The IndyCar Series stayed north of the border after the last race in Toronto, moving from the street circuit around the CN Tower to the City Centre Airport course in Edmonton. One of the best tracks for fans, the flat circuit offers views of most of the action from virtually any vantage point. The view the drivers were seeing going into Sunday's race was all too familiar - Will Power was back to his dominating ways, with quickest times in practice and through much of qualifying. Would last year's winner hold on for the pole? Would he capture another win, distancing himself even further from the rest of the pack in the championship standings?
Follow the jump to see how the 2010 Honda Indy Edmonton played out.
Less than 28 years after becoming the very first Japanese brand to begin producing cars in the United States, Honda turned out the 10 millionth car from its Marysville, OH factory on Tuesday. Marysville began car production in November 1982 with the second generation Accord, and so it's fitting that the landmark vehicle was also an Accord sedan. These days, Marysville also produces the Acura RDX and TL, but over the years the Accord has accounted for 8.5 million units of the total production volume.
Eighty-four percent of the vehicles sold by Honda and Acura in North America in 2009 were produced here. The nearby Anna engine plant will also celebrate a landmark this week with its 25th anniversary on Thursday. Congrats, Honda!
Well, look at what we have here. Back in May, our intrepid spy shooters managed to snap off a series of images showing the next-gen European Honda Civic hiding in plain sight under an amalgam of ill-fitting current-gen bodywork. The latest set of spy photos seen here prove that Honda's little compact hatchback is progressing along rather nicely.
Unlike previous spy photos, it's clear that the car being tested is wearing its new bodywork... though it's obviously obscured as much as possible with funky matte black panels with strategically placed cutouts for doors, lights and glass. In any case, we can see a clear hatchback body design, as you would expect for the European market, along with an overtly wedge-like profile.
We have no way of knowing what's powering this vehicle at the moment, but previous reports suggest our European friends will get a typical choice of gasoline and diesel four cylinder engines along with a possible hybrid. See for yourself in our high-res image gallery below.
At a news conference yesterday in Japan, Honda chief executive officer Takanobu Ito outlined the company's future plans to roll out advanced technology vehicles. Among the highlights: Ito revealed Honda will introduce both a mid-size plug-in hybrid and an electric commuter vehicle in the U.S. and Japan by the end of 2012. As part of the company's global push to develop more-efficient vehicles, Honda will also introduce a small diesel-powered car in Europe around the same time that its battery-powered vehicles hit our shores.
Honda will also begin testing "next-generation electric personal mobility products, including electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles, electric scooters and electric carts" in the Kumamoto and Saitama regions in Japan before the end of 2010. The purpose of the tests is to verify "the effectiveness of next-generation personal mobility products with electromotive technologies," i.e., plug-in vehicles and how to best use renewable energy (solar) with these vehicles. Honda will test all-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles in the U.S. once the Japan tests are underway. U.S.-based participants include Stanford University, Google Inc. and the City of Torrance, CA. Torrance will get a plug-in hybrid electric test vehicle by the end of this year. Honda said its first hybrid to get a lithium-ion battery will be the next-generation Civic Hybrid, coming in 2011. More details are available in the press releases after the jump.
Honda/Acura NSX remembrance film - click above to watch the video
Up until the last few years, Honda was known for being one of the most engineering driven companies in the world. Soichiro Honda instilled a remarkable spirit of innovation in his staff, driving the company to spawn amazing ideas like the CVCC engines of the mid-1970s, the oval-piston NR750 race bike and the fuel cell powered FCX Clarity. As of late, though, the Japanese automaker has been looking a bit 'behind the curve' with models like the Insight, Accord Crosstour and CR-Z lacking the cleverness, spark, and class-leading competence that made past Honda models so iconic.
Thus, it might be a good time to take a look back at what made Honda so great. One of the all-time highlights of the company's road car portfolio remains the Honda/Acura NSX. Although both Nissan and Toyota toyed with the idea of building mid-engine exotics, only Honda actually put one into production. The influence of the NSX on its market segment extended far beyond its commercial success. The NSX was the first "exotic" to demonstrate that you could combine everyday driveability and reliability with supercar performance. Before the NSX, Ferraris, Lamborghinis and the like forced drivers to make all sorts of compromises in order to have their performance at one's disposal. It's fair to say that the supercars of today are far better all-around drivers today thanks to the lessons taught by the NSX. Unfortunately, Honda shelved plans for a successor model, so in many respects, one could argue that the spirit of the everyday supercar remains alive in the Audi R8.
