Not sure this ad slated for the Super Bowl is really going to attract the kind of attention Honda is hoping for. Do you?
Quite an interesting January as the domestics gained while there were mixed results for imports. You might have heard about that Toyota recall thing? Yeah, that news dinged Toyota's sales a good 16%, could be even worse in February if the situation doesn't improve.
On the flip side, both Ford and GM improved their year-over-year sales in January. Credit some of those gains to incentives designed to get the attention of wary Toyota consumers. Nissan and Hyundai also picked up some nice gains in January. For a full run down on all the stats, check out the full report on AutoObserver.
AutoObserver: January Whacks Toyota, But Sales Firm for Other Makers
Think Honda was feeling jealous that Toyota was hogging all the bad publicity? Not likely, but it decided to announce a small recall of its own.
Turns out there's a small problem with the window motors on what we know as the Honda Fit in the U.S. Under harsh weather conditions, water can seep into the window compartment and cause damage to the main wiper switch. The switch then becomes susceptible to fire from overheating.
Honda said the move covers Fit/Jazz cars made between 2002 and 2008 in Japan, China, Brazil, Thailand, Malaysia and India. About 646,000 Fits fall into this category.
You into minivans? Probably not, but there are still those who need them, sometimes even want them as their ability to haul the family is unsurpassed by any other vehicle on the road.
For some time now, the Honda Odyseey has been the van of choice. It's huge, yet drives much smaller. There's more than enough passenger/cargo room and all the right features are there too.
At the 2010 Chicago Auto Show, a concept version of the 2011 Honda Odyssey will be shown for the first time. And knowing Honda, it will be about one shade of paint and a couple overly shiny taillights away from the production version.
Spy Photos: 2011 Honda Odyssey
The production version of the 2011 Honda CR-Z was just introduced at the 2010 Detroit Auto show, but a magazine in Japan has already taken a test drive on a closed course. Here's a translated version of their thoughts on the car.
"The production version of the car looks sharp sitting on the track thanks to well balanced proportions. The character line that runs down the side of the car looks more pronounced on the silver paint than it does on a red or blue color. The tires and wheels are noticeably less spectacular then the ones from the show car as the wheels are only 16-inches in diameter with 195/55R16 tires. That said, the wheels look of high quality and don't make the car look cheap.
Now we climb into the cabin. The tachometer sits at the center of the instrument cluster with a digital speedometer readout located immediately beneath it. The entire dashboard layout has a distinct sporty look and feel to it, leaving no doubt in the driver's mind that he's sitting in a performance-oriented car. Despite the car being labeled a 4-seater, the rear seats are quite cramped and look just large enough to fit two children.
The shift knob of the 6-speed manual transmission slides into each gear with a resounding click. We throw the lever into 1st gear and launch. The car leaves the line spritely, but accelerates in a milder way than anticipated. You can feel the presence of the electric motor, but it's quite subtle almost transparent. Continued after the jump.
2010 Detroit Auto Show: 2011 Honda CR-Z
Continue reading Japanese Mag Takes Honda CR-Z For a Drive; Says It's Slow, But Handles Well.
Does Japan's Super GT series have the coolest racecars in the world? Maybe.
Continue reading Videos: Honda HSV-10 and Nissan GT-R On the Track.
We hope we don't have to file this one under "Engineers Writing Checks the Production Car Can't Cash." In this subtitled video, Honda engineers in Japan talk about the development of the 2011 Honda CR-Z, noting that they benchmarked its handling off the Mini Cooper and Volkswagen Scirocco.
Sounds great, but remember that the 122-hp Honda CR-Z is saddled with a bunch of nickel-metal hydride batteries and a torsion-beam rear suspension.
The engineers also let it slip that they had a Lotus Elise on hand "for inspiration."
Just in case all you NSX lovers out there didn't have enough salt in your wounds already, Honda released a new batch of photos of the HSV-010 GT, You may recall that this is the race version of the next-generation NSX that was abruptly canceled at the last moment.
According to the specifications released by Honda, the HSV-010 GT is powered by a 3.4-liter V8 that produces at least 500 horsepower and roughly 300 pound-feet of torque. Doesn't sound like much, but the car weighs in at about 2,425 pounds so it should be plenty fast. Doesn't look half bad either.
The granddaddy of all car auctions, Barrett-Jackson, runs next week from Tues. Jan. 19 to Sun. Jan. 24. Already a Hemi 'Cuda re-creation has been struck from the car list because the VIN on the car didn't match the title. Turns out the car was reported stolen in 1976.
Shelby American is the official sponsor of the opening night, invitation-only gala on the 18th. Carroll Shelby and his empire are celebrating the 45th anniversary of the GT350 Mustang and the 427 Cobra. So if you don't like Mustangs and Cobras, stay away from Scottsdale.
As usual, pre-1970s American nameplates account for the vast majority of lots at Barrett-Jackson, among them the 1930 Ford Model A used by the famous gangster John Dillinger. During a run from the law in 1934, "Dillinger, it is said, smashed the Ford's rear window with his Thompson [submachine gun] and sprayed his pursuers with bullets," reads a Barrett-Jackson statement.
