Sticker Shock: U.S. Used Car Prices Soar as Nation Tackles Weak Economy and More

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Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later. U.S. used car prices are up 30% over June 2010, in some cases besting Kelly Blue Book values by as much as 25%. Trade-ins are also up by 30% since this time last year.

A variety of factors, including an economy still reeling from the Global Financial Crisis, high gas prices and the Tōhoku earthquake, are thought to be responsible for the massive price rise.

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Mugen’s Supercharged Honda CR-Z Hybrid Prototype Debuts on Film

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With development of the new Honda CR-Z Mugen concept nearing its end, the Japanese automaker decided it’s time to release the first video of the supercharged hybrid model on the road before its world premiere at the 2011 Goodwood Festival of Speed in July.

The prototype CR-Z is the collaborative work of Honda UK and its in-house tuning shop Mugen Euro. The hotted-up hybrid sports car feature modifications to the 1.5-liter i-VTEC petrol engine with the addition of a supercharger as well as to the Honda IMA system.

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Nissan Pays Top Execs Twice as Much as Toyota and Honda

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Toyota’s executives must be green with envy once they hear the salaries of their counterparts in Nissan. That is because, Nissan’s top directors were paid more than twice as much for the fiscal year that ended last March than their equals at Toyota, according to a report from Bloomberg. And this despite the fact that Toyota is Japan’s biggest car manufacturer and Nissan is number two.

In a statement that Nissan issued before its annual meeting on June 29, average salary, including bonuses, for 14 executives was 126 million yen, or $ 1.6 million. In comparison, Toyota paid its 38 directors and auditors an average of about 41 million yen per executive.

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Post Title → Nissan Pays Top Execs Twice as Much as Toyota and Honda

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Honda CR-Z Hybrid Racer Ready for Demonstration Runs at Le Mans

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The latest news from Honda’s motorsport front is that the Japanese company will campaign a CR-Z hybrid racecar at the second annual Le Mans Vers Le Futur (literally translates to ‘Le Mans to the Future’), which is a support event for the 79th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Nissan will also participate in the exhibition, which is devoted to showcasing the Le Mans racing cars of the future, with the pure-electric Leaf Nismo RC concept. Read more »

Post Title → Honda CR-Z Hybrid Racer Ready for Demonstration Runs at Le Mans

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And the Unluckiest Car in Britain is…the Honda FR-V

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Well, the question and the answer have already been given to you in the title, so let us elaborate for a moment. A UK-based car insurance price comparison website called “Confused.com” conducted a study to find out which vehicle make and model had the highest accident rates in Britain in the last five years. The company notes that the statistics you’re about to read show only a snapshot of accident-related claims made by owners of a particular make and model of vehicle.

According to the results, the Honda FR-V, a compact 6-seater minivan marketed in Europe and Japan from 2004 to 2009, topped the list with 2,529 owners of the model making 466 accident claims in the past five years, which is equal to a claim rate of 18.4 per cent, or close to one in five.

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Post Title → And the Unluckiest Car in Britain is…the Honda FR-V

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Honda CR-Z Mugen 2011

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So here comes another visual treat for the hardcore Honda fanboys from Mugen, Honda’s racing arm. And this time it isn’t a boring Accord or a Civic sedan, but a more purposeful CR-Z hybrid coupe, Mugen’s version being dubbed the CR-Z Mugen.

Apart from its homeland, the CR-Z has been on sale in the Western hemisphere since mid-2010. The Middle East being a hybrid-repellant region due to fuel being cheap, the shores where a vast majority of Honda fans reside never even got a glimpse of this fuel-efficient sports hybrid from Honda.

The 1.5-litre four-pot along with electric motors powering the original CR-Z has been treated by Mugen with a supercharger, thereby promising a staggering 50% increase in power and a rumoured juicy figure of 197 hp and 245 Nm of torque. Add to it a 15% weight reduction treatment done on the chassis and Mugen’s intentions for a hybrid beast has become reality.

