Honda Civic Si Review

A review of the 2007 Honda Civic Si. Find it @ http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/amc/07civic_si.htm

Canadian Acura CSX Type-S Review

A review of the new Type-S version of the Canada-only Acura CSX model. Find it @ http://www.canadiandriver.com/testdrives/07csx-s.htm

No More Accord Hybrids

Honda has opted not to introduce a hybrid version of the Accord when the next-generation is released this fall.

Honda says that it has decided to change plans to produce a new Accord Hybrid and instead, the 2009 Accord Diesel version will be in its place.

The problem with that is, well there's the Toyota Camry Hybrid, Nissan Altima Hybrid, Saturn Aura Hybrid and in the future, Ford Fusion Hybrid, Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid and a possible Chrysler Sebring/Dodge Avenger Hybrid. But the Accord Hybrid never got good mileage anyways and it would be good for Honda to focus on something that really gets good mileage.

Honda has also said that it will leave gasoline-electric models to the Civic and another new model in 2009.

Honda will also introduce diesel versions for its other vehicles in North America in 2009.

Stay tuned.

June Photo of the Month

A very customized car indeed!

This is a 2002 Honda Integra Type R Mugen version.

Honda CR-V UK Review

Another UK review of the Honda CR-V. Find it @ http://www.newcarnet.co.uk/Honda_CR-V_roadtest.html?id=1054

Record US Honda/Acura Sales

Honda and Acura US posted record May sales, with total units sold increasing to 145,367, up from 141,810 in 2006, breaking the previous May record set in 2004.

Honda US posted record May sales of 129,447, up from May 2006 results of 125,639.

Honda 's new May record was bolstered by all-time record sales of the compact Civic and subcompact Fit and a new May record for the CR-V crossover SUV, now the best-selling SUV in the U.S. Civic sales went up 32.6% to 39,993, shattering an all-time record. Civic Hybrid sales of 4,520, up 50.4%, also broke the all-time record of 4,146 set in August 2005. Record May CR-V sales increased by 35.9% to 19,513. Fit results of 5,361 achieved a new all-time record.

Other Honda US products for May include the Accord, 31,915; Odyssey, 15,235; and Pilot, 10,133. Ridgeline and Element volume totalled 3,600 and 3,187.

Year-to-date, Honda Division sales of 551,220 are up 2.5% with total car sales increasing by 3.9 percent and light truck sales increasing by 0.7% on a DSR basis.

Acura US sales totaled 15,920. The recent introductions of the completely redesigned MDX luxury SUV and all-new RDX crossover SUV pushed Acura light truck sales up 82.6% to 6,635. The MDX posted strong May sales of 4,623, up 27.2% versus last year and up 7.1%.

Record Canadian Honda/Acura Sales

Honda Canada reported an all-time record May sales of 18,242 units by its Honda and Acura divisions. The combined Honda and Acura division sales were up 18% over last year. Honda reported record May sales of 16,477 units, up 21%. Honda's May sales were also an all-time record for any month's sales, surpassing the previous monthly record of 14,702 set in September 2006. Acura division posted a 5% decrease with sales of 1,765 units.

In May, Honda Canada announced the Honda Benefit program which had gave buyers of a 2007 Fit and 2006/07 Civic manual, $1000 off.

Honda's record sales in May were fuelled by record Civic sales, record Fit sales, record Pilot sales, record CR-V sales and record Ridgeline sales.

Acura's record sales in May were fuelled by a gigantic record sales of the MDX.

Honda's Marysville Plant Tops

Honda's Marysville assembly plants has received top honours from an automotive researcher for the least amount of time to produce a vehicle.

Honda's Marysville plant, where it produces the Accord sedan and coupe and Acura TL sedan, topped the list for stamping productivity.

The Japanese automaker also landed in first place for overall assembly performance in North America; each vehicle takes 21.1 hours to assemble, according to the Harbour Report. The annual study measures assembly, stamping and engine productivity performances for North American automakers, using a labor hours per vehicle measure to calculate the total salary and hourly labor content required to produce one unit.

