Honda: Development and Technology News
04-27-2010, 06:23 PM
#1321
Safety Car
Latest Hybrid News
BEIJING -- Honda Motor Co., which has not capitalized on Toyota's recall woes and lost U.S. market share, has grown "complacent" and needs to refocus on better products and stronger marketing, President Takanobu Ito said last week.
"I'm not satisfied," Ito said of American Honda Motor Co.'s slide to a 10.1 percent share of the U.S. market in the first quarter, from 10.5 percent a year earlier. American Honda's 11 percent sales increase lagged the overall market's 16 percent advance in the period.
Ito has challenged his engineers to speed up the launch of the next-generation Honda Insight hybrid, which has been a major sales disappointment. And he is rolling out a new hybrid strategy for larger vehicles.
Marketing is also on his mind. Speaking on the sidelines of the Beijing auto show, Ito said Honda dropped the ball in selling its cars' strong points. The company also needs to do a better job of tapping rapidly changing customer preferences and must strive for lower prices, particularly to compete with hot-selling Hyundai.
"Maybe we weren't doing well in that arena," Ito said. "It's possible we grew complacent about the good performance of the Accord, Civic and CR-V."
He added: "The biggest problem is we're not selling the value of our products. We have to improve the performance of our products as well."
Ito cited the Insight as a weak link. The hybrid was pitched as a moderately priced, fuel-efficient alternative to the Toyota Prius when it was launched in March 2009. But Toyota's car nearly matches the Insight in price and exceeds it in fuel economy. This year the Prius is outselling the Insight about 5 to 1.
The Honda boss wants the next-generation Insight to best its Toyota rival in terms of fuel economy. The Prius gets 51 mpg in the city and 48 on the highway, compared with the Insight's 40/43.
Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A.'s share fell to 15.1 percent in the first quarter, from 16.3 percent in the same period last year. While Honda/Acura lost ground, Ford Motor Co., General Motors and Nissan North America managed to take a slice of Toyota's lost share.
Ito said his company's aim is to sell more and better cars, not "topple competitors." And he said Honda also won't resort to predatory incentives like Ford or GM.
"When Toyota's troubles started, the major manufacturers -- other than Honda -- came up with aggressive programs to take advantage of the vacuum left by the recalls," said Jesse Toprak, vice president of industry trends and insights for the TrueCar consulting firm in Santa Monica, Calif.
"Honda's initial reaction time was somewhat slower, which probably limited its market share gains in the last several weeks."
A key element of Ito's growth strategy is a new two-motor hybrid system for vehicles larger than the Civic. Honda's current hybrid system uses one electric motor to assist the gasoline engine and recharge the battery during braking.
The new system will have a bigger electric motor with the sole task of boosting engine power. Another motor will charge the battery, Ito said. It will go into minivans and the Acura lineup.
Ito announced at the Beijing show that Acura will launch its first hybrid model in China within three years, but he didn't give a time for a U.S. debut.
Honda's future hybrids could get a leg up through the introduction of lithium ion batteries, which are lighter and more powerful than the current generation of nickel-metal hydride packs.
Honda has a joint venture with Japan's GS Yuasa Corp., called Blue Energy Co., which plans to open its first lithium ion battery factory in Japan this fall. That plant plans annual capacity of 20,000 to 30,000 batteries for hybrid vehicles by 2012.
"Lithium ion batteries will be used in the not-so-distant future," Ito said, adding that the batteries will be introduced in new models as nickel-metal hydride batteries are phased out.
05-14-2010, 10:54 PM
#1323
I don't mind Honda making hybrid.
