Honda!

That’s who!  Seems that Honda got sick of watching fellow Japanese car company Toyota eat its lunch round the clock with nonstop harping on the Prius, and as such has readied a line of its own hybrids to go after some of that fat green–and cash, too.  There will be a Honda hybrid minivan based on the Odyssey (it’s apparently already for sale in Japan) and a regular sedan based around the Insight.

Smart of Honda, I’d say–take advantage of current models to rejigger their fuel systems a bit and churn out a hybrid car.  Strike while the iron is hot and be rewarded with the ability to reshape the market as you see fit.

Hopefully other companies will start to take up this approach–I’d love to see a hybrid Ford Explorer, and if someone comes out with a Jeep hybrid I think I’ll just plain old lose it.

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It has been a while but Honda is now 50 years in existence in America. The company which started out in 1959 via the manufacturing and distribution of fuel-efficient Honda motorcycles, Honda pays tribute to the array of technologies it has brought into the business. The latest technology offering is of course the much hyped Honda Insight, the gas-electric hybrid that has been pretty much talked about these past months.

“On behalf of the tens of thousands of Honda associates in America, past and present, we offer our deepest thanks to our customers for placing their trust in Honda over the past 50 years,” said American Honda President & CEO Tetsuo Iwamura. “Today, in the face of new challenges, including the preservation of our environment, we renew our commitment to exceed the expectations of our customers and society.”

Highlights of Honda’s run:

• First automaker to meet U.S. Clean Air Act without a catalytic converter – Civic CVCC (1974)
• First vehicle to top U.S. EPA list of most fuel efficient cars – Civic (1977)
• First Japanese automaker to build motorcycles (1979) and automobiles (1982) in America – Marysville, Ohio
• First Japanese automaker to establish a luxury automobile brand – Acura (1986)
• First mass produced gas-electric hybrid car introduced in America – Insight (1999)
• First government-certified hydrogen fuel cell vehicle – FCX (2002)

Honda operates 10 U.S. manufacturing plants with two new plants under construction, along with 14 R&D facilities and more than 12 regional sales, parts and service, and finance offices around the country. The company’s network of U.S. parts suppliers comprises 545 companies in 34 states with annual purchases exceeding $17.5 billion in 2008.

(Source) Press

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Last May 22, I had posted about this crazy auction for a 2010 Honda Insight over at Rockybid. Though we never got to find out who really won this vehicle (or if there was any truth to the deal), today it was announced that a Lancaster Camp Director won the auction held over at Rockybid.

Jane Megginson was the proud owner of a 2010 Honda Insight which she won for a mere $1.24. Megginson will be at Paragon Honda to collect her 2010 Honda Insight which will also be streamed over at the Rockybid Blog.

Rockybid.com is an online auction website that makes prizes available to users for negligible prices. The site auctions off other items at significant discounts as well, including brand new flat screen TVs, digital cameras, Nintendo Wiis, iPods and more.

(Source) Press

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Everyone wants to turn to electric vehicle technology but look a bit farther and you may find it an innovation far from being the solution to the transportation problems we face today. Easier said than done, electric vehicles still lack the support of being powered, particularly since one time charges can only go to a certain mile.

Further, the cost for getting one vehicle is quite hefty. We all know for a fact that we are in hard times and with that in mind, cash or financing issues related to the purchase of a new car seems to be close to nil. Can you imagine buying a car for 4,599,000 yen, or 2,990,000 yen? You do the conversion but either way, you know it is going to cost you.

Japan-based car manufacturers are excited on the new electric cars set to be released in the market. Mitsubishi (i-Miev), Toyota (Prius), Honda (Insight) and Nissan have ready plans for their electric cars either this year or next. During that time span, the matter of charging stations has to be addressed and though we have seen a lot of sectors coming up with their own charging stations, the matter of determining how many they are is another aspect that needs to be ironed out.

The age of electric cars is coming. That is a fact. But also, the matter of how many can maintain and find resources like charging stations is still in question. In the end, without these requirements met, expect electric cars to encounter turbulence along the roads.

(Source) Bernama

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If you think the Honda Insight is the only thing that is making Honda hot these days, check the studies and records. It seems that Honda has scored another feather to its cap by being the preferred Supplier Working Relations.

