Honda has revealed the first images of its European CR-V Prototype ahead of its public debut in Geneva next month.
The prototype showcases the exterior styling direction of the new European Honda CR-V, which is set to go on sale sometime in autumn this year. Essentially, the Euro version of the fourth-generation SUV adopts a slightly more aggressive outlook than its Japanese and North American siblings.
No specific details about the vehicle, but design cues include deeper sculpting of the body lines and a bolder front fascia – there’s a revised lower front bumper, which integrates more smoothly into the fascia for improved aerodynamics. The Euro version also gets more athletic-looking wheels.
Boon Siew Honda has unveiled two new Honda performance bikes – the CBR1000RR and the 2012 Gold Wing. At the same time, the company announced that it will introduce the CRF250L in June this year.
The CBR1000RR is a super sports machine described as the “ultimate litre-class machine”. It runs on a 999 cc liquid-cooled inline-four engine framed in an all-aluminium twin-spar chassis. The latest CBR features new suspension – 43 mm “Big Piston” fork up front and Unit Pro-Link rears with double-tube shocks. There’s also a new multi-function LCD panel and Combined Anti-Lock Braking System (C-ABS). The CBR1000RR is priced at RM109,900 with C-ABS and RM98,900 for the non-ABS version.
The 2012 Gold Wing is powered by a 1,832 cc liquid-cooled horizontally opposed six-cylinder engine. Its bodywork has been improved by increasing lower body wind protection. This 2012 model gets new seat material, a Pro-Arm Rear Swingarm and iPod connectivity. On the safety front, there’s ABS and Combined Braking System (CBS). The Gold Wing comes in Pearl White or Graphite Black and will set you back RM174,900.
Unveiled at last year’s Tokyo show, the road-going enduro-style Honda CRF250L is designed on the concept of a street-legal dual-sport bike. Powered by a liquid-cooled 4-stroke DOHC single-cylinder with PGM-FI, this engine emphasis is on low-rpm torque. The slim body is supported by a twin-tube oval-pipe steel frame.
The bike has disc brakes with wave-shaped rotors and a skid plate. Other features include an inverted fork front suspension, rear Pro-Link suspension and an aluminium swing arm. This bike is related to the CBR250R. Price to be announced later.
Honda is set to stop assembling its Civic sedan in the Philippines. The move, it is reported, is being made to improve efficiency and centralise production in Thailand, where the company’s Asean hub is located.
The automaker has a plant located in the Philippine province of Laguna, and the facility makes the Civic – in its eight-generation form – as well as the City sedan. Parts shortages caused by the flooding in Thailand last year brought production to a halt in the Philippines, and it wasn’t until January 26 that City production resumed.
The Philippine plant can build 15,000 vehicles annually; in 2010, it produced 9,000 Citys and nearly 3,000 Civics, but in 2011, flood-induced parts shortages caused production to dip to 6,300 Citys and 1,500 Civics.
Honda took the decision to move Civic production to Thailand and produce only the City in the Philippines because significant demand growth isn’t expected for the more expensive Civic. In addition, the tariffs abolished in the region as a result of AFTA means profitability can be maintained while exporting from Thailand, the report adds.
Cham Tack Keong from Johor Bahru recently drove home a brand new Honda Insight. The hybrid car was the grand prize of the lucky draw in Honda’s After-Sales Promotion Campaign, which was announced in June last year.
Cham, 40, has been consistently servicing his Honda Accord 2.4 in Sutera Auto Sdn Bhd since 2006. “I am happy that my loyalty to Honda’s after-sales service pays off. I always believe in sending my car back to Honda for routine maintenance so that I can be sure that my car is well taken care of,” he said.
In an effort to retain customers for life, Honda Malaysia has initiated a series of activities to promote Lifetime Ownership Loyalty (LOL) and this campaign was one of them. Besides the Insight, Honda Malaysia also gave away service vouchers worth RM672,000 and 20 units of the iPad 2 for the campaign.