Perhaps Honda's product planners and beancounters alike would do well to take a stroll down memory lane and revisit what once the company great. We can't think of a better way than to check out the dramatic video tribute to the NSX after the jump. Thanks to everyone for the tips.
2010 Honda Indy Toronto - Click above for high-res image gallery
The IndyCar Series made a major announcement since the last race at Watkins Glen, deciding to stick with Dallara as its chassis supplier, but opening the game up a bit by allowing other manufacturers the option to supply aero packages and engines. Many think this will boil down to more of the same in IndyCar, but at least on paper, it has the potential to get more companies involved. Some of the bigger nuggets to drop from the official announcement were the new, lower prices of these 2012 IndyCar chassis and the fact that Dallara is building a plant right near the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to generate a few more jobs for the state's residents and to make it quicker and easier to make chassis changes during the season. But all of that is still a couple of years off and they still had a race to run this weekend.
The 2010 Honda Indy Toronto is the second race run on this particular 1.755-mile street circuit around the Canadian city of Toronto, although there has been a major open-wheel street race in Toronto since 1967, and CART/IRL races have been held there ever since 1986. Dario Franchitti won the race in 2009 and went on to win the championship last year as well. This year, Franchitti trails Team Penske's Will Power for the points lead and after Saturday's qualifying for Toronto, the Target Chip Ganassi driver found himself fifth on the grid behind Ryan Hunter-Reay (Team IZOD Andretti Autosport) in fourth, Helio Castroneves (Team Penske) in third, Power in second and polesitter Justin Wilson of Team Z-Line Designs/DRR Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, who has posted some impressive results this year and currently stands eighth in the championship standings. Could Wilson stay out front for his first win of the season? Could Franchitti repeat from last year and possibly take the points lead for 2010? Or would Will Power place high enough to retain his lead?
Follow the jump to see how the 2010 Honda Indy Toronto played out.
Regular readers know we tend to be big fans of modern diesel engines. All the past demons that had plagued oil-burners over the years have been exorcised, including rough running, nasty smells, loud operation and narrow power bands. But sadly, modern clean diesel powerplants have never taken hold in the United States.
According to the Nikkei in Japan (via Reuters), we can add Honda to the list of global automakers that have abandoned plans to move further into the diesel realm. Instead, Honda will continue to puts all of its eggs in the hybrid basket, developing a new system for use in larger vehicles. Currently, Honda's Integrated Motor Assist technology is used in the Civic Hybrid and the Insight.
We can only hope that Honda's next hybrid system will expand on its current IMA tech, which has been unable to match the fuel efficiency and performance of rival Toyota, by being able to operate on the electric motor alone for longer stretches.
In addition to halting development of clean diesel tech, Honda has also put the brakes on the new microcar plant in Japan that was to build future Kei cars for the automaker's home market.
2010 Acura RL - Click above for high-res image gallery
Word coming from Japan's Nikkei business daily (as reported by Reuters) indicates that Honda has finally decided to discontinue the slow selling Acura RL and its Japanese market counterpart, the Honda Legend.
Ostensibly the flagship of Acura's brand here in North America, the RL has been a slow-seller for quite some time, upstaged in part by the company's less-expensive, higher-volume TL sedan. For some years now, the TL has offered more space, similar tech and even more power (in the Type S model), making the RL a particularly tough sell for dealers. Through the first half of this year, only 872 RLs have been sold in the United States.
Another production change reported by the Nikke that would only affect the Japanese market is the discontinuation of conventional gasoline versions of the Civic. If accurate, that would mean that from now until at least until the next-generation Civic arrives in the Fall of 2011, Honda will only sell the Civic hybrid in its home market.
In addition, the JDM Elysion minivan is also apparently set to get the axe.
Autoblog reached out to Honda for comment on the Nikkei story, and spokesman Chuck Schifsky would only say that the automaker does not comment on future product plans, noting that no official announcement has been made about the fate of the RL/Legend, the JDM Civic or the Elysion. Top tip, Joaquin!
UPDATE: Acura has released a statement saying that RL will continue to be the brand's flagship model and it's in no danger of being euthanized.
The typical U.S. auto worker makes around $30 per hour, plus benefits. In China, a worker would be hard-pressed to earn $250 in a month. That makes the Land of the Great Wall a very attractive location to build automobiles, but a recent rash of strikes by workers at Toyota and Honda facilities has lead to rising wages, a trend that Automotive News reports is leading to more automation.
