Honda CR-Z Hybrid and FCX Clarity Fuel Cell Vehicle Introduce Detroit to Next-Generation Green Cars

January 13, 2008

01/13/2008 - DETROIT -

The Honda CR-Z, a lightweight sports hybrid concept vehicle, and the FCX Clarity, a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle set to begin limited retail marketing in summer 2008, are bringing some of the most advanced environmental technologies from Honda to the 2008 North American International Auto Show.

CR-Z

Making its North American debut, the CR-Z is a next-generation lightweight sports car concept equipped with Honda’s original gas-electric hybrid system that achieves both clean performance and a high level of torque. The CR-Z stands for “Compact Renaissance Zero” - an expression intended to capture the idea of a renaissance in the design of compact cars that begins anew from fundamentals. The design research model of a lightweight hybrid sports car features advanced technologies that deliver elevated driving performance while reducing the vehicle’s environmental footprint.

Designed to be futuristic and dynamic, the CR-Z combines powerful performance in a compact form with a futuristic image. For its frontal view, an over-sized grill with a high-performance look is offset by openings on each side that lighten the overall feel. In the rear, tube-shaped rear combination lamps create a powerful presence.

Design details emphasizing the CR-Z’s advanced image include door mirrors that provide high visibility in a stylish form, LED headlights that convey a sharp impression, and jaunty fin-shaped sub-lights. Large 19-inch wheels suggest dynamic driving performance.

The key words for the CR-Z’s interior design are “Hi-tech and Sporty.” The goal was to create an all-new sporty interior that fuses the liberating feel of airy spaciousness with an advanced interface that brings out the fun of driving. Mesh material on a simple framework construction is used throughout the interior to convey a light, sophisticated image. In the cockpit, the meter unit conveys the image of advanced technology ensconced in a piece of glass artwork, offering quick recognition and a futuristic and exhilarating appearance. The CR-Z concept vehicle made its world debut at the 40th Tokyo Motor Show in November and indicates the styling direction for a second, new hybrid vehicle to be introduced by Honda Motor Co., Ltd. The other future hybrid vehicle, designed to meet the needs of a family and priced below the Civic Hybrid, is planned for introduction in 2009.

FCX Clarity

The FCX Clarity is a next-generation, zero-emissions, hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicle based on the entirely new Honda V Flow fuel cell platform, and powered by the highly compact, efficient and powerful Honda V Flow fuel cell stack. Featuring tremendous improvements to driving range, power, weight and efficiency - and boasting a low-slung, dynamic and sophisticated appearance, previously unachievable in a fuel cell vehicle - the FCX Clarity marks the significant progress Honda continues to make in advancing the real-world performance and appeal of the hydrogen-powered fuel cell car.

American Honda plans to lease the FCX Clarity to a limited number of retail consumers in Southern California with the first deliveries taking place in summer 2008. Full details of the lease program will be set closer to launch, but current plans call for a three-year lease term with a price of $600 per month.

American Honda is also developing a service infrastructure that provides customers with the best balance of convenience and the highest quality of service. When the FCX Clarity requires periodic maintenance, customers will simply schedule a visit with their local Honda dealer. American Honda will transport the vehicle to its fuel cell service facility, located in the greater Los Angeles area, where all required work will be performed. At the completion of the work, the customer will pick up their car from the dealer.

The FCX Clarity utilizes Honda’s V Flow stack in combination with a new compact and efficient lithium ion battery pack and a single hydrogen storage tank to power the vehicle’s electric drive motor. The fuel cell stack operates as the vehicle’s main power source. Hydrogen combines with atmospheric oxygen in the fuel cell stack, where chemical energy from the reaction is converted into electric power used to propel the vehicle. Additional energy captured through regenerative braking and deceleration is stored in the lithium ion battery pack, and used to supplement power from the fuel cell, when needed. The vehicle’s only emission is water. The FCX Clarity’s revolutionary new V Flow platform packages the ultra-compact, lightweight and powerful Honda V Flow fuel cell stack (65 percent smaller than the previous Honda FC stack) in the vehicle’s center tunnel, between the two front seats. Taking advantage of a completely new cell configuration, the vertically-oriented stack achieves an output of 100 kilowatts¹ (kW) (versus 86kW in the current Honda FC stack) with a 50 percent increase in output density by volume (67 percent by mass). Its compact size allows for a more spacious interior and more efficient packaging of other powertrain components, which would otherwise be unattainable in a sleek, low-slung sedan. Honda introduced the FCX Clarity at the 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show in November.

Honda is a leader in the development of leading-edge technologies to improve fuel efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions, including advanced gasoline engines, gasoline-electric hybrids, natural gas-powered engines, and hydrogen fuel cells.

