Fit-based crossover? Honda could be eyeing new variant

TOKYO -- Honda has a few tricks up its sleeve for the next-generation Fit due next year.

Honda already has said the Fit will pioneer a new regional r&d strategy -- in which global nameplates will break from a one-size-fits-all approach and be developed and built locally.

But Honda apparently is planning a new Fit-based crossover to help it sell more than 1 million vehicles off the new platform, according to Japan's Nikkei business daily.

Those crossovers will mainly target the U.S. and European markets, and global volume could reach 400,000 units, the report says.

If true, look for a U.S. version to be made at the new Mexican plant Honda plans to open in 2014. That factory is already slated to make the Fit hatchback.

Worldwide, Honda makes about 800,000 vehicles based on the Fit platform, including the Fit hatch and its sedan-styled City sibling, the Nikkei notes.

Adding a crossover could push it over the 1 million mark.

The redesigned Fit is expected in the United States next year.

The car is already small by U.S. standards, but could a pint-sized crossover version catch on Stateside? To match demand for utility hauling, it might need more oomph under the hood.

The Japan market already gets a tall-wagon variant of the Fit, called the Freed. That model even comes in an eight-seat version, but that kind of load can put a strain on its 1.5-liter engine.

Source;

http://www.autonews.com/article/20120716/BLOG06/120719880/1499/fit-based-crossover-honda-could-be-eyeing-new-variant

Honda promotes American managers in push to revive U.S. market

By ALAN OHNSMAN / Bloomberg News

Honda Motor Co. was the first Asian carmaker to build autos in the U.S. and is the most dependent on the market. Now it's also putting more non-Japanese in key roles.

North American Chief Operating Officer Tetsuo Iwamura becomes executive vice president April 1 and No. 2 to President Takanobu Ito. His new seven-member board will manage activities from product planning to production to sales in North America. Three members will be U.S. natives, the first time Americans have held such responsibility, including Erik Berkman to lead regional product development and design.

"Honda quite literally has become a North American car company headquartered in Tokyo, and that's a horrible combination," Jim Hall, principal of 2953 Analytics Inc., an auto consultant in Birmingham, said in a phone interview. "When your headquarters isn't in your most important and biggest-volume market, you become disconnected. We can see that's what's been happening to them. This is to reconnect headquarters with their most important market."

While Honda's U.S. problems have been less dramatic than those of Toyota Motor Corp., which recalled millions of vehicles for unintended acceleration, they've been significant. Even before last year's earthquake and tsunami cut supplies, core Honda cars such as the Civic and Accord were losing ground to Hyundai Motor Co. and Ford Motor Co. models that won praise for stylish looks and fuel economy.

Growing competition spurred Honda to offer U.S. incentives that were 87 percent of the industry average in this year's first two months, according to Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey-based Autodata Corp. In 2008, Honda's discounts were less than half the average.

'Out of Necessity'
"For too long they've lived in this cocoon of 'What we're doing is good enough,' " said Maryann Keller, principal of a self-named consulting firm in Stamford, Conn. "There's a recognition that that's no longer the case, so I think they are making these moves out of necessity."

For the first time, Honda's No. 2 executive will be based at the company's U.S. headquarters in Torrance, Calif., instead of Tokyo.

"Knowing the current competitive and complicated marketplace, rapid changes in customer needs, we think it's better to put more emphasis on the American side," Iwamura said in a March 12 interview. "Production and R&D, development facilities, those can be done by investing money. Localization of the people is one of the key issues."

Toyota Moves
Honda's revenue from sales of autos, motorcycles and power products in North America was 986.2 billion yen ($12.7 billion) in the quarter that ended Dec. 31, or 51 percent of its global total. While U.S. sales of Honda and Acura autos fell to 1.15 million units last year, which was still 38 percent of the company's worldwide volume.

Toyota, too, is giving more authority to North American executives, to improve development of products for the market and avoid a repeat of the 2009-10 recall crisis.

This month, Toyota promoted Jim Lentz to chief executive officer of its U.S. sales unit, the first time that job has gone to an American.

Asia's largest automaker last week said Steve St. Angelo, executive vice president for North American engineering and manufacturing, will oversee regional production as part of his duties on Toyota's North American management committee. Ray Tanguay, chairman of Toyota's Canadian unit, is responsible for North American quality issues. Lentz will oversee regional sales, marketing and product planning.

Honda's Revamping
Toyota President Akio Toyoda has said shifting more responsibility to local managers in North America is central to his goal of restoring customer satisfaction hurt by the recalls.

Honda's U.S. car and light truck sales slid 6.8 percent last year after natural disasters in Japan and Thailand curbed output of parts and vehicles. The company's redesigned Civic also flopped in tests by Consumer Reports, which recommended previous versions, a sign that the carmaker's ills extended beyond 2011's one-time events.

For decades, products created for the U.S. came from a "synergy effect" between Japanese and American engineers, Iwamura said. Now, American engineers making product decisions for U.S. customers is the best way to increase competitiveness, Iwamura said.

"That is one of the reasons we appointed Erik as the top man of R&D," he said. Berkman, who begins his new job April 1, was traveling in Japan and unavailable for an interview.

Honda's Targets
John Mendel, executive vice president of U.S. sales, is also joining Berkman on Honda's North American management board, as is Tom Shoupe, president of the company's Alabama plant.

