Honda / Acura Tidbits

[MKII]

Audi is known for AWD systems with a stable of high performance cars and has marketed on that strength. Acura is known as a less expensive luxury alternative with nothing exciting other than the dated NSX. Acura needs to step it up quite a bit to mount a serious challenge to what Audi has to offer.

IMO, Honda has to make its mind up and make Honda's Honda's and Acura's Acura's. I have always made this point that it is strange/weird that Honda cars in Europe are being sold in America with a different badge and being call entry lux and above vehicles. Who's zoomin who.
High trim level does not make a perceived luxury car, it takes more then that, I'd say.

[Mitlov]

Audi is known for AWD systems with a stable of high performance cars and has marketed on that strength. Acura is known as a less expensive luxury alternative with nothing exciting other than the dated NSX. Acura needs to step it up quite a bit to mount a serious challenge to what Audi has to offer.

Five years ago, people said the exact same thing about Infiniti.  Ten years ago, they said the exact same thing about Lexus.

I agree Acura needs to step up their game to compete, but it can be done.

[Snowman]

Let’s review the current line-up to see where they can make changes and improvements
1.   CSX
Lose the hornet nested Star Wars wing fighter. The RSX was a far better car to work from and should be revived to compete with the A3
2.   TSX
Must be offered with SH-AWD which would make the torqueless wonder needing a turbo. More driveline and trim options will be needed to compete with the A4.
3.   TL
As with the TSX more engine and trim options to go with the SH-AWD to fight the A6 line.
4.   RL
As with the TL more engine and trim options to go with the SH-AWD to combat the A8 models.

Thoughts?

RDX and MDX?

[Mitlov]

Let’s review the current line-up to see where they can make changes and improvements
1.   CSX
Lose the hornet nested Star Wars wing fighter. The RSX was a far better car to work from and should be revived to compete with the A3
2.   TSX
Must be offered with SH-AWD which would make the torqueless wonder needing a turbo. More driveline and trim options will be needed to compete with the A4.
3.   TL
As with the TSX more engine and trim options to go with the SH-AWD to fight the A6 line.
4.   RL
As with the TL more engine and trim options to go with the SH-AWD to combat the A8 models.

Thoughts?

RDX and MDX?

My thoughts:

RDX:  Exactly what it needs to be.

MDX:  Perfect, but add a MDX Type-S with the twin-turbo V6 mentioned below.

CSX:  Kill it.  It diminishes the brand.

TSX:  Keep a FWD, naturally-aspirated version to compete with the A3 (maybe even in hatchback form?).  Offer a TSX Type-S with a turbocharger and SH-AWD to compete with the A4.

TL:  Add available SH-AWD.  Keep the powerful, naturally-aspirated V6 for the base model, but add a twin-turbo V6 for the TL Type-S (which will only be SH-AWD, of course).

RL:  Back to the drawing board.  Offer more room, a V8, and SH-AWD.  I would make the RL the lowest priority here, though.  Maybe even go without an RL for a year or so while pouring resources into the next-generation TSX, TL, and NSX.

NSX:  The concept flopped for a reason.  Nobody wants a front-engine V10 grand-touring NSX.  Go back to the drawing board, and create an aluminum-intensive, mid-engined, twin-turbo V6 NSX.  SH-AWD wouldn't be bad, to help it be a SH-AWD halo car, but RWD is another option of course.

[JSCC]

Hmmm... isn't the NSX mid-engine? 

[Mitlov]

Hmmm... isn't the NSX mid-engine? 

Old NSX was mid-engine V6.  The concept for the new one was a front-engined V10.  People were mad for a reason.

[sirAQUAMAN64]

Good move, tho don't know what was removed?

http://www.canadiandriver.com/news/071123-1.htm

November 23, 2007

Honda Canada introduces new, more affordable Odyssey DX model

2008 Honda Odyssey. Click image to enlarge
Toronto, Ontario - Honda has announced the 2008 Odyssey minivan receives new exterior styling and new premium and safety features. Also new is a Canada-exclusive value DX trim, with a starting price of $31,490.

"The award-winning Odyssey is regarded as the benchmark in Canada's minivan category when it comes to moving the maximum number of people in both comfort and safety," said Jim Miller, executive vice-president of Honda Canada Inc. "For 2008, the new DX trim is designed to provide added value for Canadian families without sacrificing safety, fuel efficiency or content."

