More Info on the 2011 Honda Civic Sedan Lineup for Canada

"What's New" for 2011 Sedan-SE trim replaces Sport trim-DX(AT), DX-A(AT,MT) and EX-L(MT) trims discontinuedNew Sedan Trim Lineup will look as follows;DX Manual Transmission ONLYDX-G Automatic and Manual TransmissionSE Automatic and Manual TransmissionEX-L Automatic Transmission ONLYSi 6-Speed Manual Transmission onlyNo Colour Changes from 2010 and the SE, which replaces the SPORT uses the same Black interior as the SPORT did.No heated cloth seats on the SE trim like I thought they'd do, as far as I can tell, the SE has replaced the SPORT in name only.Source;Honda Can...

Read more »

Honda takes green commitment to RP

Honda has undertaken worldwide efforts in protecting the environment and Honda Cars Philippines, Inc. (HCPI) carries the same green commitment.In marking its 20th year of operations in the country this October, HCPI is celebrating 20 years of providing fun-to-drive and environment friendly vehicles.Voltaire Gonzales, Vehicle Sales and Corporate Communications Head of HCPI, said there are over 239,200 Honda patrons in the country today.HCPI recently staged a four-day exhibition during the 3rd Philippine international Motor Show held at the World Trade Center to highlight is commitment to preserve the environment. The exhibit theme was "Blue Skies for our Children."Honda has taken conservation measures as early as 1960s. In 1966, Honda Motor...

Read more »

U.S. gov’t can track your location by vehicle GPS without cause, warrant

Some say we are inching our way towards a policed state....In a world full of technology that brings us closer and closer to an Orwellian-type society each day, people are accepting but weary of much of today’s new technology which makes sense when one considers the fact that much of modern technology is based around GPS capabilities and some form of artificial intuition related to it.Systems such as OnStar have always come under some form of scrutiny due to the constant access to a given vehicles location that it has, but there was some solace in knowing that it was rather un-indictable information in an open court, Well for a brief moment, that may have changed.Through its denial to hear an appeal (it failed to get a majority vote) in the...

Read more »

Jalponik.com : How A Cadaver Made Your Car Safer

Whoa....gruesome, but it's hard to argue with the results....A highly-promoted feature in the 2011 Ford Explorer are its new inflatable rear seat belts. The not-so-highly-promoted working stiffs that helped make it happen? Human cadavers. Here's how automakers still quietly use dead people to make your car safer.When automakers and safety advocates show off the results of crash tests, they inevitably run video showing empty vehicles or crash test dummies; back in the 1980s, they even turned the dummies into lovable cartoon characters. What the industry doesn't like talking about is how much of the safety innovation in vehicles was built around testing cadavers.Since the 1930s, when researchers at Wayne State University first threw a body down...

Read more »

Correction: Honda Civic and Insight Hybrids staying in Canada

I didn't think this would happen....Earlier this week a report originated from a Canadian news outlet that suggested the death of the Honda Civic Hybrid and the Insight hybrids starting with the 2011 model year.Not true, says Honda, who explained to Green Car Advisor that the automaker fully intends to continue selling both models to our neighbors to the north – despite struggling sales numbers.When Honda first launched its Civic Hybrid in Canada the automaker predicted around 10,000 annual sales of its greenest C-segment model. Yet, of the 34,604 Civics sold so far in 2010, a dismally low 643 have been in hybrid trim.Although Honda North America has confirmed the Civic Hybrid and Insight for Canada for the 2011 model year, don’t count out...

Read more »

Brennan Eden Survives Airborne Crash on Highway: Video

This is one lucky guy.... I didn't want to post this until I knew the guy survived....GREENE COUNTY, Ohio -- Beavercreek police said the man driving the car that crashed on I-675 Monday morning, was arrested and released shortly before he slammed into the cement wall of an overpass.19-year-old Brennan Eden, of Mason, is in critical condition at Miami Valley Hospital."Yesterday about 6:15 a.m., one of our officers came into contact with Brennan," Said Sgt. Jim Wuebben.Police said he was parked in a far corner of the lot at the Beaver-Vu Bowling Alley with a 15-year-old girl. Sgt. Weubben said, "They told him they were lost."After the officer called the girl's father to come and pick her up, he search Eden's Pontiac Firebird and made an arrest.Sgt. Weubben said, "He found an unopened can of...

