Honda: Sales, Marketing and Financial News
02-07-2010, 11:04 PM
#281
אני עומד עם ישראל
Agreed. Terrible for enthusiasts, great for the stock holders.
04-28-2010, 04:32 PM
#283
Safety Car
Update
TOKYO – Honda posted a 72 billion yen ($774 million) profit for the January-March quarter in a reversal from red ink a year earlier as booming demand in China and India combined with a fledgling U.S. recovery to boost car sales.
Honda Motor Co., Japan's No. 2 automaker, reported Wednesday that quarterly sales surged 28 percent from a year earlier to 2.28 trillion yen ($24.5 billion).
Honda, which makes the Insight hybrid and the Odyssey minivan, sold 874,000 vehicles for the fiscal fourth quarter, up 28.5 percent from 680,000 the year before.
Honda's better fortunes mirror similar recoveries at other Japanese automakers, whose results had been battered the previous year by the financial crisis.
Honda's sales in Japan recovered, helped by tax breaks for "green" models and brisk demand for smaller models like the Fit, Honda said.
For the fiscal year ended March 31, Honda reported a 96 percent rise in profit to 268.4 billion yen ($2.9 billion). Sales of 8.58 trillion yen ($92.3 billion) were down 14 percent from the previous year.
Honda is expecting better results for the fiscal year through March 31, 2011, forecasting 340 billion yen ($3.7 billion) in profit, up 27 percent from the fiscal year just ended.
Sales are projected to climb 9 percent to 9.34 trillion yen ($100.4 billion), it said.
The automaker is targeting sales of 3.6 million vehicles for the current fiscal year, up nearly 7 percent from 3.4 million last year.
Honda's U.S. sales have been recovering moderately, while the European market was also gradually beginning to recover in the latter half, helped by government incentives, according to Tokyo-based Honda.
Honda also has a strong motorcycle division, which contributed to earnings with a 30 percent sales increase to 2.6 million motorcycles for the quarter.
Mazda Motor Corp. and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. — Japan's No. 4 and No. 5 automakers — also posted net profits for the January-March quarter, reversing losses from a year earlier.
Toyota Motor Corp., the world's biggest automaker, whose sales have been hurt by a recall crisis, and Nissan Motor Co., allied with Renault SA of France, this nation's No. 3 automaker, reports earnings next month.
Honda shares lost 1.5 percent to 3,285 yen ($35) in Tokyo.
04-28-2010, 06:17 PM
#285
Honda is still top in world in reliability when all markets are considered. And these proifts are made despite having the fewest numbers, options and oldest line up of cars. from 5/4/3 years old Civic/CRV/Accord. etc.
05-27-2010, 06:43 AM
#286
Safety Car
China
TOKYO – Honda's four auto assembly plants in China have ground to a halt after workers at a parts maker went on strike demanding better wages.
The strike comes after Honda Motor Co.'s announcement earlier this week of an aggressive plan to boost production in China, raising annual production capacity at its Guang Gi Honda Automobile Co. joint venture from 360,000 units to 480,000 vehicles by the latter half of 2011. Honda has said that its overall China production capacity will grow to 830,000 vehicles by the latter half of 2012.
Talks were under way at the Honda-owned parts maker in the southern coastal province of Guang Dong, but it was still unclear when production of transmissions and engine parts at the plant can resume, Tokyo-based Honda said Thursday.
Also halted besides Guang Gi Honda's two factories, which make the Accord sedan and Odyssey minivan, are two other Honda plants, Dong Feng Honda and Honda Automobile China.
The strike at the parts-maker, which employs 1,900 people, began last week, and has continued off and on into this week, Honda said, while declining to disclose details of the wages or the negotiations.
The newspaper 21st Century Business Herald reported that the workers were pushing to have monthly wages increased from the current 1,500 yuan ($220) to up to 2,500 yuan ($370). A photo showed workers gathered outside the factory in spotless white uniforms and red caps.
Manufacturers in southern China recently have complained of difficulties in finding workers willing to accept the relatively low wages on offer. Authorities generally discourage organized labor protests, but sometimes tolerate them while seeking to mediate a compromise.
Japanese automakers have their eyes on emerging markets like China to maintain growth as the Japanese market has grown saturated.
"Without the gearbox, we cannot move on with installation. Production has been halted since Wednesday and probably will last until Friday," Honda Automobile spokesman Yang Guang told Kyodo News.
