| 2007 Detroit Auto Show Press Conference: Honda Accord Coupe ... | | Posted Tuesday, January 09, 2007 12:46:40 PM by Blog57 Team | | You know, year after year, it never ceases to amaze me just how big this show really has become. It's more than just an auto show - it's an industry extravaganza. It's a world stage, on which car companies roll out some their most extravagant concepts or most significant new vehicles. But from our perspective, the size of a show is determined by the number of news media that attend our events. And I must say...this is an impressive gathering... and we sincerely appreciate your interest. We think your interest will be rewarded this year... and then some. Over the last couple of years we have unveiled significant all-new entries at opposite ends of the spectrum... with the Ridgeline pickup truck and the subcompact Honda Fit. This year, our target falls squarely between those two models - in the mid-size segment - the second biggest in the automotive marketplace.... | |
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| | | American automakers struggle to change bias toward foreign cars | | Posted Monday, January 08, 2007 2:46:19 PM by Blog57 Team | | Americans have a bias against cars made by U.S. automakers, but an AP-AOL Autos poll found flickers of loyalty that could offer hope for an industry struggling to survive. The problem for Detroit is changing perceptions that often don't match reality. Those questioned in the survey said they have more faith in Japanese-made cars than in vehicles produced by Detroit's Big Three. But General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and the Chrysler Group are going back to the future in their uphill effort to again inspire consumer loyalty and regain market share. What is the American auto industry doing to reclaim its evaporating support? The industry is returning to the types of autos that gave it a sense of "swagger and attitude in the 1960s," said John Wolkonowicz, an auto industry analyst.... | |
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| | | Honda first to sell natural gas cars in NY | | Posted Tuesday, October 24, 2006 6:46:17 AM by Blog57 Team | | Honda is about to become the first major automaker to sell a natural-gas-powered car through retail dealers in this state -- a version of the Civic that costs thousands more upfront than a gasoline model, but saves about 90 cents a gallon on fuel. The carmaker said Civic GX models would start arriving in about two weeks at six dealerships on Long Island, one each in Brooklyn and Staten Island, and several others upstate. .... | |
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| | | Honda UK to take on extra 700 staff | | Posted Sunday, October 01, 2006 6:46:02 AM by Blog57 Team | | Japanese car giant Honda is to take on 700 more staff and increase output from 190,000 to 250,000 cars per year. The major expansion of its UK plant, upping the total workforce to nearly 5,000, will allow the manufacturer to cope with demands for its latest Civic hatchback and a new CR-V off-roader launched at the Paris Motor Show this week. Announcing the increase at Honda Swindon, Wiltshire, a spokesman said: "This next phase of development for Honda is a massive vote of confidence in all our associates working at our Swindon plant and clearly demonstrates Honda's long-term commitment to the region and to British manufacturing." Earlier this month, Honda announced the launch of its new Civic Type R to be built alongside the Type S range at its Swindon plant. In addition, the new Honda CR-V, which makes it world debut at the Paris Motor Show, will also be built in Swindon and will go on sale from January.... | |
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| | | by Brad Edmonds | | Posted Thursday, August 31, 2006 12:46:09 PM by Blog57 Team | | An interesting point was raised by a few readers in response to my article on strip malls: Our homogenized (not homogeneous; there's still plenty of variety) suburban American landscape owes to Eisenhower and his interstates, therefore to collectivism, and thus is a priori bad. Yes, the interstate highway system has influenced our physical and cultural landscape. Our government is ubiquitous there's nothing in American life that hasn't been touched by it. This is among the reasons to bemoan government, but not to regret everything you encounter in American life. The automobile that influenced and was influenced by roads, customers, and government in America is one thing not to bemoan. Anything government does is a priori bad since no moral good can be done by beginning with an evil act.... | |