Honda wants to rebound this year with a 24 percent U.S. sales gain. It has made some progress, boosting sales 11 percent in 2012's first two months, led by a 45 percent jump in Civic deliveries. The company plans to release a modified Civic later this year to address concerns raised by Consumer Reports, as well as a redesigned Accord.

The company's U.S., Canadian and Mexican plants may also set a production volume record, building about 1.8 million vehicles this year.

The automaker is completing more than $690 million of upgrades at U.S. plants and is also building an $800 million factory in Mexico to produce subcompact models such as the Fit.

In January, Honda said it planned to build its Acura NSX "supercar" in Ohio within about two years. The racing-style coupe will sell for more than $100,000. The site and cost of that project hasn't been announced.

Restoring Reputation
Restoring its reputation as an industry innovator, a legacy of founder Soichiro Honda, is a bigger challenge than boosting sales and production.

"It's not just the Koreans; everyone has gotten better," Keller said. "In terms of quality and features, it's a game of equals. It's just a lot harder for Toyota and Honda to stand out."

It may be years before Honda's changes in local management are effective, said Hall of 2953 Analytics.

"It's safe to say that if they keep going the way they were going, they were heading for a decline with other guys passing them and just doing better than they are," he said. In the U.S., "the question is whether they've caught their problems soon enough to not get passed by Hyundai-Kia."

Source;
http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120325/AUTO0104/203250305/1148/auto01/Honda-promotes-American-managers-push-revive-U-S-market

Volkswagen parks in Honda's U.S. driveway

By Christiaan Hetzner
FRANKFURT Tue Feb 28, 2012 6:51am EST

(Reuters) - Volkswagen chief executive Martin Winterkorn squeezes his bulky frame behind the wheel of the new Honda Civic and takes out a tape measure - part of a forensic, and very public, inspection of the five-door compact at last September's Frankfurt car show.

"You were a role model for us for many years once," he tells an attendant Honda official. "Really."

They were the words of a man who knows Honda (7267.T) is on the ropes in the United States, and who fervently hopes he can eat the Japanese group's lunch in its biggest market.

The United States is home to nearly one in two Honda buyers, but its sales there fell 7 percent last year while overall U.S. vehicle sales expanded at a double-digit pace.

As a result, Honda's market share has tumbled 2 percentage points in two years to 8 percent in 2011. Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) is headed in the opposite direction, albeit from a low base.

Winterkorn wants to at least double the Volkswagen VW.L brand's 2.5 percent U.S. market share. Last year's sales performance was the best VW has managed there in three decades, with sales of Jettas and Passats up 44 percent and 83 percent respectively.

"The good news for Volkswagen is that brand loyalty is not what it used to be. Honda buyers started to flee to other brands like Hyundai because they wanted to express themselves and not be just one of the herd," said TrueCar analyst Jesse Toprak.

At an international level, VW has had its ups and downs since its birth in 1930s Germany, but it has come out of the 2008 crisis better than most.

While General Motors (GM.N) was pushed into a pre-packaged bankruptcy and Toyota (7203.T) endured its first ever operating loss, the Wolfsburg-based group has emerged as the world's second largest carmaker with the firepower to buy Peugeot (PEUP.PA), Fiat (FIA.MI) and Renault (RENA.PA) put together.

It made a record profit in 2011, but will need to prey on weaker rivals abroad to keep growing. That is because its core European market is set to shrink to its smallest in a decade, and carmakers are piling on costly, margin-corrosive incentives for free to compete for what remains.

VW's ultimate goal of becoming the largest, most profitable carmaker in the industry hinges on whether it can find lasting nourishment in the United States, where its pricey imports long ago forced the brand to feed off the scraps left over by others.

By shifting German car production to Tennessee and taking expensive features out of their over-engineered cars, a practice known as "de-contenting", VW has succeeded in luring customers back with affordable entry prices and sporty sedans like the Jetta - features that were once the hallmarks of Honda's Accords and Civics.

"Our biggest competitor here is Honda, since its customer base shares the same core values. We both focus on sportiness and versatility and have high demands when it comes to handling," VW's U.S. strategy chief, Rainer Michel told Reuters.

Toyota's no-frills customers do not buy a Camry to enjoy the ride, he said, while Hyundai buyers are attracted to the kind of trendy exterior designs which Honda and VW both eschew.

HUGE BULL'S-EYE
Honda, by contrast, has a pool of well-educated and more affluent U.S. car owners who tend to favour more subdued styling packaged into a fun ride.

Among its five biggest competitors, Honda boasts the lowest spending on incentives like cash rebates or free features and trim, according to auto-information website Edmunds.com.

It also abstains entirely from selling to fleets like Hertz rental agency. Fleet sales and incentives are both pressure valves many carmakers resort to when times are hard.

"We are not the flashy choice, we are the smart choice that informed customers make after weighing things like reliability, fuel economy, driving enjoyment and so on. This helps us keep a tight lid on incentives and preserve a high resale value for our owners," said American Honda spokesman Chris Martin.

"That also means that we have a huge bull's-eye painted on our back, though, since any other auto company would love to attract this kind of customer base."

But the chinks are starting to show in Honda's armour. It expects operating profit in the year to end-March 2012 to fall 65 percent to its lowest level in three years, prompting Moody's to downgrade the company's outlook to negative due partly to the tougher competition from predators like VW.

