Honda Aircraft completes tests on HondaJet

Awesome....Honda Aircraft Co., the company building HondaJet, said this week it has completed key tests on its HondaJet aircraft at its factory in Greensboro, North Carolina.HondaJet plans to build a $9 million sales and maintenance hangar at Albany International airport. Construction of the Albany hangar—initially scheduled to open this year—was delayed by the recession. HondaJet will provide sales and maintenance services for Honda Aircraft Co.The Albany HondaJet hangar would open around the time the first HondaJet is scheduled to hit the market in 2012, airport spokesman Doug Myers said. The operation is expected to create 25 to 30 local high-paying jobs.HondaJet will own the building and has a 25-year lease with the Albany airport that...

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NHTSA To Update Test Process for Five-Star Safety Ratings

Just the Facts:NHTSA will test 55 vehicles using new crash methods.The new tests will result in a single, easy to compare score.NHTSA says it will be harder for vehicles to achieve the coveted five-star rating under the new test criteria.WASHINGTON — The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will test 55 vehicles from the 2011 model year, putting them through a new "tougher" crash test and giving them a single overall safety grade at the end. It's part of NHTSA's newly updated five-star safety rating program.The agency says the changes to the program will make it easier for consumers to compare the safety performance of different vehicles. The safety ratings will also include information about lane departure, forward collision warning...

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Honda, Mazda Improve Bottom Lines

TOKYO—Japanese automakers Honda Motor Co. and Mazda Motor Corp. both said that sales was growing strongly in Asia and North America as both reported improved earnings for the quarter.Honda fared better of the two, reporting a surge in net profit of 272.49 billion yen ($3.13 billion) in the fiscal first quarter ended June 30, a huge jump from 7.56 billion yen in the same period a year earlier. The company also boosted its full-year outlook as solid sales in Asia and North America and cost-reductions more than offset the impact of the yen's strength.Operating profit grew more than nine-fold to yen 234.44 billion in the April-June quarter, from 25.16 billion yen a year earlier.The net profit beat the average forecast for a 106.78 billion yen based...

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2012 Nissan Versa Spied

If it looks like the illustration, this could inject a little bit of life into the Versa.... Source;http://www.burlappcars.com/2010/07/2012-nissan-versa.h...

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Honda CRZ Game

Check out a rather simple but nevertheless enjoyable arcade-style racing game featuring the Japanese carmaker's hybrid .... Link to the game;http://cr-z.honda.com/3-mode-man...

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You Asked For It, You Got It: Toyota Secures New Trademark on Supra Name

Wow, Toyota's getting serious about this sportscar stuff....shame, no S2000, no Prelude, sure we are getting a new hybrid version of a CRX....Toyota has applied to trademark the iconic Supra name, according to documents it filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on July 16. The company’s previous trademark on the model name expired in 2006, and for the past four years Toyota didn’t bother to renew it.This may be more than just business as usual. Only four days earlier, Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda told journalists in Japan that he wants “to see the next Supra tested in the near future”, although he qualified that by adding “even if one president [Toyoda himself] says that we want to have a Supra again, the whole company is not going to be...

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Honda raises money for Make-A-Wish Canada

Edmonton, Alberta – Honda Canada has raised $112,578 for the Make-A-Wish children’s charity, through two weeks of fundraising initiatives during races in Toronto and Edmonton.Honda donated its sponsorship signage to Make-A-Wish Canada for Canadian IndyCar driver Paul Tracy’s race suit, pit signage and car.Visitors to the Honda Indy Toronto and Hondy Indy Edmonton were invited to offer a donation in exchange for programming and interactive activities that included racing simulators, tire change pit stop challenges and other activities. For a donation, racing fans could also sign Tracy’s race suit.Honda Canada matched funds raised by race fans dollar-for-dollar, while half the sponsorship of other Tracy sponsors, including Motegi Wheels, PHD,...

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2011 Honda CR-Z hybrid is a sporty eco-activist

I've spoken to a few Honda people that have driven the CR-Z already and they were pleasantly surprised....The CRZ has a far more aggressive stance than other gas-electrics on the market and shows off its road-hugging ability. (Don Kelsen, Los Angeles Times / June 28, 2010)Cars typically force drivers to make a choice: sporty but piggish on fuel or efficient and underwhelming.With its 2011 CR-Z, Honda Motor Co. is playing with a new concept. It's called responsible indulgence, and Honda's debuting the idea with a two-seat "sporty hybrid coupe" that's got some spunk but doesn't force drivers to check their environmental consciences at the door. Starting at $19,200, the CR-Z offers conservationist virtues and Kardashian curves on a Kmart budget.The...

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HONDA NSX (EXTENDED VERSION) BY FORMAT67.NET

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Consumer Reports: Best used SUVs: Affordable utility

SUVs continue to be a popular vehicle choice for many drivers due to their higher driving position, versatile cargo-carrying capabilities, towing capacity, and available all-wheel drive. Plus, full-sized models can seat up to eight and offer even greater towing capacities. New SUVs range in price from around $17,000 to luxury models costing over $60,000. Used models can save you significantly as long as you choose wisely.The first major purchase consideration is deciding what size you need: small, medium, or large. For most drivers, a small or medium-sized car-based SUV (aka crossover), such as a Toyota Highlander or Nissan Murano, can provide a good balance of features, fuel economy and function.Be honest with how you intend to use your SUV....