New premium standard or available features include Bluetooth hands-free telephone system, four-way power passenger seat, rear-view camera display integrated into the rear-view mirror, XM Satellite Radio, 17-inch alloy wheels and memory-linked side mirrors with reverse tilt-down.

Interior styling updates include new instrument panel colours and textures, premium fabric for the LX and EX trim lines, and MP3/MWA stereo compatibility with auxiliary input jack. An additional storage bin has also been added to the available 2nd Row PlusOne Seat.

The Odyssey features an all-aluminum 3.5-litre V6 engine that is available with an improved version of its Variable Cylinder Management on EX-L and Touring models. The VCM selectively deactivates two or three of the engine's six cylinders during cruising and deceleration for improved fuel efficiency, instead of deactivating just three. Prices for the new Odyssey range from $31,490 to $48,890.

[sirAQUAMAN64]

Honda boosts CR-V capacity in Mexico

Stephen Downer
Automotive News
November 26, 2007 - 12:13 pm ET   
 
MEXICO CITY -- Honda Motor Co. has increased production capacity of the CR-V crossover from 30,000 to 50,000 units a year at its assembly plant in El Salto, in western Mexico.

The Mexican-made CR-V already is sold in the United States and Mexico. It will be exported to Brazil and Argentina in January, according to Honda spokesman Eduardo Aragon.

Honda started assembling the CR-V in El Salto in September after phasing out production of the Honda Accord sedan.

The El Salto plant also is raising its production of parts for the Accord and the CR-V and will add an all-terrain vehicle to its lineup of vehicles shipped to the United States.

The El Salto plant has produced bumpers for the Accord since 1996. It began producing bumpers and instrument panels for the CR-V this year.

“The parts are for the United States and Mexico, and from January they’ll be sent to Argentina and Brazil. We make parts for the same markets to which the vehicles are exported,” Aragon said.

Honda employs 2,800 people at its El Salto plant. The increase in CR-V output will add 600 jobs.

Honda’s production of injection molded bumpers and instrument panels at the plant will increase from 550,000 units to 1 million a year.

Honda CEO Takeo Fukui visited the plant on Thursday, Nov. 22, with Mexican President Felipe Calderon. Fukui said in a speech that between 2006 and 2008, Honda planned to invest $140 million in El Salto. Honda assembled its first passenger car in Mexico at El Salto in 1995.

Fukui, who was in Mexico to mark the 20th anniversary of the start of Honda retail operations in the country, also said that Honda would assemble a two-seater ATV called Big Red in El Salto. It will be exported exclusively to the United States, going on sale next summer.

[smok]

Good move, tho don't know what was removed?

http://www.canadiandriver.com/news/071123-1.htm

November 23, 2007

Honda Canada introduces new, more affordable Odyssey DX model

2008 Honda Odyssey. Click image to enlarge
Toronto, Ontario - Honda has announced the 2008 Odyssey minivan receives new exterior styling and new premium and safety features. Also new is a Canada-exclusive value DX trim, with a starting price of $31,490.

"The award-winning Odyssey is regarded as the benchmark in Canada's minivan category when it comes to moving the maximum number of people in both comfort and safety," said Jim Miller, executive vice-president of Honda Canada Inc. "For 2008, the new DX trim is designed to provide added value for Canadian families without sacrificing safety, fuel efficiency or content."

New premium standard or available features include Bluetooth hands-free telephone system, four-way power passenger seat, rear-view camera display integrated into the rear-view mirror, XM Satellite Radio, 17-inch alloy wheels and memory-linked side mirrors with reverse tilt-down.

Interior styling updates include new instrument panel colours and textures, premium fabric for the LX and EX trim lines, and MP3/MWA stereo compatibility with auxiliary input jack. An additional storage bin has also been added to the available 2nd Row PlusOne Seat.

The Odyssey features an all-aluminum 3.5-litre V6 engine that is available with an improved version of its Variable Cylinder Management on EX-L and Touring models. The VCM selectively deactivates two or three of the engine's six cylinders during cruising and deceleration for improved fuel efficiency, instead of deactivating just three. Prices for the new Odyssey range from $31,490 to $48,890.

Start at $31,490? 

