Honda EV-N Concept tucks U3-X personal transporter inside door

Thanks for the tip Chris!Look, we admit it: Honda's U3-X unicycle gave us a bit of a chuckle when we first peeped the video last week. Now look at this, just look at it! Not only does the Honda EV-N Concept steal all the best retro styling from the classic Fiat 500 (or Honda 600 closer to home), it also integrates the miniscule U3-X electric transporter directly into its passenger door frame -- adding an additional 22-pounds, at least, in the process. Oh, and this little guy's electric with a solar roof panel. The EV-N will makes its debut at the Tokyo Motor Show next month where we hope to give it a great big hug just for showing up. A few more pics after the break, fully gallery just beyond that read link.Source;http://www.engadget.com/2...

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09 Tokyo Auto Show Preview: Honda EV-N

The EV-N Concept is part of a larger display called the “HELLO!” (Honda Electric mobility Loop) display, where Honda will be showcasing a total “ecosystem” of mobility products. You have products that supply electricity, vehicles that run on electricity and products with innovative electronic technologies.There will be solar panels that supply electricity and battery electric vehicle that emit zero emissions in use. The HELLO showcase is pretty much a preview of the potential of a low-carbon society of the future of course centered around Honda products. In addition, each HELLO! vehicle features communication technologies that showcase fun ways in which mobility devices can interact with people and society.Source;http://paultan.org/2009/09/30/ev-n-concept-hondas-retro-styled-electric-car/#ixzz0Sb990Wbo...

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09 Tokyo Auto Show Preview: Honda SKYDECK Concept

Apart from releasing images and details of the CR-Z Concept 2009, Honda has also revealed that it will showcase an MPV concept, called the Honda Skydeck at the next month’s Tokyo Motor Show. Just like the CR-Z, this concept is also powered by a hybrid drivetrain. We don’t have details regarding the drive system, but we do know that the battery pack is placed somewhere within the centre console, instead of mounting it beneath the rear floor.As you can see, the concept MPV features scissor doors upfront and has sliding rear doors. It has a third seating row, thus it can comfortably seat six. Another interesting feature it has, are second row seats that can slide forward, and under the front seats. Source;http://www.icars.sg/2009/9332/honda-...

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Honda Announces Overview of Display for 41st Tokyo Motor Show 2009

Well here is Honda's concept lineup for the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show.Honda CR-Z Concept (Above)Honda Skydeck Concept (above)Honda FCX Clarity (Above)Honda EV-N Concept (Above)Honda ACTY Truck Concept (Above)Honda Motor Co., Ltd. has announced its lineup of production and concept-model automobiles, motorcycles, power products and other highlights for its display at the 41st Tokyo Motor Show 2009. Organised by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, the event will take place at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan, between 24th October and 4th November.Covering the largest floor area of any single brand at the show, the Honda stand combines automobiles, motorcycles, power products and other highlights to present the distinctive world of Honda...

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Charting the Changes into the 2010 Honda CRV for Canada

Well, here are the changes/additions to the trim levels on the CRV.Source;Honda Can...

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Honda Tuning: 1965 Honda S600 Roadster - Vintage Level

Piecing Together Honda's HistoryBy RodrezPhotography by RodrezScott King's '65 S600 Roadster & S600 CoupeAs most Honda enthusiasts know, in 1999 Honda introduced the S2000 convertible in celebration of their 50th anniversary. The sporty roadster created a worldwide buzz, with many calling it an instant classic. What many don't know is that Honda had already created a topless roadster, some 35 years earlier.In the late '50s, it was the Japanese government that dictated which companies would be allowed to produce cars, as well as what types of cars they'd be able to build. Rather than compete with current automakers' model types, Soichiro Honda set out to create a car that would inspire a new demand for something different. His theory would...

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Honda Japan Releases Two New CR-V Modulo Kits

Only available in Japan, here are two new Modulo Kits for the Honda CR-V. Nothing impressive but just enough to give your CR-V the perfect “bad-boy” attitude that many of you, yeah I am talking to you, dream of.The kit includes a new front bumper (two different models), a set of two different side skits and a rear bumper.Source;http://www.nihoncar.com/en/news-1145-Honda+Japan+Releases+Two+New+CR-V+Modulo+Kits.h...