Read more »

2011 Honda Inspire: Small styling changes and a forest's worth of wood for JDM Accord

Here's basically another look at the 2011 Honda Accord coming....this is the Japanese version called the Honda Inspire....Hot on the heels of the presentation of the updated 2011 Accord sedan and coupe models for North America, Honda today released the refreshed JDM version of the saloon that goes by the name Inspire in Japan. Since the Inspire already featured the 2011 Accord's reflector extensions at the back, Honda focused its attention on the front end that receives the same treatment with new grille and bumper designs as the American model. The JDM car also gets newly styled 17-inch alloy wheels.In the cabin, it looks like Honda killed a forest to trim out the car's interior with wood (or faux wood) accents making an appearance on the...

Read more »

Widebody, mid-engine Honda CR-Z coming to SuperGT?

The GT Channel crew have snagged a handful of shots of a widebody Honda CR-Z being built for an unknown venue, and while it could just be an elaborate show car for this January's Tokyo Auto Salon, it's possible Honda is prepping the CR-Z for a run in Japan's SuperGT touring car series.With one of the Honda HSV-010 teams holding down second place in the GT500 class this season, HoMoCo could be looking to capitalize off its success – and the popularity of the hybrid hatch in Japan – by fielding a CR-Z is the GT300 class. The engine and chassis restrictions are less rigid compared to the top-tier SuperGT racers, so the mid-mounted V6 (or V8?) shown in the gallery below is a-okay with JAF (the regulating body behind SuperGT) – even with a set of...

Read more »

Honda Civic Si Takes 1st Place At SCCA RallyCross Championships

When someone says, “rally car” you probably immediately think of a Subaru WRX STI or Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. Perhaps with the PR around the new 2011 Ford Fiesta, you think of Kent Block’s tricked out WRC Fiesta rally car. One thing is for sure, you probably don’t have your eyes set on something like a Honda Civic Si. However, much to the surprise of a lot of people, one particular stock Honda Civic Si took not only 1st place, but 2nd place in the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) RallyCross® Modified two-wheel drive championships. It just goes to show that sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.For the second consecutive year the SCCA National RallyCross Championships have been held in Fountain, Colo. at the U.S Truck Driving School....

Read more »

So, is this the Next Gen Honda Civic?!?!

I gotta say, this WoodysCarSite.com has been a awesome site, great find if this is indeed the direction Honda is going....Subtle changes upfront, but no major breakthrough for US/Asia version...Size is suppose to shrink, maybe a tribute to the 4th generation model (1988-1991) which I think is perfect. Anything bigger, you might want to look at the Accord.I just don't understand why every new generation model needs to get bigger???Stay tune for more!Source;http://www.woodyscarsite.com/2010/08/2011-honda-civic-more.h...

Read more »

Honda CR-Z Achieves Top Euro NCAP Overall Safety Rating

The Honda CR-Z has been rated one of Europe‘s safest cars, following on from the success of the Honda Insight, according to the new independent crash testing results from Euro NCAP.Euro NCAP's rating scheme focuses on the vehicle's overall safety performance which gives consumers an easy to understand single score. The system considers occupant protection in frontal, side, pole and rear impacts, child protection, pedestrian protection and the availability of driver aids. The Honda CR-Z has been awarded the maximum 5-star rating.The new rating scheme, introduced in February 2009, uses a weighted score, combining many aspects of a car's safety performance: adult (50%), child (20%) and pedestrian (20%) protection assessment results with the availability...

Read more »

Honda Jazz (FIT) Hybrid - Low Emissions and Practicality

Not for us in North America yet.... The Jazz Hybrid will make its world motor show debut at the Paris Motor Show in September, further demonstrating Honda's continuing commitment to petrol-electric hybrid technology.The launch of the latest addition to the practical Jazz line-up will mark the first time a parallel hybrid vehicle has been available to B-segment consumers. The IMA hybrid motor and control system are shared with the Insight and CR-Z hybrids, taking advantage of the proven reliability of this important technology. With almost two decades of development and 10 years of sales behind it, the Honda IMA system has proven itself to be a flexible and dependable technology, with over half a million vehicles on the road benefitting from...

Read more »

2011/2012 Honda Civic Rendering

Thought I'd post this for what it's worth, 2011/2012 Honda Civic, I would strongly suggest this to be a rendering of the Euro Civic if anything.... Source;http://visions-autos.sport24.com/589386/Future-Honda-Civic-2011-20...

Read more »

Spied! 2012 Acura TL - Spy Shots

Out of respect to Brenda Priddy and Co, I will supply the direct link to see the actual spyshots....Acura’s best-selling model gets a nose job.Road & TrackThanks to our spy photographers have captured images of the 2012 Acura TL, including the range topping TL SH-AWD model. The big news is what you don’t see on this lightly disguised test mule, specifically the large metal beak that’s affixed to the nose of the current model.Acura calls this the “Power Plenum” grill. But Acura dealers might suggest calling it a styling disaster. The TL sedan is Acura’s best-selling vehicle, yet sales are less than half of what they were only four years ago. These spy images prove Acura heard the criticism and is scaling back the size of the controversial...