Earthquakes, tsunamis and floods in Japan and Thailand severely damaged its supply chain last year. Making matters worse, the latest Civic model has been panned by critics in the United States, forcing Honda to promise a costly facelift much earlier than planned.

"The Civic was for the longest time the torch bearer for what Honda was all about - compact cars with efficient four cylinder engines and very responsive chassis that give drivers a great feeling for the road," said Bill Visnic, an analyst and senior editor for Edmunds.com.

"That reputation has been slipping rather precipitously, though, ever since they began compromising to chase market share with cars getting bigger and the ride becoming softer."

AMERICAN HEARTLANDS
Meanwhile VW has one of the youngest customer bases - important for a brand's image - while spending even less than Honda on incentives - quick fixes that boost volumes but ultimately hurt demand over the long run as resale values fall.

As a result, the new Passat sedan spends half as long collecting dust on a dealer lot than the average U.S. vehicle.

"A lot of new VW buyers were Honda owners who no longer wanted to see 10 other exact same cars every time they came to a stop at the traffic light," said Chris Chaney, Vice President of consumer research group Strategic Vision.

According to his firm's surveys, Honda was the brand to surrender sales the most to VW last year. VW owners are more prone not just to feel better about driving their new cars but also to be more excited about them than Honda customers.

"There is no question that there are Honda owners who see Volkswagen as a step towards the prestige associated with German engineering," Chaney said.

With gasoline prices expected to climb, market researcher Art Spinella believes VW can also benefit from its strong range of fuel-efficient diesels, but warns a patchy dealer network, largely based in coastal areas, will continue to hold them back.

"Pump prices mean that car buyers will consider VW much more often, but for that to translate into actual sales they need good dealers, and here they are only strong in the slow-growth states in the Northeast," said Spinella, President of CNW.

In order to hit its sales target of 800,000 VW brand car sales by 2018, VW opened up in January a new sales office in Dallas to support the near 100 dealers spread thinly across 16 states.

Dependability may also need to improve, however, before buyers in more rural areas think about a VW.

"I think the biggest problem Volkswagen will need to address is its reliability issues, if it wants to make greater inroads into the American heartlands," said Gabriel Shenhar, Senior Auto Test Engineer & Program Manager at Consumer Reports.

In the hopes of better persuading Honda owners to defect, VW has poached marketing guru Tim Mahoney from Japanese rival Subaru of America (7270.T).

Known for his ability to hit an emotional nerve through ads like the Subaru Love campaign, he was recently voted by industry newspaper Automotive News as one of 10 managers to watch this year alongside such exalted peers as the group chief executives of Toyota, Ford and, yes, Honda.

BARKING DOGS
VW's traditional focus has been on its engineering prowess, but Mahoney favours funny skits like the "Vamonos" ad, with its clever emphasis on the fuel economy features of the VW Passat TDI.

"In a world of instant entertainment, companies can overestimate what a person can absorb in a 30 second spot that flashes over a TV screen," he told Reuters.

"But by engaging someone with ad they can relate to, you can draw people into a more complete experience offered on our website or get them to download the latest Golf racing app."

VW built on last year's Star Wars-themed "Force" commercial, voted the best ad of 2011 by industry publication Adweek, with a viral teaser spot on YouTube that featured a choir of dogs barking out the theme tune from the space saga.

Not so much as a front headlight - let alone a whole car - is ever shown, but the association with VW is unmistakable.

"People are even filming their dogs watching the spot and posting it on the internet. Humour is a big part of what we do and people like to participate," said Mahoney, a language major who studied in Vienna and Goettingen.

Honda's ad people are fighting back.

Fresh from a month of resurgent Civic sales in January, it is creating buzz with a popular ad where Matthew Broderick reprises his role from the 1980s hit "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", only this time he is behind the wheel of a CR-V crossover instead of a vintage Ferrari 250GT cabrio.

A Honda executive who worked for six years in the United States says last year marked the trough in sales for the brand, and the business there is now firmly on a path to recovery.

"It is true that Volkswagen has been expanding aggressively with success, but I believe the U.S. sales data for the new Civic in January is indicative of the new improving trend," Honda Europe President Manabu Nishimae told Reuters.

Just to make sure, though, American Honda reshuffled its management in order "to further speed decision-making and increase efficiency and competitiveness," it said last week.

Source;
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/28/uk-volkswagen-honda-idUSLNE81R01V20120228

Honda Putting No. 2 Executive in U.S. in Localization Drive

Honda plans to post its second-highest ranking global executive in the U.S. for the first time as the automaker that was Japan’s first to build cars in the market extends a three-decade localization push.

Tetsuo Iwamura, 60, Honda’s chief operating officer for North America, on April 1 adds the titles of executive vice president and executive officer, the Tokyo-based company said today in a statement. Iwamura is to also join Honda’s board in late June, pending shareholder approval, the company said.

Iwamura will continue to run operations in North America while assisting President Takanobu Ito in managing global sales, said Jun Odajima, a company spokesman. “This is the first time the top North American executive has also been the No. 2 company official,” he said.