05-27-2010, 01:38 PM
#287
אני עומד עם ישראל
Dunno what the average Honda retails for in China, but I'd like to know if the people working there can afford to purchase the car they are producing?
05-30-2010, 12:41 PM
#289
You'll Never Walk Alone
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Age: 37
Posts: 9,492
Received 834 Likes
on
518 Posts
With that said, there are a lot of rich Chinese people. I have no idea what these people do but while I was in Hong Kong at some stores selling expensive stuff (Burberry, Louis Vuitton, Coach, etc), I have witnessed something very....spectacular. Here's an example. I was at this store with my family shopping. Then this Chinese lady came in, looked around, then selected a few bags. I thought, "holy crap, one of these bags is like $5000, how can she afford to buy more than one..." Then that lady proceeded and told the salesperson while pointing at the few bags she had selected, "I don't want this one, that one, and those two over there. I will take all the other ones." And the salesperson didn't look surprised at all. It seems like this sort of things happens on a regular basis.....
06-09-2010, 08:21 AM
#290
Safety Car
New List
FuelEconomy.Gov Releases Bogus List of "Most Fuel Efficient Cars in America: 1984-2010"
.jpg)
Illustration: 2001 Geo Metro, trim level not specified, but due to the presence of full wheel covers, it's unlikely to be a a Geo Metro XFI. Chevrolet Public Relations photo; author archives.
Illustration: 2001 Geo Metro, trim level not specified, but due to the presence of full wheel covers, it's unlikely to be a a Geo Metro XFI. Chevrolet Public Relations photo; author archives.
FuelEconomy.gov today published a pair of lists of the "most fuel efficient cars in America: 1984 to 2010." The lists, claims the government website, are intended to "help consumers purchase a fuel-efficient vehicle" by listing not only current model year vehicles but from twenty-six years of EPA, and "real-world" fuel economy data from owners. Both are a phony lists however, or at least based on phony premises and those on several levels.
The most obvious is that, as a guide to purchasing, the EPA list is almost completely useless. Only three of the top ten vehicles are 2010 models. That is, those are the only models available new and that the consumer can have the confidence in reliability that only a new car can provide. On the other hand, four of the models are from the 1980s. Good luck finding a low-miles creampuff in that crowd.
In fact, some of the models were rare finds when new, produced in small numbers as fuel economy teasers. A trim level with air conditioning not available, even as an option? That's the Geo XFi, for example.
Two of the models on the list were available in the U.S., the Pontiac Firefly and the Suzuki SA310. Both were variants of the same Suzuki model sold here as the Chevrolet Sprint.
The list is unfair to current models, too, because the earlier models didn't have to meet the today's emissions requirements nor current safety regulations and expectations. The latter is particularly important for fuel eoconomy as it allowed cars to be much lighter.
If nothing else, the EPA list is a curiousity.
The "real-world" fuel sippers has only one model that's not 2000 or newer, but the list is dubious because it's self-reported data. We're not accusing high-mileage of lying, but owners could be suspected of wishful thinking at worst or going to extremes to record high mileages.
