At the 2012 Detroit Auto show, Honda premiered a concept of their upcoming 2013 Honda Accord in the form of the Accord Coupe Concept. This barely-a-concept coupe concept looked similar to the current accord, but debuted a new honeycomb grille, LED accent and fog lighting, and a slightly more aggressive profile that included a bit of a ducktail spoiler.
Now we've got the first photos of the 2013 Honda Accord prototype testing and some of these elements have carried through into the production car. The upper mesh grille is gone, replaced with a thickly slatted one that looks like the Accord Crosstour's. Brakes on the concept were slick, flixed-piston affairs that would never, ever, ever make production in an Accord and we're seeing sliding calipers front and rear (most likely one piston each) instead. Finally, and call us crazy, but that bundle of fabric at the back looks to be covering a ducktail spoiler.
Overall, however, this looks like an Accord. As the concept did. Is that enough in 2013? With the 2013 Altima, new Camry, Optima, Sonata and the upcoming drop-dead-gorgeous 2013 Fusion, how long can Honda play this tune?
Continue reading...
Categories: Honda,Sedans,Spy Photos
Back in February a California woman made headlines when she refused to participate in the class-action suit against Honda (which ad a $200 payout and $1,000 towards a new car purchase) and instead won a victory in small claims court for $9867.
This victory led many to think that small claims court was the way to go and the woman, Heather Peters -- a lawyer -- even intended to set up a practice helping people through the process. About 1,700 hybrid owners have followed. Unfortunately for Peters, Honda won their appeal.
Continue reading...
Categories: Honda,Hybrids
Fuel economy. Fuel Economy. FUEL ECONOMY. If, as a volume automaker, you're not marching to this drumbeat you're not marching in the right direction. There are a number of ways automakers are taking on the challenge of both regulatory demands and consumer expectations: They can make cars lighter (expensive), hybridize them (expensive, heavy, annoying), turbocharge them (expensive, requires knowledge of turbos), or they can drop in a CVT that will turn great numbers on the EPA test but, generally, leave consumers wanting more.
Honda appears to be taking the latter route with the 2013 Honda Accord.
Continue reading...
Categories: Future Vehicles,Honda
Certain manufacturers love the idea of getting cozy with the youth market. They chase teens and twenty-somethings by turning out models with trick sound systems and loads of customization options, with the thinking being that the younger buyer can be defined by his love for a great stereo and a highly personalized ride.
Continue reading...
Categories: Dodge,Honda,Jeep,Kia,MINI,Mazda,Mitsubishi,Nissan,Subaru,Volkswagen
One factor that's influential in determining whether a model is one that dealers won't be able to keep in stock on the lot is, of course, demand. If buyers are lining up 'round the block to get their hands on a certain model, this frenzied enthusiasm will likely have an impact on inventory levels.
The other factor concerns supply. Brand-new models frequently make the list of quickest-selling vehicles because with these models, manufacturers often choose a cautious approach when it comes to supply; production is grown slowly and carefully with the intention of making sure that the products aren't plagued with glitches.
Continue reading...
Categories: Audi,BMW,Honda,Hyundai,Kia,Land Rover,Lexus,Mazda,Subaru,Toyota,Volkswagen
The Concept C is one of the concept cars Honda is showing the 2012 Beijing Auto Show this week. It's a preview of a C-segment, compact sedan Honda and its Chinese partner Guangqi will bring to market next year. The Honda Civic also happens to be a C-segment car, albeit one with a more conservative exterior design.
I can't decide if I like the Concept C, which has about a half-dozen different styling elements on its front end alone... do you think any of them are worth saving for a future edition of the Civic?
The Honda team also unveiled (at the 10:15 mark if you click the video link) a red version (the U.S. version was silver, you'll recall) of the Acura NSX concept in Beijing, and Honda CEO Takanobu Ito promised to launch it in China right after in U.S. debut round about 2015.
Additionally, the company revealed a hybrid minivan concept called the Concept S, which looks for all the world like the world/JDM-market Odyssey (which has hinged doors). Honda another of its Chinese partners, Dongfeng, are already getting to work on a production version.
Continue reading...
Categories: Acura,Beijing Auto Show,Concept Vehicles,Honda
Honda has released sketches of two new concepts that will be debuting at the upcoming Beijing Motor Show.
The sketches include the above coupe which we have to assume based on timing and shape, will be an Accord coupe. The other vehicle (after the jump) looks to be the next-generation of global Odyssey. The international Odyssey is an MPV that is some 20-inches shorter than the not-very-mini van we have. The current international Odyssey has been going strong since 2008; revising it now makes perfect sense.