The promotion of Iwamura and naming of Erik Berkman to lead Honda’s U.S. research and development unit, the first time that job has gone to a non-Japanese engineer, come as the company lifts production across North America, its biggest source of revenue, to counter a rising yen. Honda is increasing vehicle output at plants in the U.S. and Canada, adding a factory in Mexico to build subcompacts and preparing to make the Acura NSX supercar in Ohio by 2014.

Berkman, currently vice president of corporate planning and logistics for U.S. auto operations, is to become president of Honda R&D Americas on April 1, the company said.

Honda’s U.S. headquarters are in Torrance, California. The company’s American depositary receipts rose 1.3 percent to $37.28 at the close in New York.

Source;
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-22/honda-putting-no-2-global-manager-in-u-s-in-localization-drive.html

Honda President Ito Forecasts Year of ‘Complete Rebound'

Jan. 27 (Bloomberg) -- Honda Motor Co. President Takanobu Ito forecast that business results at Japan's third-biggest carmaker will climb to the highest in at least five years, led by sales of Accord sedans and Civic compacts in North America.

Business results in the year ending March 2013 will recover to levels achieved before the failure of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. roiled global markets, as sales climb above 4 million vehicles for the first time, Ito said in an interview this week. Lehman filed for bankruptcy in September 2008, six months after Honda earned record annual profits.

“It will be the year of the complete rebound,” Ito said at the company's Tokyo headquarters. “Sales in North America will lead the recovery. We'll introduce a fully revamped Accord in the fall, and that will be a big plus to our sales.”

Ito's comments reflect a revival in confidence by Japanese automakers as they recover from a year plagued by natural disasters at home and in Thailand. Toyota Motor Corp., Asia's largest carmaker, said this week annual sales will be 100,000 units higher than it anticipated last month.

“Honda's targets are definitely aggressive, but the U.S. economy seems like it's going to recover to a better-than- expected level this year so it's likely for them to achieve it,” said Mitsushige Akino, who oversees $600 million at Ichiyoshi Investment Management Co. in Tokyo. “They've remodeled their best-selling cars, and we can expect strong sales in North America to help them regain market share.”

Reversal of Fortune
Honda fell 1.9 percent to close at 2,689 yen in Tokyo. It's gained 15 percent this year, the best performer among Japan's three biggest automakers. That's a reversal from 2011, when the stock's 27 percent drop made it the worst performer.

Honda's operating income, or sales minus the cost of goods sold and administrative expenses, will probably double to 586.6 billion yen ($7.6 billion) next fiscal year after shrinking 52 percent, according to the average of 24 analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Earnings reached 953.1 billion yen, 851.9 billion yen and 868.9 billion yen, respectively, in the years before Lehman's bankruptcy.

Ito, 58, is counting on the U.S. market to drive growth.

Redesigned Accord
The redesigned Accord sedan, the Civic and CR-V sport- utility vehicle will help Honda increase U.S. sales 24 percent to 1.43 million units in 2012, Ito said. Sales in the market, Honda's largest, declined 6.8 percent last year, led by a 17 percent drop in deliveries of the Accord. The Accord is Honda's best-selling U.S. model, followed by the Civic.

Ito ruled out any major overhaul of the Civic after the current version of the sedan, which failed to receive the “recommended” status its predecessors had from Consumer Reports magazine, was the best-selling model in the compact-car segment in the last three months of the year.

Honda's new models will give it an edge in the U.S. over South Korea's Hyundai Motor Co., which is producing close to full-capacity, said Kota Yuzawa, a Tokyo-based analyst at Goldman Sachs Group Inc. That puts Honda in “good position” to regain lost market share, he said.

Honda may not be alone. Japan's three biggest carmakers are poised to gain market share this year at the expense of U.S. producers led by General Motors Co. and Ford Motor Co., according to five analysts surveyed by Bloomberg.

‘Unstoppable' Motorization
In China, the world's largest auto market, Honda expects its sales to rise more than 20 percent to 750,000 units in 2012 after they shrank for the first time in 2011 in a slowing market, Ito said. The company plans to introduce three gas- electric hybrid models in the country this year, he said.

“China is still strong,” Ito said. “Once motorization captures a market, it's unstoppable.”

China's total vehicle sales -- including cars, trucks and buses -- grew 2.5 percent to 18.5 million units last year, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, trailing growth in the U.S. for the first time in at least 14 years. Honda expects the market to expand to 20 million this year, or “just above” China's economic growth, he said.

In Thailand, where the country's worst floods in almost 70 years disrupted assembly plants and supply of components in 2011, Honda plans to resume production starting in April, Ito said. Damages stemming from Thailand forced the company to scrap this fiscal year's profit forecast.

Reorganizing Factories
As part of Honda's strategy of producing cars where they are sold, the company plans to reorganize its Japanese factories so they focus on production of minicars, a growing category that makes up about 40 percent of the nation's auto demand, Ito said. Orders for the N Box minicar in Japan reached 27,000 units in its first month of sales, more than double Honda's original target.

Minicars, defined as vehicles no longer than 3.4 meters (11 feet) in length, will account for 40 percent of Honda's Japan sales, compared with 25 percent now, Ito said.

Honda joins Toyota and Nissan in reorganizing operations as the yen, which has gained against the world's 16 most-traded currencies for two straight years, erodes the value of exports. Honda plans to boost the portion of vehicles sold in the same region they're built to as high as 80 percent, Ito said. In 2010, Honda sold about two out of three Japan-built cars in the country.

