, Polo is best import

November 10, 2010 at 2:31 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Honda, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, International News, Volkswagen

Honda’s CR-Z is the 2010-2011 Japan Car of the Year! The hybrid coupe was announced the best of the year by the 60 strong Executive Committee comprising Japanese motoring journalists at the Waseda University Memorial Hall. It looks as if to get near the prize, the car has to be a hybrid – the Toyota Prius edged out Honda’s Insight in last year’s contest.

The jury appreciated the CR-Z’s hybrid tech and its fun to drive character. The Import Car of the Year award goes to the Volkswagen Polo 1.2 TSI, which the judges described as having a “high quality interior and exterior” plus “good fuel economy and powertrain” (translation by Google). The supermini was also praised for having “no compromise on safety equipment”. This win completes a hat-trick for the Mk V Polo, which has already scooped up European and World COTY awards this year.

A special award goes out to the Peugeot RCZ, which is the “future balance of innovative design and driving pleasure” according to the jury.

“We are very proud that the CR-Z has been selected from the strong contenders of new models as the Car of the Year Japan 2010–2011. This award shows that the public has accepted Honda’s aspiration to supply exceptional environmental performance in a fun-to-drive hybrid car at an affordable price, as well as Honda’s desire to spread the joy of owning and driving a car.

“We also believe that this award for the CR-Z reflects the true value of the combined efforts of our business partners and the many others who supported CR-Z development and production. Going forward, Honda intends to bring more joy to an even larger number of customers,” said Honda’s President and CEO, Takanobu Ito.

We’re looking forward to welcome the Honda CR-Z with Malaysian Hospitality, especially with the current favourable tax exemption for hybrids!

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Honda City now available in Tafetta White in Malaysia!

November 10, 2010 at 1:21 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Honda, Local News

The Honda City is now available in a new color – Taffeta White. There are now a total of four colours offered on the City – Alabaster Silver, Polished Metal and Crystal Black Pearl. The blue and gold colors that the City was launched with doesn’t seem to be available anymore, and we’re not sure when they were removed.

As a recap – there are two variants of the City for sale – the top of the line Grade E which goes for RM90,480.00 OTR with insurance and another Grade S which goes for RM85,480.00 OTR with insurance.

The difference between the two are fog lights, turn signal door mirrors, exhaust pipe finishing, 15 inch wheels as opposed to 16 inch wheels, steering wheel paddle shifts and audio controls, leather steering and gearknob, 4 speakers versus 6, a fixed rear headrest and backrest (no reclining and 60:40 split), rear armrest, power retractable door mirrors, and the rear seat under tray.

On a side note, I’m actually quite amused with the fact that the headline text on the Honda City’s page on Honda Malaysia’s website says “There’s more to the City than meets the eye”. The City is unofficially known to many enthusiasts here as the “Optimus Prime face” City and the Transformers franchise uses the tagline “More than meets the eye”. Was it intentional?

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Get on the rock! with Honda City climbing competition

November 10, 2010 at 1:20 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Honda, Local News

In conjunction with the unveiling of the white Honda City, Honda also launched a month-long rock climbing competition called “Get on the rock! with Honda City”. The competition consists of two categories – Open and Pro Climber. Participants have to be aged 21 years and above. Open is of course open to anyone, and you have to join in teams of two participants.

The Pro Climber category is open to anyone (not a pair as with the Open category) with climbing experienced of Grade 6c and above, based on the French Numerical climb rating system with 1 being the easiest and 9b being the most difficult.

Registration is already open and will close on the 7th of December. Participants for Open category are required to submit one climbing photo shot that best interprets one of what Honda Malaysia says are the City’s qualities: Style, Performance, Practicality and Best-in-class. Participants for the Pro Climber category will have to submit four photos – one that represents each quality.

Submissions will go through an online voting system, where 25 top teams from the Open category and 20 competitors from the Pro Climber category will be short listed for the final showdown on the 18th of December 2010 at Camp5, One Utama New Wing.

During the final showdown, the winning team from Open category that climbs the most mileage in 2 hours will win a climbing trip on the limestone cliff in Krabi, Thailand worth RM3,500 along with a 1-year membership in Camp5. The Pro Climber category winner will get a chance to meet Reini Scherer, one of the world climbing champions, in a climbing clinic in Austria worth RM13,000 in addition to a RM2,000 cash prize.