2008 and 2009 Honda Preview

2008 Accord: All-New, Hybrid likely not to return; replaced by the Accord Diesel version
2009 Accord: Same as 2008

2008 Civic: New MUGEN model and finally, a leather-trimmed model for the Civic (may be for US only because of the Acura CSX in Canada), an Automatic Transmission with Paddle Shifters
2009 Civic: Mid-Model Change with a Diesel Option

2008 CR-V: Same as 2007 except for possible colour changes
2009 CR-V: Possible slight feature, colour, etc changes

2008 Element: Same as 2007, Last year for the current gen.
2009 Element: All-New

2008/2009 FCX: All-New, Only in California and Japan

2008 Fit: Same as 2007, but Tidewater Blue Metallic (Base and Sport) and Blackberry Pearl (Sport Only), All interior colors will come with Black interiors, Taffeta White and Lunar Mist Metallic will be discontinued, Last year for current gen.
2009 Fit: All-New with possible diesel engine

2008 Pilot: New VP and SE models with available 2WD in US round out the short year for the 2008 Pilot and Mocha Metallic will replace Desert Rock Metallic in US
VP model adds to or replaces LX model: Privacy Glass, Machined Alloy Wheels, XM Satellite Radio, 6 Disc Audio System with 7 Speakers, Roof Rails, Steering Wheel Audio Controls, Body Color Door Mirrors, Door Handles and Rear Spoiler
Special Edition model adds to or replaces EX model: DVD Entertainment System, Sunroof, XM Satellite Radio, 115 Volt Outlet, Conversation Mirror, Ambient Overhead Console Lighting
2009 Pilot: Coming out in Spring 2008, All-new

2008 Odyssey: Mid-Model Change, possible elimination of the PAX tires, new colours
2009 Odyssey: Same as 2008

2008 Ridgeline: Same as 2007, possible colour changes
2009 Ridgeline: Mid-Model Change

2008 S2000: New Club Racer model
2009 S2000: ??? Will the S2000 be redesigned or scrapped?

Acura RDX Review

A review of the Acura MDX by driving.ca. Find it @ http://autos.canada.com/news/story.html?id=91fc1301-d5bc-4121-85c6-f9150bae883c

Honda CR-V Review

Find the review on the CR-V at driving.ca, @ http://autos.canada.com/news/story.html?id=a57d6012-e4b0-450c-a060-ba36b808c447

Spied! Acura NSX Mule

These photos were taken outside the Nurburgring, on the 'Ring and shows work is still in progress. The chopped up Honda S2000 features four tailpipes in back and a heavy-duty double wishbone suspension. There's also a makeshift hardtop and big wheels and tires.

By the way, that front end is long enough to accommodate a V10! Look very closely.

2009 Honda Hybrid Confirmed

Honda's UK boss confirmed the company will launched the rumoured entry-hybrid in mid-2009. The new sportster will be priced below the Civic and take its cues from the Remix concept (pictured) which was shown at the 2006 L.A. Auto Show. Honda has set a target production run of 200,000 cars.

Acura MDX IIHS Crash Test

The 2007 Acura MDX luxury SUV earned the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's TOP SAFETY PICK award. Vehicles earning this designation afford superior overall crash protection among the vehicles in their class. To qualify for TOP SAFETY PICK, vehicles must earn the highest rating of good in all three Institute tests — front, side, and rear. They also have to be equipped with electronic stability control (ESC), which is a standard feature on the MDX.

Rear crash protection is another area of improvement. When the 2007 MDX was introduced, its seat/head restraints were rated marginal overall, the second lowest rating. The head restraints are attached to a lever arm that moves the restraint up and forward as an occupant's back pushes into the seatback during a rear-end crash. Honda engineers changed the design of the lever mechanism so the head restraint moves toward the head earlier in a crash. The Institute tested a seat/head restraint with the new design, and it improved to an overall rating of good. TOP SAFETY PICK award applies to MDXs with the new seat design built after May 2007.

