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It’s official: Honda Accord CrossTour here soon!

July 8, 2009 at 6:55 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Honda, International News

Honda Accord CrossTour

Honda posted up a press release today on its media newsroom website announcing the availability of a new crossover bodytype for the Accord range, called the Honda Accord CrossTour. It will go on sale in the US in fall 2009 as a 2010 model. This is very likely the new model that American Honda teased on their website a few days ago. The CrossTour’s concept looks quite similiar to its sibling the Acura ZDX, and the BMW 5-Series GT, so it would make sense to assume that the ZDX and the CrossTour would be based on the same mechanicals, but some sites are claiming the two cars will ride on different platforms. We’ll find out more later I’m sure, so for now look after the jump to have a look at some previously released spyshots of the Honda Accord CrossTour.
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US teaser: A new Honda coming soon?

July 6, 2009 at 2:04 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Honda, International News

Honda Something New

A completely new Honda vehicle is on the horizon, or so says American Honda Motor Co’s “Future Cars” section on their website. No clues at the moment but I think it could be either two things – a CR-Z, or it could be the Honda Accord CrossTour four-door coupe with the sloping roofline and a rear hatch that we saw a few weeks back! Check out the Honda Accord CrossTour story for more pix of what could possibly be Honda’s version of the upcoming Acura ZDX.

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Coming soon: Smart Wheels!

July 6, 2009 at 1:48 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Honda, Local News

Smart WheelsBuying a car is probably your second biggest purchase in life, if not first. So, it is normal to mull over a decision repeatedly until you get the slightest hint of comfort and assurance. Perhaps some hard facts would help.

Every one of us probably knows at least one person who made a car purchase decision based on misguided facts, or they simply did not know how to choose a car that meets their needs. They end up regretting their purchase later, but by that time it is too late and they are already saddled with a burden of a 5 year or up to even 9 year loan!

Soon we’ll have Smart Wheels, a microportal that will provide relevant tips and information for potential car buyers that aim to help them to make informed decisions. Smart Wheels will feature a series of stories that will guide you through a car purchase process and what to look out for when you purchase a car. It is an initiative by Honda but remains an independent portal that does not endorse any car brand in specific.

There will also be a Q&A section where you can ask questions and clear up any uncertainties related to your car purchase.

So watch out next week for Smart Wheels on the 11th of July!

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100 Honda Civic Hybrids on Malaysian roads now

June 26, 2009 at 2:23 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Honda, Local News

100th Civic Hybrid in Malaysia

There are now 100 Honda Civic Hybrids in Malaysia brought in officially by Honda Malaysia Sdn Bhd. Since Honda claims that each Civic Hybrid on the road potentially reduces their owner’s carbon footprint by 1 tonne a year compared to if they were to drive a regular car, these 100 owners have reduced by footprint by 100 tonnes a year collectively! Honda targets to have this number increased to 200 by end-2009.

The 100th owner is Michelle Lu, but she admits that the idea was actually her engineer husband’s. “When we first got the Civic Hybrid, our friends asked us why, because like myself, they too have the perception that it is a low capacity car with only a 1.3 litre engine and has no power. My perception has definitely changed now. It drives like a 1.8L vehicle and it is so much smoother and quieter,” said Lu.

When the Civic Hybrid was first introduced it was pretty pricey but with the government tax exemption (that’s sadly only valid for 2 years, I believe 1 year is gone now), the price has been brought down to RM129,980, which is about the same price as a 2.0 litre. But Malaysians are not exactly taking it up in the droves.

Before this we can say it’s too expensive, but what’s stopping us now? Lack of power compared to the 2.0 model? Uncertainties on how long the battery will last and how much servicing the car will be? I believe its more of the latter.

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Challenging Spirit: Honda and Motorsports

June 24, 2009 at 1:04 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Honda, Motorsports

Honda has always been associated with motorsports, ever since from day one with their founder Soichiro Honda. It began with Mr Honda heeding the call to compete in the Isle of Man TT races. It was a classic “win on Sunday, sell on Monday” case for Honda, and a real need in the face of looming bankruptcy because the Juno scooter flopped.