“We believe in building a lifelong relationship with our customers. Once we hand the key over to them, it is not an end but a beginning in our relationship. Hence, through this campaign, we would like to thank all our customers for giving us the opportunity to be friends. We would also like to remind our customers that Customer Satisfaction is our number one priority,” said Yoichiro Ueno, MD and CEO of Honda Malaysia.
Honda’s FIA World Touring Car Championship will be the 5-door hatchback you see above, developed with Mugen and J.A.S. Motorsport, but what’s under the engine hood is more interesting – a Honda R&D developed bespoke 1.6 liter engine that’s not found in any current production Honda car!
Honda’s two car WTCC entry will be powered by a 1.6 liter 4 cylinder direct injection turbo engine, developed in accordance with FIA’s Super 2000 regulations. The cars will be managed by J.A.S. Motorsport, and will be entered in every race in the 2013 season.
A typical race covers between 50km to 60km in distance, and the full racing season covers 12 racing weekends, with 2 races per weekend. All vehicles who compete in the championship are based on mass production cars with more than than 4 seats.
Some updates about Honda’s Thai production, which was expected to be out for up to six months from October last year when it was inundated with floodwaters. The company says it is planning to resume vehicle production at its assembly plant in Rojana Industrial Park, Ayutthaya, by the end of March.
The plant was severely affected by the flooding that hit the Kingdom last year; production was suspended on October 4, and the company has since been restoring plant facilities and manufacturing equipment since completing the drainage of the floodwater and carrying out cleaning up operations.
“In October 2011, we had to temporarily suspend production at our facilities in Rojana Industrial Park, which inevitably impacted unit sales. We have finished repairing and installing production equipment and are now running thorough system checks,” Honda Automobile Thailand’s executive vice president, Pitak Pruittisarikorn said in a statement.
He added that until production at Ayutthaya resumes, the company will import Jazz and Accord models from Japan for local sales. Production of parts for export to Honda’s plants in other ASEAN countries will also resume – Honda says that it expects these plants, which had to suspend production due to a shortage of parts, to restart production in April.
The Honda CR-Z has been rather well received in Malaysia. Launched in November last year, Honda Malaysia targeted to sell 100 units of the RM115k hybrid by the end of 2011, but has received over 300 bookings within a month of the launch.
In December, Honda Malaysia announced the availability of three new colours – Storm Silver Metallic, Milano Red and Crystal Black Pearl. This year will also see HM bring in a CVT version of the CR-Z, now only available with a six-speed manual gearbox. This will further widen the appeal of the hybrid coupe, which is now only considered by enthusiasts and those with an active left leg.
In Japan, those shopping for a CR-Z will have this special edition “Label α” model to choose from. It goes on sale this week and will be available as a limited release until the end of May. Nothing major, just bespoke burgundy pearl metallic finish on the outside with a matching interior color for the seats, door panels plus the stitching on the leather steering wheel and stick shifter.
The “Label α” also gets aluminum sport pedals and alloy wheels, the latter not standard across the range in Japan. Available in both CVT and manual form, it is priced at 2,510,000 yen (or about US$32,150) in Japan.
Word has it that Honda Malaysia is set to introduce the Jazz Hybrid in the country sometime in the first quarter, further widening the choice of hybrids for the consumer. There’s no indicative pricing for the five-door hatch, which made its debut at the 2010 Paris Motor Show, but it should be nicely clear under the RM100k mark and by all accounts cheaper than the Insight, currently the cheapest hybrid in the country.
The Jazz Hybrid is powered by an 88 PS and 121 Nm 1.3 litre SOHC i-VTEC engine, with a new generation Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) system made up of a 14 PS and 78 Nm DC brushless electric motor and 0.6 kWh Ni-MH battery pack.
