2012 HONDA CIVIC THAILAND VERSION PICS

2012 HONDA CIVIC THAILAND VERSION PICS

Read More

2013 HONDA ACCORD PIC

     2013 HONDA ACCORD PIC

Source – Burlapp cars

Read More

HONDA IS PLANING A COMPACT DIESEL ENGINES HUB IN INDIA

HONDA IS PLANING A COMPACT DIESEL ENGINES HUB IN INDIA

Honda Motors has almost finalized its plans of bringing its diesel motors to India. One of the major highlights of this plan is that India will become a global hub for Honda compact diesel engines. 


Back at Honda's R&D centre in Tochigi, the Japan manufacturer is working hard on the development of 1.4 and 1.5 litres engines. "Honda R&D is currently developing a small diesel engine. However, we do not have anything specific to share right now," Jnaneswar Sen, senior VP, sales & marketing, told ET recently. Sources close to the Japan manufacturer’s plan are saying that initially, only 1,00,000 diesel cars, including exports, will be manufactured before a larger capacity facility might be set up. 


The Honda had recently unveiled a 1.6 litre diesel engine at the Tokyo Motor Show. We reported that this motor will find a home under the hood of the Civic in the European markets. Honda also boasts if a bigger, 2.2 litre oil burner that can be found powering the Accord and CR-V in Europe. "While it is technically possible to downgrade both these engines, the low volumes of the Accord and CR-V (in India) do not justify it. Also the engines for the European market have been developed taking into account the low sulphur content in the diesel there, unlike in India," says Sen. 


It may be noted that a lack of diesel’s option is costing the manufacturer quite some sales in the country. This Japan car maker, which came to us some 15 years back, was recently overtaken by Volkswagen, a relatively new entrant. And it takes no genius to guess that the diesel’s motor are working wonders for the German car manufacturer.




Source – Motoroids

Read More

Honda India Back to Normal Production

  Honda India Back to Normal Production

The Indian unit of Honda Motor Co. Resumed normal car production at its factory in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, having recovered from a shortage in supply of parts from Thailand following heavy floods there last year.

Honda Siel Cars India Ltd. aims to make 370 cars a day in two shifts, rising to 440 cars a day from next week, said Jnaneswar Sen, the company’s senior vice president for marketing and sales.

“Honda Siel Cars India Ltd has been carefully monitoring the part supply process and has taken all the necessary recovery actions to normalize [the] production situation with critical components now being sourced from Japan and China,” Mr. Sen said.

Production of the new City sedan has already resumed, according to the company, which said it made more than 1,500 units of the model in January.

Mr. Sen said production of the Brio small car has also already resumed, while that of the Jazz small car will start towards the end of the month.

  Honda Siel Cars India Ltd stopped making the new Brio model in January because of the shortage in parts supply from Thailand, the source of some of its electronic and under-body car parts.

 Honda Siel Cars India Ltd , which is 99.9%-owned by Honda and 0.1% by India’s Siel Ltd., makes the Brio and Jazz hatchbacks as well as the City and Accord sedans at its factory in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh state. It also imports the CR-V sport-utility vehicle.

Honda Siel Cars India Ltd can produce up to 100,000 cars a year at the Noida facility.

Source - wsj.com

Read More

HONDA‘S NEXT-GENERATION MODELS TO GET LIGHTER & SIMPLER

HONDA‘S NEXT-GENERATION MODELS TO GET LIGHTER & SIMPLER

According to reports in the Japanese media , Honda will now roll out a range of weight-saving measures for its next round of all-new models.

Vehicle bodies are now larger, stronger and safer than ever before. They're also much heavier than cars of years gone by, mainly due to the increased amount of steel used in constructing the chassis.

Many manufacturers are starting to use high-strength steels in critical parts of the car's frame , however Honda is also expected to start changing the way its vehicles are constructed to help shave even more kilos off the final product.

Instead of bolting exterior panels onto the chassis, Honda will instead weld these panels directly onto the car's frame; reducing the amount of fasteners and reinforcements used and thus lowering the car's overall mass.

More efficient designs for other car components will also reduce the amount of meterials used, as well as simplify production lines.

Honda's plan involves spending tens of billions of Yen to upgrade plants in Japan and overseas, with its smaller product lines the first to undergo the weight-saving initiative.