Founded in Japan in 1948, Honda began operations in the U.S. in 1959 with the establishment of American Honda Motor Co., Inc., Honda’s first overseas subsidiary. Honda began U.S. production² of motorcycles in 1979 and automobiles in 1982. The company has invested more than $9 billion in its North American operations with 14 major manufacturing facilities, employment of more than 35,000 associates, and annual purchases of more than $17.6 billion in parts and materials from suppliers in North America.

1 Specifications may change prior to the certification and sales of production units.
2 Using domestic and globally sourced parts.

Additional consumer information is available at www.honda.com.

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

American Honda Posts 11th Consecutive Year of Record Sales in 2007

January 3, 2008

01/03/2008 - TORRANCE, Calif. -

American Honda Motor Co., Inc., today announced record sales results for the 11th consecutive year. Sales from both Honda and Acura Divisions totaled 1,551,542 and pushed American Honda annual sales up 2.5 percent, based on the daily selling rate*. The results also mark the company’s 14th consecutive year-over-year sales increase. American Honda’s December sales totaled 131,792 vehicles, a slight increase versus December, 2006.

2007 American Honda sales highlights:

Record total vehicle sales of 1,551,542 (up 2.5 percent)
11th consecutive yearly sales record
14th consecutive year-over-year sales increase
Record light-truck sales of 669,327 (up 0.3 percent), representing 43 percent of total vehicle sales
Individual vehicle sales records for Honda CR-V, Fit, Civic Hybrid and Acura RDX

“This was definitely a challenging year to be in the car business, and 2008 isn’t likely to be a piece of cake,” said Dick Colliver, executive vice president of American Honda. “Honda continues to benefit from its position as the most fuel-efficient car company in America**, and we have some great new products coming in the new year that will keep our momentum going.”

Honda Division posted its 14th consecutive year-over-year sales increase, up 4.5 percent in 2007 to 1,371,438 vehicles. Annual Accord sales increased 10.3 percent to 392,231. CR-V annual sales of 219,160 increased 28.5 percent and set a fourth consecutive yearly record. Fit sales of 56,432 increased 101.4 percent. Civic Hybrid sales set an annual record for the sixth consecutive year with an increase of 3.9 percent to 32,575. Setting December monthly sales records were the CR-V, with sales of 18,659, up 7.6 percent; Civic with sales of 27,190, up 15.2 percent; Civic Hybrid, with sales of 3,223, up 33.8 percent; and Fit, with sales of 5,118, up 129.3 percent.
“The all-new Accord is off to a smoking start, and three Honda models set all-time records for 2007,” said Colliver. “Offering fuel efficiency and value along with a fun driving experience continues to be a recipe for success.”

2007 Honda Division sales highlights:

12th consecutive record Honda Division sales of 1,371,438 (up 4.5 percent)
14th consecutive year-over-year sales increase
Record full-year sales of CR-V, Fit and Civic Hybrid
Accord sales increased 10.3 percent for the year, to 392,231 units

2007 Acura total year end sales reached 180,104 vehicles, and for a second consecutive year, Acura light trucks posted record year-end sales, eclipsing 2006 by 29.1 percent. December sales of all Acura models rose dramatically over November with TL recording 5,988 sales, MDX posting 5,906 sales, TSX logging 2,838 vehicles and RDX posting 2,263 units for the month.

*The daily selling rate is calculated with 307 days for 2007, versus 306 for 2006. Both December, 2006 and 2007 included 26 selling days.

**Based on model year 2006 CAFE average fuel economy ratings and weighted sales for passenger-car and light truck fleets sold in the U.S. by major manufacturers.

Consumer information is available at www.honda.com.

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

Honda Launches Online Home for High Milers

January 3, 2008

01/03/2008 - TORRANCE, Calif., -

100,000 miles - the number of miles it would take to drive around the circumference of the equator four times and the minimum number of miles driven to be part of Honda’s new “Honda Mile Makers” Web site. The Mile Makers Web site, officially launched in late November, is a forum where owners of Honda vehicles that have traveled 100,000 miles and beyond can tell their unique stories, post photos of their vehicles, and read about other high mileage Honda success stories.

One of the most impressive high mileage posts is from an independent contractor from Las Vegas who drives his Civic Hybrid 10,000 miles a month. Saying that he never expected his car to make it past the half-million mile mark, he has logged 595,000 miles. Another owner from Los Angeles who has driven 400,000 miles in his 1991 CRX posted a photo of his car and odometer and proudly states that he has effectively driven around the world sixteen times.

“It’s a great place for Honda owners to show off their accomplishments and exchange stories,” said Karen Kim of Honda’s Interactive Marketing department, who worked on creating the site. “A lot of the entries are very heart warming and a true testament to Honda’s reliability and durability.”

The Honda Mile Makers Web site can be found at http://automobiles.honda.com/mile-makers/.

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

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