2012 Toyota Camry Spy video

Here's more on that spy photo of the next generation Camry.... I'd be surprised if this stayed up more than a couple of days....

2012 Toyota Camry Teaser Video

Promises to exceed expectations

Toyota has released the first teaser video for the 2012 Camry.

While there isn't much to see, Toyota president and CEO Akio Toyoda says the model is the "best Camry ever" and will "exceed your expectations." He also promised the Camry will be a "remarkable car in terms of handling, safety and fuel economy."

Additional information is limited, but the redesigned Camry will be available this fall.

Read more: http://www.worldcarfans.com/111063034613/2012-toyota-camry-teased-video#ixzz1QxKBTDba

Source;
http://www.worldcarfans.com/111063034613/2012-toyota-camry-teased-video

2012 Honda CRV Rearend Spyshot

Spied somewhere in China where apparently the current CRV is very popular.

Source (via www.burlappcars.com);
http://auto.163.com/

Woodyscarsite Find: 2012 Toyota Camry Illustration?

Source;
http://www.woodyscarsite.com/2011/06/2012-toyota-camry.html

Honda: Operating profit forecast not conservative

TOKYO: Honda Motor Co's annual operating profit forecast is not conservative given yen strength and rising raw materials prices, the automaker's chief financial officer said on Tuesday.

"I don't think assuming 80 yen to the dollar is conservative at all," Fumihiko Ike told a small group of reporters. "The same goes for raw material prices," he said.

Japan's No.3 automaker this month forecast a worse-than-expected 65 per cent fall in annual operating profit to 200 billion yen ($2.49 billion) for the year to March 2012 and projected a 6 per cent drop in global car sales to 3.3 million vehicles.

Many analysts consider its guidance overly conservative.

Source;
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international-business/honda-operating-profit-forecast-not-conservative/articleshow/9021763.cms

2012 Honda CRV website up and running

Shrawan Raja of the sites below was kind enough to send a 'heads up' to the new 2012 Honda CRV teaser site up and running here http://automobiles.honda.com/2012-cr-v/

http://indianautosblog.com
http://indianmotosblog.com
http://steeringnews.com
This is straight from Shrawan's site;

Here’s what the website says -

With a new design—both inside and out, new features and new possibilities, the 2012 CR-V will set a new standard for the class. As a top-selling crossover for over five years, expectations for the 2012 CR-V are high and we’re confident they will not only be met, but exceeded. Much more will be revealed over the next several months so be sure to sign up on this page to receive updates.

The new CR-V is a crucial model for Honda in India as the 20-30 lakh rupee crossover/SUV space is prone to a lot of tussling. The Chevrolet Captiva, BMW X1, Toyota Fortuner and the Renault Koleos are very desirable cars and feature-packed and stylish enough to take away limelight away from the Honda. The lack of a diesel engine is hurting its sales in India. In America however this won’t matter as the market share of diesel cars is not considerable.
It is said that the new CR-V (codename 2WS) will arrive with a 4-cylinder gasoline engine producing 180 – 220 horsepower. A hybrid variant is reportedly another development exclusive to the Japanese and American markets

The incoming model according to reports online will be marginally shorter (4,535mm x 1,820mm x 1,685mm as opposed to the current model’s 4,575mm x 1,820mm x 1,680mm (L*W*H respectively) ) and slightly more fuel economical.

Source:
http://indianautosblog.com/2011/06/2012-honda-cr-v-microsite-live#ixzz1QTwURi00

Honda is the brand with fewest warranty claims, study says

UK warranty specialist MB&G states that the companies that filed the fewest number of claims for the past year are those from Japan and Korea. Honda has received the top spot in this study. MB&G noted that as drivers have decided to keep the cars until they’re in their fourth years or even up to six years, there are some drivers who will be surprised with the type of maintenance costs that they’d have to incur.