Honda's quirky N Box kei car ( pictured ) is the first model to feature the new construction techniques, and Honda says the new N Box is 10 percent lighter than its predecessor as a result.

Thanks to its simpler construction, the new N Box is also cheaper to build - something that Honda hopes will give it an edge in emerging markets like India and China.

Source - motorreport

Read More

HONDA DECIDES TO SHIP BRIO PARTS FROM CHINA, CAUSE OF THAILAND FLOOD

HONDA DECIDES TO SHIP BRIO PARTS FROM , CHINA CAUSE OF THAILAND FLOOD

Honda Siel Cars India has stopped production of its just-launched Brio, it is not looking at suspending bookings for the small car.

The company – severely hit by the floods in Thailand, the only country which sells Brio apart from India and from where Honda sources critical parts – says it has finalized alternative sourcing arrangements and should be able to return to normal production by February or March. Honda has also suspended bookings and production of Jazz hatchback.

Source - economictimes

Read More

HONDA LAUNCHED NEW FACELIFTED NEW CITY SEDAN IN INDIA

     HONDA LAUNCHED NEW FACELIFTED NEW CITY SEDAN IN INDIA

The Indian unit of Honda Motor Co. Wednesday introduced a new City sedan that will cost 50,000 rupees ($950) less than its predecessor, as rivals Hyundai Motor Co. and Volkswagen AG gradually edge past the Japanese auto maker which once dominated the mid-sized sedan segment.

The new city will be priced between 699,000 rupees and 1.02 million rupees at showrooms in New Delhi, Honda Siel Cars India Ltd. said.

This is the second time Honda has slashed the price of the City this year to compete with rivals who are offering cheaper gasoline-powered sedans. Honda had in June reduced the price of the City by up to 66,000 rupees.

Demand for the City stagnated partly because Honda doesn't sell any diesel variants of the model. Diesel-powered cars have been gaining popularity in India as they are more efficient and the government subsidises the fuel due to its higher impact on inflation than gasoline.

Honda sold 19,770 units of the City in the April-November period. In comparison Hyundai sold 33,069 units of its sedan Verna and Volkswagen sold 26,459 units of the Vento.

Honda's sales have also been affected this financial year because of lower availability of auto parts, first from Japan due to an earthquake in March and recently from the November floods in Thailand.

The new city, powered by a 1.5-liter gasoline engine, will be sold in seven variants. The company will start delivering the cars from January.

Honda City facelift exterior additions

·         New chrome laminated front  grille

·         Restyled front & rear bumper

·         New tail lights

·         10 spoke alloys

·         Improved ground clearance, now stands at 165 mm

·         New sporty front bumper

·         Rear bumper with reflectors

Honda City facelift interior additions

·         New fabric seats

·         New chrome garnish Center control panel

·         Chrome inside door handle

·         New Blue combination  meter grahics

Honda City facelift extras

·         Electric Sunroof

·         Cruise control

·         Turn indicators on ORVM

·         Introduction of Corporate edition for value customers

·         Two new colors – Carnelian pearl red and Sparkling brown metallic

Honda City facelift price (ex-showroom New Delhi)

·         Corporate Edition – 6.99 lakhs

·         E – 7.70 lakhs

·         S – 8.20 lakhs

·         V MT (Manual Transmission) –  8.70 lakhs

·         V AT (Automatic Transmission) –  9.42 lakhs

·         V MT with sunroof and leather seats –  9,50,500 rupees

·         V AT with sunroof and leather seats –  10,22,800 rupees

Source – IAB , wsj

Image Source - Siddharth Shankar ,my facebook friend

Read More

HONDA INDIA STOP PRODUCTION OF BRIO

       HONDA INDIA STOP PRODUCTION OF BRIO

The India unit of Honda Motor Co. said Wednesday it has halted manufacturing of the Brio hatchback because of a shortage of parts from Thailand, caused by floods in the Southeast Asian country.

" We have run out of parts for the Brio and have had to suspend production of the model in this month, " said Jnaneswar Sen, senior vice president for marketing and sales at Honda Siel Cars India Ltd.

Honda India sources some electronic and under-body car parts from Thailand.