Let's see, +1,500 delivery charge + 4,400 taxes  for a Total of $37,390....TOO MUCH

I can get the new 2008 Caravan for just over $25,500 inc dest and tax.  And thy are not bad at all!!!!

[si]

The Odyssey has never been relatively cheap in Canada.

Honda Canada prices their vehicle to the most that the Canadian market will bear.  They're just lucky their products are well received..

[sirAQUAMAN64]

New Indiana plant could help Honda meet CR-V demand

Ralph Kisiel
Automotive News
January 15, 2008 - 12:01 am ET

DETROIT -- Building Honda Civic sedans in Greensburg, Ind., will allow the automaker to change the production mix in its East Liberty Auto Plant in Ohio to help meet demand for the redesigned CR-V small crossover.

Honda begins assembling the Civic in its new Indiana plant in October. So far, that is the only vehicle that Honda is willing to say it will make there.

“Once we open up Indiana, it frees us up to build more CR-Vs in East Liberty,” says John Mendel, executive vice president of automobile operations for American Honda Motor Co.

The East Liberty plant assembles the Civic, CR-V and Element SUV.

Honda needed more manufacturing capacity for the CR-V, redesigned for the 2007 model year. So Honda last year replaced Accord production in its El Salto, Mexico plant with CR-V production.

“We switched Mexico from 30,000 Accords a year to 50,000 CR-Vs,” Mendel told Automotive News during an interview at the Detroit auto show on Monday. “So we can remix and rematch across the system.”

The CR-V continues to be a hot seller for Honda. Sales increased 28.9 percent in 2007, compared to 2006.

“Because of flexible manufacturing, a lot of things are possibilities,” says Mendel, referring to additional vehicles in Greensburg. “But I think initially we’re going to stick with Civic in Indiana.”

Honda will add a second vehicle to Greensburg “when we decide that the capacity is limiting us in terms of sales of some other vehicle,” Mendel says.

[Allen]

Honda boosts full-year forecast as quarterly earnings surge
YURI KAGEYAMA

The Associated Press

January 30, 2008 at 7:55 AM EST

TOKYO — Honda, Japan's second-biggest auto maker, reported a 38.1 per cent jump in profit for the October-December quarter on Wednesday, thanks to booming sales in the U.S., Europe and Asia outside Japan.

Honda, which sells nearly half of its vehicles in North America, revised upward its annual profit forecast, appearing to shrug off the looming worries about a U.S. recession and as well as worries about a stronger yen, which erodes exporters' profits.

Like other Japanese auto makers with their reputation for smaller fuel-efficient models, Honda Motor Co. — maker of the Civic and Accord sedans and the Odyssey minivan — is getting extra consumer interest because of a recent surge in gas prices.

Honda's quarterly profit rose to ¥200-billion, or $1.87-billion (U.S.), from ¥144.8-billion the same period the previous year, marking a record for the fiscal third quarter. Cost-cutting also helped boost its bottom line.

Quarterly sales climbed 10 per cent to ¥3.045-trillion ($28.52-billion), the Tokyo-based manufacturer said.

Credit Suisse auto analyst Koji Endo said the results were spectacular but expressed worries about the fiscal year that starts in April because of the dollar's sharp fall.

Although Honda has so far been relatively unscathed by the dollar's recent nose-dive to levels near 106 yen, compared to around 114 yen late last year, a strong yen could reduce the value of overseas earnings when repatriated to Japan.

Honda said Wednesday it expects the dollar to trade at 105 yen in the January-March period, and Mr. Endo said a plunge to such levels will be “tough even for Honda.”

“The results so far have been great, but what lies ahead could take a sharp turn for the worse,” he said.

But Mr. Endo said North American vehicle sales are expected to hold up in coming months at moderate growth levels, despite the subprime mortgage crisis.

With global demand growing for its products, Honda said Wednesday that it now expects a ¥690-billion ($6.46-billion) profit for the fiscal year ending March 31, up 16.5 per cent from fiscal 2006. In October, it had projected a ¥640-billion ($6-billion) profit.

But it trimmed its fiscal year sales forecast to ¥12.150-trillion ($113.82-billion) from an earlier ¥12.300-trillion. The revised sales number still marks a 9.6 per cent rise from the previous year.