China's traditionally inexpensive labor meant that automakers could afford to utilize humans where the same task would be accomplished by a robot in higher cost countries like the U.S. or Canada. Both strikes and the anticipated rise of China's currency are but a couple of reasons automakers have increased by a reported 20-30 percent spending on robots, sensors, frequency converters and conveyors. And companies like Siemens in Germany and Rockwell Automation here in the States are reaping the rewards of the increased spending on automation as AN reports that stock prices at those companies are steadily rising.
AN quotes Wenjie Ge of Nomura Securities as saying that wages in China will double in only five years, adding "the pace of automation in Chinese factories is faster than Japan in the 1980s." Some analysts feel that China's economy is growing so fast that lower cost nations like Vietnam will soon take some of China's manufacturing jobs. But since China has quickly become the largest market in the world for auto sales, there's still a lot of vehicles built in China for many years to come.
2010 Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen - Click above for high-res image gallery
The IndyCar Series celebrated the Independence Day holiday at the Glen, with the running of the 2010 Camping World Grand Prix in Watkins Glen, New York. This race signaled a return to road courses for the IRL after four oval runs in a row. Heading into Watkins Glen, Penske's Will Power held the overall and road course points leads in the championship standings with Target Chip Ganassi's Scott Dixon in second overall, but first in the oval championship. Dixon had won the last three-in-a-row at Watkins Glen, though, so Power shouldn't have expected to pull ahead of his closest rival too easily after this round of the championship.
Saturday's qualifying showed that Power and his Penske teammates were still the team to beat, Will claiming yet another Peak Performance Pole Position and stablemates Helio Castroneves and Ryan Briscoe qualifying second and third. It set up an interesting Fourth of July race, with Power having a bit of a buffer between him and the other title chasers - not that Helio or Briscoe were going to just hand Will the win.
Follow the jump to see how the 2010 Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen played out.
[Images: Streeter Lecka, Nick Laham/Getty Images, Mel Evans, David Duprey, David Boe, Douglas Ford Rea, Charles Berch, Russ Hamilton, Michael Rogers/AP]
Aftermarket experts inspect the Honda CR-Z at SEMA preview event
Have you ever wondered how the aftermarket is always ready with custom-fit parts and accessories as soon as a new model is introduced? You probably assumed tuners get advance copies of the latest and greatest to slice and dice, but that's not quite the case, and our friends from Clunkbucket have lifted the veil off the process.
They were invited into a special gathering arranged by Honda and the Specialty Equipment Marketing Association, or SEMA. As you can see from the photo above, reps from several aftermarket tuning companies were allowed to get their hands on three new Honda CR-Z hybrids at a measuring session.
As Mike Bumbeck of Clunkbucket describes it, "The three 2011 Honda CR-Z hybrids shown here are being measured for everything from seat covers to supercharger systems."
With Honda's marketing focused on the CR-Z as the first sporty hybrid, part of the strategy is to have performance parts available right out of the box. These measuring sessions are how that happens. We've already seen some of the fruits of their labor, with Spoon, Mugen and even Honda showing the possibilities, so we're looking forward to finally getting a chance to see what the U.S. tuning arms have created for the SEMA show later this year.
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Chris Shunk rejoins Sam, Alex and Dan for Episode #184 of the Autoblog Podcast. Topics we mull are Tesla's actual IPO and General Motors' apparently impending public offering. Gordon Murray's T.25 city car makes the cut before we do a 180 and talk about the possibility of a 480-horsepower Dodge Challenger SRT8 and a manlier minivan. It ends with your feedback, a tidy hour and ten minutes. See you next week!
Autoblog Podcast #184 - IPOs, Manly Minivans, City Cars and Hemi Horsepower
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2011 Honda Accord Coupe - Click above for high-res image gallery
Honda has unveiled updates to its new Accord Coupe and Sedan for the 2011 model year. Chief among the changes are improvements to the car's aerodynamics, reduced engine friction and revised transmission gearing that all add up to increased fuel efficiency. According to the automaker, four-cylinder sedans equipped with an automatic transmission now achieve 23 miles per gallon in the city (a two mpg improvement) and 34 mpg on the highway (a three mpg improvement).
