Archive for March, 2009
Honda Upgrades In-car Telematics System
Writing for the Associated Press Yuri Kageyama reported that Honda’s car navigation system already maps the quickest route to a destination to efficiently avoid traffic jams. Drivers now will be able to get information about earthquakes and warnings of heavy rainfall ahead while on the road.
Introduced to reporters Wednesday Honda Motor Co.’s service will be offered starting with the remodeled Fit subcompact which goes on sale in Japan later this year. There are no plans yet however to offer this newest innovation overseas executive Manabu Nishimae reportedly said.
“We believe information services are an important part of a car’s quality” he told reporters.
The new car navigation system is free for Honda vehicles but drivers will have to pay mobile phone bills for the relaying of data with data transmission cards for a set monthly fee amounting to about 8 for frequent users. About 530000 drivers use the current navigation service in Japan or about 40 percent of Honda owners.
The latest upgrade allows email warnings to be sent to a preassigned address when car with the system is in an area of a strong earthquake which definitely is an advantage if you live in an earthquakeprone nation like Japan. In case of heavy rain owners can expect a forecast on a planned route with icons of exclamation marks popping up on vehicles the monitor.
Honda maker of top of the line parts like Honda cargo liner and currently Japan’s No. 2 automaker has also upgraded its map system so updates take just a few minutes to download.
According to the automaker the company has found a way to compress data so that portions of a map such as new roads get relayed piecemeal. On average driving time is cut by 20 percent says Honda. Up to now disks with map data had to be changed.
Navigation systems are offered by all the world’s major automakers. Navigation services include guides to nearby restaurants automatic connection to ambulances in accidents and as well as to human operators.
Another feature of Honda’s system is that it compiles information from individual Honda cars on the road. The new earthquake notification service for instance allows drivers to see which roads have been shut down.
General Manager Takeshi Imai says this kind of detailed information could even tell drivers exactly which lane of a freeway is congested quite useful for drivers who want to avoid traffic at all cost.
About the writer: Ally Wahlberg is a Computer Information Systems specialist. Ally leads an active lifestyle and he is a fan of extreme sports. He is also a car enthusiast and writing about his interests is one of his passions.
Honda Reveals A Slightly Bigger Accord For 2008
Honda Motor Corporation finally launched its much awaited Civic EX Hybrid which is filled with new features like DVD voiceactivated satellitenavigation as well as the Bluetooth handsfree phone system. The Japanese automaker also recently took the wraps off the new and slightly bigger Honda Accord for the 2008 model year.
The Los Angeles Times reported that the new 2008 Honda Accord look is aggressive with Honda venturing into the larger car market where competition are the likes of Ford Focus and Toyota Camry.
Chris Martin a spokesman for Torrancebased American Honda Motor Corporation said Americans don’t want a car that feels big on the outside but they definitely want a car that feels like its spacious and luxurious on the inside. We wanted to make the Accord feel bold roomy and refined.”
The new car is 5 inches larger than the current Toyota Camry sporting a 3 increase in its interior. Last year the Toyota Camry was able to outsell the Accord with almost 94000 units.
California has the largest noted car sales for the Honda Accord. It actually ranked next to Toyota Camry last year. “We’ve been getting so many calls from customers for the car and they haven’t even seen a picture of it yet according to the sales manager Arman Marsoubian.
The 2008 Honda Accord has two coupe and sedan body styles. A new metal sheet is given matched on a more powerful and larger SOHC 3.5liter iVTEC V6 running on a 268 horsepower and 248 lbsft of torque and on fivespeed automatic transmission. The coupe version runs on a sixspeed automatic transmission.
The sedan version also features the same V6 powertrain part but it was added with new variable cylinder management system that can be used to run either on three four or six cylinders. The new 19/29 mpg was set as its EPA city/highway mileage giving the new coupe 16/25 mpg mileage as well.
Other options include the two iVTEC 2.4liter fourcylinder engines running on both 177 horsepower and 190 horsepower respectively. The new car also has both reprogrammed engine control module plus the highflow exhaust system. These DOHC engines run on 21/31 mpg mileage for its fivespeed manual as well as on automatic boxes transmissions. The car also boasts of a more spacious interior.
Honda Accord does not have a hybrid version but the coupe and sedan version will be in showrooms this coming September 12. Prices and other relevant specifications like the Honda cabin filter are not yet revealed but the Japanese car maker promises to bring them out before the date of availability.
About the writer: Evander Klum is a Business Administration graduate who hails from Alabama. He enjoys extreme sports and he is also a car racing fanatic. At present he works as a marketing manager at an advertising agency in Cleveland.
Honda Redesigns Cr-v For 2007 Model Year
The Honda CRV has always been a popular compact SUV among American car buyers. Its compact design gives it a carlike performance while its interior and luggage capacity is remarkably like that of an SUV.
The Honda CRV is a good choice over a crossover utility vehicle or even a sedan if versatility is what consumers are looking for. And for the 2007 model year Honda made the compact SUV even better.
Outside the 2007 Honda CRV looks even smaller than it really is. Its aerodynamic styling makes it look like a version of the Acura MDX. Aside from that the original good points of the sport utility vehicle are also present. Honda made the latest version of the Honda CRV shorter than its predecessor while at the same time sharing the same length of the wheelbase. This makes the new CRV even smaller and better to handle.
Another improvement on the Honda CRV is the new engine which produces 166 horsepower and this is ten more than its predecessor. The tires are also changed thus giving the 2007 CRV 17inch wheels. This makes the Honda CRV look even better than a vehicle with a Nissan fender.
Features available for trim packages of the 2007 CRV include a power sunroof which is a good bet for car buyers who want to open up their roofs and let the sunshine in. The entertainment system is an AM/FM radio with an indash sixCD changer and an MP3 player which will please music loving road bound motorists.
For those who want better handling and security an allwheel drive configuration is available. The allwheel drive gives the Honda CRV a better handling and traction which gives it good offroad driving capability. The fourcylinder engine of the new CRV is quiet compared to the previous engine used for the CRV. The 166 horsepower is deemed by auto experts adequate to power the more than 3500 pounds bulk of the vehicle.
Other good points for the 2007 Honda CRV are the interior space and its excellent handling. Both these attributes are due to the smaller design of the vehicle. Since it is not very wide or very tall for an SUV it has the handling capability that one can commonly find in a sedan. While the dimensions of the vehicle are less than that of the past generation it offers adequate interior room. The cockpit provides good legroom and headspace even for tall drivers. The vehicle has a relatively low center hump which gives good legroom for rear passengers.
Even with its small appearance it can comfortably seat a grownup in the second row unlike most SUVs. This second row of seats can be completely folded down to increase cargo capacity to 72.9 cubic feet. With the seat in place the CRV still offers adequate luggage capacity of 35.6 cubic feet.
All in all Honda did a good job on the redesign of the newest generation of the CRV.
About the writer: Ryan Thomas is a native of Denver Colorado. He grew up in a family of car afficionados. He now resides in Detroit where he owns a service shop and works part time as a consultant for a local automotive magazine.