Honda's operating profit rose 35 per cent on year to ¥276.24-billion ($2.59-billion), beating analysts' forecasts.

In the latest quarter, Honda sold 991,000 vehicles globally. About half of those — or 481,000 vehicles — were sold in North America, up 2.1 per cent from the previous year. Quarterly sales soared 25 per cent in Europe to 90,000 vehicles, and gained 21 per cent in Asia to 188,000.

The company expects to sell 3.90 million vehicles in the fiscal year ending March 31.

Honda has fallen somewhat behind Toyota Motor Corp. and other rivals in key technologies for growth, such as the ecological gas-electric hybrids and diesel engines that are popular in Europe. But Honda President Takeo Fukui has vowed to invest heavily in such technologies to keep growth going.

Next year, the auto maker plans to introduce a new hybrid with an affordable price tag, targeting sales of 200,000 vehicles a year.

Honda is also seeing sales grow in South America, and it is planning production expansions in Brazil and Argentina.

For the nine months through Dec. 31, Honda reported ¥574.6-billion ($5.38-billion) in profit, up 38.1 per cent from the same period in 2006. Sales for the period rose 11.9 per cent to ¥8.947-trillion ($83.81-billion).

The company's stock rose 1.2 per cent to ¥3,300 ($30.90) in Tokyo. Earnings were announced shortly after trading closed.

Other big Japanese auto makers report earnings in coming days: Nissan on Friday and Toyota next week.

[sirAQUAMAN64]

More of, but more US specific...

What slump? Honda powers to new record results

Hans Greimel
Automotive News
January 30, 2008 - 6:46 am ET

TOKYO – U.S. slump? What U.S. slump?

That's the question Honda Motor Co. is asking after another quarter of record results that spurred the Japanese automaker to lift an already cheery full-year profit forecast.

In the September-December quarter, Honda booked all-time highs in sales, operating profit and net income, as demand surged for more fuel-efficient cars such as its compact Fit.

Despite the softening market in North America, Honda boosted regional sales there by 2.1 percent to 481,000 vehicles in the fiscal third quarter.

And it did so with lower incentives than a year earlier.

It all contributed to a 35 percent increase in overall operating profit, to 276.2 billion yen ($2.51 billion), from a year earlier. Revenues climbed 10 percent to 3.04 trillion yen ($27.68 billion).

Citing strong global sales and favorable exchange rates, Honda boosted its operating profit forecast 4.5 percent to 920 billion yen ($8.36 billion) for the current fiscal year ending March 31.

That's another record, by the way, and an 8 percent improvement over the previous year.

So far, the only businesses hurting from the U.S. subprime loan problem are motorcycles and power products, Executive Vice President Koichi Kondo told reporters.

The Fit saw U.S. sales double to 56,432 vehicles last year. Sales of the CR-V sport utility vehicle rose 29 percent to 219,160 units. Honda said it has also sold about 70,800 units of the redesigned Accord in the United States since its launch in September.

Looking ahead, the company sees the overall U.S. market shrinking to 15.9 million units in 2008. But Honda's not worried. It still expects a 2 percent increase in retail sales.

[sirAQUAMAN64]

Honda to build Ridgeline in Alabama

Ralph Kisiel
Automotive News
March 11, 2008 - 3:38 pm ET

Honda will begin producing the Ridgeline pickup at its Lincoln, Ala., plant in early 2009.

The announcement was made Monday, March 10, by Hiroshi Sasamoto, CEO of Honda Manufacturing of Alabama LLC.

The Ridgeline now is assembled on Honda’s Line 2 in its plant in Alliston, Ontario. The move will let Honda boost Civic output in Alliston, said Ted Pratt, a Honda spokesman.

Ridgeline production will be added to the Lincoln plant’s Line 1, which now produces the Odyssey minivan, while Line 2 will continue to produce both the Odyssey and Pilot crossover.

Honda does not expect to increase the straight-time production capacity of the Lincoln plant, now at 300,000 units a year. The Lincoln factory produced a record 314,145 vehicles last year, Pratt said.

Honda will begin Ridgeline production trials in Lincoln late this year, Pratt said. In 2007, Ridgeline sales fell 14.7 percent to 42,795.