It had many issues – it had reliability issues and was too heavy, thus making it underpowered. Honda needed to sell bikes to get sales on the move again, and motorsports was one way to get the brand out there. The Tourist Trophy race program on the Isle of Man was Soichiro Honda’s choice of platform to showcase his race bikes. It took him 5 years for the first Hondas to race on the island, and 2 years later, Honda bikes won the Tourist Trophy category that they were racing in!

Honda F1

It’s a shame that they had to pull out of F1 at the moment due to the high costs associated. But I believe that it’s only something temporary, as Honda has been in and out of F1 before. They’ve been involved in F1 way back – since the 1960s, and they even won a race in 1965, just one year after they joined. And that amazing chassis that’s contributing to Brawn GP’s success now is the result of Honda F1 engineer development.

Even if they are not in F1 (they could possibly join the FOTA’s new Grand Prix Racing though?), they are still heavily involved in many other types of motorsports, both bikes and cars. Many of the technologies gained through racing R&D have been channeled into their road cars and bikes. Amongst many other races, in Malaysia, a factory team never fails to join the MME endurance race every year, and it races an NSX in the Super GT race.

VIDEO: Honda Motorsports “Reasons to Exist” – MME 2008

Their MME team is manned by Honda Malaysia staff and it helps them build team spirit, not to mention the knowledge and experience they gain under Mugen when building the race car. This is another way that motorsports can help a car company.

Honda NSX-GT

The Honda NSX-GT was in Malaysia during the weekend. It’s a race car based on the NSX, or the Honda New Sports eXperimental, a rear wheel drive, mid-engine mounted sports car powered by either a 3.0 litre or 3.2 litre V6 VTEC engine.

The NSX-R GT came much later as a response to the requirements of Super GT car requiring production car homologation. It was limited to a production run of only 5 cars to comply with JGTC rules. The NSX production car sales halted in 2005 to make way for a new V10 supercar (which was later put on hold around the same time as Honda pulling out of F1), but the NSX GT cars continued racing in the Super GT.

Honda NSX-GT
EPSON Nakajima Racing team is geared up to start

The Honda NSX Super GT car races in the GT500 class and runs a tuned up C32B engine, with displacement increased from 3.2 litres to various figures depending year to year. It was 3494cc in 2008 but this year lower at 3,396cc, but they all put out a rated 500 PS. There are even years where a force inducted 3.0 litre was used. The race car has evolved significantly since the road car, even down to the fact that the engine is now mounted longitudinally instead of transverse as per the road car.

VIDEO: Honda NSX GT car on-board cam at Fuji

In the GT500 race during the Sepang leg of the Japan Super GT last weekend, the NSX took 2nd (Keihin NSX) and 3rd place (ARTA NSX) after a Nissan GT-R, which very competitive considering that some might consider it an old chassis. Fourth position also went to the Raybrig NSX, with HIS Advan Kondo’s GT-R trailing it at 5th place.

Honda is currently having a competition called “Our Challenging Spirit” contest where you can basically nominate your friend with a Honda and Honda Racing-liked value (there are two – Passion and Dedication) and a reason for why you think your friend encompasses the spirit of Passion or Dedication, in under 300 words. You have to upload a picture of the person you are nominating.

Honda Contest

Then you also have to fill up a slogan (example of Challenging Spirit) of not more than 100 words. Winners will be chosen based on both reasons for nomination and the required slogan. You can follow updates on the competition and Honda Racing updates at the Honda Racing Malaysia Facebook page. Go on, join and become a fan, I have!

If you any favorite nominee you noticed, do let us know in the comments so we can go check the nominee out together!
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Euro-spec Mugen Honda Civic Type-R: first images

June 23, 2009 at 12:31 pm By Harvinder Sidhu Filed Under Cars, Honda

First two images of the Euro-spec Mugen Honda Civic Type-R have been released onto the Internet. The new Type-R features a 4-cylinder 2.0 litre i-VTEC powerplant that is expected to produce up to 240HP. The front wheel drive hot hatch is also expected to offered with a 6-speed manual transmission.