In addition to the original set of driving modes retained from the standard car, there is a ‘Mugen’ mode which supposedly gives the driver an option to sacrifice efficiency for performance. Mugen claims that this one can match an Euro Civic Type-R, or even outrun it. While the Civic Type-R hatch makes almost anyone who drives it a Honda fanboy, one could only imagine what impact this one would have on the crowd – if only the GCC region is destined to be blessed with the CR-Z Mugen.

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Toyota Sales Plunge More than 33% in May, Chrysler Group up by 10%

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The numbers for U.S. auto sales for the month of May are out and as expected, Japanese automakers continue to be hit hard by the ongoing production disruptions caused by the March 11 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster in their home market. As a result, Toyota’s sales plunged 33.4% over the year-ago month to 108,387 units, while rivaling Honda saw its sales fall 22.5% to 90,773 vehicles, Nissan recorded a 9.1% drop to 76,148 units and Mazda 17,875 vehicles, down 20.9%.

General Motors dealers in the United States delivered 221,192 vehicles in May posting a decline of 1%, while the Ford Motor Co. said its sales decreased by 0.1% to 192,253 cars, trucks and SUVs.

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Post Title → Toyota Sales Plunge More than 33% in May, Chrysler Group up by 10%

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Honda Civic 2012 Sedan and Coupe Designs in Europe

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A peek through the European patent office files revealed images of Honda’s freshly launched in North America, 2012 Civic in both four-door sedan and two-door coupe guise. Given that the European market will get its own, bespoke version of the Civic, chances are that Honda simply wanted to cover its back like most of the competition just in case another automaker (we are looking towards you China) got any crazy ideas.
However, it is possible that Honda will offer the four-door saloon model in certain European countries to compete against the Volkswagen Jetta. With the exception of one version of the Civic sedan seen in this set of images and which features slightly modified taillights with additional strips that extend towards the license plate holder, there are no other differences compared to the North American Civic.
The European version of Honda’s compact model will make its world premiere at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show in September. It will be available in five-door and three-door body styles, while the Japanese automaker has also confirmed the development of a smaller displacement turbo diesel engine that will fit right under the current 2.2-liter i-DTEC unit.

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Post Title → Honda Civic 2012 Sedan and Coupe Designs in Europe

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Honda Patents New 2012 Civic Sedan and Coupe Designs in Europe

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A peek through the European patent office files revealed images of Honda’s freshly launched in North America, 2012 Civic in both four-door sedan and two-door coupe guise. Given that the European market will get its own, bespoke version of the Civic, chances are that Honda simply wanted to cover its back like most of the competition just in case another automaker (we are looking towards you China) got any crazy ideas.

However, it is possible that Honda will offer the four-door saloon model in certain European countries to compete against the Volkswagen Jetta. With the exception of one version of the Civic sedan seen in this set of images and which features slightly modified taillights with additional strips that extend towards the license plate holder, there are no other differences compared to the North American Civic.

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Post Title → Honda Patents New 2012 Civic Sedan and Coupe Designs in Europe

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Honda Canada Hacked: 250,000+ Customers Affected By Security Breach

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Less than a month after Sony’s Playstation Network was compromised by hackers seeking personal information, a similar mishap has struck the Canadian arm of Honda / Acura. In a notice to its customers, the Japanese automaker revealed:

“The incident involved the unauthorized access of information as held in our records in 2009, specifically name, address, Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), and in a small number of cases, Honda Financial Services account numbers.”

It is believed that as many as 283,321 have been affected by the security breach. Honda Canada Executive VP Jerry Chenkin released a statement saying: “The information was limited and is not typically used for the purposes of identity theft or fraud. We would like to sincerely apologize to our Canadian customers for this incident. Honda and Acura are working diligently to protect our customers' personal information and improve our data security procedures on an ongoing basis.”

