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Report: Honda Fit Hybrid to cost $18,600* in Japan

Filed under: Hybrid, Japan, Hatchback, Honda

Honda Fit Sport – Click above for high-res image gallery

Honda is finally set to launch the Fit hybrid in Japan this October and pricing is rumored to start at ¥1.59 million or about $18,600 at current exchange rates. That’s a $4,700 premium over a standard gasoline powered Fit in Japan, but $3,500 less than the Insight, which makes it the cheapest hybrid available across the Pacific.

The Insight and Fit are built on the same platform, so the five-door Fit will likely use the same 1.3-liter mild-hybrid powertrain as its sibling. When we reviewed the Insight last year we concluded that its packaging sacrifices weren’t really worth the price premium over the Fit. If the Fit hybrid were offered here, the starting price would likely be somewhere around $18,000 based on the current prices of the Fit and Insight. We checked with Honda officials and they still have no plans to offer the Fit hybrid in the United States.

Gallery: First Drive: 2009 Honda Fit Sport

[Source: Reuters]

Report: Honda Fit Hybrid to cost $18,600* in Japan originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 09 Aug 2010 13:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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IndyCar: 2010 Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio [SPOILERS]

Filed under: Motorsports

2010 Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio – Click above for high-res image gallery

With just six races left on the schedule, the IndyCar Series moved to its penultimate road course event: Mid-Ohio. While series leader Will Power was in position to wrap up the inaugural Mario Andretti trophy for the series road course champion, he also had a good shot at putting the overall championship out of reach as well. While that was a pretty big deal, everyone was still talking about the crazy ending to the last race at Edmonton.

To recap, Helio Castroneves was black-flagged for taking the inside line while leading into turn 1 on a restart, but he ignored the order and stayed on track just in case. When he drove into the vicinity of victory lane three laps later, he was deflected aside. Helio jumped out of his car, looking for anyone with a headset who might be able to explain why the race leader would have to give up his hard-fought lead so late in the race. He didn’t get much of an answer – at least not right away. Chief Steward Brian Barnhart reviewed the tapes and stuck to his on-field call. For good measure, he fined Castroneves $60,000 for his tantrum.

While that pretty much eliminated Helio from championship contention, there was still a race to run this weekend. Follow the jump to see how things played out at Mid-Ohio.

Gallery: 2010 Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio

[Images: Chris Graythen, Rick Dole, Robert Laberge/Getty Images, Jay LaPrete/AP]

Continue reading IndyCar: 2010 Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio [SPOILERS]

IndyCar: 2010 Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio [SPOILERS] originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 08 Aug 2010 20:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Honda announces recall of 2010 Element models with manual transmissions

Filed under: Government/Legal, Safety, Crossover, Honda

2010 Honda Element – Click above for high-res image gallery

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced on its website that Honda is recalling 585 2010 Element crossovers equipped with a manual transmission. The vehicles in question may have an improperly set cable that connects the shift lever to the transmission, an issue that could lead to anything from a major inconvenience for owners to the increased risk of an accident.

This defect may cause the gear shift lever to interact improperly with the transmission, leading to the wrong gear being selected. Affected vehicles could also get stuck in neutral, lose the ability to shift into reverse or fail to allow the key to be removed from the ignition.

Owners of the affected vehicles can bring their Element to the local Honda dealership for a free repair. Some owners have already been contacted about this issue, but all 585 will receive a notice from Honda by August 9. Element owners with questions or concerns can contact Honda at 1-800-999-1009. Hit the jump to read over the NHTSA press release.

Gallery: Review: 2010 Honda Element Dog Friendly Package

[Source: NHTSA]

Continue reading Honda announces recall of 2010 Element models with manual transmissions

Honda announces recall of 2010 Element models with manual transmissions originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 06 Aug 2010 14:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Worth the Paper Cuts: Cardboard Honda NSX racer assembly shots are awesome

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Performance, Etc., Japan, Marketing/Advertising, Honda, Design/Style, Racing

Epson papercraft Honda NSX build – Click either image for high-res gallery

We were never the kinds of kids who could sit down and crank out a plastic model with any sort of aplomb. In fact, we have a stack of half-finished kits in the hall closet that fire disapproving glares at us every time we go for a fresh towel. Paper models, on the other hand, we can do. Few things are more entertaining that transmuting a flat piece of heavy stock paper into a 3D interpretation of, say, a Honda/Acura NSX racer.

You may recall that the printing gurus at Epson rolled out a full-scale cardboard replica of the Honda halo beast at the Tokyo Auto Salon earlier this year. Now a gaggle of photos detailing the construction process have surfaced via the web-scouring folk over at Jalopnik.

Now, here’s the really cool part. The whole build process is nearly identical to what you’d expect out of stitching together a much smaller papercraft model. How identical? Printer company Epson was kind enough to supply 1:24 scale design plans so that the rest of the world can crank out its own version of the car. Now if you’ll excuse us, it’s time to bust out the X-Acto knife.