Read more »

Infographic: High-Tech Combo Could Yield "Theft-Proof" Car

Interesting....GPS tracking, cell-network tracking, immobilizers, and secure key fobs are all common these days, but what if you were to roll all of the anti-theft technology available on the market into a single car? Would it be possible to theft-proof it? This infographic attempts to answer that question.The proposed "theft proof" car packs in everything but the cops themselves. Combining GPS tracking, GSM cellular remote fuel cutoff and communication, biometric secure ignition tech, a keyless alarm system, a passive immobilizer, ultrasonic interior monitoring, and a radio-frequency transmitter to signal the car's location to police, the "theft proof" car certainly looks very, very had to steal at the least. There are banks that would be...

Read more »

Inside Line's Take: Honda Future Vehicles

2011 Honda Accord: The upgrades on the 2011 Honda Accord coupe and sedan are a little more sedate than we expected. There's no six-speed transmission as we had hoped. Instead, Honda changed the gearing of the five-speed automatic to improve mileage. The four-cylinder models are now expected to get EPA ratings of 23 city and 34 highway mpg when equipped with the automatic transmission. The V6 automatic is expected to get 19 city and 30 highway mpg. The rest of the 2011 Accord's changes are styling updates on the exterior and some minor changes to the interior. On the outside there's a new grille, revised bumper, updated wheel design and a new trunk lid. Interior upgrades include shift paddles for V6 coupes and USB ports on all coupes and some...

Read more »

Honda's ‘Mad Men' close-up

I've never watched this show but I've heard that it is good, thanks for the find 'Tim'....LOS ANGELES --The year is 1965, and an upstart motorcycle maker is ready to pitch a review of its $3 million advertising account with an equally upstart ad agency.The company: Honda Motor. The agency: Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce.Of course, the event never happened because the agency is the brainchild of the AMC Network's “Mad Men,” one of the few consistently brilliant shows on television.Acting and dialogue on the show are true to the pre-free-love era. That means skinny ties and tight suits for the men, short skirts and superstructure brassieres for the women, and whiskey on the office sideboards consumed like so much iced tea.That also means the not-so-quiet...

Read more »

Honda Civic moved to archives on Honda Japan website – next generation coming soon?

There’s something very interesting happening over at Honda Japan’s website – the 8th generation Honda Civic have been removed from all the car line-up pages. The only reference to the Civic can now only be found under ‘Archives’ area. The page linked in the previous line lists the 8th generation as having a lifespan of 2007/09 to 2010/08! The Civic Hybrid based on the 8th generation car remains to be listed.What does this mean? Only one thing – Honda is likely going to unveil the 9th generation Honda Civic very soon, since they’ve sort of ‘phased out’ the 8th generation non-hybrid sedan in Japan. Thanks to reader Calvin/lanarshad@8GCC for the tip!Source;http://paultan.org/2010/08/24/honda-civic-moved-to-archives-on-honda-japan-website-next...

Read more »

RUMOUR ALERT: Honda Abandons the sale of Honda Civic and Insight hybrid

Hmmm....No doubt about it, Hybrid sales are slow, I just attributed it to low (are we really desensitized to $1/litre now?!?) gas prices, I don't think that Honda would go to such a drastic measure, but I've been wrong before....Not surprisingly one day or another. With sales exceeding 175 copies since the beginning of the year in Quebec, the hybrid Insight became a burden instead of a source of pride for Honda. Is it too much like the Toyota Prius, its rear seats bit inviting or I do not know what other avatar, but one thing is certain, Honda intends to significantly slow the commercialization of its hybrid cars in the Canadian market. This includes not only the Insight, recently renovated, but the Civic Hybrid.At first, according to a...

Read more »

Honda’s Hot New Hybrid a Blast from the Past

*Edit*Here's a really good read on the new CR-Z by Jim Bray.... out of respect for Jim, I have just added the link, check it out, you'll find a well thought out article, all the best Jim!http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/26...

Read more »

Honda Odyssey gets makeover for 2011

Here's a nice little article explaining the basic changes for the next gen Honda Odyssey....The industry's best-selling minivan, the Honda Odyssey, has been completely redesigned for 2011, and goes on sale in early fall.No prices have been announced yet, but there will be a new fully equipped top model called the Touring Elite, which comes with a long list of standard equipment, including leather seating and navigation.Other special features include an ultra-wide rear entertainment system with split-screen capability so two programs can be shown at one time; and there is even a small refrigerator, which Honda calls a “cool box,” that works when the engine is running.This is the fourth generation of the Odyssey, and it was first shown at the...