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Honda: US Output to Reach 100% by August for All Models Except the New 2012 Civic which will Remain at 50%

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Following a recent announcement from Toyota predicting an increase in North American production this summer after the problems created by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, Honda today said that its North American factories would return to near-normal production for all vehicles except the new 2012 Civic by this August. Read more »

Post Title → Honda: US Output to Reach 100% by August for All Models Except the New 2012 Civic which will Remain at 50%

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Hyundai Set to Become Sixth Biggest Automaker in the U.S. In 2011

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In the realm of U.S. automotive sales, 8% is a magic number. When an automaker hits 8%, they know they’ve become one of the big guns. Ford, Chevrolet, Toyota, Honda, Dodge and Nissan have all made it, and 2011 is expected to be Hyundai’s year.

So sayeth market research firm Polk, and I’m tempted to agree. Hyundai and its partner-brand / internal rival Kia have steadily been evolving into truly world-class carmakers. They’re keenly priced, inoffensive to look at and comprehensively covered quality-wise – everything the vast majority of new car buyers want in this day and age.

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Post Title → Hyundai Set to Become Sixth Biggest Automaker in the U.S. In 2011

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Hilarious Honda Malaysia Ad Mocks Independent Service Centers

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As car owners, most of us have had bad experiences with auto service stations, either official or independent. Of course, carmakers don't like competition from independent units, so here's what Honda of Malaysia thinks of these stations. In a commercial for the local market, Honda mocks an independent garage called “HONDI” which, as you may have already assumed, offers bad service for big bucks.

A beautiful young woman, owner of a Honda Civic, is shown taking her car to the Hondi service center, where all sorts of strange things happen, with the personnel doing a crappy job while singing their own version of the famous “YMCA” song. If only service stations were such a blast... Follow the jump to watch the ad.

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Post Title → Hilarious Honda Malaysia Ad Mocks Independent Service Centers

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Honda’s Hot CR-Z Mugen

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Honda's sporty-looking CR-Z hybrid will finally get the performance to back its looks, as the Japanese carmaker teamed up with its tuning partner Mugen Euro to develop a high-performance version of the hybrid model. The car will be unveiled at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July, but until then, you can take a look at the first official photos of the car to see if they match the sketches released by Honda two months ago.
The Japanese company says development of the CR-Z Mugen is on track, with “performance figures already looking promising”. Honda revealed that early tests with a prototype car based on a standard CR-Z and a mid-tune engine have given 0-60 mph (96 km/h) sprint times around that of the European market Civic Type R (6.6 seconds). Later on, Mugen increased output by another 15 percent and reduced the chassis' weight by 50 kilograms, so that overall performance is expected to be even better than the Type R's.
The car will feature modifications to both the 1.5-liter i-VTEC petrol engine and the Honda IMA system in order to boost power and torque. Mugen Euro didn't reveal any output figures, but referred to the fuel consumption, deeming it encouraging.
"We've retained the three driving modes from the standard car and economy ranges from 50+mpg (41.6 mpg US) in 'eco' mode to mid-30 mpg (29 mpg US) when tapping into the supercharged power in a special 'Mugen' mode," said Colin Whittamore from Mugen Euro.
Engine and hybrid system aside, the CR-Z Mugen will also benefit from upgrades to the brakes and suspension, as well as from using lightweight components such as a carbon fiber bonnet and forged alloys to lower the overall mass. As the pictures show, the CR-Z Mugen sports a new body kit with upgraded front and rear bumpers, plus a rear wing and diffuser to improve aerodynamics.
For the time being, the CR-Z Mugen is treated as a pure concept study, but as Honda has shown in the recent past with the 240HP Civic Type R Mugen in 2009, there’s a good chance we may see a limited production run in the very near future.

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First Photos of Honda’s Hot CR-Z Mugen, Early Tests Show better Performance than Civic Type R

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Honda's sporty-looking CR-Z hybrid will finally get the performance to back its looks, as the Japanese carmaker teamed up with its tuning partner Mugen Euro to develop a high-performance version of the hybrid model. As we wrote earlier this year, the car will be unveiled at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July, but until then, you can take a look at the first official photos of the car to see if they match the sketches released by Honda two months ago.