Honda Class Action Lawsuit

In a class action suit against American Honda Motor Corporation, an Illinois man charges that a design defect in certain Honda CR-V and Element models makes them prone to fast-spreading engine fires.

The oil filter is dangerously close to the exhaust manifold on 2003, 2004 and 2005 model CR-Vs and Elements, the suit charges, and is mounted vertically, creating a situation where leaking oil can spray directly on the hot exhaust manifold.

Honda has denied all of the allegations and says any fires that have occurred have been the result of improper installation of the oil filter.

The suit notes that, beginning with 2002 models, Honda modified its engine design to improve compliance with clean air standards. The changes resulted in significantly higher temperatures in the exhaust manifold and exhaust pipes, creating a situation where leaking oil is more likely to ignite.

The suit asks the court to award damages to owners of vehicles that were damaged by fire and to launch a recall campaign to repair or replace the allegedly defective vehicles.

Honda CR-V sales jump

Honda CR-V sales has risen to the point that it has replaced best-selling SUVs like the Ford Explorer, Ford Escape and the Toyota RAV4 in US to become the best-selling SUV in the United States. Sales jumped 42% from last month.

Honda even needed to consider how to produce extra units to meet the demand. Honda has also recently exported a few CR-Vs from Japan to supplement the Ohio CR-V facility.

Acura MDX vs. GMC Acadia vs. Mazda CX-9

Find out who came out first @ http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/suvs/112_0706_audi_mdx_gmc_acadia_mazda_cx_9

Honda is Advertiser of 2007 in India

The advertiser of the year award for 2007 will be given to Honda in recognition of their creative and innovative advertising, said the Organisers of the 54th Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival.

During the last few years, Honda ads have consistently been awarded Lions across different media. Some of their outstanding and brilliant wins include 'Cog' (Gold Lion in 2003), 'Grrr' (Film Grand Prix and a Titanium Lion in 2005), 'Choir' and 'Impossible Dream' (Gold Lions in 2006).

Honda Element SC Review

Driving.ca has posted a review of the Element SC @ http://autos.canada.com/news/story.html?id=c9004657-512e-484b-93b1-2b4d40f8bd3a

Driving Television has also recently tested the new Element SC. Find the video @ drivingtv.canada.com and search for Episode 414.

Euro Honda CR-V Review

Carpages UK has just posted a review on the European Honda CR-V. Find it @ http://www.carpages.co.uk/honda/honda-crv-review-part-1-07-05-07.asp

(Note: The Euro CR-V differs from the NA CR-V because of feature content, styling and more, so the review is worth looking and it's also comprehensive)

Honda's UK J.D. Power Ratings

For the second consecutive year, Honda has achieved second place overall in the J.D. Power Survey in UK, scoring highly across all four categories- vehicle quality and reliability, vehicle appeal, service satisfaction and ownership costs.

The latest results mean Honda has appeared in the top five spot for the past five surveys. The Jazz (Fit in NA) finished first in its class again, making it four years in a row and an unbroken record since Jazz (Fit in NA) was first included in the 2004 results. The Jazz (Fit in NA) also finished third in the overall model ranking table, making it Honda’s highest achieving model to appear in the UK.

Saturn's Honda V6 no longer

Saturn will drop Honda's 3.5 V6 engine in the Vue next year due to the fact that Saturn is now capable of its own engines and that the Vue will be redesigned in 2008.

“It was a great engine for us,” said Saturn spokesman Mike Morrisey to Automotive News. “It played a big part of the Vue's continued success as it went through its lifecycle.”

The GM-Honda engine deal was first announced in 2002 while the engine first became available in 2004. The Honda 3.5 replaced an expensive British-built 3.0-litre V6.

According to GM Powertrain spokesman Tom Read, when the Vue was being reworked to accept the Honda 3.5L, GM engineers took extra precautions to ensure that the two would match up, including the adaptation of Honda's five-speed automatic transmission so that it would work with General Motors' electrical architecture, as well as the coolant plumbing, exhaust system, power steering mechanisms and air conditioning system.