On the outside, the Mugen Honda Civic Type-R comes with new front and rear bumpers, blacked out front grille, wider fenders, a new hood with twin-scoops, redesigned sideskirts, a rear diffuser as well as a dual exhaust system. The new Mugen Honda Civic Type-R is expected to be priced anywhere between €40,000 and €50,000. Continue reading to view another image.
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Mugen works on the 2010 Honda Stream

June 22, 2009 at 9:31 am By Harvinder Sidhu Filed Under Cars, Honda

Mugen, famous tuner for Honda has revealed an updated tuning package for the 2010 Honda Stream MPV, which was recently facelifted. The Mugen package for the Japanese people mover is made up by an exterior kit, including front and rear spoilers, a sporty grille, side skirts as well as a roof-mounted rear wing. The tuner has also added newly designed 17-inch alloy wheels.

Apart from the aesthetic upgrades, potential owners can also opt for a performance brake package, performance muffler with a single exhaust pipe, sports suspension for better road holding and a performance air filter. Continue reading to view more images of the 2010 Honda Stream kitted with the Mugen package.
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Honda Stream RST facelift unveiled in Japan!

June 19, 2009 at 2:27 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Honda, International News

Honda Stream RST

Honda has updated the Stream MPV for its mid-life facelift, or Minor Model Change as Honda usually calls it. Like before, two different powerplants are offered in Japan – a 140 PS 1.8 litre SOHC i-VTEC and a 150 PS 2.0 litre SOHC i-VTEC engine, both from the R-series of engines.

With the pre-facelift model you had the RSZ, a model that had sportier looks. With this minor model change Honda has added another variant called the Honda Stream RST, which joins the Stream RSZ and Stream X up to a total of 3 variants.

Other than different exterior looks, the RST also uses red instead of blue backlighting for the instrumentation panel.

Honda Stream RST

These variants are further broken down into front wheel drive and 4WD variants. The 2.0L front wheel drive models get a CVT while the rest use a 5-speed automatic. With the Stream only just getting updated to the RSZ model here in Malaysia, this minor model change could take some time before arriving on our shores officially via Honda Malaysia Sdn Bhd. Naza might bring it in first.

Look after the jump for a full gallery of the new Stream.
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Honda Jazz S Modulo Limited Edition – 100 units

June 1, 2009 at 12:13 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Honda, Local News

Honda Malaysia Sdn Bhd is currently offering a 100 unit limited edition Honda Jazz Grade S Modulo Limited Edition, which is essentially the Jazz Grade S with a Modulo kit which consists of a front and rear lip, side skirts, and a tailgate spoiler. It is only available in Cerulean Blue Metallic. According to Honda, the Modulo kit cost approximately RM5,000 but the 100 units are priced at the same price as the normal Jazz S: RM104,800.

With a difference of only RM5k between the Jazz S and V, it’s likely that alot of Jazz customers just opted to pay the extra RM5k for the Jazz V, so this promotion could be intended to help prop up the sales of the S variant to balance out the stock levels.

In case you don’t know, the Jazz S is the lower spec version of the two offered, with the top of the line being the Jazz Grade V. The V has larger wheels (16 inch versus 15 inch on the S) and a black interior instead of a black and blue interior on the V.

For the full list of differences, check out my Honda Jazz launch story, or look after the jump for a closer look at the bodykit parts.
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Honda Accord CrossTour aimed at the Venza

June 1, 2009 at 2:36 am By Paul Tan Filed Under Cars, Honda, Spyshots

Honda Accord CrossTour

Honda will not leave BMW and Toyota to play alone in the new segment that they seem to have carved out for themselves with the Toyota Venza and the BMW 5-Series Gran Turismo. VWVortex forum member GoVdubSPEEDGo/M. Balisky spotted two of these lightly taped up Accord CrossTour crossovers up in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in southeastern US.

The side profile can be quite positively identified as similiar to the US/Asian market Honda Accord, with a sloping hatchback rear end and previous gen Accord Coupe-like rear lights. Acura will have its own similiar segment vehicle called the Acura ZDX.

Look after the jump for more photos.
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