Officials at Toyota and Nissan this month have also echoed plans to increase their portion of vehicles sold in the region where they're assembled.

“Minicars will be key for us in Japan in the next five years,” Ito said.

Source;
http://news.businessweek.com/article.asp?documentKey=1376-LYALB80UQVI901-3I262TT8I3HDDBE46BK1GAN789

US Top 10 Best-Selling Cars of 2011

It was a year of rebuilding in the automotive industry in more ways than one. Overall, automakers were overcoming a disastrous U.S. economy, and a tsunami in March dealt Japanese automakers a tremendous blow to production of popular cars. Those two storylines directly impacted the top 10 cars of the year in terms of sales.

Top 10 Best-Selling Cars: December 2011

While the Toyota Camry remained the best-selling car in the country in 2011, the rest of the top four sellers from 2010 — Honda Accord, Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic, respectively — tumbled down the list with the Civic falling off the top 10 completely, though it was the 12th best-selling car of 2011 and the Honda CR-V was the 13th.A redesigned Civic was launched at possibly the worst time after the tsunami in Japan, leaving many dealers with inventory shortages for months.

Nissan wasn’t as negatively impacted by the tsunami, leaving room for the Nissan Altima to land the second spot in terms of car sales. The Ford Escape and Ford Fusion follow the Altima on the list, and Chevy’s surprising Cruze compact made the list at No. 10.

Trucks still ruled the top two spots, however, with the Ford F-Series and Chevy Silverado seeing sales grow year over year by 10.7% and 12.2%, respectively.

Source;
http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2012/01/top-10-best-selling-cars-of-2011.html

New Four-cylinder 2012 Honda Crosstour EX and EX-L Combine Affordability, Fuel Efficiency and a Sleek Crossover Design

12/21/2011 - TORRANCE, Calif.
Two new four-cylinder, two-wheel-drive Honda Crosstour® models are set to go on sale next month, broadening the vehicle's appeal through a lower price point and EPA-estimated fuel economy that increases 3 mpg1 in the city and 2 mpg1 on the highway.

Equipped with a 2.4-liter i-VTEC inline four-cylinder engine producing 192 horsepower, the newest Crosstour is available in two trim levels, including the Crosstour EX and leather-upholstered Crosstour EX-L. A Honda Satellite-linked Navigation System2 is available on the Crosstour EX-L.

EPA-estimated fuel economy on the four-cylinder Crosstour is 21 mpg1 city and 29 mpg1 highway, a significant increase from the 271-horsepower 2WD V6 model's EPA estimated 18 mpg1 city and 27 mpg1 highway.

With the launch of the new four-cylinder Crosstour models, some useful features are now standard across the entire Crosstour family, which first debuted for the 2010 model year with V6 power. Standard features now include an automatic dimming rearview mirror, a rearview mirror back-up camera display for improved rear visibility (non-Navigation models), convenient auto-on/off headlights, Bluetooth®3 HandsFreeLink® and USB audio interface.

Bold Exterior and Functional InteriorHonda Crosstour approaches the crossover SUV formula from a distinctively sleek, sporty and fuel-efficient perspective, while also maximizing the interior's cargo capacity, versatility and premium feel.

The exterior design emphasizes a bold, aerodynamic look that also conceals an accommodating rear cargo area. The four-cylinder model includes body-color door handles and unique 17-inch alloy wheels with P225/65 R17 all-season tires. Two new colors are available on all 2012 Crosstour models: Twilight Blue Metallic replaces Glacier Blue Metallic, and Basque Red Pearl II replaces Tango Red Pearl.

Premium interior styling, appointments and details extend from the passenger compartment all the way through the cargo area. An under-floor storage area in the rear of the vehicle adds functionality, while reversible cargo floor panels accommodate dirty objects.

Efficient Four-cylinder PowertrainThe new four-cylinder Crosstour models come with a 2.4-liter, 16-valve DOHC i-VTEC® engine for power and efficiency. The engine produces 192 horsepower at 7,000 RPM and 162 lb-ft. of torque at 4,400 RPM, while achieving an EPA-estimated city/highway/combined fuel economy of 21/29/24 mpg1. To maximize efficiency, a technologically advanced 5-speed automatic transmission with Grade Logic Control is standard equipment.

Comprehensive Feature ListIn addition to auto-on/off headlights, Bluetooth3 HandsFreeLink®, USB audio interface and rearview mirror back-up camera display with integrated guidelines, additional standard features on the new four-cylinder Crosstour EX include projector-beam headlights, a moonroof, body-colored power side mirrors with defrost, auto-up/down driver and front passenger side windows, and rear privacy glass. Inside are air conditioning with second-row ventilation, a 360-watt AM/FM 6-disc audio system with seven speakers, steering wheel-mounted cruise, audio and phone controls, an easy fold-down 60-40 split rear seatback, a hidden removable utility box and more.

Crosstour EX-L adds leather-trimmed seating surfaces with heated front seats, a memory driver-side seat and memory-linked side mirrors with reverse gear tilt-down capability, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and gearshift knob, dual-zone automatic climate control, an automatic dimming rearview mirror, a premium audio system with Kevlar® cone speakers and front aluminum dome-type tweeter speakers, XM® Radio and more. Also available on the Crosstour EX-L is the Honda Satellite-linked Navigation System2 which includes a rearview camera with guidelines integrated into the display.