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| | | Honda Sells Locally Made Cars in Vietnam | | Posted Wednesday, August 30, 2006 2:45:47 AM by Blog57 Team | | Honda Motor Co. has begun selling its locally assembled Civic models in Vietnam and aims to sell up to 400 cars a month, a company spokesman said Thursday. "With a well-established brand globally, and popularity in Vietnam, we can compete successfully in the Vietnam market," said Pham Manh Hung, spokesman for subsidiary Honda Motor Vietnam Co. Motorcycles dominate Vietnam's transportation market, and Honda is the country's top producer. Hung said he believes that will help give Honda a competitive edge in Vietnam's small auto market. The company hopes to sell 10,000 vehicles a year by 2010. Last year, 11 joint ventures with foreign car makers sold about 35,000 vehicles, with Toyota taking a third of the market share. Vietnam imposes a punitive tax of up to 200 percent on imported cars, so producing the vehicles locally offers customers a slight discount.... | |
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| | | GM Will Cut Spending on Midsize Cars by $1 Billion (Update2) | | Posted Tuesday, August 08, 2006 4:45:50 PM by Blog57 Team | | Aug. 8 (Bloomberg) -- General Motors Corp., the world's largest automaker, will cut costs for new midsize car models by a third as it rolls out a system for sharing parts, vehicle designs and factories, a top manufacturing executive said. Plants in three regions will be able to build 19 variations of brands and styles such as Chevrolet Malibu sedans and Saab convertibles, Jim Wiemels, GM vice president of global manufacturing engineering, said during a JP Morgan investor conference yesterday in Dearborn, Michigan. The change will reduce spending by $1 billion, GM spokesman Dave Roman said. ``They have opened up everything to see what's available in the global parts bin,'' said Rebecca Lindland, an analyst at Global Insight Inc. in Lexington, Massachusetts, who forecasts vehicle sales.... | |
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| | | No Business Like Honda Show Business | | Posted Monday, August 07, 2006 6:45:55 AM by Blog57 Team | | HORSHAM, England - August 6, 2006: Attendance at the British International Motor Show in July was up 23 percent, as 420,000 people entered the doors of ExCeL exposition center. With its biggest British show stand ever, Honda put in a record-breaking performance too. More people took 'taster test drives' of Honda cars than the competition. In fact, over the course of the show, nearly 1,600 people had a go in a Civic, CR-V, Jazz or Accord – that's 22 per cent more than the next best. Visitors to the Honda stand were greeted by the Swindon-built Civic Type S – given its world debut at London – the Civic Type R Concept, and the remarkable 'View Suspended' exploded F1 display. As a result, nearly 10,000 brochure requests were made, and 1,000 people organised test drives with dealers.... | |
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| | | UPDATE: BMW recall extends beyond China | | Posted Sunday, July 16, 2006 4:46:12 PM by Blog57 Team | | Contrary to what we reported in an earlier post, BMW's most recent recall has not been confined to China, but includes 46,000 5-, 6-, and 7-Series models built between January 9th and April 18th of this year and sold throughout the world. The problem apparently involves defective rubber bushings in the rear shocks that could loosen and lead to handling problems and loss of vehicle control. BMW blames its supplier for the issue that was caught before anyone was injured as a result, but the recall will cost the German automaker an estimated 16 million euro.[Source: AFP via Autoblog Spanish] .... | |
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| | | Car manufacturer Honda Siel Cars India Ltd, which is doubling its annual production capacity to 100,000 units by the | | Posted Saturday, July 15, 2006 6:45:49 AM by Blog57 Team | | Car manufacturer Honda Siel Cars India Ltd, which is doubling its annual production capacity to 100,000 units by the end of 2007 three years ahead of schedule, is exploring options for a second plant. "We are already thinking about it. We are exploring various options. We may have to go for a second location," HSCI Vice-President N K Goila told reporters here when asked about the second plant in India. The company's Director-Sales and Marketing H Shimizu said it has scaled up capacity at its production facility at Noida to 50,000 units last November and the facility is being expanded further to 60,000 units this year. "We have put production into fast track. In the next round of expansion, capacity would be increased to 1,00,000 units per annum by 2007 instead of 2010," he told reporters.... | |
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