But it has to
1. Look good
2. Performance doesn't slip
Hybrids = Instant torque, that will be pretty nice to be honest, and everyone knows Honda/Acura cars could use more torque. Maybe if the technology gets advance enough this will replace turbo systems 10 years down the road. But until then they just have to go with what they've got. After all, advance car technology such as Direct Fuel Injection didn't happen overnight. Why should we expect this whole hybrid thing to be great so soon........ trials and errors I'd say
But it has to
1. Look good
2. Performance doesn't slip
Hybrids = Instant torque, that will be pretty nice to be honest, and everyone knows Honda/Acura cars could use more torque. Maybe if the technology gets advance enough this will replace turbo systems 10 years down the road. But until then they just have to go with what they've got. After all, advance car technology such as Direct Fuel Injection didn't happen overnight. Why should we expect this whole hybrid thing to be great so soon........ trials and errors I'd say
05-19-2010, 06:31 PM
#1324
I feel the need...
Honda ’Lacks Confidence’ in Electric-Car Demand
May 18 (Bloomberg) -- Honda Motor Co. remains skeptical about demand for electric cars 10 years after it stopped selling its EV Plus battery-powered model, the head of research at Japan’s second-largest carmaker said.
“We lack confidence” in the electric-vehicle business, Tomohiko Kawanabe, president of Honda’s research and development unit, said in an interview in Wako City, northwest of Tokyo. “It’s questionable whether consumers will accept the annoyances of limited driving range and having to spend time charging them.”
The skepticism contrasts with an estimate by Nissan Motor Co.’s Chief Executive Officer Carlos Ghosn that the vehicles will make up 10 percent of the global car market by 2020. While Honda plans to sell electric cars in the U.S. to help meet California emission rules, its priority is to improve the fuel efficiency of new and upgraded models, Kawanabe said.
“We are definitely conducting research on electric cars, but I can’t say I can wholeheartedly recommend them,” said Kawanabe, 58, an engine specialist who replaced Chief Executive Officer Takanobu Ito as head of Honda R&D Co. on April 1.....
“We lack confidence” in the electric-vehicle business, Tomohiko Kawanabe, president of Honda’s research and development unit, said in an interview in Wako City, northwest of Tokyo. “It’s questionable whether consumers will accept the annoyances of limited driving range and having to spend time charging them.”
The skepticism contrasts with an estimate by Nissan Motor Co.’s Chief Executive Officer Carlos Ghosn that the vehicles will make up 10 percent of the global car market by 2020. While Honda plans to sell electric cars in the U.S. to help meet California emission rules, its priority is to improve the fuel efficiency of new and upgraded models, Kawanabe said.
“We are definitely conducting research on electric cars, but I can’t say I can wholeheartedly recommend them,” said Kawanabe, 58, an engine specialist who replaced Chief Executive Officer Takanobu Ito as head of Honda R&D Co. on April 1.....
When King Barack the Mild says we gotz to drive teh electric cars, electric cars will be centrally commanded upon thee market. Nevermind that pesky lil thing called thermodynamics.
05-19-2010, 06:34 PM
#1325
The sizzle in the Steak
Since over 48% of U.S. electricity comes from burning coal...why not just call these EV's what they really are: Coal burners.
05-26-2010, 06:54 PM
#1327
Safety Car
Honda: All North American Vehicles to Get Brake Override
American Honda has announced that it will be installing a brake-override system on all of its Honda- and Acura-brand vehicles for the North American market by the end of 2011.
The device would, quite simply, allow the brake pedal to override any throttle input returning the engine to idle or near idle to permit safe braking if the accelerator pedal is either stuck or accidentally simultaneously pressed.
Several other automakers, including Mazda, have announced plans to incorporate brake overrides on all their future models, ahead of a potential federal requirement for them. Currently, Nissan is the only automaker to use them across its entire lineup, though Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, and Chrysler already have the feature on many of their models.
Toyota is also planning to install a brake override on a number of models for 2011, and the 2010 Toyota Camry and 2010 Toyota Avalon already had the feature.
At the time Toyota was dealing with its stuck-accelerator recall, Consumer Reports helped bring stuck-accelerator strategies to light, clearly demonstrating—when accelerators were floored—the stopping difference between vehicles that did and didn't have brake overrides.
The first application of the so-called Brake Priority Logic will come to market this August, Honda says.
05-26-2010, 09:54 PM
#1328
Senior Moderator
A little behind? Shouldnt this have been standard by now? 