But don't take our word for it. Read the list and judge for yourself:
FuelEconomy.gov’s Top Ten EPA-Rated Fuel Sippers (1984 to present)
1. Honda Insight Model Year 2000
3 cyl, 1.0L, Manual 5-spd, Regular Gasoline Combined: 53
(City: 49 Highway: 61)
2. Toyota Prius Model Year 2010
4 cyl, 1.8L, Automatic (variable gear ratios), Regular Gasoline Combined: 50
(City: 51 Highway: 48)
3. Chevrolet Sprint ER Model Year 1986
3 cyl, 1.0L, Manual 5-spd, Regular Gasoline Combined: 48
(City: 44 Highway: 53)
4. Geo Metro XFI Model Year 1990-1994
3 cyl, 1.0L, Manual 5-spd, Regular Gasoline Combined: 47
(City: 43 Highway: 52)
5. Honda Civic Coupe HF Model Years 1986-1987
4 cyl, 1.5L, Manual 5-spd, Regular Gasoline Combined: 46
(City: 42 Highway: 51)
6. Honda Civic HB VX Model Years 1994-1995
4 cyl, 1.5L, Manual 5-spd, Regular Gasoline Combined: 43
(City: 39 Highway: 50)
7. Honda Civic Hybrid Model Years 2006-2010
4 cyl, 1.3L, Automatic (variable gear ratios), Regular Gasoline Combined: 42
(City: 40 Highway: 45)
8. Pontiac Firefly Model Year 1985
3 cyl, 1.0L, Manual 5-spd, Regular Combined: 42
(City: 39 Highway: 47)
9. Suzuki SA310 Model Year 1985
3 cyl, 1.0L, Manual 5-spd, Regular Combined: 42
(City: 39 Highway: 47)
10. Honda Insight Model Year 2010
4 cyl, 1.3L, Auto(AV-S7), Regular
Combined: 41
(City: 40 Highway: 43)
Vehicles are ranked based on EPA's unrounded combined rating. In the event of a tie, multiple vehicles may share the same ranking. Only the most efficient configuration of a particular model is presented for a given rank—variants of a ranked model are listed as "similar models" if they would have otherwise made the list. Models classified under different EPA size classes, however, are ranked separately.1. Honda Insight Model Year 2000
3 cyl, 1.0L, Manual 5-spd, Regular Gasoline Combined: 53
(City: 49 Highway: 61)
2. Toyota Prius Model Year 2010
4 cyl, 1.8L, Automatic (variable gear ratios), Regular Gasoline Combined: 50
(City: 51 Highway: 48)
3. Chevrolet Sprint ER Model Year 1986
3 cyl, 1.0L, Manual 5-spd, Regular Gasoline Combined: 48
(City: 44 Highway: 53)
4. Geo Metro XFI Model Year 1990-1994
3 cyl, 1.0L, Manual 5-spd, Regular Gasoline Combined: 47
(City: 43 Highway: 52)
5. Honda Civic Coupe HF Model Years 1986-1987
4 cyl, 1.5L, Manual 5-spd, Regular Gasoline Combined: 46
(City: 42 Highway: 51)
6. Honda Civic HB VX Model Years 1994-1995
4 cyl, 1.5L, Manual 5-spd, Regular Gasoline Combined: 43
(City: 39 Highway: 50)
7. Honda Civic Hybrid Model Years 2006-2010
4 cyl, 1.3L, Automatic (variable gear ratios), Regular Gasoline Combined: 42
(City: 40 Highway: 45)
8. Pontiac Firefly Model Year 1985
3 cyl, 1.0L, Manual 5-spd, Regular Combined: 42
(City: 39 Highway: 47)
9. Suzuki SA310 Model Year 1985
3 cyl, 1.0L, Manual 5-spd, Regular Combined: 42
(City: 39 Highway: 47)
10. Honda Insight Model Year 2010
4 cyl, 1.3L, Auto(AV-S7), Regular
Combined: 41
(City: 40 Highway: 43)
FuelEconomy.gov’s Top Ten Real-World Fuel Sippers (1984 to present)
1. Honda Insight Model Years 2004-2006
3 cyl, 1.0L, Manual 5-spd, Regular Gasoline User Average: 70.4
(11 drivers) EPA Combined: 52
2. Honda Insight Model Year 2010
4 cyl, 1.3L, Auto(AV-S7), Regular Gasoline User Average: 49.7
(14 drivers) EPA Combined: 41
3. Geo Metro XFI Model Years 1990-1994
3 cyl, 1.0L, Manual 5-spd, Regular Gasoline User Average: 49.4
(12 drivers) EPA Combined: 46
4. Toyota Prius Model Year 2010
4 cyl, 1.8L, Automatic (variable gear ratios), Regular Gasoline User Average: 48.6
(87 drivers) EPA Combined: 50
5. Chevrolet Metro Model Year 1999
3 cyl, 1.0L, Manual 5-spd, Regular Gasoline User Average: 48.4
(10 drivers) EPA Combined: 37
6. Volkswagen Jetta Wagon Model Years 2002-2003
4 cyl, 1.9L, Manual 5-spd, Diesel User Average: 48.2
(22 drivers) EPA Combined: 39
7. Honda Civic Hybrid Model Years 2003-2005
4 cyl, 1.3L, Manual 5-spd, Regular Gasoline User Average: 47.8
(20 drivers) EPA Combined: 41
8. Honda Civic HB VX Model Years 1992-1995
4 cyl, 1.5L, Manual 5-spd, Regular Gasoline User Average: 47.6
(11 drivers EPA Combined: 43
9. Volkswagen Golf Model Years 2000-2003
4 cyl, 1.9L, Manual 5-spd, Diesel User Average: 47.0
(50 drivers) EPA Combined: 38
10. Volkswagen New Beetle Model Years 1998-2003
4 cyl, 1.9L, Manual 5-spd, Diesel User Average: 46.2
(47 drivers) EPA Combined: 38
Last edited by TSX69; 06-09-2010 at 08:26 AM.