Safety AssetsSafety technology includes the Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure, a Honda-exclusive body design that enhances occupant protection and crash compatibility in frontal collisions. Additional safety equipment on the Crosstour includes Vehicle Stability Assist™ (VSA®), anti-lock brakes with electronic brake distribution and brake assist, side curtain airbags with a rollover sensor, driver's and front passenger's side airbags with passenger-side Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS), dual-stage, multiple-threshold front airbags, and active front seat head restraints.

The Crosstour is assembled in Ohio at the Honda of America Mfg., Inc., East Liberty Auto Plant using domestic and globally sourced parts.

WarrantyThe 2012 Honda Crosstour is covered by a 3-year/36,000-mile new-car limited warranty, a 5-year/60,000-mile powertrain limited warranty, and a 5-year/unlimited-mile corrosion limited warranty.

Additional media information including detailed features and high-resolution photography of the 2012 Honda Crosstour is available at www.hondanews.com. Consumer information is available at automobiles.honda.com.

Source;
http://www.hondanews.com/channels/corporate-headlines/releases/new-four-cylinder-2012-honda-crosstour-ex-and-ex-l-combine-affordability-fuel-efficiency-and-a-sleek-crossover-design

Statement Regarding Forthcoming White House Fuel Economy Announcement by John Mendel, Executive Vice President of Sales for American Honda

07/27/2011 - TORRANCE, Calif.

Honda is proud to have actively worked with the Administration as they developed their proposed national fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions standards. Honda embraces this challenge, which will be good for our customers and for the environment, and we welcome the competition we will have with other automakers that will result from these new standards.

- John Mendel, Executive Vice President of Sales, American Honda Motor Co., Inc.

Source;
http://www.hondanews.com/channels/corporate-headlines/releases/statement-regarding-forthcoming-white-house-fuel-economy-announcement-by-john-mendel-executive-vice-president-of-sales-for-american-honda

Study: Honda leads as greenest automaker, again

By CHRISTOPHER JENSEN
Honda has the greenest vehicles in the United States, with Toyota and Hyundai tying for second place, according to a study released on Thursday by the Union of Concerned Scientists, a nonprofit advocacy group.

The results were calculated using the predicted impact of the automakers’ fleets on global warming — based largely on miles per gallon -– as well as the smog-forming emissions of the engines.

The study looked at eight automakers that together sold 92 percent of the vehicles available in the United States during the 2008 model year. The advocacy group explained that 2008 was the most recent year for which its researchers felt comprehensive information from the Environmental Protection Agency and Transportation Department was available. The results were also weighted for sales.

The study said that “selling a modest number of clean and efficient models” was not enough to be considered a green automaker. Instead, an automaker has to do well with all its vehicles.


The scores were calculated by giving the global warming and smog-forming emissions data equal weight. A score of 100 indicates the average of the eight automakers studied. Scores with lower numbers indicate better, greener performance. For example, a score of 80 means that automaker was 20 percent better than the industry average.

The top three automakers were extremely close.

“We really did have a photo finish this year between Honda, Toyota and Hyundai,” said Jim Kliesch, the author of the study and a senior engineer in the group’s Clean Vehicles Program.

Honda, which has taken the top spot every year since the study began five years ago, received 86 points, while Toyota and Hyundai tied with 87 points. Volkswagen followed with 90 points, then Nissan (93 points), Ford (108 points), General Motors (109 points) and Chrysler finished last with 113 points.

Selling a lot of small, fuel-efficient vehicles could help an automaker, Mr. Kliesch acknowledged. But he said to excel automakers had to do well with vehicles of all sizes, not just on fuel economy but also on emissions.

While all automakers must meet certain minimum emissions standards some manufacturers produce more sophisticated engines that are cleaner.

“There is actually a big difference between doing a bare minimum to meet what is required by law and doing what is technically achievable,” Mr. Kliesch said in an interview.

He noted that Toyota sold a wide range of vehicles, including trucks and high-performance vehicles, yet it came within 1 point of matching Honda.

“One of the things that Toyota did that propelled its performance was it produced efficient hybrid vehicles in volume,” he said. “If you took the Prius out of their mix, Toyota would have ranked fourth over all. In many respects the environmental halo that Toyota has as a result of its Prius is warranted.”

Mr. Kliesch said that when he began reviewing information this year he thought the question would be whether Toyota, which was second last year, would finally overtake Honda.

He said he did not imagine that Hyundai, which was in third place last year, might move up to match Toyota. “They nearly spoiled the party for Honda and Toyota,” he said. “They may not be having the lowest emissions in every class in which they compete, but they are right up there in the top couple of manufacturers. So across all the classes in which they compete, they are consistently delivering low emissions and good global warming performance as well.”

The study described the domestic automakers as having “continued poor performance” and being “mired” at the bottom of the lists.

It said G.M.’s poor ranking “reflects, more than anything, a poor hybrid strategy. The company focused primarily on hollow hybrids, which offer minimal fuel savings and on a different but promising ‘two-mode’ hybrid design in its large trucks that unfortunately was mated to upsized, rather than downsized, engines.”