Especially with drive by wire
Especially with drive by wire
05-26-2010, 10:01 PM
#1329
Whats up with RDX owners?
iTrader: (9)
No more brake stands at the line now.
05-26-2010, 11:17 PM
#1330
אני עומד עם ישראל
05-27-2010, 10:34 AM
#1331
The sizzle in the Steak
07-20-2010, 09:17 AM
#1332
Safety Car
2012
WAKO, Japan (AFP) – Honda said Tuesday it would roll out an electric car and plug-in hybrids in Japan and the United States in 2012 as it tries to catch up in the race to make clean, battery-powered cars.
Japan's number-two carmaker had previously been sceptical of plug-in hybrids but now plans to launch a compact electric car and mid and large-sized plug-in hybrids capable of up to 60 kilometres per litre (140 miles per gallon) of petrol.
The plug-ins have been a pet project of Takanobu Ito, who headed Honda's research and development section before becoming chief executive in June last year.
"The next 10 years will be very critical for Honda to survive in the midst of major changes, at a time of increased environmental awareness and changes in the global economic structure," Ito said at a press conference.
Details of the cars will be released only at the end of the year.
But the announcement that Honda will embrace the technology signals a turnaround in the company's vision. In 2007, then-president Takeo Fukui said that plug-in hybrids offered too few environmental benefits to be worth pursuing.
"Mr Fukui did not like batteries, but I am different," Ito said. "Now, as president, I have accelerated this process."
Plug-in hybrids share technology with standard hybrids -- of which Honda already produces several models, including a version of its Civic -- but can be recharged using a household power point.
Honda said it planned to start producing a high-output lithium-ion battery this year through a joint venture with GS Yuasa and would also harness technology from its prototype fuel-cell car to develop its all-electric car.
The company will also start operation in 2013 of a new plant at Yorii in the Tokyo suburbs that was put on hold due to the global financial crisis. The plant will develop new technologies for low-emission cars, Ito said.
The launch of the green vehicles is timed to meet tough regulations, including a new rule in California that will require 3 percent of a car maker's sales in the state to be zero-emission vehicles from 2012.
Honda will also expand its line-up of standard hybrid models next year, Ito said. The company will introduce the Fit hybrid in Japan this year and the next-generation Civic hybrid in 2012.
The Japanese government aims by 2020 to raise the share of hybrids in the country from 10 percent now to 20-30 percent, and to have plug-in hybrids and electric cars account for up to 20 percent of sales.
Toyota's Prius hybrid, helped by government subsidies, has been the best-selling car in Japan for over a year. Toyota sold more than 270,000 Prius vehicles in the fiscal year 2009. Honda sold 100,000 of its petrol-engine Insights.
Nissan, Japan?s third-largest automaker, is set to take the lead in mass-producing fully electric cars with lithium-ion batteries when it releases its Leaf later this year in Japan, the United States and Europe.
07-20-2010, 10:38 AM
#1335
Senior Moderator
Fuck... Honda really??????? And
Hope Toyota doesnt beat you to this like they are with the hybrid tech.
Toyota sold more than 270,000 Prius vehicles in the fiscal year 2009. Honda sold 100,000 of its petrol-engine Insights.
07-20-2010, 12:07 PM
#1336
The sizzle in the Steak
Keep burning that coal!!!
09-22-2010, 02:14 PM
#1337
Safety Car
Crystal Ball
Honda hosted a Web conference Wednesday to discuss its view on the future of the automobile, encouraging consumers to "resist the temptation to pick winners and losers or to disparage competing ideas," said Robert Bienenfeld, senior manager of environment and energy strategy for American Honda Motor Co. in Torrance.
Addressing the twin challenges of reduced petroleum use and reduced greenhouse gas emissions requires the aggressive pursuit of all technologies, some of which have near-term benefits, others long-term, Bienenfeld said.
With nearly 100% of vehicles still powered by petroleum, improving the fuel efficiency of internal combustion engines is the 1st step, he said; the use of variable cylinder management (which shuts down engine cylinders when the load is light), more efficient transmissions, improved aerodynamics, decreased rolling resistance and reduced engine friction could improve gas fuel efficiency by as much as 15% to 20%.