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News Scoop – FT-86 is on time

I can't wait to see this car! C'mon Honda, bring back the Prelude!!!!!Good news FT-86 fans. I was invited as one of the only foreign journalists to attend a press day on Wednesday where the JDM only Noah and Voxy Minivans were being showcased by G’s, the sports vehicle oriented arm of Toyota Japan. The FT-86 though, didn’t take long to come up in the conversation…Most importantly, Toyota held the strictly invite only event not only to show off the G’s upgrades to their people movers but also to offer access to some of Toyota’s innermost engineers and sports department managers.This presented an ideal opportunity to discuss Toyota’s involvement in the current market and inevitably, questions regarding the FT86 surfaced quickly.A private 20...

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Porsche launches 2011 Cayenne in India - Porsche Cayenne Hybrid Photos, Price, Pics, Images

German Sports car manufacturer Porsche launches its much awaited SUV "2011 Cayenne" in India on Thursday, 22nd July, 2010 at Mumbai. The new 2011 version of Porsche Cayenne reducing CO2 emissions of up to 26% and a reduction in fuel consumption of up to 23% less.New Porsche Cayenne basic version starts with the Rs 65.82 lakh, powered by a 300 horsepower 3.6 litre V6 petrol engine mated to a Tiptronic S eight-speed transmission. Next version is the 400 bhp, 4.8 litre V8 Cayenne S that will carry a tag of Rs 78.62 lakh. The most powerful Cayenne, monster 500 bhp, 4.8 litre V8 Cayenne S Turbo with mammoth price tag of Rs 1.27 crore and 240 bhp Cayenne Diesel tagged at Rs 59.22 lakh. Cayenne S Hybrid powered by 333 horsepower 3 litre supercharged...

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2012 Dodge Durango/Magnum Revealed....via Twitter

This is for those interested....Source (via autospies);http://twitpic.com/27l...

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This Man Fought Toyota For Stealing His Hybrid Tech And Won

Wow, interesting read....Alex Severinsky, a Soviet emigrant who began his career developing antitank-warfare instrumentation, patented a system for powering gas-electric hybrids in 1994. Toyota used his system for the Prius without permission or payment. Until this week.Alex Severinsky recieved his master's degree in electrical engineering from the Kharkov College of Radioelectronics, in Kharkov, Ukraine, in 1967. Eight years later, he earned his Ph.D. in the same discipline from Moscow's Institute for Precision Measurements in Radioelectronics and Physics. Three years after that, he emigrated to the United States as a refugee.On September 6, 1994, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued Severinsky a patent for a high-voltage method of...

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2012 Euro Honda Civic Spied!

Well, look at what we have here. Back in May, our intrepid spy shooters managed to snap off a series of images showing the next-gen European Honda Civic hiding in plain sight under an amalgam of ill-fitting current-gen bodywork. The latest set of spy photos seen here prove that Honda's little compact hatchback is progressing along rather nicely.Unlike previous spy photos, it's clear that the car being tested is wearing its new bodywork... though it's obviously obscured as much as possible with funky matte black panels with strategically placed cutouts for doors, lights and glass. In any case, we can see a clear hatchback body design, as you would expect for the European market, along with an overtly wedge-like profile.We have no way of knowing...

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Edmunds Inside Line: 2011 Honda CR-Z vs. 1987 Honda CRX Si

Honda has pretty much dared everyone to do this comparison. If it had called its new hybrid two-seater the Insight Coupe or the H2S or the EI-EI-O, then maybe those of the thick-headed persuasion would never thought of comparing the 2011 Honda CR-Z with a 1987 Honda CRX Si.But no, Honda went and called its new car "CR-Z" (it stands for "Compact Renaissance Zero," the corporate product planners tell us), so we're all comparing it to the CRX in our minds if not in sheet metal. So Honda, don't whine. You asked for it.If the CR-Z comes up short, don't blame us. Instead blame all those engineers working at Honda back in the early 1980s, some of them now up in senior management, many of them retired and a few dead. They're the ones who did such a...

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Honda improves the specification and settings of its Insight hybrid

This is confirmed for the UK market, I'd imagine we'll get the same treatment here in North America....Honda announced today that it has improved the specification and settings of its Insight hybrid helped by customer feedback. The changes include a new suspension adjusted to improve ride comfort and NVH levels as well as high-spec interior with leather and Sat nav.Honda also announced a new, top-of-the-range, EX model, featuring black leather upholstery and DVD Sat Nav and hands-free telephone equipment. According to Honda, the Insight also received a number of chassis changes such as adjustments for the recoil rate of the springs, changes for the rear camber angles as well as V-shape rear suspension brace and adjusting mounts. Honda has added...

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Summary of 2010 Mid-Year CEO Speech

07/20/2010 -One year has passed since I acceded to the president of the company in June of last year, and we have entered into the stage where we need to draw up and execute a new growth strategy.In the past several years, consumer preference has quickly shifted toward smaller sized vehicles in every automobile market around the world due to increasing environmental awareness on a global basis, as well as the structural changes that happened to the global economy. Honda must quickly respond to such changes in the times to achieve further growth and expansion in the future.Our highest management priority is to establish a corporate structure that ensures a profit while we develop and commercialize advanced environmental technologies, strengthen...

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