06-09-2010, 01:44 PM
#292
Changin bulbs since '73
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Chi-town burbs
Age: 50
Posts: 8,111
Likes: 0
Received 12 Likes
on
4 Posts
4. Geo Metro XFI Model Year 1990-1994
3 cyl, 1.0L, Manual 5-spd, Regular Gasoline Combined: 47
(City: 43 Highway: 52)
i had one of these for a brief moment in high school. 5 bucks of gas lasted you like a whole month!! It was awesome!
3 cyl, 1.0L, Manual 5-spd, Regular Gasoline Combined: 47
(City: 43 Highway: 52)
i had one of these for a brief moment in high school. 5 bucks of gas lasted you like a whole month!! It was awesome!
06-10-2010, 11:14 AM
#294
Senior Moderator
Also, Look at the model years of all the vehicles. Honda is only there with one current vehicle. Look at teh date of the others. I also see no other honda other than Civic/insight in the ratings. So the other cars could have bigger engines and not effect these stats.
1. Honda Insight Model Years 2004-2006
2. Honda Insight Model Year 2010
3. Geo Metro XFI Model Years 1990-1994
4. Toyota Prius Model Year 2010
5. Chevrolet Metro Model Year 1999
6. Volkswagen Jetta Wagon Model Years 2002-2003
7. Honda Civic Hybrid Model Years 2003-2005
8. Honda Civic HB VX Model Years 1992-1995
9. Volkswagen Golf Model Years 2000-2003
10. Volkswagen New Beetle Model Years 1998-2003
Last edited by fsttyms1; 06-10-2010 at 11:24 AM.
06-10-2010, 03:38 PM
#295
The sizzle in the Steak
...back when cars weighed a whole lot less.
06-11-2010, 01:30 AM
#296
My only car is a Bus
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Republik of Kalifornia
Posts: 3,254
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
It's not like there's a lot of cars there that are still being made. If they took cars still being made I bet Honda would dominate.
There is no reason they cant get good mileage in a V8. Last time i drove a C6 vette i averaged over 28mpg hwy (at 80mph) and got into the 31s on one tank. Every bit as good as my little V6 TL, but with 430 hp
Also, Look at the model years of all the vehicles. Honda is only there with one current vehicle. Look at teh date of the others. I also see no other honda other than Civic/insight in the ratings. So the other cars could have bigger engines and not effect these stats.
1. Honda Insight Model Years 2004-2006
2. Honda Insight Model Year 2010
3. Geo Metro XFI Model Years 1990-1994
4. Toyota Prius Model Year 2010
5. Chevrolet Metro Model Year 1999
6. Volkswagen Jetta Wagon Model Years 2002-2003
7. Honda Civic Hybrid Model Years 2003-2005
8. Honda Civic HB VX Model Years 1992-1995
9. Volkswagen Golf Model Years 2000-2003
10. Volkswagen New Beetle Model Years 1998-2003
Also, Look at the model years of all the vehicles. Honda is only there with one current vehicle. Look at teh date of the others. I also see no other honda other than Civic/insight in the ratings. So the other cars could have bigger engines and not effect these stats.
1. Honda Insight Model Years 2004-2006
2. Honda Insight Model Year 2010
3. Geo Metro XFI Model Years 1990-1994
4. Toyota Prius Model Year 2010
5. Chevrolet Metro Model Year 1999
6. Volkswagen Jetta Wagon Model Years 2002-2003
7. Honda Civic Hybrid Model Years 2003-2005
8. Honda Civic HB VX Model Years 1992-1995
9. Volkswagen Golf Model Years 2000-2003
10. Volkswagen New Beetle Model Years 1998-2003
06-11-2010, 09:12 AM
#297
Senior Moderator
Then why didnt they? This report should be using current vehicles, and not early 90s and current! Where are all the current vehicle statistics of mileage. This report proves or shows nothing useful of current cars.