"The challenge is finding the right combination of features and technologies while keeping costs under control."
Hybrids, he added, are both cost effective and fuel efficient, and they reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about a 3rd over gasoline-only engines. Vehicles that run on natural gas can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 25% and operate on a clean and domestically sourced fuel.
While plug-in hybrids (such as the Chevrolet Volt), pure electrics (such as the Nissan Leaf) and fuell-cell electric vehicles (including the Honda Clarity) "offer important advantages," Bienenfeld said, they also present "serious challenges" since 50% of U.S. electricity is from coal, and coal will continue to "remain a significant part of the U.S. energy mix for decades."
Bienenfeld added that plug-in electrics produce about the same well-to-wheel greenhouse gas emissions as a similarly sized hybrid, though they are good from an energy security viewpoint because they consume no gasoline.
"The important thing today is that we agree on the fundamental priorities: reduce our dependence on petroleum and reduce greenhouse gas emissions," Bienenfeld said. "By establishing these social priorities rather than favoring specific technologies, companies like Honda will have the freedom and flexiblity to pursue all promising alternatives. No single technology will achieve all of our societal and environmental aims."
-- Susan Carpenter
09-22-2010, 02:33 PM
#1338
The sizzle in the Steak
Bienenfeld said, they also present "serious challenges" since 50% of U.S. electricity is from coal, and coal will continue to "remain a significant part of the U.S. energy mix for decades."
Somebody with a brain at Honda?!?!?!?!Concerned about greenhouse gases, Honda? How about you push harder for Hydrogen / fuel-cell tech.
09-22-2010, 06:17 PM
#1340
Senior Moderator
09-27-2010, 08:31 PM
#1341
Safety Car
Update
Honda has run into a few problems with its new-vehicle introductions of late. The current Accord was a bit too large in this era of downsizing, the Accord Crosstour was knocked for its styling, and the Insight hybrid suffered disappointing sales.
Things may have changed, though. The newly redesigned Odyssey minivan has received high marks. The crucial question is how the delayed Civic redesign, due in February 2011, will be received.
Electric vehicle: Honda will sell a battery-electric "commuter car" in 2012 for the 2013 model year that will look similar to the EV-N, unveiled at the 2009 Tokyo auto show. The EV-N's retro style evokes the original N600 that Honda debuted 40 years ago. In addition to a standard plug-in, the EV-N gets power from solar panels on the roof.
Fit: Honda Europe will get a hybrid version of the small car, but the company has canceled a hybrid for North America. Instead, Honda will use that powertrain in the similarly sized Insight.
Insight: No major changes are planned in the next 3 years.
Civic: The redesigned Civic arrives in February 2011 as a 2011 model. Originally meant to be larger, the car was delayed 6 months when the recession and upcoming corporate average fuel economy regulations forced Honda engineers to shrink it.
Spy photos of the new Civic show a more aggressive rake to the windshield and B-pillar. The C-pillar of the sedan version borrows BMW's "Hofmeister kink" in the rear quarter-window. The trunk lid appears more rounded and less stubby and angular.
A Honda source said the boy-racer "Si" version will continue. A hybrid version with a lithium ion battery pack comes later in 2011, probably in the fall. Also, because natural-gas vehicles get carpool-lane access in California, Honda will outfit the GX trim in better materials. The current version is cheaply packaged for utility fleets.
CR-Z: The hybrid-electric sporty coupe has just debuted. While Europe and Japan get a 2+2 seating configuration, the U.S. market has only a 2-seater. A Honda source said a higher-performance version may be on the way.
S2000: Honda killed its sports car during the recession, but reports from Japan say a new version could be in showrooms as soon as 2012 as a 2013 model. The S2000, slotted above the CR-Z, could be offered with the "large car" hybrid powertrain Honda has been promising will go in vehicles such as the next Accord.