Read more »

Facebook’s ‘Car Town’ Gains Honda Ads in Games Shift

Aug. 23 (Bloomberg -- Honda Motor Corp.’s campaign for its new CR-Z car features the hybrid vehicle in some colorful roadside billboards that can’t be seen from a freeway.The ads are on display in Facebook Inc.’s virtual game “Car Town,” as Honda advertises on the social-network site for the first time today. The game, which allows users to collect and customize cars, has 3.1 million users. It was released on Facebook two weeks ago by Cie Games Inc.Brands are turning to social networks to reach an audience with leisure time on its hands and the patience to sit through branded messages. Walt Disney Co., Electronic Arts Inc. and Google Inc. have all bought games makers in recent months to benefit from millions of users signing up to play.“You...

Read more »

Toyota Evokes James Bond in New Push for Sports Cars

Aug. 19 (Bloomberg) -- Maurizio Raffone bought a Toyota Motor Corp. Prius hybrid for its top-of-the-line fuel efficiency. In his current search for a new sportscar, he said the Japanese carmaker hadn’t sprung to mind.“Would I consider buying a Toyota high-end sports car?” said Raffone, a London-based director at Commerzbank AG. “I might think about it, but ultimately I’d choose something with a trident, a prancing horse or a bull on its hood,” he said, referring to cars made by Fiat SpA’s Maserati and Ferrari marques, and Volkswagen AG’s Lamborghini.As the world’s largest carmaker tries to rebuild its reputation for quality following record recalls, President Akio Toyoda, a racing fan, has said he wants to add more fun to his cars. Under Toyoda,...

Read more »

Quakecon 2010 Attendee sells raffle ticket to 2010 Shelby GT500

Ouch, this has gotta hurt....Quakecon 2010: Attendee Blunder of the Year from Daniel Harris on Vimeo.Source: www.autoblog....

Read more »

Tested: 2010 Honda Element, Dog-Friendly Package

We've always thought of the Honda Element as one of the best vehicles for dog owners. Thanks to its tall cabin, easy-clean cargo floor, and versatile seating arrangement, it's long been a favorite among active folks with dogs.For 2010, Honda finally took advantage of the Element's usefulness—or pawtential, we've said—by introducing a new Dog Friendly Element. Our own pooch, Owen, is usually a willing adventurer, if a little anxious as a passenger, so it seemed like a no-brainer for us to hop in a Dog-Friendly Element, test out its creature comforts, and head for a hiking trail.The Dog Friendly package includes a host of additional accessories, which Owen and I put through the paces on the way to and from our hike. Special second-row seat covers...

Read more »

Canada: Honda Accord also gets a 'Special Edition' for 2011

It's official, Honda Canada is sending out the slightly revised 2011 Honda Accord with a "SE" edition, no word on what that SE will have, however in the US they have confirmed that it adds heated leather seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, power lumbar on the driver’s seat, and SE (Special Edition) badging. It is available only with the 177-hp version of Honda’s 2.4-liter iVTEC four-cylinder engine, mated to either a five-speed manual or automatic.From what I see this is how the 2011 Honda Accord Sedan lineup will look like;-SE-EX-EX-L-EX-L Navigation-EX-V6-EX-L-V6-EX-L-V6 NavigationSeeing as the SE is replacing the LX and is lower than the EX, I can't see leather as being the option, however I'd love to see heated cloth seats! Honda...

Read more »

Mercedes-Benz India launches E Class Cabriolet, priced at Rs. 64.5 Lacs, Mercedes Cabriolet Convertible Photos, Images

German Luxury car maker Mercedes Benz its successful E Class in convertible version "Cabriolet" in the Indian market at a price tag of Rs. 64.5 Lakhs. Mercedes-Benz E-Class till date has sold over 12,700 units and the new E-Class has already sold 1268 vehicles between January to July 2010.Dr. Wilfried Aulbur, Managing Director, Mercedes-Benz India Pvt. Ltd. said,“The E-Class Cabriolet heralds a new era of Open top motoring. The E-Class has seven offerings for the discerning customers who seek individuality, expression and dynamism through the cars they drive”The top can be opened or closed with the touch of a button in 20 seconds flat – even while driving at speeds of up to 40 kmph. The E-Class E 350 Cabriolet sports a 3.5...

Read more »