Since 2002, Toyota has been lording it over as the best in the automaker circle. But apparently, Honda has been busy working on all aspects of its operation, including supplier working relations which is probably the reason for overtaking Toyota Motors this time around.

“Toyota supplier relations have lost significant ground in the last two years and it has slipped out of first place in our Study – a position it held since we started measuring the supplier working relations of the six automakers in 2002 with our Working Relations Index. Suppliers suggest a potential reason for this drop is a younger, less experienced staff in Toyota’s purchasing group for whom the ‘Toyota Way’ is not yet the way of doing things.”

Is Toyota slipping or are they just playing it safe? Remember, Toyota reported a first ever loss earlier this year and it seems that their fortunes are falling one after another. What could possibly be next?

(Source) Press

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A lot of the attention these days is on the Honda Insight. However, that is not all they have under their wing. And one of the overlooked vehicles that is still popular these days is the Honda Civic. And if reports hold true, we may yet see the future of the Civic, reportedly set to come out by 2012.

According to Japanese automotive magazine Mag-X, Honda is finalising the design and details for the 2012 Civic, and if the magazine is to be believed, we’ll see different sedan, coupe and hatch versions for different markets, much the same as with the current model.

The buzz around is that the new Honda Civic will come out with a hybrid version as well as a 1.5 petrol mill. This picks off from the line of Honda vehicles where the Insight is gaining ground. So if that were to be the case, it only makes sense that Honda will consider unveiling hybrid versions for their vehicles. In fact it would not be surprising if all their vehicles would suddenly come out with their separate and independent hybrid versions in the future.

-> New York Auto Insurance

(Source) Motor Report

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This is no typo nor scam folks. The deal is for real. We all know that the estimated cost for buying a new 2010 Honda Insight plays around the retail price of $19,800.00 but it seems that Rockybid.com actually auctioned off one for a measly $1.24!

What gives? Well you can go to this site and check it out for yourself. It is not solely for cars. They also cater to other electronics and highly demanded products which include iPods, laptops, netbooks and game consoles.

Rockybid.com is a new online auction website that makes prizes available to users for negligible prices. Although Rockybid expected the Insight to sell far below its ticket price, the remarkable final bid came as a complete shock. The site auctions off other items at significant discounts as well, including brand new flat screen TVs, digital cameras, Nintendo Wiis, iPods, iPhones, cell phones, GPS systems, vacation packages, laptops, netbooks, PC computers and XBOX 360’s.

Shortly after the auction resumed on Wednesday, May 20th, user JANEMEGG of PA won the 2010 Honda Insight auction after an extremely short bidding war with only one other user. Rockybid is currently in discussions with venues and potential sponsors for the event that will take place within the next 30 days.

(Source) PR Web

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Toyota unveils its answer to the Honda Insight, a cheaper and improved version of its originally dispatched Toyota Prius. Toyota has set the new price to be at $21,600 and has made a yearly sales quota milestone between 300,000 to 400,000 for the new version. For the still available previous versions, Toyota will reported slash the prices despite the new batch’s arrival.

Toyota seems to be preparing for the Honda Insight’s rampage as it not only offers an affordable but sensible car in the making. The market that Toyota is aiming to penetrate are the car rentals and corporate customers aside from the usual private sector car buyers.

Toyota – which also makes the Camry sedan and Lexus luxury models – has long been the leader in the hybrid market, having sold a cumulative 1.256 million Prius cars in more than 40 countries and regions, making the model the top-seller among hybrids.

(Source) Press

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The Honda Insight’s “Let it Shine” campaign goes full throttle as Vimeo LLC has collaborated with Wieden + Kennedy Amsterdam to break the boundaries of custom integration with a complex and unprecedented media-rich full page takeover of the said ad. The Vimeo.com community — made up of passionate content creators — embraced the integration wholeheartedly. In less than a week, the integration received 160,000 plays.

Vimeo engineers in the U.S. worked with the interactive creative team at Wieden + Kennedy Amsterdam to make such a seamless, highly integrated takeover a reality. The takeover incorporates such creative elements as watching plants grow along the sides of the page or having the lens flare from the sunrise sprawl across the entire page. Combined, these complex elements create a fully integrated user experience that embraces the spirit of the ad’s creative.

Vimeo.com was the only online video sharing site that Wieden + Kennedy Amsterdam selected to implement their custom ad integration of its ‘Let it Shine’ campaign.