06-11-2010, 06:23 PM
#298
My only car is a Bus
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Republik of Kalifornia
Posts: 3,254
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
I'm sure there is a report out there like that. It is interesting to see that as fuel economy becomes more important (so our government says) it is the older cars that had the best mileage.
06-11-2010, 09:12 PM
#299
06-28-2010, 06:38 AM
#300
Safety Car
Article
TOKYO (Bloomberg) -- Takanobu Ito became a star at Honda Motor Co. with his work on the NSX sports car, the company's most powerful model. Now, as chief executive officer, he's focusing on fuel efficiency as Ford Motor Co. and Hyundai Motor Co. threaten Honda's leading position in North America.
While Honda's fleet is rated the most fuel-efficient in the U.S. market, Ford's Fiesta subcompact gets up to 33 miles per gallon in combined city/highway driving, compared with 31 mpg for Honda's rival Fit hatchback. Hyundai's Sonata sedan tops Honda's top-selling Accord in economy and horsepower, and its revamped Elantra compact promises to use less fuel than Honda's Civic.
“Ford is coming back, and Hyundai is gaining market share,” said Tadashi Usui, an analyst at Moody's K.K. in Tokyo. “The gap between Japanese automakers and rivals is shrinking.”
Honda, after axing its V-10 NSX supercar project in 2008, is redoubling efforts to boost fuel efficiency to fend off growing competition. Ito delayed the release of a revamped Civic compact after telling engineers he was unhappy with its size and fuel economy, said Tomohiko Kawanabe, president of Honda's research and development unit.
Even as factors including pricing and design shape research efforts, “fuel efficiency has become the first priority in our discussions,” Kawanabe said in an interview at Honda's research center last month in Wako, west of Tokyo.
Risking Reputation
Honda's U.S. sales gained 13 percent in the first five months of 2010, trailing industry growth of 17 percent. Ford's rose 31 percent in the same period, while Hyundai's sales grew 23 percent.
Japan's second-largest carmaker has focused on only mild improvements in fuel economy recently, risking its “green” reputation, said Ed Kim, an industry analyst at AutoPacific Inc. in Tustin, California. For example, Honda uses 5-speed automatic transmissions as the industry adopted more efficient 6-speeds, and seems reluctant to use direct-injection and turbocharging technology, Kim said.
“Even before the green thing was big, they were into green,” said Kim, a former Hyundai product planner. “Over the last few years, they've been completely leapfrogged in new engine technologies.”
Honda's U.S. fleet of Honda and Acura 2009 models averaged 23.6 mpg in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's fuel efficiency assessment, adjusted for real-world driving. Hyundai- Kia group vehicles were second in the 2009 model-year survey, averaging 23.4 mpg. Hyundai models alone, excluding those of Kia Motors Corp., exceeded Honda's fleet with an adjusted average of 23.9 mpg, according to EPA.
New Regulations
Toyota Motor Corp. had an adjusted fleet average of 23.2 mpg, and Ford, with a 20.5 mpg fleet, ranked seventh.
Another motivation for Honda to raise vehicle efficiency is a U.S. regulation forcing an industrywide increase by model year 2016. Honda's fleet must average 37.4 mpg by that time, a 50 percent improvement from about 26 mpg now, John Mendel, head of Honda's U.S. sales operation, said June 8.
The global recession following the collapse of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. in September 2008 also spurred Honda's strategic shift, said Ito, who became CEO a year ago.
“In a certain sense, Lehman was a blessing,” Ito said in Tokyo last month.
Unlike before the recession, price increases are tough to justify and vehicle size and fuel economy need to “conform to these times,” Kawanabe said.
Prius Competition
Expanding Honda's line of hybrid cars is part of the strategy. Honda plans to introduce a new hybrid Civic with a lithium-ion battery that can store twice the power of a nickel- metal hydride battery, Kawanabe said. The company will unveil a new hybrid version of the Fit later this year.
Honda's Insight and Civic hybrids haven't gained ground on Toyota's Prius, the world's top-selling hybrid. The Prius outsold the Insight 6-to-1 in the U.S. this year through May.