Accord: A midcycle freshening is planned for the 2011 model year; a redesign is due for the 2013 model year. Although the Civic was delayed, executives say the Accord's redesign is on schedule. Honda engineers realize they made the current Accord too large in an effort to bridge the gap between the Toyota Camry and Avalon.
Expect the next Accord to be a tad smaller. Also, the current model's suspension is a bit floaty. If the Odyssey redesign indicates Honda's revised attitude toward responsive handling and road feel, expect the next Accord to regain some suspension tautness.
Accord Crosstour: The tall hatchback version of the Accord was launched for the 2010 model year.
FCX Clarity: Honda's hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicle is trickling into Southern California garages as part of a beta test for a 2018 launch.
CR-V: The compact crossover will get a redesign next summer. It already is the best-selling vehicle in its segment, so a lot rides on Honda's getting it right.
Renderings in Japanese spy-photo magazines show something akin to a Ford Kuga, but expect something more like the Acura RDX. The 180-hp, 2.4-liter engine is expected to be carried over. No V-6 option is forthcoming, but don't count out a hybrid variant.
Element: A 2010 model year freshening this year should extend the cycle for a couple of years. Honda has said it wants to do something interesting to replace this vehicle, but the crossover's future is unclear. The Element is tied to the Civic platform, which doesn't necessarily mean it will require a redesign when the new Civic arrives. Honda is known for keeping niche models on older platforms for a couple of extra years.
Pilot: No major changes are expected in the next 3 years.
Odyssey: Honda's minivan gets a redesign this fall. It features bolder styling, 2nd-row seats that can pivot side to side and more ample 3rd-row seats. The minivan adds larger brakes, a 6-speed automatic transmission and 15 cup and bottle holders. The new Odyssey also has an independent rear suspension. Honda sources said a hybrid variant is doubtful.
Ridgeline: Some cosmetic changes and a new instrument panel will keep the pickup truck in production for a couple more years. Expect the redesigned Ridgeline to move onto the new Odyssey platform in the 2013 or 2014 model year.
Last edited by TSX69; 09-27-2010 at 08:40 PM.
09-28-2010, 05:49 AM
#1342
Race Director
The redesigned Civic arrives in February 2011 as a 2011 model.
09-28-2010, 12:09 PM
#1344
Whats up with RDX owners?
iTrader: (9)
10-27-2010, 12:23 PM
#1345
Senior Moderator
http://www.hondanews.com/channels/co...eles-auto-show
.
10/27/2010 - TORRANCE, Calif.
An all-new Honda electric vehicle concept will make its world debut November 17 at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show, the company announced today. Additionally, Honda will reveal a plug-in hybrid platform showcasing the next-generation of Honda hybrid technology. Both the electric vehicle concept and the plug-in hybrid platform along with the FCX Clarity fuel cell electric vehicle demonstrate the company’s vision for the future of personal mobility and its continued commitment to developing advanced environmental technologies.
Honda Motor Co., Ltd. President and CEO Takanobu Ito will attend the press conference, marking the first time Honda’s global Honda CEO has introduced a worldwide vehicle debut during the Los Angeles Auto Show press days.
Details on the electric vehicle concept will be announced on November 17, 2010 at the Los Angeles Auto Show in the Honda booth and webcast live at www.hondanews.com.
An all-new Honda electric vehicle concept will make its world debut November 17 at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show, the company announced today. Additionally, Honda will reveal a plug-in hybrid platform showcasing the next-generation of Honda hybrid technology. Both the electric vehicle concept and the plug-in hybrid platform along with the FCX Clarity fuel cell electric vehicle demonstrate the company’s vision for the future of personal mobility and its continued commitment to developing advanced environmental technologies.
Honda Motor Co., Ltd. President and CEO Takanobu Ito will attend the press conference, marking the first time Honda’s global Honda CEO has introduced a worldwide vehicle debut during the Los Angeles Auto Show press days.
Details on the electric vehicle concept will be announced on November 17, 2010 at the Los Angeles Auto Show in the Honda booth and webcast live at www.hondanews.com.
10-27-2010, 12:26 PM
#1346
Senior Moderator
http://www.hondanews.com/channels/co...eles-auto-show
10/27/2010 - TORRANCE, Calif.