Honda Siel LTD, which is 99.9% owned by Honda and 0.1% by India's Siel Ltd., makes the Brio and Jazz hatchbacks as well as the mid-sized City and Accord sedans at its factory at Greater Noida in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. It also sells the CR-V sport-utility vehicle by importing them.

Honda Siel LTD can produce up to 100,000 cars a year at the Greater Noida facility.

" The situation is much worse than November," Mr. Sen said. "Our production this month will be much lower than last month "

Mr. Sen said the company is "trying to arrange sourcing parts from the same vendors in other countries but our key three volume models--Jazz, Brio &  the City--continue to be quite low."

Honda Siel sold 1,982 vehicles in November.

Source - wsj

Read More

HONDA GOING TO INTRODUCE NEW ACCORD SEDAN HYBRID VARIENT INTERNATIONALLY NEXT YEAR

 HONDA GOING TO INTRODUCE NEW ACCORD SEDAN         HYBRID VARIENT INTERNATIONALLY NEXT YEAR

There's plenty of news coming out from the sidelines of the TOKYO MOTOR SHOW  and a lot of them concern HONDA’S future plans.

Along with the HONDA ACURA – BADGED NSX HYBRID CONCEPT that's heading to Detroit, we also learned that Honda is preparing a raft of hybrid powertrains for its mainstream models.

Honda Motor President Takanobu Ito said that the company's plans include the introduction of a hybrid version of its Accord sedan next year. Ito didn’t elaborate on which markets would get the Accord hybrid nor did he reveal any information on the engine set up.

Aside from Ito's remarks, the company released initial details on its power train plans that include the presentation of a 2.0-liter hybrid powerplant and a brand new two-motor hybrid system.

" Mid - sized vehicles equipped with this system [the twin motor hybrid] are scheduled to begin production, starting with the plug-in hybrid model in 2012 and the hybrid model in 2013," Honda stated in a press release. The company added that the plug-in models would employ the use of a "special lithium-ion battery and charger ".

Honda said that after the recent introduction of the new Freed series, its hybrid lineup in Japan now consists of six models, adding that percentage of hybrid vehicles among new vehicle registrations in Japan in the current fiscal year ending March 31, 2012 is expected to be approximately 50 percent.

Source - carscoopblog

Read More

HONDA TO LAUNCH 1.6 LITRE DIESEL ENGINE FOR EUROPEAN MARKET.

HONDA showcased too many new technologies at the TOKYO MOTOR SHOW , HONDA also showed a new 1.6 diesel engine for European markets .

This 1.6 litre engine capacity with outputs of 120 hp at 4000 rpm and a peak torque of 300 Nm at 2000 rpm. Honda has said that this new 1.6 diesel engine will be the lightest in its class which will also be highly fuel efficient. Honda 1.6 liter diesel engine will have emissions of less than 100 gms of CO2 per km.

Honda may launch new HONDA CIVIC powered by this 1.6 litre engine & its scheduled to for 3^rd quarter of 2012 in india.

source - rushlane

Read More

Honda CR-V 2012

America's Best-Selling SUV

Everyone knows someone who's owned a CR-V. Maybe your ex-girfriend did. Or her mother. Or you had one. There's a reason for that: The CR-V is the best-selling SUV/crossover in America. Honda sold nearly 204,000 of them last year -- outselling the Chevrolet Malibu.

Whenever you're dealing with a product that popular, you've got to proceed with caution when it comes time to make changes. The CR-V has built a loyal following of repeat buyers, and an ill-conceived update could torpedo sales. Presumably wary of such consequences, Honda plotted a careful, conservative approach to its redesign, and the result is a vehicle that's largely the same as the one it replaces, but about 10 percent better in every way.

At face value, this may sound like damning with faint praise, but it's really a compliment. After all, the last CR-V trounced the competition in its final comparison test (MT, March 2010), and this one is (only) 65 percent new by parts content, according to Honda.