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Car and Driver: 2009 Honda Fit Sport Automatic - Short Take Road Test

Kind of a backhanded complimented article, but a good read none the less....2009 Honda Fit Sport Automatic - Short Take Road TestThe best cheap automatic, period.BY DAVID GLUCKMAN, PHOTOGRAPHY BY PATRICK M. HOEY September 2009When people ask us for car-buying advice, we invariably throw our most recent January issue at them and point to the 10Best Cars list. There may be an annoyed grunt thrown in there somewhere. This reaction comes not because we don’t like talking to people about cars, but instead because they likely won’t listen to us anyway, and the one week we spend each year selecting these cars is enough work without later having to explain the results to friends and family who have inexplicably failed to subscribe to our magazine or...

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Honda Wins 2009 Grove Medal For FCX Clarity Fuel Cell Technology

At the 11th Grove Fuel Cell Symposium in London Honda received the prestigious Grove Medal in recognition of the FCX Clarity hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle.The FCX Clarity has 2-3 times better fuel economy than its petrol equivalent and 1.5 times that of a petrol-electric hybrid. In addition to this excellent fuel economy the FCX Clarity produces no harmful gases, its only emission is water. The FCX Clarity is also a practical car with room for four people and luggage and it is ready for use on the road.The award was accepted by Yuji Kawaguchi, Managing Director of Honda R&D Ltd. On accepting the award he commented; "We are honoured to accept this medal. At Honda we believe that the automobile holds the potential for limitless dreams...

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(Honda CrossTour) Crossover raises Honda profile

The tall-wagon crossover segment is starting to get crowded....2010 Honda Accord CrossTour2010 Acura ZDXBMW ActiveHybrid X6 Toyota VenzaBased on Accord chassis, Ohio-built vehicle to arrive soonHonda is joining the growing list of manufacturers introducing sport-utility vehicles that look like sedans or sport coupes, which, remembering a certain American Motors vehicle of the 1980s, isn't an entirely new concept. The crossover sedan from Honda, called the Accord Crosstour, arrives this fall and will be built on the chassis of the Accord sedan. The vehicle will be built at the East Liberty, Ohio, assembly plant. A similar sedan-crossover model was introduced last fall by Toyota as the Venza, and a higher-end model with the same design...

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2010 Acura ZDX hits right notes despite styling compromises

By James R. Healey, USA TODAYNEW YORK — Automakers say they are hearing this message from some important (well-heeled) shoppers: Give us the SUV's high seating position with such a nice view and handy cargo space and the foul-weather and bad-road capability that comes with all-wheel drive and ample ground clearance. But change the look, either to the mainstream appeal of a tailored sedan or the excitement of a sports coupe.Replies so far include Toyota's Venza in the mainstream category and BMW's X6 in the coupe genre.Come December, Honda's Acura luxury brand joins the fray with the 2010 ZDX.PHOTOS/AUDIO: Acura ZDX with Healey's commentsPenned three years ago by Michelle Christensen — then 25, fresh out of design school and newly hired by Honda...

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Honda’s very own Segway: the U3-X

Both Honda and Toyota seem to be quite interested in producing Segway-like personal mobility devices for human usage. Toyota has the i-REAL, and this latest gadget from Honda is called the U3-X. It’s still a concept for now, a compact experimental device that fits between the rider’s legs, to provide free movement in all directions just as in human walking – forward, backward, side-to-side, and diagonally.Honda’s balance control technology – gained from the robotics research of Honda’s bi-pedal ASIMO robot – enables the rider to control the U3-X by leaning his or her upper body to shift body weight. The U3-X moves via a wheel that Honda calls the Honda Omni Traction Drive System, or HOT Drive System. The letter U stands for “unicycle” and “universal”.It...