[duck]

Honda accused of not stating $1.3 billion income: report

 
Japan's tax bureau has accused Honda Motor Co Ltd of failing to report a total of about 140 billion yen ($1.3 billion) in domestic income over two years to March 2006, the Nikkei business daily said on Friday, quoting sources familiar with the matter.

The Tokyo Regional Taxation Bureau believes the automaker reduced its Japanese income by shifting part of it to Chinese joint ventures such as Guangzhou Honda Automobile Co and Dongfeng Honda Automobile Co, the paper said.

[G35X]

Honda made an announcement to-day that they would postpone introduction of their diesel engine cars to NA market, which was originally planned for 2009, due to general slowdown of automotive business and the high cost of new, cleaner diesel engine.  Instead, they said they would direct their marketing effort to the new Insight hybrid.

[DoubleClutch]

Actually, it might be because Honda's new diesel are not clean enough ...

"According to the anonymous sources, the 6MT version of the i-DTEC TSX has successfully cleared emissions certification, but the automatic-equipped version has been unable to pass certification. "

http://www.vtec.net/news/news-item?news_item_id=796361

Of course, Honda the engine company would look really bad if they said that ...

[Leviathan]

Honda, Mazda May Apply for Japanese Government Loans

Among Honda’s models, only its Fit small car and Acura TSX sport sedan, posted U.S. sales gains last month. The company may request at least 10 billion yen ($102 million) from the government, the Nikkei newspaper said today, without citing sources.

[sirAQUAMAN64]

Honda tears up its old product plan
Mark Rechtin
Automotive News
October 26, 2009 - 12:01 am ET

TOKYO -- Honda Motor Co. is reviewing its entire lineup with the aim of building less expensive and more fuel-efficient vehicles, Honda CEO Takanobu Ito says.

In the case of some next-generation products -- including the crucial Civic platform used on a variety of vehicles worldwide -- that means making major changes to vehicles already well along in the development process.

"We are taking more time to rethink the new Civic and all our models," Ito told Automotive News through an interpreter. "We had to revisit our development work and planning to comply with the change in the environment."
 
Smaller, lighter Civic

Specifically, Honda executives told Civic designers and engineers to make the car smaller, lighter and more fuel efficient than originally designed, said Tsuneo Tanai, COO for automotive operations.

Tanai said that before Lehman Bros. imploded in September 2008 and intensified the global financial crisis, Honda already was concerned about rising oil, steel and aluminum prices.

But Lehman Bros.' collapse and the global economic meltdown that followed prompted Ito to act. In December, his mandated re-evaluation led to killing Honda's V-8 and rear-wheel-drive programs.

Now, Tanai said, Honda is focusing on reducing weight on all its platforms and expanding its hybrid powertrain technology to more vehicle lines.

It also has added electric vehicles, which Honda initially opposed, to bump up the Honda fleet's fuel efficiency and lower its emissions.

The next Civic originally was planned to be larger than the current model, but now its exterior will be smaller. Honda aims to create a perceived sense of increased roominess inside without increasing the vehicle's overall size.

Making such midstream changes can be costly and cause significant delays in releasing a new product. Maintaining its product cadence will be difficult, as the redesigned Civic is due to arrive in less than a year if Honda follows a typical five-year cycle.

Ito and Tanai declined to talk about launch timing for the Civic or other vehicles. However, Ito said: "The team is struggling. We are injecting more manpower to meet our target."

Delaying the Civic platform would have a ripple effect across Honda's lineup, as other vehicles share the Civic's basic architecture: the CR-V and Element, Japan's Stream small minivan and Europe's FR-V.

Tanai is confident Honda is making the right choice. In May 2008, when gasoline prices peaked and consumer confidence was slumping, Honda hit a sales record for the Civic, beating even the Ford F-series pickup, the perennial U.S. sales leader.

"We perceived that U.S. customers are sensitive to the external environment, and their response is very direct. We felt we needed to take this into account," Tanai said through an interpreter.

The "Lehman shock," as Ito calls it, also caused Honda to re-evaluate its pricing strategy, to make its vehicles more affordable.

"The easiest option would be to make products cheaper, but we have to not only cut the price but also maintain the highest quality," Ito said. "This applies to all models, but the biggest is the world Civic."

[Shnak]

I can't believe Honda still doesn't have a Matrix competitor after all these years... That's a major problem, IMO.