Honda also announced that they will be bringing six other cars to the show, the CR-Z, Insight, Fit, Acura ILX, Acura RDX and the NSX Concept.
Continue reading...
Categories: Acura,Beijing Auto Show,Concept Vehicles,Coupes,Future Vehicles,Honda
Unveiled this week in production-ready "concept" form at the 2012 New York Auto Show, an updated 2013 Honda Crosstour is slated to go on sale this fall with "a more-capable-looking exterior styling direction," the company said.
Continue reading...
Categories: Concept Vehicles,Crossovers,Honda,LA Auto Show
Any time you're not allowed to open the doors of a Honda showcar, company officials label it a concept. But there's nothing conceptual about the refreshed Crosstour unveiled today at the 2012 New York Auto Show.
This is indeed the 2013 Honda Crosstour. It just so happens that Honda officials don't want you to see evidence of new lane departure and forward collision warning systems -- features that will officially debut on the redesigned 2013 Accord this September. The 2013 Crosstour will go on sale in October.
In addition to the new safety tech, we're told it will have upgraded interior materials and that it will be available with a keyless ignition and a new 8-inch audio-navigation display. Crosstours with the V6 get a six-speed automatic and paddle shifters. Four-cylinder Crosstours carry on with a five-speed automatic (which is really not a raw deal because this five-speed shifts better than many of the six-speed autos out there; the bummer is the lack of manual gear access).
On the outside, you can see that designers have tried to clean up the styling. The big hatchback has a rounder nose, while a new skid plate flourish pulls the Crosstour's rump back down to Earth. After looking at a 2010 Crosstour for the better part of a year, we have to say these are improvements.
Continue reading...
Categories: Crossovers,Future Vehicles,Hatchbacks,Honda,New York Auto Show
What do women look for in a new car? It can be a perplexing thing to try and determine. Of course, generally speaking, they want the same things that men want -- a vehicle that's a match for their budget and lifestyle. But in practice, there are certain models that seem to appeal primarily to members of the fairer sex.
Continue reading...
Categories: Honda,Hyundai,Jeep,Nissan,Toyota,Volkswagen,Volvo
Erin Riches, Sr. Editor, gives you the pros and cons of the Honda CR-V SUV along with insight on pricing, safety ratings, and fuel economy plus a list of competitors of the Honda CR-V to check out including the Chevrolet Equinox, Subaru Forester, Kia Sorento, Ford Escape, Toyota RAV4, and the Volkswagen Tiguan.
For more info on the 2012 Honda CR-V SUV see Edmunds.com
Continue reading...
Categories: Crossovers,Honda,Videos
The Honda Crosstour (no longer Accord Crosstour) has never been a huge seller for Honda. By the end of February of 2012, Honda sold 3,266 Crosstours compared with 8,514 Fits, 33,755 Civics and 34,662 Accords. ( FYI: During the same period, Honda sold 3,276 Insights, 2,221 Elements, 1,763 Ridgelines and 1,985 CR-Zs.)
Some of this is, no doubt, due to our general indifference to wagons. Part of it, though, has to be because the Crosstour is a special kind of ugly. That could be about to change, though, as Honda is bringing a new Crosstour concept to the New York Auto Show.
Continue reading...
Categories: Concept Vehicles,Crossovers,Honda,New York Auto Show
Erin Riches, Sr. Editor, gives you the pros and cons of the Honda Odyssey Minivan along with insight on pricing, safety ratings, and fuel economy plus a list of competitors of the Honda Odyssey to check out including the Nissan Quest, Toyota Sienna, and the Dodge Grand Caravan.
For more info on the 2012 Honda Odyssey, see Edmunds.com.
Continue reading...
Categories: Honda,Minivans,Videos
Honda's Ferris Bueller themed Super Bowl ad was one of the most talked about ads that nobody can remember the actual point of. (It's for the CR-V.) Half of those talking about it say it's an abomination to a movie they hold dear. The other half think it's pretty fun (especially when he's in the parade).
How close is this new Honda spot to the original? The folks at AkooTV (???) have answered that by stitching together the Honda ad and Ferris Bueller's Day off for a scene-by-scene comparison.
While this video is in good fun, it's possible it'll set of the alarms at YouTube's copyright protection department and get taken down. Watch it while it's here.
Continue reading...