Take, for example, the ride. For 2012, Honda's rejiggered the damper mounts on the rear suspension to allow for larger dampers whose performance is less affected by changes in the suspension geometry as it cycles through its range of motion. The result is a slightly softer, smoother ride. The real achievement, though, is that, while we can detect a small improvement in ride quality, it hasn't come at any expense to the handling, which remains remarkably sporty for a crossover. Equally impressive is the new electric power steering system, which doesn't appear to give up any of the old hydraulic unit's road feel or directness.
Or take fuel economy. Thanks to obsessive anti-friction measures, Honda has picked up another 3 mpg highway on 2WD and AWD models and 1-2 mpg city, respectively. To get there, Honda reduced friction everywhere from the engine's piston rings to the transmission's clutch packs, and reduced the body's aerodynamic drag. The engineers added everything from underbody aerodynamic panels to a transmission fluid warmer that lets them run a lower-viscosity fluid in search of extra efficiency. It's a bit lighter, too. The effort even netted an extra 5 hp and smoother curves for both horsepower and torque output.
Then there's the AWD system, which is now much more active. Whereas the old system was effectively a 2WD unit until the front wheels slipped, the new system routes power rearward right from the start. Rather than let the rear axle go slack at a stop, the new system maintains pressure on the drivetrain, and routes power to the front and rear wheels under acceleration for faster, smoother launches. To the average driver, it will simply feel like the rear end isn't squatting as much under acceleration, as there's less weight transfer. Once underway and at a steady cruising speed, the system reverts to 2WD for better efficiency.


There are plenty more examples. Thanks to additional insulation and sound deadening, the new CR-V is a bit quieter inside. Despite being about 1 inch shorter in height and length, the new car doesn't give up any interior volume or passenger space. In fact, clever packaging has added 1.5 cubic feet to the cargo area and lengthened the load floor by 5 inches by folding the rear seats. Those seats now feature Honda's one-touch folding system, which drops the headrest, pops the seat cushion up and out of the way, and folds the seatback nearly flat, all by simply pulling a strap under the seat cushion or a handle in the cargo area. The rear seats still recline and provide more legroom than most sedans.




And did we mention the standard Bluetooth, USB connections, Pandora Internet radio support, a three-way reverse camera, and the ability to read incoming SMS text messages aloud through the stereo speakers?

If there's one area where Honda has delivered more than a 10-percent improvement, it's in the styling. The Jay Leno chin is banished in favor of a sleek, modern front end complemented by a more raked windshield and a new tail that wouldn't look out of place on a Volvo. The new interior is more modern as well, and feels larger and roomier than the exterior would suggest. The new dash is more stylish and less utilitarian, and we like the standard 5-inch color display up near the windshield almost as much as we dislike the comically oversized buttons on the stereo. And while you'd think those massive D-pillars would be a hindrance to outward visibility, they fall right behind the rear-seat headrests in your line of sight, and really don't cause any trouble.

There are some places where Honda has been too conservative. It's finally begun to put six-speed transmissions in some of its cars, but the new CR-V still isn't one of these. Worse, Honda has made the five-speed's gears longer for better efficiency, to the detriment of passing performance. Drop the hammer, and you'll often find yourself in a higher gear than you'd like, and below the powerband, which peaks rather high in the rev range. The CR-V is also still louder inside than the competition; there's too much engine vibration in the cabin at idle; the SMS texting only works with Blackberries; the Pandora integration works only with USB-tethered iPhones; the nav is still showing its age; and those taller than 6 feet will hit their heads on the open tailgate.



To CR-V buyers, though, these are likely to be small quibbles. The 2012 CR-V will give them everything they loved about the old model, plus a little more. While a bit of polishing here and there isn't all that exciting for a new model, this isn't an "exciting" market segment. The new CR-V is exactly what it needs to be: another heart-of-market people-mover that'll sell hundreds of thousands of copies to buyers who rank fuel economy and versatility above all else. For that, Honda's nailed it again.





VEHICLE LAYOUTFront-engine,
FWD or AWD, 5-pass, 4-door SUV
ENGINE2.4L/185-hp/163-lb-ft DOHC 16-valve I-4
TRANSMISSION5-speed automatic
CURB WEIGHT3300-3550 lb (mfr)
WHEELBASE103.1 in
LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT178.3 x 71.6 x 64.7-65.1 in0-60
MPH9.0 sec (MT est)EPA FUEL ECONOMY22-23/30-31 mpg
C02 EMISSIONS0.75-0.78 lb/mi
ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY147-153/109-112 kW-hrs/100 mi

source-
motortrend.com

Read More