Honda

Honda Civic 2012 creates more buzz at Detroit Auto Show

The buzz around the 2012 Honda Civic concept has continued at the Detroit Auto Show, with the ninth generation of the fourth best-selling car in the United States giving the Japanese manufacturer hope of a sales resurgence. Honda has been a top-seller manufacturer for many years, particularly based on the stalwart category leaders Accord and Civic. But three Honda models — the CR-Z hybrid coupe, Accord Crosstour hatchback and Insight hybrid — all had disappointing sales in 2010. Honda also recently announced it’s discontinuing the Element, it’s boxy SUV. The new Civic, according to Honda, has been redesigned and will be offered with three different engines to compete with strong challengers, including General Motors’s Chevrolet Cruze, Ford Focus, Hyundai Elantra and

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Honda Civic 2012 unveiled with new design, new engines

Honda has introduced the ninth generation of the Civic, the carmaker’s second most popular car, at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. It will go on sale this spring as a 2012 model. The new Honda will be available as a sedan and a coupe and with conventional gasoline, hybrid and natural gas drivetrains. The new shape of the popular Civic is more windswept and aggressive. The Civic Si concept coupe has a more angular front end, mesh grille and tapered rear roofline. The 2012 Civic hybrid version will be Honda‘s first use of lithium-ion batteries. The gasoline-powered model will feature the same Eco Assist technology Honda debuted on its CR-Z hybrid last year, which allows drivers to

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Honda, Ford surpass Toyota as most reliable cars in 2010

Massive recalls severely hurt Toyota sales in the past 18 months and  thus relinquished the country’s former most reliable automaker to third place behind Honda and Ford, according to Consumer Reports. Honda rank in first place with 25 percent of car owners participating in the magazine’s survey naming the manufacturer with the best quality. Ford finished second with 23 percent, while Toyota finished third at 19 percent, 11 percent less than last year. Toyota‘s reputation plummeted in 2009 and 2010 and it paid nearly $50 million in fines last year to federal safety regulators for failing to promptly inform regulators of defects in its vehicles and delaying recalls. Chevrolet (19 percent) placed fourth in reliability while Mercedes-Benz (15 percent) was

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Ford F-Series top 2010 seller, extends reign to 34 years

The Ford F-Series pick-up, the country’s best-selling vehicle every year for more than three decades, continued its commanding position in 2010 with an increase of more than 27 percent in sales from 2009. The Ford F-Series trucks, one of two Ford products on the top-10 list for 2010, had sales of 528,349, more than 150,000 more than the second-best seller, the Chevrolet Silverado. It was the country’s top-seller for the 34th straight year. Honda had three cars among the top-10 sellers for 2010, the Accord, Civic and CR-V. Toyota (Camry and Corolla) and Ford (F-Series and Fusion) had two vehicles on the list. Despite the third and fifth positions on the top-10 list, the Camry and Corolla were the only

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Honda, Lexus, Chevrolet dominate Kiplinger's/Yahoo Cars of the Decade list

The Toyota Prius and Chevrolet Corvette couldn’t be more different. And likewise, there’s nothing similar between a BMW 3 Series and a Honda Odyssey. Unless, of course, Kiplinger’s magazine and Yahoo.com happen to be compiling a list of the cars of the decade. With a vast number of vehicles from which to choose in the past decade, how could the publications possible select the top-10 cars of the decade. The Prius, for example, was selected with the following description: “When the Prius made its U.S. debut in 2001, it barely registered a blip in the auto industry. But then the Hollywood green crowd adopted the little gas-electric hybrid as a symbol of saving the planet. “Ten years and two redesigns

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Audi, Ford, Lexus on The Weekly Driver's 2010 Best List

Recall was likely the most used word in the automotive industry in 2010. Toyota topped the list of manufacturers’ whose cars were retrieved by the millions with myriad issues. Regardless, of the 20 million recalls. it was another remarkable year for cars. The Hyundai Sonata for the first time in some monthly totals outsold the Honda Accord. The Chevy Camaro returned in 2009 as a 2010 model. Honda introduced the attention-grabbing Crosstour and discontinued the Element. The Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf made their public debuts amid an enormous public relations joust and with the future of hybrid and electric vehicles still largely unclear. The specialty car market was constantly in the news. Premium prices were dished out at auctions

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Honda Accord 2011 Car Review

The Honda Accord, now 35 years old, is in its eighth generation and with much of its tenure as arguably the most reliable, unwavering sedan in automotive history. In likely the most competitive car segment, the Accord continues its stellar reputation in 2011 with five sedan trims available and three coupe siblings in the mix. The Weekly Driver Test Drive Although much of the Honda Accord has remained the same since the current edition was introduced in 2008, my weekly test drive was the SE model Special Edition. For the vehicle’s standard price, the Special Edition package ($1500 value) is included at no charge and features: leather-trimmed seats, heated front seats, leather-wrapped steering wheel and driver’s two-way power lumbar control.