Styling updates are mostly limited to the front fascias, which now appear to be more in line with the blocky look of the Accord Crosstour... for better or for worse. Brake lights and bumpers also get slight revisions, and new wheels are optional on V6 models. The Coupe gets optional steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters and a USB Audio Interface, while all models with navigation get a rear view camera system.
Sadly, most models are still equipped with five-speed transmissions, both automatic and manual - save for the EX-L V6 Coupe, which gets a six-speed stick. There are a slew of additional detail and package updates, and you'll find them all in the press release pasted after the break. We've also created a high-res image gallery of each model that you can browse through below. Enjoy!
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This week's podcast team is Sam Abuelsamid, Alex Nunez and Dan Roth. We dive right in after a quick garage overview and take on the 2011 Honda Odyssey, JD Power's Initial Quality Study results, action suggested by the new United Auto Workers president, and a whole bunch of first drives. The 2011 Grand Cherokee, Honda CR-Z and Cadillac CTS Coupe were all sampled by our wheelmen, and we discuss. We work in your feedback and wrap up with a question at the 80-minute mark. See you next week!
Autoblog Podcast #183 - Odyssey, IQS, UAW, CR-Z, CTS Coupe and Grand Cherokee
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2011 Honda CR-Z - Click above for high-res image gallery
We've driven the 2011 CR-Z and now Honda's slapped a sticker on its hybrid hatch before sales begin August 24.
The CR-Z is available in three trim levels, with the base price of the six-speed manual-equipped model coming in at $19,200 (plus a D&D charge of $750). Option up for the EX and a 360-watt stereo, Bluetooth integration and a leather wrapped wheel are yours for the taking for $20,760. Tack on the navigation system ("Navi" in Honda parlance) and the price swells to $22,560.
If you absolutely must - and we'd seriously advise against it - you can equip the CR-Z with the CVT for $650, complete with seven faux ratios and a slight boost in fuel economy. Make the jump for the details and a complete pricing breakdown.
2012 Hyundai Veloster - Click above for high-res image gallery
At a media breakfast in Los Angeles this morning, Hyundai Motor America president John Krafcik let slip that the Korean automaker expects to breach the 40 miles-per-gallon barrier with its forthcoming small sports coupe. Conveniently, if they can reach that performance target, that would best the new 2011 Honda CR-Z, which, despite its hybrid powertrain, achieves just 36/39 city/highway when equipped with a CVT and 31/37 with a manual gearbox. The as-yet-unnamed Hyundai coupe (the nameplates Veloster and Tiburon are still up for discussion) will achieve those figures with a conventional four-cylinder engine, eschewing the added cost, complexity and weight of a gas-electric system.
Likening the forthcoming model to a long-distance runner, Krafcik promises that not only will this Hyundai best the Honda in fuel economy, it will also deliver better performance as well as added utility (read: rear seats and better access). Given that it won't have the cost penalty of a hybrid drivetrain (a 140-horsepower, 1.6-liter engine is expected), we'd be surprised if it doesn't come in at a lower price-point, as well.
In addition to sipping gas, Krafcik emphasized to Autoblog that a key mission for the affordable coupe will be enticing the world's young and increasingly auto-ambivalent consumers with additional technology - all Velosters will come with a large screen on the dashboard as standard equipment, presumably to manage connectivity features in addition to more traditional vehicle functions.
With 40 mpg practicality and superior utility, it would appear that the Veloster not only has a shot at taking on Honda's CR-Z, but also more conventional economy cars like the Ford Fiesta, perhaps trading a bit of practicality in favor of edgier coupe styling and (hopefully) greater performance.
There was a time in the not too distant past when Honda had a slew of fun-to-drive tuner specials ranging from tiny JDM Beat kei-car to the razor-sharp S2000. Both of those vehicles are dead and gone now, but a report from Motor Trend posits that Honda could be working on a way to replace both vehicles in one tidy (and presumably, fun-to-drive) little package.
The rumored roadster, which reportedly wouldn't be production-ready until 2014, would utilize a subframe with a mid-engine layout for optimum weight distribution. If this exciting-sounding ride is indeed in utero, the big question would surround the avenue Honda would choose for propulsion. Options include a small, possibly boosted gasoline motor, a CR-Z-like hybrid and possibly even an electric-only solution. All three options would likely be relatively efficient due to the roadster's small stature, but MT points out that a gas-only option could limit the vehicle's international appeal.