“Hollow hybrids” was a reference to vehicles like the Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid and the Saturn Vue Green Line hybrid, which lacked the sophisticated, more expensive and fuel-efficient hybrid powertrains of vehicles like the Prius and Honda Civic Hybrid.

While the domestic automakers might have been at a disadvantage in the fuel economy ratings because they had larger vehicles, they were also hurt because, over all, their engines produced more smog-forming emissions than their foreign competitors, the study found.

Source;

http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/07/new-study-names-honda-as-the-greenest-automaker/?src=mv

Autoblog's First Drive: 2011 Honda Odyssey!

This is a really good read and takes a in depth look at the 2011 Honda Odyssey....

Honda doesn't redefine the minivan, they strive to perfect it
by Michael Harley

Honda did something silly during the launch of its all-new 2011 Odyssey minivan. The automaker built a large autocross-type "track" in the parking lot of San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium and invited journalists to take its latest eight-passenger family hauler for hot laps. It was an interesting "fish out of water" introduction to Honda's fourth-generation people mover.

Designed, developed and manufactured in the United States, Honda considers the 2011 model an "American Odyssey." The domestic development team, owners of 46 Odysseys between them, labored to deliver a minivan with distinctive style, greater interior versatility and improved fuel economy. Did Honda build itself a worthy successor and how did it fare on the autocross?

Continue reading...

Just follow the 'continue reading' above to read the full post with even more pics!

Honda Builds More Cars Here Than There - News

Puts a new spin on buying domestic....What’s more, Camry and Accord are the most American of all.

In the second quarter of this year, Honda built 236,819 cars in the U.S., a dry bit of data until you realize that in the same time frame it built 236,559 cars back in Japan. It’s a tiny edge. It may not last for the whole year. But it’s the first time that Honda produced more cars here in the U.S. than at home.

The background is also compelling: Japan’s home market continues to shrink, while U.S. sales appear to have bottomed out and are experiencing a slow uptick. According to the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Assoc., which keeps tab of such things, its members now operate 31 U.S. manufacturing plants and have 34 major R&D facilities here.

Automakers are truly international businesses; all of them. For example, a Toyota and a Honda built here beat out the likes of Ford, GM and Chrysler in terms of domestic content. Top of the list compiled by Cars.com is the Toyota Camry built in Georgetown, Kentucky, and Lafayette, Indiana. Second is the Honda Accord, among those 236,819 cited above, built in Marysville, Ohio, and Lincoln, Alabama. First “domestic” nameplates are the Ford Escape and Focus in third and fourth place, then the Chevrolet Malibu and, further down the list, the Dodge Ram 1500 truck.
Domestic parts content information is posted along side the window sticker of all new cars; this, as part of the American Automobile Labeling Act of 1994. Identified is the percentage, by cost, of parts originating in the U.S. and Canada.

Source;
http://www.roadandtrack.com/auto-news/honda-builds-more-cars-here-than-there

Honda to Debut Next-generation Odyssey Concept at Chicago Auto Show

Finally, some news on the next gen Honda Odyssey! I would venture to guess that they would have a production ready version sometime in Feb/March....
01/26/2010 - TORRANCE, Calif. - American Honda Motor Co., Inc., will debut a concept version of the next-generation Honda Odyssey minivan at the 2010 Chicago Auto Show on February 10, the company announced today.

The next-generation Odyssey will further enhance its hallmark qualities of innovation, quality, safety and fun-to-drive character, while increasing its overall efficiency. The Odyssey, currently in its third generation, was the best-selling minivan in the United States in 2008 and 2009. It is produced from domestic and globally sourced parts by Honda Manufacturing of Alabama, LLC in Lincoln, Alabama.

Source;
http://www.hondanews.com/categories/1097/releases/5365

NY Times: Honda’s Cache, Private for Now

UNSEEN In an unmarked warehouse, American Honda has a small collection of production models and racecars that have been part of its history in the United States

The collection includes an N600, the first Honda car sold in the United States, arriving in Hawaii in 1969 and on the mainland a year later. Americans didn't warm to the tiny dimensions and wimpy 599 cc engine of the N600, but the car has still earned a place in the company's holdings.

The dream of someday being able to showcase these vehicles is at least a year or two away from becoming reality. One of the questions that American Honda officials will face at that point is which vehicles to display.
A cutaway of the Honda Insight is displayed in front of a collection of other famed Honda powerplants.

The 1999 Honda Sprocket concept is one of about a half dozen former auto show design studies on display.

A selection of Honda's early bikes is just a tip of the iceberg. Many more are stored on the other side of the rear wall.

There is also a replica of Honda's first American headquarters, which opened in 1959 in Los Angeles.

A 1997 Honda EV Plus, one of about 340 produced in the late 1990s.

Along one wall are Honda racecars from the IndyCar series.

AMERICAN HONDA does not have a corporate museum in the United States — not officially, anyway.

But there is a carefully considered collection of Hondas tucked away in a warehouse a few blocks from the company’s headquarters here.

The trove came to light several years ago when officials from the Rose Parade — Honda is a longtime sponsor of the New Year’s Day tradition in Pasadena — were invited to view a few of the more interesting models in the warehouse. A Honda executive from Japan wound up joining the tour of the collection.

Its cover was blown.

The collection was started by a former executive of American Honda, Tom Elliott, who had put aside a sampling of models important to the company’s United States history, said John Mendel.