The Japanese company says development of the CR-Z Mugen is on track, with “performance figures already looking promising”. Honda revealed that early tests with a prototype car based on a standard CR-Z and a mid-tune engine have given 0-60 mph (96 km/h) sprint times around that of the European market Civic Type R (6.6 seconds). Later on, Mugen increased output by another 15 percent and reduced the chassis' weight by 50 kilograms, so that overall performance is expected to be even better than the Type R's.

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Post Title → First Photos of Honda’s Hot CR-Z Mugen, Early Tests Show better Performance than Civic Type R

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Toyota and Shell Build New Station in California

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Toyota and Honda celebrated today the opening of the first hydrogen station in the U.S. fueled directly from an industrial hydrogen pipeline. Located near the headquarters of Toyota USA, in Torrance, California, the station is built on the company's land and is the result of a collaboration between Shell, Toyota, Air Products, South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) and the Department of Energy.
The station will provide hydrogen for the Toyota fuel cell hybrid demonstration program vehicles, as well as other manufacturers' fuel cell cars in the Los Angeles area.
“Building an extensive hydrogen re-fueling infrastructure is a critical step in the successful market launch of fuel cell vehicles,” said Chris Hostetter, vice president for product and strategic planning at Toyota USA. “We plan to bring a fuel cell vehicle to market in 2015, or sooner and the infrastructure must be in place to support our customers’ needs,”
Until then, other manufacturers that have fuel cell vehicles are free to use the station. Honda, for instance, celebrated the opening of the station by inviting users of its FCX Clarity model to fill up their tanks, with client Jon Spallino becoming the first retail fuel-cell vehicle customer to fill at the station. The FCX Clarity is available on a limited retail basis in Southern California with more than two dozen cars currently on the road.
"This is a positive step for our FCX Clarity customers and the industry as we continue to put vehicles on the road and demonstrate the real-world capabilities of Honda fuel-cell electric vehicle technology," said Elmer Hardy, senior manager at Honda USA.

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Toyota and Shell Build New Station in California, Honda FCX Clarity Users Rejoice

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Toyota and Honda celebrated today the opening of the first hydrogen station in the U.S. fueled directly from an industrial hydrogen pipeline. Located near the headquarters of Toyota USA, in Torrance, California, the station is built on the company's land and is the result of a collaboration between Shell, Toyota, Air Products, South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) and the Department of Energy.

The station will provide hydrogen for the Toyota fuel cell hybrid demonstration program vehicles, as well as other manufacturers' fuel cell cars in the Los Angeles area.

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Post Title → Toyota and Shell Build New Station in California, Honda FCX Clarity Users Rejoice

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Honda USA Shows Some Personal Appreciation to its Facebook Fans

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Recently, Honda USA’s facebook page hit the one-millionth fan mark. To show its appreciation, the Japanese brand responded with some personal gestures that, unlike the look of some of its more recent models like the Civic, took some of its fans by surprise.

For example, in response to a fan that mowed the Honda logo on his lawn, the Japanese company carved his name into the corporate headquarters next to the main entrance. Another fan that showed his love for Honda with a tattoo of the brand’s logo was surprise to find out that Honda's vice president of marketing got an airbrushed tattoo of his name and face. Finally, a fan that received a Honda haircut was emulated by a Honda associate who carved the fan's name in his hair.

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Honda President Says NSX Successor Back on Track, May Use a Hybrid Drivetrain

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The Shanghai Auto Show brought some exciting news for Honda fans as the Japanese automaker revealed plans for the development of a new sports car that will be the spiritual successor to the iconic Honda NSX (Acura NSX in North America).

Speaking on the sidelines of the show, Honda Motor Company president, Takanobu Ito, said the new car won't feature the V10 engine that had been planned for the next NSX, as the company scrapped this project back in 2008, during the global financial crisis. Ito told reporters that the future NSX would be exhilarating to drive but also environmentally friendly. “That's the kind of sports car we want to make. We are working very hard on it,” Ito was quoted as saying by Autonews.

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Post Title → Honda President Says NSX Successor Back on Track, May Use a Hybrid Drivetrain

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