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For autos, ‘quality’ is in the eye of the beholder

Dependability may no longer just mean: Will the engine last?By Dan Carneyupdated 6:23 a.m. CT, Fri., Sept . 11, 2009Is a bit of grimy brake dust on a car’s wheels as serious a quality defect as a blown engine? The widely respected J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study thinks so, rating cars’ dependability based on factors such as brake dust, wind noise and placement of radio knobs.This may come as news to consumers who probably expect that “dependability” means what the industry refers to as “things gone wrong,” such as a blown engine, leaking transmission, or a heater that won’t. As economic considerations encourage consumers to look harder at domestic brands they may have avoided in recent years, shoppers anxiously consult the myriad quality...

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Acura introduces six-speed manual gearbox on its 2010 SH-AWD range

A manual transmission model has been added to Acura’s TL range for model year 2010. This installment makes it the most diverse line-up ever in the carmaker’s history.The luxury division of Japanese manufacturer Honda announced the addition of a manual transmission model to the TL range for model year 2010, making it the most diverse line-up in the manufacturer’s history. In a release, Jeff Conrad, Acura sales vice president said that the new manual transmission equipped TL SH-AWD allows the driver to take full advantage of the performance of Acura’s SH-AWD system. He claims that the new 6-speed manual transmission model is the best performing Acura TL ever.It is also claimed to be the top handling performer among every vehicle in its class....

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Honda and Ford take top sales spots in August

Richmond Hill, Ontario - The Honda Civic and Ford F-Series topped the Canadian car and light truck sales in August, according to industry analyst Dennis DesRosiers. Civic sales were down 18.5 per cent when compared to August 2008, but the F-Series was up by 7.6 per cent.“This month I noticed that, at least on a year-to-date basis, that almost all the top ten passenger cars have substantial sales declines,” DesRosiers said. “Only two of the top ten vehicles are up this year, the Hyundai Elantra and the Ford Fusion. Also notice that almost all the top-ten cars that are down so much are smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles. I thought fuel efficiency was a critical buying variable with consumers? Entry-level vehicle sales as a group are actually...

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Honda Aims to Profit from Rivals' Woes

The "Lehman shock" signaled perhaps the worst year in the history of Japanese carmakers, but Honda is having a better crisis than big rivals While none of Japan's automakers has followed General Motors and Chrysler into the bankruptcy courts, it is hard to overestimate the sense of crisis triggered by Lehman Brothers' collapse last fall. For Japanese carmakers, plunging sales around the world were compounded by a surge in the value of the yen against the dollar and other currencies, eroding competitiveness at the worst possible moment. In January, Toyota's (TM) new president, Akio Toyoda, called the downturn "a once-in-a-hundred-year crisis." A few months later, Toyota announced its first annual loss in six decades. Meanwhile, carmakers and...

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Toyota 8th, Honda 18th in ranking of 100 best global brands

NEW YORK —Toyota moved down by two notches to eighth place and Honda advanced to 18th from 20th in BusinessWeek’s annual ranking of the Best Global Brands for 2009, according to the latest edition of the business magazine. Coca-Cola retained its top slot for the ninth consecutive year, followed by IBM in second and Microsoft in third, both unchanged.GE ranked fourth and Nokia fifth, both also unchanged from 2008, the magazine said. Google climbed from 10th to seventh, with its brand value rising 0.25 percent in the past year, the largest percentage increase among the 100 brands. Toyota saw its ranking fall for the first time since BusinessWeek started releasing the report in 2001. Among other Japanese companies, Honda ranked 18th, up from 20th, Sony 29th, down from 25th, Canon 33rd, up from...

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Custom S2000

It's pretty cool to see what some people will do to their car, this S2000 has been done up reeaaalll nice."Lets look at the details. No knockoffs here…the real deal Mugen Dry Carbon roof and you know what…he painted it! Check the carbon fiber accents. That is how it is done right there. Leaving large parts fully carbon is old news, on a street car it is all about classy integration. Rob knows the deal.So what do you want to know? The pictures show that it is all done right. Mugen SS rear bumper and diffuser with special titanium SS exhaust (higher mounted than stock, yet another reminder of the theme I was saying earlier with higher mounted exhausts). J’s Racing front bumper, twin canards and type V carbon hood. Craftsquare mirrors. Prodrive...

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