The 2014 Honda Fit EV

Honda has been hard at work trying to get back on track with so many catastrophes hitting the company and even though the car company is usually lethargic and conservative they usually deliver well built vehicles. Honda is a company that is not afraid to offer new vehicles such as the FCX Clarity or the Civic Natural Gas and for their insight and engineering I salute them. Today Honda has once again delivered a vehicle that could certainly bring in some urban dwellers that are looking to cut out oil completely and go electric. The 2014 Honda Fit EV is their ticket to getting a versatile vehicle that has plenty of interior room, especially for a compact little car.

As for the Fit EV it received the top spot for EV’s as the EPA delivered its results. 118MPGe is the rating that the Honda Fit EV received with a combined range of city and highway driving of 82 miles of range which tops even the golf cart like Mitsubishi i-MiEV. So this will probably cause Mitsubishi to start losing out on a few sales but since there will only be about 1,000 Honda EV Fit vehicles being leased in only California and Oregon this year means that Mitsubishi should still be able to move some metal. What will draw in some Fit buyers is the fact that this car is delivering 188 lb-ft of torque and has a sporty suspension setup so this could actually be a fun little car to drive.

Delivery of the 2014 Honda Fit EV to the west coast starts this summer and then east coast gets it next year. Honda will start the program as a lease only and will likely start offering them for sale as a 2014 model , as for the price for a Fit EV looks to be in the range of $40,000 which will be about $10,000 less with government subsidies. Look for all EV’s to start getting updated batteries as we have already seen the Chevy Volt get. Honda claims that the 2013 Fit EV is able to recharge in three hours with a 240-Volt kit which is helping to draw in customers. So look for there to be massive advancements in the EVs that will benefit all of us as they become more convenient and better at distance and efficiency.

View the original article here

Read More

2013 Honda Accord Prototype Caught Testing

At the 2012 Detroit Auto show, Honda premiered a concept of their upcoming 2013 Honda Accord in the form of the Accord Coupe Concept. This barely-a-concept coupe concept looked similar to the current accord, but debuted a new honeycomb grille, LED accent and fog lighting, and a slightly more aggressive profile that included a bit of a ducktail spoiler.

Now we've got the first photos of the 2013 Honda Accord prototype testing and some of these elements have carried through into the production car. The upper mesh grille is gone, replaced with a thickly slatted one that looks like the Accord Crosstour's. Brakes on the concept were slick, flixed-piston affairs that would never, ever, ever make production in an Accord and we're seeing sliding calipers front and rear (most likely one piston each) instead. Finally, and call us crazy, but that bundle of fabric at the back looks to be covering a ducktail spoiler.

Overall, however, this looks like an Accord. As the concept did. Is that enough in 2013? With the 2013 Altima, new Camry, Optima, Sonata and the upcoming drop-dead-gorgeous 2013 Fusion, how long can Honda play this tune?

View the original article here

Read More

Honda to Assemble Fit Hybrids in Thailand

Honda Motor Co. has made plans to start assembly of Fit Hybrid in Thailand. Also known as the Jazz, this follows previous announcements of Fit/Jazz production expansion, which has seen a new facility open in China to assemble conventional examples, including those destined for other export markets.

To date the Fit has been manufactured exclusively in Japan and it is Honda’s most popular hybrid car; last year some 86,000 examples were sold – mostly in Europe, Japan and the U.S. By adding Fit/Jazz hybrid assembly overseas, Honda hopes to limit the effect of a strengthening yen on profit margins.

A facility in Ayutthaya Province, in the central plains of Thailand has been chosen as the assembly plant for the Fit/Jazz Hybrids, which – initially at least – will be built from Complete Knock Down (CKD) kits. Key components such as the electric motors, the car’s battery system and 1.3-liter gasoline four-cylinder engine will be sourced from Japan. The opening of the Thai facility marks the very first time that Honda hybrid vehicles have been assembled in Asia, outside of Japan.

Besides attempting to minimize exchange rate issues, Fit Hybrid production was also selected for assembly in central Thailand, with the intention of supplying cars to neighboring countries. This will no doubt significantly reduce shipping and logistics issues associated with exporting complete vehicles from the Home Islands.

