Honda / Acura Tidbits

[sirAQUAMAN64]

Ridgeline, others could get V-6 diesel

James B. Treece  |   |  Automotive News / December 4, 2006 - 1:00 am
 
TOKYO -- Honda's Ridgeline, Pilot and Odyssey and Acura's MDX are candidates to get a clean V-6 diesel engine that Honda Motor Co. is developing, says CEO Takeo Fukui.

Fukui declined to specify which Honda or Acura vehicles will get a diesel engine. But he identified those four light trucks as "the Honda products that would need this kind of technology."

Honda will sell a clean 2.2-liter four-cylinder diesel in 2009. A V-6 diesel using the same technology will follow.

Honda says the diesel engines will meet tough new U.S rules requiring that diesel emissions essentially be as clean as gasoline-engine emissions.

During an interview with Automotive News, Fukui also said:
Honda turbos are possible. The Acura RDX SUV, which went on sale in August, is the first Honda or Acura vehicle in the United States that uses a turbocharger. But although Honda aims to differentiate Acura cars and trucks from Honda models, Fukui rejects the idea that turbos might be limited to Acuras.
"We don't have any intention to keep turbos just dedicated to Acura," he says. "In the future, it's possible that they will be adopted in Honda products as well."
No major Mexican expansion is planned. If Honda needs more North American vehicle production capacity beyond the plant it plans to build in Indiana, expansion in the United States is more likely than in Mexico.
Honda has not yet broken ground on its Indiana plant. Production is expected to begin in 2009. Its plant in El Salto Jalisco, Mexico, is by far the smallest of its car or truck plants in North America. It builds about 30,000 Accords a year.

"It could be possible to expand the Mexican plant just slightly," say to 50,000 or 60,000, Fukui says. "But I don't think we will ever make that a 200,000-unit plant."
 

[sirAQUAMAN64]

Honda revenues, profits hit records on strong sales, weak yen

James B. Treece  |   |  Automotive News / January 31, 2007 - 9:03 am

Flying high
  Oct.-Dec, ‘06 Change*
Revenues $23.24 billion 12.00%
Operating profit 1.72 billion 5.2
* From same quarter, 2005
Source: Honda
 
TOKYO -- Higher sales, a favorable yen exchange rate, especially against the euro, and cost cutting sent Honda Motor Co.'s revenues and operating profits in the October-December quarter to record levels.

Most other Japanese carmakers are expected to announce similar quarterly results in the coming weeks.

Operating profits rose 5.2 percent to ¥205.11 billion, or $1.72 billion at current exchange rates, in the three months to Dec. 31 compared to the year-earlier period. Net income rose 8.8 percent to $1.22 billion.

Revenues rose 12.0 percent to $23.24 billion as car and truck unit sales grew 12.1 percent to 915,000.

It was the seventh consecutive record for October-December revenues. It was the second straight record for October-December operating profits.

Revenues were pumped up by the yen's weakness against the euro and dollar. A stronger dollar allows Japanese carmakers to book more yen profits on every dollar they take in on sales in the United States. A stronger euro similarly inflates yen profits on European sales.

Honda estimates that if the yen's exchange rate had remained unchanged in the quarter from the year-earlier period, its revenues would have increased only 9.6 percent, not 12.0 percent.

Honda said the higher sales volume added $591.1 million to its operating profits compared to a year earlier.

Currency gains added another $89.0 million. More than half of that was due to the yen's weakness against the euro. That implies that Japanese carmakers with a proportionately larger European operation than Honda's should see even more windfall gains from the euro.

Also, currency gains more than offset incentive costs in the United States and higher raw material costs in general.

North American operating profits climbed 10.7 percent in the quarter to $992.4 million, as unit sales jumped 8.5 percent to 471,000. That excludes profits on vehicles exported from Japan, which are booked as Japanese profits. Revenues in North America rose 9.0 percent to $13.54 billion.