An all-new Honda electric vehicle concept will make its world debut November 17 at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show, the company announced today. Additionally, Honda will reveal a plug-in hybrid platform showcasing the next-generation of Honda hybrid technology. Both the electric vehicle concept and the plug-in hybrid platform along with the FCX Clarity fuel cell electric vehicle demonstrate the company’s vision for the future of personal mobility and its continued commitment to developing advanced environmental technologies.
Honda Motor Co., Ltd. President and CEO Takanobu Ito will attend the press conference, marking the first time Honda’s global Honda CEO has introduced a worldwide vehicle debut during the Los Angeles Auto Show press days.
Details on the electric vehicle concept will be announced on November 17, 2010 at the Los Angeles Auto Show in the Honda booth and webcast live at www.hondanews.com.
An all-new Honda electric vehicle concept will make its world debut November 17 at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show, the company announced today. Additionally, Honda will reveal a plug-in hybrid platform showcasing the next-generation of Honda hybrid technology. Both the electric vehicle concept and the plug-in hybrid platform along with the FCX Clarity fuel cell electric vehicle demonstrate the company’s vision for the future of personal mobility and its continued commitment to developing advanced environmental technologies.
Honda Motor Co., Ltd. President and CEO Takanobu Ito will attend the press conference, marking the first time Honda’s global Honda CEO has introduced a worldwide vehicle debut during the Los Angeles Auto Show press days.
Details on the electric vehicle concept will be announced on November 17, 2010 at the Los Angeles Auto Show in the Honda booth and webcast live at www.hondanews.com.
10-27-2010, 01:12 PM
#1347
The sizzle in the Steak
(cracks whip) Keep digging you pathetic miners!!!! We need more coal to burn for those electric vehicles!!! We need to keep the earth clean and green and eliminate those nasty green house gases by burning more coal for those electric cars!! (cracks whip)
10-27-2010, 01:16 PM
#1348
The sizzle in the Steak
If it's not a Toyota-Hybrid like system....what's the point?
Then again the hybrid vehicle is pretty much pointless anyway.
Then again the hybrid vehicle is pretty much pointless anyway.
10-27-2010, 02:35 PM
#1349
Chloe @ 17mo
10-27-2010, 02:56 PM
#1350
The sizzle in the Steak
10-27-2010, 03:06 PM
#1351
Senior Moderator
10-27-2010, 03:44 PM
#1352
Chloe @ 17mo
It doesn't matter. I don't care for hybrid. I'm just pointing that Honda's intending on following their design, and if they want to do what they want, then good for them.
10-27-2010, 05:59 PM
#1354
Toyota has some 2000 patents on their (or is it Paice's) system. I doubt anyone could really copy it even if they wanted to. The thing I always wonder about with the Toyota system is could they pair this parallel hybrid system with a manual transmission. The ECU must manage (gas) engine speed with the wheels when switching from electric mode to gas mode. With an automatic transmission this is relatively easy, but with a manual, probably impossible.
Because the Honda system is essentially the flywheel, the transmission after it can be an automatic or manual. IMO, this is the strength of the Honda system. Of course the limited power output is a significant negative.
However, I think that the idea of capturing the wasted kinetic energy is the ultimate expression of efficiency. I can't imagine even the most hardcore 'hybrid haters' would argue that doing something with that energy is not a worthwhile goal. Perhaps the most pertinent question is whether batteries are the best place to store that energy.
Because the Honda system is essentially the flywheel, the transmission after it can be an automatic or manual. IMO, this is the strength of the Honda system. Of course the limited power output is a significant negative.
However, I think that the idea of capturing the wasted kinetic energy is the ultimate expression of efficiency. I can't imagine even the most hardcore 'hybrid haters' would argue that doing something with that energy is not a worthwhile goal. Perhaps the most pertinent question is whether batteries are the best place to store that energy.