Categories: Honda,Miscellaneous,Videos
In case you haven't been following the case of Heather Peters vs Honda, here's the breakdown: Peters owns a 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid that, like all of these cars, is not getting the advertised mileage. Peters, an attorney, opted out of the class action suit and instead filed her own suit against Honda in small claims court. Small claims court in this case would give Peters -- and future Civic owners who sue Honda -- a higher payout than the class action suit. (The class-action suit will settle for between $100 and $200 per person and a $1,000 credit towards a new car purchase -- lawyers will take home about $9,000,000.)
But lawyers aren't allowed in small claims court. Los Angeles Superior Court Commissioner Douglas Carnham agreed with Peteres and said that "Honda was aware...by the time Peters bought her car there were problems with its living up to its advertised mileage," and awarded her $9,867.
Peters has set up a website, dontsettlewithHonda.org, to try and convince the other 200,000 2006 Civic Hybrid buyers to opt out of the class action and go to small claims court. It's a move that could cost Honda up to $2 billion.
But that's where this gets murky. Courts don't like settling the same case over and over and over again, that's why class action suits exist. And if Honda appeals this decision -- something they will HAVE to do to stop this from setting precedent -- it will go to a real court with real lawyers and a real judge. That case, when it comes, will be much harder to win.
Categories: Auto Industry,Honda
After a brief teaser last week, Honda has released "Matthew's Day Off," their Ferris Bueller knockoff of a commercial that's headed to the Super Bowl. This extended version is two and a half minutes of Matthew Broderick playing around L.A. in a 2012 Honda CR-V reliving some of the greatest scenes of the iconic '80s flick.
Can Broderick, now in his 50's, still pull off the same carefree charm? More importantly, is jumping a CR-V as cool as a Ferrari?
Continue reading...
Categories: Honda,Videos
Including an $810 destination fee, the 2012 Honda Crosstour EX with a 2.4-liter i-VTEC motor will cost you $28,495. The 2012 Honda Crosstour (remember, it's not Accord Crosstour anymore) starts at $30,340.
The new motor, announced late in 2011, makes 192 horsepower and returns 2 more mpg in the city and 2 mpg on the highway than the 271 horsepower 3.5-liter V6. In the Honda Accord SE the 2.4-liter I4 only makes 177 horsepower.
When we tested the 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour in 2WD EX-L trim we managed a 0-60 run of 7.5 seconds, a quarter mile time of 15.5 @ 91.3 and combined fuel economy of 18.5 mpg.
Categories: Hatchbacks,Honda
Honda's commitment to the entry-level B-Spec racing series is admirable. Along with Mazda, they're spearheading the development of what should be an affordable(ish) series to enter and a competitive series to watch.
Now, Honda has announced their line of "manufacturer-approved suspension components." For $2,800 you'll get coil-over shocks, camber bolts, braided stainless brake lines, an air filter, front and rear race springs, a cat-back exhaust, front brake pads and an A/C delete belt. The kits will be available on 2/1/2012 through HPD.
"A cornerstone of our grassroots motorsports marketing initiative has been to establish a connection between Honda's passenger cars and the racing cars that evolve from these models. The B-Spec category provides a relatively low-cost means for the prospective racer to enter the sport, and the Honda FIt offers a natural point of entry. These are inexpensive, great-handling cars that should provide both excellent competition and help grow the sport at the entry level," said HPD General Manager Marc Sours in a statement.
You'll still have to provide your own Honda fit, competition cage, racing seats, harness and other safety equipment.
Related: Testing the 2011 Mazda 2 and 2010 Honda Fit B-Spec Racecars.
Categories: Honda,Motorsports
Honda showed off its Accord Coupe Concept, which is likely an indication of how the ninth-generation Accord sedan will look when it's unveiled at the New York Auto Show later this year. With sharper styling and the addition of a CVT and plug-in hybrid variant, this new Accord should be a brisk seller when it hits showrooms this fall.
Alistair dishes the details after the jump.
Continue reading...
Categories: Detroit Auto Show,Honda,Videos
If you're at all suspicious about Honda's seriousness about bringing the NSX back to life, consider this: Honda's CEO, Takanobu Ito, who presided over the reveal of the NSX concept, took a moment to recall his first big project at Honda.
He worked on the team that developed the all-aluminum chassis of the very first NSX, a job he called the most important project of his life at that point. He even pulled up a shot of the team in front of their big project. It was a nice reminder that the top executive at Honda is still very much an enthusiast. Hopefully his influence rubs off on more than just the NSX.
Continue reading...
Categories: Auto Industry,Detroit Auto Show,Honda