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Nissan Cube, Honda Crosstour get 2010 all-ugly honors

One car owner’s dream car is another auto enthusiast’s nightmare. In 2010, more than one model grabbed its share of attention and catapulted its way to the year’s all-ugly list — the Nissan Cube to two Honda models. Correspondingly, while the Nissan Cube and Honda Accord Crosstour have received all-ugly honors, they’ve also received auto industry innovation design awards. In its 2010 end-of-the-year compilation, Forbes.com chose eight cars for their less-than-attractive appearances. The website also features a clever image of a Nissan Cube mostly covered by a brown paper bag. In its introduction to the article, the Forbes’ writer said: “Granted, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Some consumers love the quirky angles of the (Scion) xB, or

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Honda sees the light, announces 1.35 million Fit recall

Honda Motor Co. is recalling more than 1.35 million Fit subcompacts because of wiring issues that could lead to failure in the vehicles’ low-beam headlights. The recall includes 143,083 Fit vehicles in the United States from 2007 and 2008 model years, 734,392 Fits in Japan and about 380,000 similar Honda Jazz models in Europe, according to a Honda spokeswoman. Honda detailed in a news release that a connector on a wiring harness could corrode and fail, which would extinguish the low beams. However, the high beams would still work. No accidents or injuries relating to the problem have been reported. The recall follows an investigation begun in September by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration after it received eight complaints

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Michigan couple celebrates 25-year affair and more than 225,000 miles with a 1986 Honda Civic Si

Pamm and Rick Tarchinski recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of their love affair. Mostly, it’s a one-sided romance, but it’s still epic. The Michigan couple paid $10,000 in 1986 for a new Honda Civic Si. But it’s Pamm Tarchinski’s car or at least it sure seems that way. The original sales brochure made the car appealing, but it’s not perfect. Yet the Tarchinskis are forgiving and appreciative. Through muffler problems, near-catastrophes with deer and a countless number of potential trade-ins when no one wanted the vehicle, the husband-wife still own the car. And they hope to drive it at least a few more thousand miles. If it happens, the Honda Civic will have been driven more than 238,000 miles —

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Hyundai joins expanding auto industry 2011 PGA Tour season title sponsor list

Carmakers and other auto-related companies will have an increase presence presence on the PGA Tour in 2011, with Hyundai assuming a title sponsorship and BMW, Cadillac and Honda also remaining event title or co-title sponsors. In all, nine of the 49 PGA Tour sanctioned pro events in 2011 will included automakers or affiliated companies in their titles. Hyundai will debut as a title sponsor for the PGA Tour’s traditional early January start in Hawaii with Hyundai Tournament of Champions in Kapalua The PGA Tour season will continue through Nov. 27 with the OMEGA Mission Hills World Cup in China. In addition to Hyundai, Farmers Insurance, Honda, Cadillac, Shell, Travelers, John Deere, Bridgestone and BMW will all be title sponsor in

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Honda announces Element will cease after 2011 model

Some car manufacturers would be pleased with a 2.5 percent market share. Not Honda. It will stop making the Element crossover after the 2011 model year because of diminishing sales. The box-shaped Element was introduced in the U.S. in December 2002 and more than 325,000 been purchased, according to the manufacturer. But sales of the versatile SUV crossover have steadily slipped while sales of its sibling, the CR-V, have increased. Honda also makes a large SUV, the Pilot. The Element accounted for nearly 10 percent of all crossover sales in the United States 2003. But the Element has accounted for only 2.5 percent of the crossover sales in 2010, according to Edmunds.com. Compared to last year, Element sales are down

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Honda, Audi models among most expensive cars to insure

Honda and Audi are among the most respected manufacturers in the automotive industry. But the ZDZ from Acura and the TTS and A5 models from Audi are also the most expensive cars to insure. Conversely, the Kia Sedona, Mazda5 and Ford Escape are cheapest vehicles to insure, according to InsWeb, an online insurance comparison provider. According to InsWeb, the insure price formula called “loss behavior” includes repair costs and the chances the vehicle will be involved in an accident. InsWeb says model loss formulations also include the driving history of a car’s previous owners. High performance and high profile cars like the Chevrolet Corvette and Cadillac Escalade are more prone to accidents than a the mosre subdued, practical cars like

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Ten great, cheap 2011 cars, Ford Fiesta to VW Golf

The automotive industry is flush with inexpensive, economical, quality cars. The online business site, CNNMoney.com has compiled an impressive list of 10 cars, the Ford Fiesta to Honda Fit, all with entry level prices of under $18,000. In its assessment of the Chevy Cruze, for example, the website editors write: “General Motors makes a really nice small car. The best thing about the Chevy Cruze is that it looks, feels and drives like a real car. It’s not one of those “be happy-you-even-have-a-car” tin cans on wheels. “The interior is made from better-than-you-paid-for stuff while the ride quality and performance are, likewise, a notch above. Most small car buyers are after practicality and comfort, not kicks, and the Cruze delivers

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Toyota, Honda claim top 2011 gas mileages, reports EPA

Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. captured six of the U.S. government’s top 10 fuel-economy ratings for 2011 models, according to the Environmental Protection Agency and Energy Department. Toyota’s Prius hybrid remains country’s highest fuel mileage car with 51 mpg (city) and 48 mpg (highway) averages. Ford Motor Co., the only U.S. automaker to rate in the top 10, finished second with the Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln MKZ hybrids. Honda finished in the third position with the Civic and Insight hybrids and in fourth with the CR-Z hybrid, according to the two agencies. Automakers selling models in the U.S. are trying to boost the fuel efficiency of their models after President Barack Obama in April ordered a five

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Honda CR-Z, 2011: The Weekly Driver Car Review

After various debuts in recent years at car shows around the globe, the 2011 Honda CR-Z (Compact Renaissance Zero) arrived for North American consumers in August as a compact hybrid electric and marketed as a sport hybrid coupe. The CR-Z combines a hybrid gasoline-electric powertrain and is the successor to the second generation Honda CR-X via its design and similar name. The CR-Z is the only gasoline-electric hybrid model offered by any automaker that can be equipped with a manual transmission. The new Honda is offered in three trim levels: base, EX, and EX with navigation and has a base price range from $19,950 to $23,310. The Weekly Driver Test Drive New car models often get attention, but since the

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