10-27-2010, 06:40 PM
#1355
Senior Moderator
Toyota has some 2000 patents on their (or is it Paice's) system. I doubt anyone could really copy it even if they wanted to. The thing I always wonder about with the Toyota system is could they pair this parallel hybrid system with a manual transmission. The ECU must manage (gas) engine speed with the wheels when switching from electric mode to gas mode. With an automatic transmission this is relatively easy, but with a manual, probably impossible.
Because the Honda system is essentially the flywheel, the transmission after it can be an automatic or manual. IMO, this is the strength of the Honda system. Of course the limited power output is a significant negative.
However, I think that the idea of capturing the wasted kinetic energy is the ultimate expression of efficiency. I can't imagine even the most hardcore 'hybrid haters' would argue that doing something with that energy is not a worthwhile goal. Perhaps the most pertinent question is whether batteries are the best place to store that energy.
Because the Honda system is essentially the flywheel, the transmission after it can be an automatic or manual. IMO, this is the strength of the Honda system. Of course the limited power output is a significant negative.
However, I think that the idea of capturing the wasted kinetic energy is the ultimate expression of efficiency. I can't imagine even the most hardcore 'hybrid haters' would argue that doing something with that energy is not a worthwhile goal. Perhaps the most pertinent question is whether batteries are the best place to store that energy.
What they have done here is noting ground breaking and nothing to really brag about.
10-27-2010, 07:00 PM
#1356
^^ Easier said than done. In fact, no manufacturer has been able to do it. Should Honda do nothing in the meantime? As I said, I'd like to see Toyota add a MT to their system.
10-27-2010, 07:15 PM
#1357
Safety Car
Eggs
On the 1 hand, Honda seems to be spreading their eggs into several baskets (FCX & Civic GX) but on the other, I ponder if they put too many in the diesel basket? When that did not pan out, they had to jump back into the hybrid race way behind bc as usual they were off marching to the beat of their own drummer ....
10-27-2010, 07:31 PM
#1358
On the 1 hand, Honda seems to be spreading their eggs into several baskets (FCX & Civic GX) but on the other, I ponder if they put too many in the diesel basket? When that did not pan out, they had to jump back into the hybrid race way behind bc as usual they were off marching to the beat of their own drummer ....
10-27-2010, 08:43 PM
#1359
How about actually developing something better? If honda is so cutting edge and eco friendly like they claim, why follow or settle for being 2nd. Why not try to lead. So far they havent done a thing to try to be a leader in any of this tech.
What they have done here is noting ground breaking and nothing to really brag about.
What they have done here is noting ground breaking and nothing to really brag about.
50K per year.
Honda is narrow brand. it does not have Diesel line up on same scale as Toyota/Nissan. and significantly leg behind them in commerical vehicles.
There is improvement to new Insight in EU in handling/comfort/fuel economy.
http://evworld.com/news.cfm?newsid=24100
The IMA hybrid system is 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 system, with over half a million vehicles on the road benefitting from its combination of low emissions and fuel economy.
The IMA hybrid system is 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 system, with over half a million vehicles on the road benefitting from its combination of low emissions and fuel economy.
10-28-2010, 12:09 PM
#1360
Safety Car
Expansion
SUGAR LAND, TX--(Marketwire - October 28, 2010) - Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas) -- Honda Transmission Manufacturing of America (Russell's Point, Ohio), a division of Honda Motor Company Limited (NYSE:HMC) (Tokyo, Japan) and the leading manufacturer of high-quality automatic transmissions for Honda and Acura cars, will build a 200,000-square-foot facility on 60 acres in Russell's Point, Ohio, adjacent to the existing Logan County transmission plant, and hire up to 100 employees. This will be the 3rd expansion of the Russell's Point plant since 2006.
For details, view the entire article by subscribing to Industrial Info's Premium Industry News at http://www.industrialinfo.com/showNe...sitemID=168307, or browse other breaking industrial news stories at www.industrialinfo.com.
For details, view the entire article by subscribing to Industrial Info's Premium Industry News at http://www.industrialinfo.com/showNe...sitemID=168307, or browse other breaking industrial news stories at www.industrialinfo.com.