Gallery: Epson Papercraft NSX Racer

[Source: Epson via Jalopnik]

Worth the Paper Cuts: Cardboard Honda NSX racer assembly shots are awesome originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First of Many: Fortune Motorsports Honda CR-Z coming to SEMA

Filed under: Aftermarket, SEMA Show, Coupe, Hybrid, Hatchback, Honda

We’re bracing ourselves for the onslaught of tuned Honda CR-Z hybrids coming to this year’s SEMA show. Honda has been hawking the hatch as a legitimate successor to the fabled CRX – a car that helped to push a whole generation of wrenches toward Japanese sheetmetal – and shops the world over have been champing at the bit to wring a little more power out of the seemingly anemic newcomer. The kids at Fortune Motorsports have been the first out of the gate with an up-skirt teaser for their take on Honda’s hybrid hatch.

Not surprisingly, the crew hasn’t released any details on their creation. We do know that the build will work in parts from the likes of ADV.1 Wheels, Falken Tires, Status Racing, Magnaflow and the neon fiends at StreetGlow. You can head over to the Fortune Motorsports site for a full list of the car’s sponsors, or you can click over to Warren Shim-Quee’s site to keep track of the build up.

[Source: Warren Shim-Quee]

First of Many: Fortune Motorsports Honda CR-Z coming to SEMA originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 03 Aug 2010 17:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Videos: Honda AU asks ‘How much _______ can you pack’ in a Jazz/Fit?’

Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Hatchback, Honda, Humor

How much hipster can you pack into a Honda Jazz/Fit? Click above to watch the videos

It’s no secret that the Honda Fit is one of our favorite small cars. It blends nimble handling, good fuel efficiency and an amazing interior package. Few cars with such a small footprint can accommodate four adult passengers and their stuff in such comfort. Now the folks at Honda Australia have launched a new promotional campaign and contest they’ve dubbed Jazz-packing (remember, the Fit is marketed as the Jazz in numerous other global markets).

Just as college students back in the 1960s and 1970s used to stuff phone booths (you do remember what those are, right?) and Volkswagen Beetles, a particularly nerdy looking “scientist” named Rodney oversees the packing of a Honda Jazz with everything from hipsters to ninjas, rappers, and even strongmen and women – you can see all of the clever videos after the jump.

If you’ve got an idea of what to pack in a Jazz and you live in Australia, just upload a photo to the site where visitors can vote and the entries that get the most votes will get produced into a video like the ones you see after the jump. Whoever suggests the most popular entry will win the car used in the making of the ad.

[Source: Honda Australia]

Continue reading Videos: Honda AU asks ‘How much _______ can you pack’ in a Jazz/Fit?’

Videos: Honda AU asks ‘How much _______ can you pack’ in a Jazz/Fit?’ originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 02 Aug 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Review: 2010 Honda Civic Si HFP not fast, is curious

Filed under: Budget, Sedan, Performance, Honda, Reviews

2010 Honda Civic Si HFP – Click above for high-res image gallery

There was a time was when any serious discussion of “hot hatches” – small, lightweight economy cars pumped full of go-fast parts and body modifications of dubious taste – always included the Honda Civic Si. Back in the day, the D16Z6-engined Si would routinely do battle against the Volkswagen GTI and Nissan Sentra SE-R for import tuner supremacy. Times, however, change.

These days, the battle for hot hatch supremacy starts and essentially ends with turbocharged beasties like the Mitsubishi Evolution and Subaru WRX/STI, with a dash of MazdaSpeed3 or Mini Cooper S thrown in for flavor. The Sentra SE-R is little more than a sad shell of its former self (a fact we find odd considering just how much cache Nissan has built up for the brand with its exotic-destroying Godzilla GT-R) and the Volkswagen GTI has evolved into an entry-level Audi – lots of interior and NVH refinement, but lacking the kicked-in-the-you-know-where power necessary to keep up with the all-wheel-drive Japanese kids. But what about the Civic Si? Where does it fit into the import tuner lexicon, especially when loaded up with lots of Honda Factory Performance (HFP) parts? Make the jump as we attempt to find out.

Gallery: Review: 2010 Honda Civic Si HFP

Continue reading Review: 2010 Honda Civic Si HFP not fast, is curious

Review: 2010 Honda Civic Si HFP not fast, is curious originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Shots: 2012 Honda Civic struts its stuff in Europe

Filed under: Spy Photos, Europe, Hatchback, Honda

Euro-spec Honda Civic spy shots – Click above for high-res image gallery

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.

Gallery: 2012 European Honda Civic: Spy Shots

Spy Shots: 2012 Honda Civic struts its stuff in Europe originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 21 Jul 2010 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Honda announces plans to sell plug-in hybrid and electric vehicle by 2012

Filed under: Hybrid, Japan, Honda, Electric

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.

[Source: Honda, Reuters]

Continue reading Honda announces plans to sell plug-in hybrid and electric vehicle by 2012

Honda announces plans to sell plug-in hybrid and electric vehicle by 2012 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 21 Jul 2010 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Remember, Honda?

Filed under: Classics, Coupe, Performance, Videos, Honda, Design/Style

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.

Gallery: Acura NSX

[Source: Format67 via YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Remember, Honda?

Video: Remember, Honda? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 19 Jul 2010 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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