European operating profits jumped 31.6 percent to $31.6 million, as unit sales rose 22.0 percent to 72,000. Revenues were flat at $2.28 billion. Honda said currency gains more than offset a shift in the company's sales mix towards lower-margin products.

[dr_spock]

Looks like Honda is recalling 2005-2006 Civic Hybrids to fix an electrical problem...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070209/ap_on_re_us/japan_honda_recall

[Mitlov]

I did not know that Honda made some Accords in Mexico.  You learn something new every day.

A diesel Ridgeline would be great.  The Ridgeline was my wife's second choice after the Tacoma.  We're both fans of diesels (particularly biodiesel), and a diesel engine in the Ridgeline might have tipped the scales.

[G0dspd]

Honda's NSX program could get a reboot.  Wasn't there a few vehicles linked to the new NSX ... like the 4-door-bigger-maybe-S2000-kinda vehicle.

"We (and many of you) were blown away by Acura's Advanced Sports Car Concept when it was unveiled at NAIAS in January. Though we were a bit disappointed the concept was only a non-running turntable tease, Honda assured everyone that an improved, closer-to-production show car was in the works for the October Tokyo show.

Winding Road says its sources have heard the contrary, that Honda is going back to the high-performance drawing board to come up with a more super supercar. Word is the ASC just isn't impressing as many people as it needs to be. Perhaps Honda management saw the ASC wasn't its company's best effort, and instead of dumping the project entirely (like Chrysler did with the ME Four-Twelve or Ford with the GR-1), it's committing the resources needed to create something truly special in the $100,000+ sport coupe segment. As such, we're not quite sure what we'll see in October at the Tokyo Auto Show, if anything at all.

At least this is what we hope they're doing. Honda could have scrapped the whole thing and reallocated the funds to development of the next generation Pilot. Eeek!"

http://www.autoblog.com/2007/02/21/rumor-nsx-development-halted-acura-going-back-to-drawing-board/

[sirAQUAMAN64]

This is a great read, but just posting the link because it has charts and related articles within it...
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070309/AUTO01/703090400/1148

This one showing model manufacturing mix is cool...
http://info.detnews.com/graphics/2007/hondaproduction_gfx030907.pdf

[sirAQUAMAN64]

Honda Civic was hot; now it's not

Kathy Jackson  |  Automotive News / March 12, 2007 - 1:00 am
 
LOS ANGELES -- U.S. sales of the once-hot Honda Civic have cooled considerably this year.

What's going on? Dealers say American Honda Motor Co. has eased off on Civic advertising and focused on pushing Accords.

Honda sold 316,638 Civics in 2006 after an autumn 2005 redesign. That was 2.7 percent above 2005, making Civic the sales leader in the lower mid-range segment.

But 2007 has not been so kind. Sales in the first two months of this year fell 22.4 percent, to 38,419.

"Lack of attention is what's hurting Civic," says Jim Smail, of Smail Auto Group in Greensburg, Pa. Smail is the Honda dealer council chairman.

"Unfortunately, Honda has not advertised Civic because it was in such great demand," Smail says. "We've told the company we think advertising is critical. We have a big job to do with the Civic this year."

Other dealers say an aggressive push by the factory on the Accord also has hurt the Civic.

The Accord will be redesigned for the 2008 model year, so the company wants to push out all the 2007 models.

"Honda dealers are talking about Accord because that's what Honda is talking about," says Dave Conant, a Honda dealer in Cerritos, Calif. Conant says volume targets on the Accord are the most aggressive he has seen.

"Dealers are using their incentives on Accord, so Accord is overlapping Civic," he says. "Accord is cannibalizing Civic."

Honda's Web site offers a "value package" base Accord with manual transmission for $19,220, including shipping.

The top-end Civic EX sedan with manual transmission stickers for $19,305 with shipping.

John Mendel, American Honda's senior vice president for automobile operations, admits the company wants the Accord to go out with a bang. But he doesn't think Accord prices are hurting the Civic.

Mendel says part of the problem is Honda hasn't had the proper mix of vehicles for customers.