“The problem was, we kept turning up more and more significant models that we couldn’t let go of,” said Mr. Mendel, who succeeded Mr. Elliott as American Honda’s executive vice president for sales. “We just kept parking them in this warehouse. We kept expanding the warehouse. Pretty soon, we just ran out of room.”

The collection has grown to several dozen vehicles, including Honda racecars from the IndyCar series, a selection of motorcycles and, more recently, early examples of a Honda-made generator and an outboard motor. At least that’s what Honda will admit to, although many more vehicles could be seen in storage farther back in the building when an informal lunch for journalists was held there.

While the collection is not open to the public — there is not even a sign on the building — the space is used for company meetings and events. The dream of someday being able to showcase these vehicles is at least a year or two away from becoming reality. One of the questions that American Honda officials will face at that point is which vehicles to display.

Certainly they’ll reserve a place of honor for the Honda 50, or Super Cub, a spindly motorcycle powered by a 50 cc engine. That was the first vehicle Honda marketed in the United States, soon after it incorporated in 1959 and established American headquarters on Pico Boulevard in Los Angeles. (A replica of that storefront has been created in the collection’s warehouse space.)

The Super Cub is still being produced; Honda says that 60 million Cubs have been produced, making it the best-selling vehicle of all time.

The Cub was followed by bikes like the dual-purpose 250 Scrambler, famous for tackling the Baja California peninsula of Mexico. And of course there would be a spot for the original 4-cylinder CB750, which helped establish Japan’s credibility as a maker of modern superbikes.

“A lot of people don’t remember that Honda was first a motorcycle company,” Mr. Mendel said.

“Cars didn’t come along until sometime later.”

The collection includes an N600, the first Honda car sold in the United States, arriving in Hawaii in 1969 and on the mainland a year later. Americans didn’t warm to the tiny dimensions and wimpy 599 cc engine of the N600, but the car has still earned a place in the company’s holdings.

“The N600 started it all,” Mr. Mendel said. “It was full of innovative ideas that were applied to later models.”

It wasn’t until 1973 that Honda car sales took off, when the first Civic was introduced. Since then there have been many best-sellers, as Honda has grown to become one of the world’s premier automobile manufacturers.

“It will be easy to know which of the early models to include,” Mr. Mendel said. “But there will be a lot of discussion about which of the later models should be in there.

“Everybody has a favorite,” he added. “Unfortunately, there won’t be room for all of them.”

Source;

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/03/automobiles/03honda.html

Honda on pace to become fourth largest automaker in U.S.

12/04/2009, 7:57 PM
By Mark Kleis

In a rough year for the ailing American automaker, the latest bad news comes in the form of an imminent bump from the fourth position for automotive sales in the US market. Toyota first bumped Chrysler from being part of the “Big Three” in 2006, but now it is Honda that is on pace to bump Chrysler down a spot.

So far this year Honda has sold 1.044 million vehicles in the US, compared to roughly 800,000 units by Chrysler.

There are no indicators or product changes from either company are likely to provide anything resembling a significant change in the lead in the remainder of this year.

By comparison, by this point last year Chrysler was still maintaining a year-to-date lead of 21,000 units over Honda, and finished strong with a 25,000 unit lead for the year. Analysts then predicted that Chrysler’s restructuring process would likely cost them their spot before the close of 2009.

Kathy Graham, a spokeswoman for Chrysler, said, “We are taking the steps that are necessary to have a good foundation and to build consumer confidence.”

Graham also said that Chrysler anticipates their recent increases in advertising spending will help restore higher sales volumes for the remainder of the year.

When asked about the significance of the change in ranking for the US market, executive vice president John Mendel for American Honda said they had no plans to celebrate or acknowledge the change.

Mendel said, “We only look at our sales and our objective. We may look at Civic and Corolla or Accord and Camry, but not at who ranks where.”

Source;
http://www.leftlanenews.com/honda-on-pace-to-become-fourth-largest-automaker-in-us.html

2010 Honda Accord CrossTour Pic's

This car is really starting to grow on me....

Below, this is straight from www.autoblog.com , US information on the car.

It's fair to say that the 2010 Accord Crosstour has caused Honda some heartburn in the U.S. already, but Japanese brand's new CUV has taken another step toward the showroom regardless. Honda has already given us some wheel time with the Crosstour, so keep your eyes peeled for our review at noon Eastern today. If that's not enough to keep you occupied, pricing for the 2010 Crosstour has just been released, and the new model starts just slightly under $30,000, running up to about $37,000. Honda has also released tons of new Accord Crosstour glamor shots (check 'em out in the gallery below).

EPA efficiency numbers are also included with the pricing, helping buyers understand what the care and feeding of an Accord Crosstour will do to their wallets. An EX-L loaded up with all-wheel drive ("4WD" in Hondaspeak), all the luxury goodies, and navigation earns an EPA estimated 20 mpg combined. Honda's 3.5-liter V6 with Variable Cylinder Management earns 25 mpg on the highway and 17 mpg city. Front-drive ("2WD) Crosstours muster 18/27, which are competitive figures for its class. Speaking of classes, don't forget to check out our First Drive at noon to see if the Crosstour is the Valedictorian or in need of remedial instruction.

Source;
http://www.autoblog.com/2009/11/03/2010-honda-accord-crosstour-to-start-at-29-670/