Look after the jump to find some sample photos for two qualities if you need inspiration, as well as an embedded document with more detailed info on the competition.
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Honda small car prototype to debut at Thai Expo 2010

November 10, 2010 at 12:51 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Honda, International News

Honda Motor Co Ltd has announced that it will be presenting a prototype small vehicle at the 27th Thailand International Motor Expo 2010, which will start for the public on the 1st of December 2010. The prototype vehicle will be based on the Honda New Small Concept which was first unveiled to the world in India early this year, and the Thai Expo prototype will represent a version that’s closer to production.

The single model will spawn two different versions that will share the same basic design – the Thai-built version will focus on fuel efficiency while another version for India will suit the country’s growing small car market.

I suppose the Thai version will be a little more high specced – even Suzuki has two different Altos on sale, an Indian version and a seemingly more refined version sold in Japan. For some reason we’re getting the Indian version though.

For pretty much the entire world outside Japan, Honda’s smallest offering so far has been the B-segment Honda Jazz, so this new small car will likely be an A-segment similarly sized to vehicles such as the Suzuki Alto, the Kia Picanto and the Hyundai i10. Honda is not without experience though, as in Japan they sell cars smaller than the Jazz such as the Honda Zest and the Honda Life.

These small JDM Hondas have some pretty interesting powertrains thanks to Japanese regulations – there’s a 660cc i-DSI Turbo engine available in Japan that has 64hp and 93Nm of torque – pretty much equivalent to a 1.0 litre normally aspirated engine. But we’re probably not going to be able to taste those engines as the rumour is that this new small Honda will receive a 1.2 litre normally aspirated engine.

If it’s going to be offered in the Thai market, I’m pretty sure the ASEAN region is in plans, which includes Malaysia. Pretty soon, the cheapest way into Honda ownership may not be the Honda City any longer!
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SEMA Honda CR-Z Hybrid R Concept is turbocharged!

November 4, 2010 at 3:05 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Honda, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel

I think all of us can agree that the 2011 Honda CR-Z Hybrid R Concept that Honda Performance Development is showcasing at this year’s SEMA is probably what the Honda CR-Z should have been instead of the anaemic 122 horsepower 1.5 litre production car.

The CR-Z Hybrid R Concept bolts a turbocharger onto the 1.5 litre engine, with the IMA motor assist system upgraded to one of a higher capacity as well. The result is 200 horsepower and about 238Nm of torque, which puts it around the same kind of output as a Civic Type R. Are we looking at the future of the Civic Type R?

As it is, the high revving normally aspirated 2.0 litre engine is being forced out of many first world markets as it is unable to keep up with increasingly difficult emission requirements. The CR-Z Hybrid R Concept uses two popular alternatives to pure normally aspirated power – turbocharging as well as hybrid motor assist. Honda has barely dabbled with a turbocharger in these modern days – it’s sole turbo engine is a 2.3 litre i-VTEC Turbo installed in an Acura SUV.

Honda has also added a performance clutch and a limited slip differential, as well as a ‘circuit tuned’ suspension, uprated brakes and a bodykit which promises better aerodynamics. Honda will be racing two CR-Z Hybrid R Concepts at the 25 Hours of Thunderhill endurance race in December, which will be a good proving ground for the abilities and reliability of the system.

Look after the jump for a full gallery of the Honda.
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Honda Civic Hybrid is RM21K cheaper now at RM108,980!

November 1, 2010 at 6:31 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Honda, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, Local News, Malaysia Budget 2011

Hybrid cars are becoming very attractive propositions thanks to the Government’s decision to fully waive excise and import duty, as announced in the 2011 Budget. UMW Toyota has already slashed the Toyota Prius’ price tag to RM139,900 from the previous RM175,000, and it’s Honda’s turn to reveal the new price of its Civic Hybrid. The green Civic is now priced at RM108,980 OTR with insurance, which is RM21,000 cheaper than before.

This means that the imported from Japan Civic Hybrid will be the most affordable Civic variant in Malaysia, undercutting the RM114,980 1.8S model, which is locally assembled by the way. The new price for East Malaysia is RM1,000 more than on the Peninsular, while Langkawi and Labuan buyers can have the car at RM100,980. It’s still cheaper in those duty free islands as they are exempted from a 10% sales tax.

“As the pioneer in introducing the hybrid technology to the Malaysian market, we are pleased with the government’s decision to allow full exemption of import duty and excise duty as announced in the recent Budget 2011. The move will make hybrid vehicles more accessible for environmentally conscious Malaysians. These exemptions are certainly timely as Honda is looking into expanding its hybrid vehicle line-up in Malaysia,” said Honda Malaysia President and COO, Rohime Shafie.

There you have it! Should be the Honda Insight, or perhaps even the CR-Z at a later date!

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