Dealers need more base models and more high-end models with navigation systems, he says.

"We're rectifying that. We're not worried about Civic."

Jeff Conrad, vice president of advertising, says Honda began a national and regional TV push for the Civic in late February.

"Civic was hot so we let Civic carry itself ever since we introduced the product," Conrad said. "Now all of a sudden gasoline prices have dropped, and Civic is not new, so we've got to put more emphasis on it - to remind people that Civic is out there."

[Snowman]

Interesting…..the Accord cannibalizing the Civic. A buyer who has his/her mind set on a Honda would have to take a serious look at the Accord if the pricing is there. Is this the whole story? How are he numbers for the competitors?

[MKII]

Strange recall

Honda is contacting the owners of 569 Civic Hybrid cars, because the engine may cut out when passengers are carried in the rear. The manufacturer has found that the pressure of a passenger's back on the seat of cars made in September 2005 can cause a short circuit.

[Mitlov]

Strange recall

Honda is contacting the owners of 569 Civic Hybrid cars, because the engine may cut out when passengers are carried in the rear. The manufacturer has found that the pressure of a passenger's back on the seat of cars made in September 2005 can cause a short circuit.

   I wish my 99 Civic had been recalled.  It had a similar problem.  When people sat in the back, the suspension would waive a white flag and the car would become a lowrider with no suspension travel until the extra passengers got out of it.

[Cord]

Wow. Civic sales down 22% for '07. Very surprising.

[Mitlov]

Wow. Civic sales down 22% for '07. Very surprising.

They completely quit advertising it here, and I can't watch TV for an hour without seeing at least on Accord commercial.  Why Honda's advertising division would abandon a new model and spend so much energy on a long-in-the-tooth model, I'm not sure.  But I think the advertising probably has something to do with it.

[Cord]

Just another example of people saying one thing and doing another. If people were asked if their car buying decision was affected by advertising, I bet over 90% would claim that they were independant thinkers and weren't influenced by ads.

That would go up to 100% for forum regulars. 

[Snowman]

Just another example of people saying one thing and doing another. If people were asked if their car buying decision was affected by advertising, I bet over 90% would claim that they were independant thinkers and weren't influenced by ads.

That would go up to 100% for forum regulars. 

  I can’t remember seeing an ad for a WRX on TV….or any Impreza.

[UmroAyyar]

Well, I watched a lot of advertisements for the Corolla,I was considering one. But bought the Camry after test driving it.

I was most influenced by Mazda3 advertisements, but Mazda has become sort of a taboo subject in our family.

[sirAQUAMAN64]

Built for Wingman, the S2000 Club Racer to debut in New York...
http://www.autoblog.com/2007/03/13/new-york-preview-honda-debuting-s2000-club-racer-prototype/

[safristi]

I think it's because Giant Dwarfs on Vacation........Springing BREAK Dances on unsuspecting pulchitrudinous purchasers........Pusshy Pushy..lets do tha Locomotion.
 ...something about his CIVIC DOOTY ...Free Tequilla..MONSTER............

[MKII]

Wow. Civic sales down 22% for '07. Very surprising.

They completely quit advertising it here, and I can't watch TV for an hour without seeing at least on Accord commercial.  Why Honda's advertising division would abandon a new model and spend so much energy on a long-in-the-tooth model, I'm not sure.  But I think the advertising probably has something to do with it.

Accord=higher profit

[AVToller]

Just another example of people saying one thing and doing another. If people were asked if their car buying decision was affected by advertising, I bet over 90% would claim that they were independant thinkers and weren't influenced by ads.

That would go up to 100% for forum regulars. 

Would anyone in the world by a Yaris hatch after seeing their ads?? 

[Mitlov]

Would anyone in the world by a Yaris hatch after seeing their ads?? 

  The Yaris ads seem to be targeted at Inspector Gadget/Pokemon fans.  Unfortunately, that demographic segment generally still relies on Mommy and Daddy to drive them to school.