This will end any other contract from Honda to General Motors.

Honda Accord EX-L 6MT Sedan Review

Automobiles.com has a comprehensive review of the Honda Accord EX-L 6MT Sedan, find it @ http://car-reviews.automobile.com/Honda/review/2007-honda-accord-sedan-ex-l-v-6-6mt-road-test/2863/

New Honda StepWGN

The Honda StepWGN has been slightly refreshed with new features and a new model for this year.

Only available in Japan!

New Honda Vamos Hobio

Slightly freshened new Honda Vamos Hobio. New wheels, new options and new packages round out the new Vamos Hobio.

Only available in Japan!

Breaking: Spied! Honda Accord Sedan

Specific shots of the new Accord sedan.

It looks really futuristic and a bit like a BMW/MB-ish sedan once you look over the tape and stuff.

Looks nice but disappointing. I expected more.

Acura CSX Type-S Canadian Review

A CSX Type-S review by the Hamilton, Ontario Spectator. Visit it @ http://www.hamiltonspectator.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=hamilton/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1177561060028&call_pageid=1020420665036&col=1112101662835

Car and Driver: Midsize Luxury SUV Comparison

Out of 8 luxury mid-size SUVs, one was crowned champion, the all-new Acura MDX.

For more visit your nearest store, pop in and read the latest issue of Car and Driver, on stands now.

Car and Driver: The Quickest Cars of 2007: Less Than $20,000 - Features

From Car and Driver:

Tenth Place: 2007 Subaru Impreza 2.5i
Ninth Place: 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer GTS
Eighth Place: 2007 Honda Civic
Seventh Place: 2007 Hyundai Tiburon GT
Sixth Place: 2007 Honda Accord
Fifth Place: 2007 Scion tC
Fourth Place: 2007 Mazda 3 s
Third Place: 2007 Nissan Altima 2.5
Second Place: 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt SS and Pontiac G5 GT
First Place: 2007 Ford Mustang V-6

Consumer Reports: Small SUVs and Minivans

Recently, Consumer Report had done a comparison on small SUVs and also a very small comparison on minivans. Here is the list that resulted after the test on the current top 5 ratings.

1st: Toyota RAV4 V6
2nd: Hyundai Santa Fe
3rd: Toyota RAV4 4 CYL
4th: Subaru Forester
5th: Honda CR-V

1st: Toyota Sienna FWD
2nd: Honda Odyssey
3rd: Toyota Sienna AWD
4th: Hyundai Entourage
5th: Kia Sedona

For more visit consumerreports.org (requires a subscription to their service and requires members only) or go to your nearest store, pop in and check out their issue which is in storestands now.

Honda tops quality study

Honda recently topped a quality study by the RDA Group. Though very surprising was that Ford, Nissan and Toyota all tied for second place behind Honda. For more on this story visit Car and Driver @ http://www.caranddriver.com/dailyautoinsider/12853/honda-tops-quality-study-ford-toyota-nissan-tie-for-second.html

Acura TSX Review

An Acura TSX Review at Autos123. Find it @ http://www.auto123.com/en/info/news/roadtest,view,ACURA.spy?artid=79670

Acura RDX Review

An Acura RDX review from PaddockTalk. Find it @ http://www.paddocktalk.com/news/html/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=52493

CL Coupe a mis-step for Acura

A history review about the Acura CL and why it went wrong for Acura posted at the Montreal Gazette. Find it @ http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/driving/story.html?id=a4a2d1e5-77b0-4e60-af0b-301da4003e7b

Honda Civic Hybrid Review

A review from CNET on the 2007 Honda Civic Hybrid. Find it @ http://reviews.cnet.com/2007_Honda_Civic_Hybrid/4514-10865_7-32328569.html?part=cnet&subj=2007+Honda+Civic+Hybrid

Honda Stream spied in California!

This Honda Stream RS-Z, which features a 150hp SOHC R20 - the R20 is a 2.0L version of the Civic's R18 motor was spied recently in So Cal. Though, it remains to be seen whether or not this is a real spy test version or just a from-Japan test version as we've seen for a long time.

