Honda and Acura Receive Seven IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK Awards for 2008

December 15, 2007

11/15/2007 - TORRANCE, Calif. -

A total of seven Honda and Acura models, including the all-new 2008 Honda Accord, have earned the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) TOP SAFETY PICK award for 2008, the highest rating possible from the nonprofit research organization. The annual award recognizes vehicles that perform best in protecting passengers in the Institute’s front, side and rear crash test evaluations, and includes only vehicles with electronic stability control (branded as Vehicle Stability Assist™ (VSA®) on Honda and Acura vehicles) plus head protection airbags..

TOP SAFETY PICK awards for the Honda Division include the 2008 Accord, CR-V, Element, Odyssey and Pilot. TOP SAFETY PICK awards for the Acura Division include the 2008 MDX and RDX. Honda and Acura have the industry’s most TOP SAFETY PICK awards for vehicles where head protection airbags and electronic stability control are standard equipment.

The total 2008 model year sales volume of all Honda and Acura vehicles that achieve the TOP SAFETY PICK award is projected to account for approximately two-thirds of the company’s sales volume and exceed 1 million vehicles - more than any other automaker, based on industry sales projections.

“Honda has consistently challenged itself to pursue vehicle safety as part of its core business strategy,” said Dick Colliver, executive vice president of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. “American Honda will put more Top Safety Pick-rated vehicles on the road next year than any other automaker.”

Honda seeks to provide a high level of occupant protection and pedestrian injury mitigation in all of its cars and trucks through a comprehensive and evolving approach to vehicle safety. This process, which honors the company’s “Safety for Everyone” initiative introduced in 2003, benefits all new Honda and Acura vehicles - regardless of size or price - while also increasing compatibility with other types of vehicles in a frontal collision.

The 2008 Honda Accord, with a projected annual sales volume of approximately 400,000 vehicles - more than any other TOP SAFETY PICK vehicle -exemplifies the Honda approach to safety.

Every Accord incorporates newly-designed side-curtain airbags and dual-chamber, front-side airbags with a passenger-side Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS); and active front seat head restraints that are designed to help reduce the severity of neck injury in the event of a rear collision. An Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure in the front of the vehicle makes the new Accord highly effective at absorbing the energy of a frontal crash and helps minimize the potential for under-ride or over-ride situations that can occur during head-on or offset-frontal impacts with a significantly larger or smaller vehicle. Vehicle Stability Assist and an Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) with brake assist are standard equipment on every Accord.

Additional standard safety features include dual-stage, dual-threshold front airbags, front seatbelts with automatic-tensioning systems and load limiters, and a pedestrian injury mitigation design in the front of the vehicle. Driver and front passenger seatbelt reminders and daytime running lights are also standard equipment.

The 2008 Accord Sedan has received a five-star frontal crash safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for both the driver and the front passenger.

Honda operates two of the world’s most sophisticated crash test laboratories for development of improved safety designs and technologies. The Tochigi, Japan, facility was the world’s first indoor omni-directional car-to-car crash testing facility and has played a critical role in the development of enhanced designs for occupant and pedestrian safety, as well as vehicle-to-vehicle compatibility.

Honda R&D America’s Raymond, Ohio, development center performs advanced testing on all U.S.-developed models. The facility features the world’s first pitching test sled, which aids efficiency by enabling economical and speedy crash-test simulations with certain interior safety components, such as seats and seatbelts, prior to conducting a crash test with an actual vehicle. It also features one of the world’s highest-resolution impact barriers, which enables precise measurement of the distribution of impact load forces on a vehicle, allowing for even more advanced vehicle designs.