(Source) Press

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Already being billed as the cheapest and logical car to own, this early the Honda Insight is being billed as the top car in Japan once it hits the streets. It ranked as the top-selling vehicle in Japan for April, the first time a hybrid has clinched that spot.

Honda Motor Co. has pitched the Insight as an affordable hybrid though such vehicles have a bigger price tag than gasoline engine cars because they’re packed with expensive green technology.

The Insight starts at 1.89 million yen ($19,000) in Japan, where it went on sale in February, and $19,800 in the U.S., where it is starting to arrive in showrooms.

Honda sold 10,481 Insight cars in April in Japan, according to data released Monday by the Japan Automobile Dealers Association.

(Source) Business Week

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A comparison test was recently made by Edmunds.com to which the 2010 Toyota Prius and 2010 Honda Insight were compared. After the comparisons, the 2010 Toyota Prius stood out due to quickness and smoother ride quality and quieter cabin.

In the comparison test, the 2010 Honda Insight was praised for its steering and for the responsiveness of its continuously variable transmission.

“Consumers who cross-shop the Honda Insight and the Toyota Prius will find two rather different vehicles,” said John O’Dell, Senior Editor of Edmunds’ GreenCarAdvisor.com. “And the selection of compelling hybrids in the marketplace will continue to grow over the months and years to come.”

To view the comparison test, you can access it here.

(Source) Press

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If you are in the market for a great but cost-friendly hybrid car, chances are you should check out the new Honda Insight. The all-new 2010 Honda Insight goes on sale March 24 with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $19,800 for the Insight LX, American Honda Motor Co., Inc., announced today.

The distinctively styled, five-passenger, five-door dedicated hybrid vehicle is powered by an Integrated Motor Assist(TM) (IMA(TM)) system comprised of a 1.3-liter i-VTEC(R) gasoline engine and a 10-kilowatt electric motor that together contribute to an EPA-estimated city/highway fuel economy rating of 40/43 miles per gallon(2). The Insight features the Ecological Drive Assist System (Eco Assist(TM)), an innovation that can further enhance efficient vehicle operation while providing feedback related to individual driving styles.

“The all-new Honda Insight brings the cost of entry for hybrid technology within closer reach of an entirely new car-shopping audience,” said Dick Colliver, executive vice president of American Honda. “In addition to making good environmental sense, hybrid technology is now entering a new era where it can also make financial sense for a broader range of customers.”

(Source) Press

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Well it’s good to hear that at least Honda is doing good through these tough economical times. They have recently announced that their recently launched 2010 Insight, which has only been on the market for 1 week in Japan, has already met their monthly sales goal (5,000).

Now let’s just see this thing hit in the States and see what the numbers are like. It’s currently set to go on sale in the US this April for around $21,000,

Read (HybridCarBlog)

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The Honda Insight has not even gone full throttle yet but Mugen has started to do its own line of work as far as car aesthetics is concerned. Ranging from exteriors to interiors, Mugen has been the known brand to improve on what accessories that Honda car owners often look for. And the Honda Insight is a new concept that they surely want to focus on right now.

Few hybrids will really get your heart racing when you look at them, and rightfully so: A hybrid’s focus is fuel efficiency, not aesthetics. Mugen, however, wants to change that notion with a set of accessories for the 2010 Honda Insight.

No word on whether the wealth of Mugen accessories will be available in the U.S. However, with the healthy accessory market, don’t be surprised to see some upgrades – perhaps wheels or floor mats – available at your local Honda dealer once the Insight goes on sale on April 22nd.

(Source) Automobile

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In a move that was perhaps forced by the continued decline in car sales today, Honda has announced the shelving of some high-end models in its fold. Among the vehicles that have been axed included the Acura brand, a proposed V8 engine, a successor to the Honda S2000 and a convertible based on the forthcoming Honda CR-Z coupé.

Honda likewise announced that its main focus at the moment is to shift to hybrid cars manufacturing to address the growing demand for alternative cars that are more conventional and economical to the common motorists today.

It aims to build 500,000 hybrids by 2012, including the new Honda Insight and the world’s first hybrid supermini, a petrol-electric Honda Jazz due next year. It should be capable of 80mpg and emit just 90g/km of CO2.

(Source) Autocar

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