A few subtle cosmetic tweaks help distinguish the car from its petrol-based sibling – these include revised headlamps (with a blue-tint), a new front grille and reworked front and rear bumpers, as well as a new tail lamp cluster. There’s also that signature Lime Green exterior shade to denote its eco-friendly character; wonder if that colour will do well here.
Honda unveiled this Accord Coupe Concept at Detroit, which should be just a concept in name. It shows off the styling direction for the next gen Accord, as well as a host of new technologies for the ninth-generation 2013 model, set to go on-sale in America this fall.
The 2013 Accord will feature three all-new powertrains, including a 2.4-litre direct-injected four-pot and two-motor plug-in hybrid system from Honda’s next-generation Earth Dreams technologies. In addition, the V6 Accord will be the first Honda sedan to feature a new 6-speed automatic transmission. Both the Accord Sedan and Coupe are expected to achieve class-leading fuel economy ratings in the US.
Honda says that the next gen Coupe will retain today’s size, but the new US Sedan, which we normally get, will feature a more compact exterior footprint with shortened length and reduced weight for “more responsive handling and improved driving dynamics.” Despite the smaller body, both the Sedan and Coupe will retain the current model’s generous cabin space.
The new 2.4L DI engine will make more than 181 hp and 240 Nm of torque, which is more that today’s 2.4L, while delivering better economy. This engine will be paired to a 6-speed manual or a new CVT, which utilises an innovative cooperative control system for “excellent acceleration and responsive shifting.”
Higher up, the re-engineered 3.5L V6 engine will be paired to a new 6-speed automatic transmission or a 6-speed manual. There will be an increase in horsepower and torque over the current model, and automatic transmission variants will come with Honda Variable Cylinder Management technology. Once again, class leading economy is the target.
The 2013 Accord range will also feature the first application of a new two-motor plug-in hybrid system in the Sedan. The system moves continuously through three modes – all-electric, gasoline-electric and direct-drive.
In all-electric mode, the car will use a 6 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery and a 120 kW electric motor to achieve an all-electric range of approximately 16 to 24 km in city driving scenarios and a top speed of 100 km/h. A full charge will take less than four hours using a 120-volt, outlet and less than 1.5 hours using a 240-volt charger.
In the gasoline-electric mode, the Accord is powered by a 2.0L, i-VTEC inline four Atkinson cycle engine, paired with an electric Continuously Variable Transmission (E-CVT). For more efficient high-speed cruising, the Accord Plug-In Hybrid can engage in a direct-drive mode, in which only the engine drives the front wheels. This model will debut late next year.
Honda has unveiled its NSX Concept at the NAIAS in Detroit, effectively previewing the next-generation NSX, which is expected to enter the market in the next three years. The concept arrives wearing an Acura badge, and sports a hybrid drivetrain.
The NSX Concept wears a mid-mounted, next-gen VTEC V6 engine with direct-injection, mated to a dual-clutch transmission, working in tandem with a 2 Electric Motor Drive combination that features a bilateral torque adjustable control system.
Elsewhere, there’s a new Sport Hybrid SH-AWD (Super Handling All Wheel Drive) drivetrain, which can instantly generate negative or positive torque to the front wheels during cornering, and Honda anticipates the system will deliver handling performance unmatched by previous AWD systems.
The new NSX will be developed by Honda’s North American R&D centre, and will be built in Ohio, but the company states that the car will be pretty much a global offering, catering to sports driving enthusiasts throughout the world.
“Like the first NSX, we will again express high performance through engineering efficiency. In this new era, even as we focus on the fun to drive spirit of the NSX, I think a supercar must respond positively to environmental responsibilities,” Honda’s president and CEO Takanobu Ito said in Detroit.
This Sport Hybrid SH-AWD system will make the NSX the ultimate expression of, “the synergy between man and machine,” he added. “The NSX will make the driver one with the car to enhance dynamic driving abilities without getting in the way.”
Some updates about Honda’s Thai production, which was expected to be 