2008 Honda Safety Rating Highlights for IIHS and NHTSA

Model	IIHS Crash Safety Rating	NHTSA Crash Safety Rating(1)
Accord	TOP SAFETY PICK for 2008	5-Star NCAP(2)
CR-V	TOP SAFETY PICK for 2008	5-Star NCAP and SINCAP
Element	TOP SAFETY PICK for 2008	5-Star NCAP and SINCAP
Pilot	TOP SAFETY PICK for 2008	5-Star NCAP and SINCAP
Odyssey	TOP SAFETY PICK for 2008	5-Star NCAP and SINCAP

2008 Acura Safety Rating Highlights for IIHS and NHTSA

Model	IIHS Crash Safety Rating	NHTSA Crash Safety Rating(1)
MDX	TOP SAFETY PICK for 2008	5-Star NCAP and SINCAP
RDX	TOP SAFETY PICK for 2008	5-Star NCAP and SINCAP

(1) Government star ratings are part of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA’s) New Car Assessment Program (www.safercar.gov). Model tested with standard side-impact air bags (SABs).

(2) NHTSA test rating for Accord Sedan. Accord Sedan SINCAP, Accord Coupe NCAP and Accord SINCAP are designated “to be rated” at time of printing.

Written by Mr. Onil · Filed Under From 2007, Honda & Acura News | Leave a Comment

Prototype Honda Pilot Headed to North American International Auto Show

December 12, 2007

12/12/2007 - TORRANCE, Calif. -

A prototype of the next-generation Honda Pilot will be unveiled at the January 2008 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, American Honda Motor Co., Inc., announced today.

The prototype will convey design features of the more boldly-styled, next-generation Pilot and will emphasize authentic SUV styling, clever interior packaging and advanced technologies for safety, fuel efficiency and convenience.

The current-generation Pilot offers versatile eight-passenger seating and all-weather, medium-duty off-road capabilities while earning a distinctive reputation in the midsize SUV class for its refined handling and ride comfort. Among its numerous accolades, the Honda Pilot has earned Car and Driver magazine’s prestigious “5Best Truck” award for six straight years (2002 thru 2007).

Additional Honda vehicles to be on display at NAIAS include the FCX Clarity hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, introduced at the 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show, and the CR-Z concept vehicle, introduced at the 40th Tokyo Motor Show. Limited retail marketing of the FCX Clarity will begin in summer 2008. The CR-Z is a next-generation lightweight sports car concept equipped with Honda’s original gas-electric hybrid system.

Written by Mr. Onil · Filed Under From 2007, Honda & Acura News | Leave a Comment

American Honda November Sales Up 4.7 Percent to New Record

December 3, 2007

12/03/2007 - TORRANCE, Calif. -

American Honda Motor Co., Inc., posted record November sales of 111,431 Honda and Acura vehicles, up 4.7 percent*, surpassing the previous November 2006 record of 106,446, the company announced today.

American Honda year-to-date sales increased 2.7 percent* to 1,419,750. Honda Division year-to-date sales increased 4.8 percent to 1,257,228.

Honda Division posted record November sales of 98,521, up 10.4 percent compared to last year. November records for individual models included the CR-V with sales of 16,498, up 1.6 percent, and the Fit, with sales of 5,361, up 106.0 percent for the month. Sales of the all-new Accord increased 25.2 percent to 28,161. Sales of the Civic increased 24.8 percent to 25,141; the Civic Hybrid increased 46.6 percent to 3,238.

“Even In these uncertain times, our bread-and-butter products are showing real growth,” said Dick Colliver, executive vice president of American Honda. “The all-new Accord continues to set a blistering pace with sales up by more than 25 percent.”

Acura Division posted sales of 12,910 for November. The MDX sport utility vehicle led the division with sales of 4,891. November sales of the TL performance luxury sedan totaled 4,064; the TSX sports sedan totaled 1,884. Sales of the RDX sport utility vehicle totaled 1,679.

*The daily selling rate (DSR) is calculated with 25 days for November 2007 and 25 days for November 2006. Year to date, the DSR is calculated with 281 days for 2007, versus 280 days for 2006. All percentages reflect DSR.

For more information about Honda vehicles, please visit www.honda.com. For media inquiries, please go to www.hondanews.com.

For more information about Acura vehicles, please visit www.acura.com. For media inquiries, please go to www.acuranews.com.