View the original article here

Read More

Honda CRV

The Honda CRV started out as a decent looking vehicle that would be versatile enough to go off-road as well as get through some inclement weather yet fuel-efficient enough to be your road trip go-to-vehicle. The vehicle was small, short and well proportioned giving it a sense of nimbleness then we witnessed the second-generation Honda CRV get introduced and I instantly knew the CRV was turning into a fatty. The CRV was like the un-athletic child that never ran around during recess yet continued to ingest nice big helpings of fried lunch food and over the years would continually gain weight and become less nimble. Honda then realized what they’re doing and in an attempt to replace the CRV they gave us a block of cheese known as the Honda Element. I admit the concept for the Honda element was right, and had a lot of unique features but I never could see the vehicle growing on me. Now the Honda Element is no more therefore only leaving that clown shoe Crosstour abomination as the only versatile vehicle smaller than the CRV.

For the latest generation CRV we see that Honda slowly turning this vehicle into a Pontiac Aztec. The vehicle is continually looking worse off each generation in my opinion. The issue is that Honda is wanting to streamline the vehicle in order to raise the efficiency and lower drag coefficient, and by doing so they managed to get 31 miles per gallon in the 2WD model. But we look at the much more chiseled and good looking Kia Sorento we see that it averages 32 miles per gallon. And the new Hyundai Santa Fe which also looks better in my opinion get up to 33 miles per gallon. And we have not even seen the Toyota RAV4 being introduced yet which could deliver even better EPA ratings.

The good news is that the Honda CRV starts out at a lower price than its competitors. I do see that the new CRV will have very slow acceleration due to its 3500 pound body and only 185 horse power and 163 lb-ft or torque. These figures though are not as bad as the Kia Sorento base model that only offers 175 hp and 169 lb-ft of torque and weighs in at nearly 3900 pounds. There is one other drawback that I see with the CRV compared to the competition for the Hyundai and Kia. That is the powertrain warranty as Honda is still stagnant and will not budge from its five-year/60,000 mile warranty. But Honda is still very reputable and reliable auto manufacturer that maintains resale value therefore this decision is the personal opinion but I would certainly test drive all four vehicles before making a decision.

View the original article here

Read More

The Honda Accord Legacy

Can Honda Resurrect One of the Most Common Cars?
 

Honda has been hit with more problems than they would care to divulge. But as we look at this company they have the ability to be on top of the game. The problem is that their vehicles are lacking something, but what? To me Honda has been a conservative company that built the best and though their vehicles lacked frills they did offer peace of mind to the owner. Especially during the late 80’s and 90’s when American cars were almost entirely crap. Today however I believe Honda has the choice to make. Either they find a way to drastically lower the price as the present day Accord as I think it needs to start around 17k for the LX model Accord instead of 22k. I can’t believe that I’m saying this but the Honda Accord LX needs to start out lower than Hyundai and Kia rivals because people are starting to migrate. The Sonata starts under 20k and the KIA Optima starts at 21k and offers 200 hp and better fuel economy and warranty. So if Honda wants to win the battle for sedan supremacy then needs to drop the price of the next Honda Accord or make it more exciting. The fact is that I don’t see a price cut at all coming as Japan exporters are all struggling with the rise of the Yen . So what will Honda do to bring back customers?
 

The Accord needs to be keeping up with the Joneses
 

I think that Honda has it in them to offer more performance as well as fuel economy. As the company is super secretive about the upcoming vehicles we can’t tell what they are up to. But what everyone else is in the industry is doing seems to make me think the Honda Accord will follow suit. I am talking about direct injection heads as well as lighter weight engine components and internal parts. This coupled to a CVT transmission or 6-speed manual that will help the vehicle receive 40 mpg. If this is the case then we will start to see more individuals coming back to the Honda Accord.
 

The Honda Accord warranty
 

I also believe they need to extend their warranty as they are Honda and make a great product so I doubt there will be a heap of cars coming in for drivetrain problems between 60k and 100k that haven’t already had issues. Yet this would give potential customers peace of mind when looking to purchase. If all else fails then just give us more power in the Accord.

View the original article here

Read More