Spied! 2008 Honda Accord Coupe...more

Spied! Front end is uncovered a bit more and now more two-tier interior dashboard! The gauges look BMW-like!!! Looks like Honda has a real coupe winner. Now we just have to wait for the Accord sedan.

Spied! 2008 Honda Accord Coupe

Spied!

Now you can see a softened front end, a more Civic Coupe-like rear end and unique wheels. The only thing in the interior that stands out is a slight reminisce of the two-tier dashboard with the digital speedo.

Once again, Honda's Accord stands to raise the bar even higher.

Global Warming and Smog Emissions Chart

You can see that Honda and Toyota are almost neck and neck while the Detroit manufacturers, well, you can see that their scores are below the average.

Head Restraints

Head restraints in several passenger vehicles provided marginal or poor protection against neck injuries and whiplash, the insurance industry reported today in new crash test results. Only 22 of 75 vehicles tested in a simulated rear crash at 20 miles per hour received the top score of good from the Virginia-based Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

The only Honda that received a top score that was tested was the Honda Civic (all models).

However, the Honda Accord, Honda Fit and Acura TSX had poor protection.

Acura/Honda Canadian Sales in March

Honda and Acura was doing pretty good last month in Canada.

Acura sold 1 927 vehicles compared to 1 714 vehicles in March 2006, this represents a 12.4 % increase.

Honda sold 13 242 vehicles compared to 12 287 vehicles in March 2006, this represents a 7.86% increase.

Honda News

Honda is to build Civic and Ridgeline on same flexible assembly at the Plant 2 of Honda's Manufacturing Plants in Alliston, Ontario to meet market demand. The Civic sedan will now be built alongside the Acura MDX and Honda Ridgeline. Plant 2 used to only produce light-trucks since its opening in 1998 while Plant 1 is designated for Civic/EL/CSX production.

Honda is also adding a third manufacturing facility in Ontario that will produce up to 200,000 four-cylinder engines in 2008, adding 340 new jobs.

Honda Canada Recall

It affects:
2005 Acura RL
2005 Acura TL
2005 Acura TSX
2005 Honda Accord Coupe
2005 Honda Accord Hybrid
2005 Honda Accord Sedan
2005 Honda Odyssey
2006 Honda Ridgeline

Vehicles affected: 11,637

This recall is to inform owners that a manufacturing fault with the fuel pump relay could cause the coil wire in the relay to break. This is only a tiny bite of the large recall that Honda announced weeks ago.

Dealers will inspect and/or replace the fuel pump relay.

More Honda S2000 CR

Even though, this has no more hp than the current S2K, it is faster around the track due to lighter weight because of an all-aluminum hardtop. Honda has also retuned the suspension with stiffer springs and dampers plus fatter anti-roll bars. The tires that are on this CR model is the exact on the NSX Type-R vehicle. The Club Racer edition also has a quicker ratio than the current model, has a shorter shifter with shorter throws and yellow on black fabric interior. There are no rear spare tire to save for weight, instead there is a pump/tire sealent kit.

There will be four colours: Blue, Black, Yellow and White.

Honda expects to build only 2 000 of them every year. Pricing is unspecified but when it is announced, it'll be posted in this blog! So stay here if you want to know the pricing!

More Honda S2000 CR

Not the exact surprise I was expecting but the exterior still looks radical.

Honda S2000 CR

Made a quiet debut today.

As you would expect the CR version was stripped. Carbon-fibre panels are equipped as also a thin rear wing.

A/C and an audio system is optional.

More later...

3-Way SUV Comparison

Audi Q7 vs. BMW X5 vs. Acura MDX

And they're all new vehicles!

Find out who can take the top honour, specs and more at cars.com.