One reason may be fuel economy. Toyota's hybrid gets 51 mpg in city driving, while the Insight gets 40 mpg. Honda Executive Vice President Koichi Kondo also said the Insight, a compact model in the U.S. compared with the midsize Prius, may be too small for Americans.
The company is also exploring stop-start technology, turbochargers and expanding continuously variable transmissions to boost fuel efficiency, said Hiroshi Ataka, a Tokyo-based analyst at consulting company IHS Global Insight.
Favoring Hydrogen Power
While Honda is researching electric cars, it's less optimistic about demand for them than Nissan is and favors hydrogen-powered cars as the ultimate zero-emission vehicle.
Honda set up a lithium-ion battery venture with GS Yuasa Corp. and can shift gears quickly if necessary, Ataka said.
The company stopped producing the NSX supercar, its fastest production model, in 2005. It planned to reintroduce it this year. Instead, it built the low-priced, sporty CR-Z hybrid that arrives in the U.S. in August.
As a young engineer Ito consulted bullet-train designers to develop an all-aluminum body for the first-generation NSX when superiors considered the notion impossible, according to a company publication.
“I love sports cars,” Ito said at the Beijing Motor Show in April. “But we have to watch the economic situation and our purse strings.”
06-28-2010, 10:55 AM
#302
Senior Moderator
Meh.... Just more talk by Honda. If Honda really wanted to improve their numbers, they need to update the cars with better newer tech motors (maybe DI and other things) and GET RID of the lame ass good for nothing IMA system and get something better like Toyota is using! That and get a better looking vehicles with LESS weight.
Last edited by fsttyms1; 06-28-2010 at 10:59 AM.
06-28-2010, 01:27 PM
#303
The sizzle in the Steak
Wake me when we hear that Honda is gonna give NA diesel. 
07-20-2010, 01:56 PM
#304
Three Wheelin'
Honda: Mid-Year (2010) news
http://www.hondanews.com/categories/939/releases/5528
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 our business in emerging markets and take prompt action to respond to the market shift toward small-sized vehicles.
Especially, as we are in the midst of a difficult business environment, nothing is more important than going back to Honda's basic principle, that is, to see things from the customer's view point, and continue offering products that please our customers.
Based on this understanding, Honda's "Direction for the next 10 years" was set. What I think is most important and the message I conveyed strongly to all Honda associates was "to provide good products to our customers with speed, affordability and low CO2 emissions."
By "good products" we mean to embody customers' wants and needs in attractive products using Honda's unique technologies, knowledge and ingenuity. Such good products must be delivered with speed without making our customers wait, and at affordable prices which make our customers happy with their purchase. This is the direction Honda will take.
"With low CO2 emissions" represents our conviction based on the strong sense of crisis that, as a manufacturer of personal mobility, Honda will have no future unless we achieve a significant reduction of CO2 emissions.
In order to provide good products with speed, affordability and low CO2 emissions, concrete measures will be taken with a focus on the following three core areas:
1) Advancement of environmental technologies
2) Strengthening of the manufacturing system and capability
3) Strengthening of business operations in emerging nations
Advancement of environmental technologies
Automobiles
* Honda has been reducing CO2 emissions through technological advancement of a wide range of products including motorcycles, automobiles and power products. Honda has also been committed to the reduction of its environmental footprint through its energy creation products such as solar panels and cogeneration systems.
* Honda will accelerate the effort to reduce its environmental footprint by advancing its environmental technologies and making even more effort to achieve widespread market introduction of such technologies.
Widespread market introduction of IMA Hybrid System
* Honda introduced new models equipped with Honda's original lightweight and compact IMA hybrid system, namely Insight and CR-Z. The percentage of hybrid vehicle sales among all Honda vehicle sales in Japan increased to 16% in 2009. Honda will accelerate widespread market introduction of IMA by enhancing the lineup of models equipped with the IMA system.
* Honda will introduce multiple models, mainly small-sized vehicles, equipped with the IMA system in Japan within approximately one year from now. The first one will be the Fit Hybrid which will be introduced to the Japanese market this fall.
* Honda will also pursue the advancement of battery technologies that are critical to the advancement of hybrid vehicles. The next-generation Civic Hybrid will be equipped with a high-output and compact lithium-ion battery, which will be supplied by Blue Energy, a joint venture company between GS Yuasa and Honda that will begin production of the battery at its plant in the latter half of this year.