The most expensive car ever sold at a Scottsdale auction is the 1966 Shelby Cobra Super Snake Roadster that went for $5.5 million at the 2007 Barrett-Jackson auctions, according to Sports Car Market.
There are a few newer cars on offer, too, and the newest of the new will be the first, full-production 2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe. The winning bidder will get to specify the drivetrain and options on the car. The proceeds, over and above the market value of the CTS coupe, will benefit the College for Creative Studies in Detroit.
Other curiosities include this tiny Honda 600, the first mass-market Honda automobile and a 1952 Watson Roadster customized with a front-mounted 29-liter V12 tank engine by Blastolene. The 270-inch-long tank car has a 160-inch wheelbase and weighs 8,400 pounds. There's a video of it after the jump.
Speed will broadcast live from the auction Tuesday to Sunday. You can view the TV schedule here.
IL News: John Dillinger's 1930 Ford Model A To Cross Barrett-Jackson Auction Block
Continue reading 2010 Barrett-Jackson Auction Preview: 1,200+ Cars, One Less 'Cuda, First CTS Coupe.
Honda's strange and endearing fixation on robots continues, as Asimo makes the trip to Utah for the Sundance film festival Jan. 22-24. He'll be there to promote his new documentary, Living With Robots, making personal appearances at The Village in Park City.
The film is part of Honda's Dream the Impossible documentary series. This latest installment was directed by Joe Berlinger, who has directed several interesting documentaries (yes, really, you should see them) over the years, including Paradise Lost and Metallica: Some Kind of Monster. The latter was the moody Metallica documentary where the band had to hire a group therapist.
Asimo undoubtedly has his own mental health issues. Various colleagues have reported that Honda officials isolate him from human contact; attempting to touch Asimo is grounds for being tackled by his personal security detail. So we look forward to hearing, or seeing, Asimo share his heart in Living With Robots.
You know things are serious when Reuters is reporting on a delayed release date for Gran Turismo 5. Sony had said the long-awaited PS3 game would come out in Japan in March, with a predicted summer release for the U.S. and Europe. Today Sony backed away from that March 2010 release date. It's unclear if this will also force a delay for the U.S.
It turns out the Honda HSV-10, the Super GT version of the cancelled, second-gen Acura NSX, will be on the car list in GT5, as will the Honda CR-Z.
Great. At this rate, we'll also expect the game to include the production version of the Toyota FT-86 and its Subaru twin, the next-generation M5 and M3, and the reborn Mazda RX-7.
#NAIAS We finally laid eyes on the two-seat 2011 Honda CR-Z production car that goes on sale in the U.S. this August. No question, this hatchback looks good under the bright lights of Detroit's Cobo Center. But as we wrote in our full story, the CR-Z likely will not quite live up to its "sport hybrid" billing. At least not until Honda gets serious and builds us a CR-Z Si.
The everyman's Honda CR-Z, you see, offers all of 122 horsepower combined, drawing from its 1.5-liter i-VTEC gasoline inline-4 and its front-drive electric motor. Mind you, we like the fact that we can get a six-speed manual gearbox with it and still end up with something close to a 31 mpg city/37 mpg EPA rating. Of course, the less involving CVT version will be the way to go if you're deadly serious about fuel economy -- 36/38 is its predicted rating.
Suspension is the simple strut/torsion-beam arrangement found on the Fit and Insight, with whom the CR-Z shares its platform architecture. The tires on the two showcars are Honda's usual sensible all-season fare -- P195/55R16 Dunlop SP Sport 7000s -- but we hear the company will offer 205/45R17s, too. We really hope those 17s will be summer tires.
The cockpit looks a lot like the Insight's, but the fatter-rim steering wheel gives us hope. Look behind the seats, and it's an odd sight -- the deletion of the Japanese-market Honda CR-Z's rear seats has left two large storage areas.
Can't get enough of the Super GT-ified second-generation Acura NSX? Here's a nearly 11-minute video of the test session at Suzuka.
This semi-regular column is written (in his own blood) by an automotive sage and noted malcontent, known as The Mechanic. Mercilessly beaten as a child with rolled-up back issues of old car magazines, our free-spoken hero developed a unique "for your own good" take on cars and the auto industry, along with an unfortunate habit of setting himself ablaze. Later, after a distinguished career as an automotive journalist and magazine editor, he cast off the reins of his musty oppressors, carved out his superego with a plastic spork and became The Mechanic.
As 2009 hits the Great Dumpster of Memory, I've decided to binge on the wife's hard egg nog, reflect on what I've learned over the last 12 months and tell you what it all means for our future. Your future. Now self-reflection doesn't come easily to me, so when I do reflect I don't get nostalgic or weepy. I usually just get pissed off all over again.
Not that 2010 isn't going to be a great year. It is. But it ain't all going to be beers on the beach either. In fact, the auto industry has a critical 365 days ahead of it. It's sink or swim time for everybody.
Anyway, here's what I see clogging our automotive sewer line over the next 12 months. Happy New Year.
Continue reading The Mechanic's Fearless Forecast for 2010.
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