Or go directly @ http://www.cars.com/go/crp/buyingGuides/Story.jsp?section=SUV&story=cc_luxSUV&subject=stories&year=New

Montreal Gazette's Review of the new Acura MDX

Montreal Gazette has recently reviewed the new MDX by Acura. Find the review on the Canwest News Service/Newspapers website @ http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/driving/story.html?id=2dbf01ae-18c4-43c1-a8f7-f9b7a3783d22

Honda Vehicles generated the least pollution among others

Honda Motor Company's 2005 vehicles generated less pollution linked to smog and global warming compared to all the other car manufacturers in U.S. as scientists said today. Toyota is a distant second but the Detroit automakers were among the worst.

Honda has retained its title as the "greenest automaker". Honda has had this title since their 1998 model vehicles had been tested.

Honda's lead is due to its "consistently good performance'' in every class of vehicle, according to the scientists, who used government data to measure the environmental performance of the eight automakers.

Honda and Toyota continue to lead because they put clean and new technology in their new cars.

March 2007 Sales

American Honda posted the third best selling month in history. American Honda sold 143 390 Honda and Acura vehicles with a 7.3% increase compared to March of last year.

American Honda surpassed its all-time March record in 1996 of 126 406 of vehicles also an increase of almost 10% compared to March, 2006. CR-V sales increased almost 50% to a total of almost 20 000 CR-Vs sold. Pilot sales also increased about 7% compared to March, 2006 with 14 339 Pilots sold. Accord had record March sales as it jumped 18.8% to 36 506 Accords sold last month. Honda also had strong hybrid sales, combined both Civic and Accord Hybrid sales totalled to 3 199 vehicles, a 6.7% increase of March, 2006.

American Acura posted strong March sales of 16 986 Acuras sold. There were record new MDX and new RDX sales and the TL being the most selling Acura sedan and the TSX posting near record sales.

April Pictures of the Month

Well, a bit early but here's April's pictures of the month: the Civic Type-R sedan and MUGEN version.

Note: These are also wallpapers sized 1024 x 768.

Honda wants to be known for safety

Honda now wants to join Volvo in the ranks to be an automaker most known for safety.

For more on this news story visit The New York Times @ http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/30/business/30honda.html?em&ex=1175400000&en=b2e7583fbb2af3b9&ei=5087%0A

Honda and Toyota receives honours by the Canadian Black Book

Canadian Black Book has released the results of its second annual Best Overall Retained Value award, with Toyota receiving the honour for passenger cars and Honda for light trucks. The awards are evaluated based on a review of four-year-old vehicles - in this case, model-year 2003 - on a sales-weighted basis, and determine a manufacturer's products' ability to retain value when compared against the original suggested retail price.

Here are just some of the stats for the passenger car category:

Toyota- 57.5% of MSRP
Honda- 52.6% of MSRP
Mazda- 45.3% of MSRP
Acura and Audi- 44.4 (tie)% of MSRP

Here are just some of the stats for the light truck category:

Honda- 49.9% of MSRP
Acura- 49.7% of MSRP
Lexus- 48.2% of MSRP
Toyota- 47.2% of MSRP
Nissan- 47% of MSRP

The average for the passenger car category was 37.7% and for the light truck category was 37.4%

Mugen Honda Civic Type-R

The dressed up Type-R gets even more dressed up!

3 Generations of the Honda Civic Type-R

3 generations of the Honda Civic Type-R and we still can't get them over here!!!

After viewing pics of the Type-R versions years after years, this new Honda Civic Type-R sedan seems to be lacking something. It's lacking that side Type-R badge!

Even more Civic Type-R pics!

Note the engine start button on the last picture!

More Civic Type-R Pics

Really drooling over this.....

Honda Civic Type-R

The new Civic Type-R Sedan will go on sale tomorrow in Japan. The Type R is based on the current Civic sedan and is powered by a normally aspirated 2 litre four cylinder (K20A) that produces 100 hp/liter, producing around 225 hp at 8,000 rpm and 159 lb-ft of torque at 6,100 rpm. There is a six-speed manual transmission that feeds power to the front wheels in which have 18-inch wheels with a set of Bridgestone Potenzas. Four-piston Brembos are visible between the spokes.

More pics later and stay tuned tomorrow for official pics and more!