Honda Will Launch the All-New 2012 CR-V this Fall

For those of you following my blog on a regular basis, this won't be news....
Honda, like your local artisanal bakery, has a habit of throwing away perfectly good stuff on a regular schedule. Except that while La Crise Cardiaque Belle is tossing out that morning’s croissants, Honda disposes of vehicles that are still near the top of the class. To wit: the present CR-V, introduced in 2006, still was good enough to take third place out of eight in a Car and Driver comparo with several much newer vehicles last year. It also continues to rack up sales for Honda, outselling Toyota’s RAV4 by almost 40 percent in March. But the proverbial palm flower crystal is now glowing in the CR-V’s hand, meaning that its time has expired. A new CR-V, Honda says, will join us in late 2011 as a 2012 model.

As for the rest of the details on the H’s upcoming soft-roader—you’re kidding, right? No companies play their cards closer to the vest than does Honda. Still, we can take a stab at a few likely details of the 2012 CR-V. Figure on a slight improvement from the current model’s EPA fuel economy rating of 21 mpg city/28 highway in two-wheel-drive form. Honda typically doesn’t jack up horsepower from generation to generation, and the brand-new Civic just launched with a five-speed automatic—not a six, like many of its competitors now pack—so don’t expect the CR-V’s power rating to leap beyond its present 180, either.

It certainly makes sense for the brass at Honda to stick with what works, but with so many of the company’s competitors in the process or rolling out outstanding compact crossovers, we’re not enamored with Honda’s conservative philosophy. Then again, after 22,000 CR-Vs found homes in March, maybe American consumers are.

Source;
http://blog.caranddriver.com/honda-will-launch-the-all-new-2012-cr-v-this-fall/

2012, 2013 Honda Ridgeline and 2012 Honda Civic Update

2012 Honda Ridgeline
-Expect another Minor Model Change for this year but indeed there will be one.

2013 Honda Ridgeline
-This will be the Full Model Change over. I was told via reliable source that this vehicle is not disappearing, most of this depends on what is going on in the US, and that is favourable.

2012 Honda Civic
-The spyshots floating around (http://thehondaportal.blogspot.com/2010/10/2012-honda-civic-exposed.html) are apparently of the previous Civic that President Ito kiboshed, not the revised one.

Source;
Reliable Honda

RUMOUR ALERT: Honda Abandons the sale of Honda Civic and Insight hybrid

Hmmm....No doubt about it, Hybrid sales are slow, I just attributed it to low (are we really desensitized to $1/litre now?!?) gas prices, I don't think that Honda would go to such a drastic measure, but I've been wrong before....Not surprisingly one day or another. With sales exceeding 175 copies since the beginning of the year in Quebec, the hybrid Insight became a burden instead of a source of pride for Honda. Is it too much like the Toyota Prius, its rear seats bit inviting or I do not know what other avatar, but one thing is certain, Honda intends to significantly slow the commercialization of its hybrid cars in the Canadian market. This includes not only the Insight, recently renovated, but the Civic Hybrid.

At first, according to a dealer who prefers to remain anonymous, Honda had decided to remove completely the sale of the Insight and Civic Hybrid, leaving only the new model this year, the CR-Z coupe only hybrid. Such an approach had been an admission of failure on the part of Honda, so that both cars to disappear benefit from a stay that will allow consumers to order. That's what we told the director of public relations for Honda Canada for Quebec, Nadia Mereb. "Our dealers do not keep any of these models (Insight and Civic hybrid) in stock and the customer who wants to buy one should place an order and wait for the car be delivered to him," was echoed by Ms. Mereb.

It is a blow to all those who work to spread products less damaging to the environment and is also proof that Quebecers are shy to adopt greener solutions. Some say that the wrongs come from Honda which has not found the right recipe to woo customers with these two hybrid cars.

It is expected that this new raised much debate in the areas concerned.

Source;
http://monvolant.cyberpresse.ca/dossiers/dossier-auto-ecolo/201008/20/01-4308342-honda-delaisse-la-vente-des-civic-et-insight-hybrides.php?utm_categorieinterne=trafficdrivers&utm_contenuinterne=cyberpresse_B2_automobile_508450_accueil_POS1

Next Generation Honda Civic Rendering

Hmmm, not sure what to say about this one, looks an awful lot like that small car sold in Asia by Honda.... if what they're saying is true, the code name for the new Honda Civic project is "2 HC"....
2011-2012 Honda Civic (2 HC codename) Rendering and speculationThere are reports emerging concerning the next generation Civic (nine generation) that is set to be introduced in september 2011 as a 2012 model year car. Knowing the traditional way of doing things by Honda, the different markets in Japan, Europe, and America, will be getting their own variant of the famous Civic.

rumore to reduce width from arond 1750 mm to 1695 mm as the car that width below 1700 mm will get a special reduce tax benefit in japan. the Next generation Honda Civic (2 HC codename) will not get the big revolution in term of styling as the current model (Eighth generationor codename FD) is big revolution from Seventh generation

2012 Honda Civic hybrid to get a 1.5-liter gasoline-powered engine From Honda CR-Z
As you would expect, there will be a hybrid version of the 2012 Civic, and it’s again slated to get a 1.5-liter gasoline-powered engine mated to Honda’s Integrated Motor Assist technology. This powerplant will reportedly be shared with the upcoming CR-Z hybrid hatchback where it will be available with either an automatic CVT transmission or six-speed manual.

Source;
http://autoten.com/2010/03/08/2011-2012-honda-civic-2-hc-codename-rendering-and-speculation/

Rumour: Honda Working on Hybrid Motorcycles

The above pic is NOT the hybrid that they are working on.

We must admit, that this one caught us a bit off guard as well. After all when you reall compare motorcycles with cars, the bikes merely sip on the fuel while cars guzzle on it. So its not a surprise that most car manufacturers are concentrating on making 4 wheeled hybrids only.

But given that motorbikes require so much less energy, it would make sense to make hybrid versions of these - imagine having a bike with a potentially unlimited range. Things however are not so easy as you may think - once more due to the battery technology which effectively remains unchanged from the original concept a hundred years back.

However, Honda believes that it can shrink a hybrid engine enough to be mounted on a motorcycle frame. The hybrid motorbikes will be available in engine displacements between 200 and 1,000 cc, and, according to Honda, will be 50 percent more fuel-efficient. Production costs will be cut by using common components in both hybrid cars and motorcycles. Expect the hybrid bikes to be out as soon as 2010.

Source;
http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20080927p2a00m0na020000c.html