* Honda has been devoting its company resources to the development of advanced environmental technologies. The results of such a strategy will start to be seen as products sometime around 2012.
Plug-in hybrid
* A new plug-in hybrid system for mid-size to larger vehicles is currently under development. Vehicles equipped with this new system are scheduled to go on sale in 2012 in Japan and the U.S.
* Honda will fulfill customer demand more precisely by developing and adopting multiple hybrid systems that are appropriate for vehicles of different sizes and uses.
Gasoline engine
* In the mid-term, internal combustion engines will remain as the main source of power for automobiles, and therefore Honda will continue advancing technologies to improve the performance and fuel economy of internal combustion engines. Honda will begin renewing its engine and transmission lineup starting in 2012 to further improve its fuel economy.
Diesel engine
* Diesel engines are also effective in reducing CO2 emissions. In addition to the currently available 2.2l engine, Honda is making progress in the development of a smaller diesel engine. A model equipped with this new smaller diesel engine will be introduced in Europe in 2012.
Fuel-cell electric vehicle
* In the long-term, fuel-cell electric vehicles will provide the ultimate mobility. And Honda will continue working on the technological advancement of the FCX Clarity as well as our hydrogen refueling systems.
Battery electric vehicle
* Though there still are some issues that need to be addressed such as range per charge and recharging time, battery EVs have the potential to create a new market as mobility that emits no CO2 during operation. Leveraging the technologies established through the development of fuel-cell electric vehicles, Honda will make progress in the development of a battery EV with a goal to put it in real world use as soon as possible. Honda's battery EV is scheduled to go on sale in Japan and the U.S. in 2012.
Honda will introduce these products by around 2012 and further advance them and accelerate their more widespread introduction to the market in the next 10 years.
...........
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 our business in emerging markets and take prompt action to respond to the market shift toward small-sized vehicles.
Especially, as we are in the midst of a difficult business environment, nothing is more important than going back to Honda's basic principle, that is, to see things from the customer's view point, and continue offering products that please our customers.
Based on this understanding, Honda's "Direction for the next 10 years" was set. What I think is most important and the message I conveyed strongly to all Honda associates was "to provide good products to our customers with speed, affordability and low CO2 emissions."
By "good products" we mean to embody customers' wants and needs in attractive products using Honda's unique technologies, knowledge and ingenuity. Such good products must be delivered with speed without making our customers wait, and at affordable prices which make our customers happy with their purchase. This is the direction Honda will take.
"With low CO2 emissions" represents our conviction based on the strong sense of crisis that, as a manufacturer of personal mobility, Honda will have no future unless we achieve a significant reduction of CO2 emissions.
In order to provide good products with speed, affordability and low CO2 emissions, concrete measures will be taken with a focus on the following three core areas:
1) Advancement of environmental technologies
2) Strengthening of the manufacturing system and capability
3) Strengthening of business operations in emerging nations
Advancement of environmental technologies
Automobiles
* Honda has been reducing CO2 emissions through technological advancement of a wide range of products including motorcycles, automobiles and power products. Honda has also been committed to the reduction of its environmental footprint through its energy creation products such as solar panels and cogeneration systems.
* Honda will accelerate the effort to reduce its environmental footprint by advancing its environmental technologies and making even more effort to achieve widespread market introduction of such technologies.
Widespread market introduction of IMA Hybrid System
* Honda introduced new models equipped with Honda's original lightweight and compact IMA hybrid system, namely Insight and CR-Z. The percentage of hybrid vehicle sales among all Honda vehicle sales in Japan increased to 16% in 2009. Honda will accelerate widespread market introduction of IMA by enhancing the lineup of models equipped with the IMA system.
* Honda will introduce multiple models, mainly small-sized vehicles, equipped with the IMA system in Japan within approximately one year from now. The first one will be the Fit Hybrid which will be introduced to the Japanese market this fall.
* Honda will also pursue the advancement of battery technologies that are critical to the advancement of hybrid vehicles. The next-generation Civic Hybrid will be equipped with a high-output and compact lithium-ion battery, which will be supplied by Blue Energy, a joint venture company between GS Yuasa and Honda that will begin production of the battery at its plant in the latter half of this year.
* Honda has been devoting its company resources to the development of advanced environmental technologies. The results of such a strategy will start to be seen as products sometime around 2012.