A mixture between a Beat and an S2000 sounds great to us, but is there any proof that such a vehicle is under development? The magazine did some digging and discovered a Honda patent pending in Japan for a subframe vehicle with an "engine being fitted to a center frame." Add to that the fact that last year we heard rumblings of a next-generation Beat that looks a lot like the rendering above, and we could finally be looking at a fun new Honda by mid-decade. Click on the photo above to check out Motor Trend'shot-looking rendering.
2011 Honda CR-Z - Click above for high-res image gallery
Let's get this out of the way right now: the 2011 Honda CR-Z is not a CRX redux. To compare the two - no matter how much Honda may want to - is to misunderstand the former and besmirch the latter.
No, the hybrid CR-Z is an entirely different beast. Despite its three-door shape and two-seat configuration, it has about as much in common with the O.G. hatch as a big-screen remake of your favorite childhood TV show. The basic components are there, but the whole concept has been throttled to within an inch of its life with high-tech gadgetry, odd casting decisions and a questionable demographic.
But to Honda's credit, its rhetorical comparisons to the CRX have died down considerably since the CR-Z debuted in concept form and then progressed into a production model. Honda may have recognized after a lukewarm introduction outside the U.S. that glomming onto nostalgia will only get you so far (see: Dodge Challenger and Chevrolet Camaro). And to make something special - a vehicle that transcends the emotional baggage of its predecessor - you've got to evolve the concept and avoid relying on rose-tinted sentimentality.
To an extent, that's exactly what Honda has created. It hasn't built another hot hatch - the lightweight, K20-powered three-door enthusiasts crave - and instead it has attempted to meld the technology of the moment into a greenified competitor to the Mini Cooper. Think of it as the rogue lovechild of the original and current Insight, with a few sporting genes spliced into its DNA. But can a hybrid hatch be an entertaining steer? We took to California's twisties and clipped a few cones to find out.
When the 2011 Honda CR-Z hits the streets this Fall, it will feature the latest iteration of the company's Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) mild hybrid system. The basic concept of IMA hasn't changed since the original Insight debuted in 1999, but it has been refined to improve performance and efficiency while reducing overall cost.
There's a wide spectrum of hybrids in the market, ranging from low-end, belted-alternator-starter (BAS) mild hybrids to the full-blown power-split strong hybrids at the top. The latter category includes systems from Toyota, Ford and General Motors (two-mode), while Honda's IMA provides a healthy boost in overall efficiency compared to a conventional powertrain, but falls well short of the best power-splits. Read on to learn more about the IMA system and how it's implemented in the CR-Z.
2011 Honda Odyssey - Click above for high-res image gallery
When Honda pulled the wraps off of its Odyssey Concept at this year's Chicago Auto Show, we knew it was just a few small tweaks away from being production-ready. Well, four months later, the official details and images have been released, and while the 2011 Odyssey doesn't go a long way in offering fantastic new innovations for the minivan segment, it packages the whole thing together in what might be the best-looking minivan we have yet to see.
The 2011 Odyssey is lower and wider than the outgoing model, and features what Honda is calling a "lightning bolt" beltline, a feature that was present on the concept van that we saw in Chicago. We aren't sure if we're in love with that quirky design element, but one thing's for sure, you won't see the origami fold and stepped greenhouse on any other minivan in the shopping mall parking lot. Other new features for the 2011 model year include available HID headlamps up front, new 18-inch alloy wheels, larger 12.6-inch ventilated front disc brakes, revised side mirrors and a power tailgate. Honda has yet to release full performance specs, but we do know that there's a 3.5-liter i-VTEC V6 under the hood, and early estimates state that the top-trim Odyssey Touring Elite should achieve 19 miles per gallon in the city and 28 mpg(!) on the highway.
Inside, Honda has made the most of the Odyssey's extra width, offering an additional inch of shoulder room in the front row. What's most interesting, though, are the three second-row seat configurations, including an all-new wide mode which allows the two side captains chairs to be pulled away from the center seat, meaning three child car seats can fit all across one row. Again, the Odyssey hasn't really done anything innovative with its interior packaging, but new features like a chilled cool box in the front center console, HDMI (high-definition multimedia interface) input, 16.2-inch widescreen entertainment system, 15 upholders and a trash bag holder (yep!) will make the cabin more attractive to consumers who need one heck of an all-around family hauler.
We'll have more details on the Odyssey's underpinnings in the future, but for now, hit the jump to not only read Honda's press release, but to see videos of the new Odyssey in action. A full gallery of high-res images is yours for the clicking below.