Plug-in hybrid
* A new plug-in hybrid system for mid-size to larger vehicles is currently under development. Vehicles equipped with this new system are scheduled to go on sale in 2012 in Japan and the U.S.
* Honda will fulfill customer demand more precisely by developing and adopting multiple hybrid systems that are appropriate for vehicles of different sizes and uses.
Gasoline engine
* In the mid-term, internal combustion engines will remain as the main source of power for automobiles, and therefore Honda will continue advancing technologies to improve the performance and fuel economy of internal combustion engines. Honda will begin renewing its engine and transmission lineup starting in 2012 to further improve its fuel economy.
Diesel engine
* Diesel engines are also effective in reducing CO2 emissions. In addition to the currently available 2.2l engine, Honda is making progress in the development of a smaller diesel engine. A model equipped with this new smaller diesel engine will be introduced in Europe in 2012.
Fuel-cell electric vehicle
* In the long-term, fuel-cell electric vehicles will provide the ultimate mobility. And Honda will continue working on the technological advancement of the FCX Clarity as well as our hydrogen refueling systems.
Battery electric vehicle
* Though there still are some issues that need to be addressed such as range per charge and recharging time, battery EVs have the potential to create a new market as mobility that emits no CO2 during operation. Leveraging the technologies established through the development of fuel-cell electric vehicles, Honda will make progress in the development of a battery EV with a goal to put it in real world use as soon as possible. Honda's battery EV is scheduled to go on sale in Japan and the U.S. in 2012.
Honda will introduce these products by around 2012 and further advance them and accelerate their more widespread introduction to the market in the next 10 years.
...........
Last edited by jnc2000; 07-20-2010 at 01:57 PM. Reason: spelling
07-20-2010, 02:00 PM
#305
The sizzle in the Steak
So Honda is going to be horrible for 10 more years now?!?!? 
07-20-2010, 02:08 PM
#308
07-20-2010, 02:16 PM
#310
Your Friendly Canadian
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Age: 31
Posts: 17,427
Received 1,484 Likes
on
1,048 Posts
At least the great cars they made will last longer than this new Honda for the next ten years.
07-20-2010, 03:19 PM
#312
The sizzle in the Steak
07-20-2010, 05:50 PM
#313
Senior Moderator
Well that wasn't encouraging in the least.
Yea, if that was important and what you really were doing, you wouldn't be producing the Shittastic things you are.
nothing is more important than going back to Honda's basic principle, that is, to see things from the customer's view point, and continue offering products that please our customers.
07-20-2010, 06:55 PM
#314
No mention of 'Acura' in that speach?
Only good part of that speach, is the mention of 'Honda will begin renewing its engine and transmission lineup starting in 2012'
Only good part of that speach, is the mention of 'Honda will begin renewing its engine and transmission lineup starting in 2012'
07-20-2010, 07:13 PM
#315
Senior Moderator
Not for nothing Honda, thank God for Nissan and Toyota (throttle stick problems notwithstanding on the latter).
07-20-2010, 07:16 PM
#316
Registered Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 1,752
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
07-20-2010, 08:11 PM
#319
Senior Moderator
No, my retort (to Honda) was that I'm glad the Nissan and Toyota (specifically Infiniti and Lexus) are committed to making vehicles that enthusiasts like us enjoy as opposed to the discouraging rhetoric coming from Honda management. While Nissan has their fair share of CVTs, it's good to see that this hasn't infected their Infiniti lineup nor the Z. (Caveat: I am annoyed that the Maxima and Altima sedan V6 only come with a CVT now but then again, one could probably just slide over to a G37 sedan instead.)
With direction Honda seems to be going, the only adrenaline pumping products they'll ultimately produce will come through their Powersports division.
With direction Honda seems to be going, the only adrenaline pumping products they'll ultimately produce will come through their Powersports division.
07-20-2010, 08:18 PM
#320
Your Friendly Canadian
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Age: 31
Posts: 17,427
Received 1,484 Likes
on
1,048 Posts
I coulda sworn the Altima came in V6 manual... Or was it a delete from the refresh?
The only car that can even be considered "fun" in Honda's lineup is the Civic Si, and that's only because this guy hasn't got his vicegrips on it yet.
The only car that can even be considered "fun" in Honda's lineup is the Civic Si, and that's only because this guy hasn't got his vicegrips on it yet.