Kevin Pearce, a director of MB&G, said that modern day cars are “reliable” but that errors are more common in the fourth or fifth years and if “the mileage reaches 70-100,000 miles.” He explained further that the cars feature plenty of electronic equipment that controls the engine management automatic gearbox and a small software error can often create issues.

Of course, there’s wear and tear that have to be considered. MB&G says that the average age and mileage of cars being is increasing, but generally, the corporate/SME market doesn’t like to go beyond the warranties. Pearce said that each year, tens of thousands of warranties are being processed. The average age of those cars are also increasing quite significantly. Pearce added that for now, there are more drivers who would drive around, thinking about purchasing a warranty for “extra peace of mind.”

Source;

http://www.4wheelsnews.com/honda-is-the-brand-with-fewest-warranty-claims-study-says/

Honda Greensburg plant gets survey's highest award

Honda Greensburg was named one of the world's best car assembly plants

.J.D. Power and Associates, a research firm that hands out an annual prize likened to the Academy Awards of vehicle manufacturing, on Thursday singled out the southeast Indiana factory.

Honda Greensburg received the researcher's highest rating, the Platinum Plant Quality award.The Greensburg plant, which assembles the Civic car, scored 24 problems per 100 vehicles, compared with an industry average of 107 problems per 100 vehicles.

"It's a real feather in the cap for a plant that is that new," said Ed Miller, American Honda Motor Co. senior manager for corporate affairs.

Honda opened the plant in 2008 after selecting 900 workers from about 30,000 job applications. Honda is now recruiting a second shift of about 1,000 workers to start late this year.

Honda plants differ from Toyota's and General Motors' by relying slightly less on automation and more on hands-on effort on the assembly line.

To obtain the results, J.D. Power surveyed 73,000 cars and trucks of all makes in the hands of buyers. The survey covers initial problems detected within 90 days of purchase of model year 2011vehicles.

Greensburg was tied for the Platinum award by Toyota's Lexus RX assembly line at Cambridge, Ontario, and Toyota Kyushu 2 in Japan, which produces the Lexus ES, IS and RX. Each plant scored 24 defects per 100 vehicles."

These results are an important demonstration of our focus on the customer and the tireless efforts put forth by Honda associates throughout our organization -- in R&D, in manufacturing and in sales -- toreflect the voice of our customers and to exceed their high expectations of Honda and Acura," Tetsuo Iwamura, chief executive of American Honda Motor Co., said in a statement.

Source;
http://www.indystar.com/article/20110624/BUSINESS/106240345/Honda-Greensburg-plant-gets-survey-s-highest-award

Lexus, Honda top J.D. Power Initial Quality Survey, Ford plummets

Despite being caught in the undertow of Toyota's recall and safety issues last year, Lexis tops J.D. Power and Associates' Initial Quality Study (IQS) as the best brand in the survey being released today. Even better, Lexus' flagship LS sedan had the fewest problems of any vehicle in the first 90 days of ownership.

Meanwhile Ford, which was fifth last year and the only mass-market brand in the top five, fell to 23rd this year. It had 116 problems per 100 vehicles,up from 93 last year and worse than the industry average of 107 owner-reported problems. Its Lincoln brand dropped from No. 8 to 17 this year, with 111 problems.

Power attributed Ford results partly to two specific issues about which owners have complained: complicated communications and other controls and a dual-clutch automatic that some owners found balky and unpredictable. (Drive On friend Greg Gardner of the Detroit Free Press explained the complaints and predicted the IQS rating fall in a detailed story here.)

Power also said new technologies were an increasing problem for all makers. While the overall industry average improved to 107 from 109 problems last year, the IQS scores for models all-new or with major redesigns was 10% worse: an average of 122 problems, up from 111 last year. Carryover or lightly freshened models, by contrast, improved to 103 from 108.

"Exciting models with the latest features are crucial for winning over today's demanding consumers," said David Sargent, vice president of global vehicle research at J.D. Power and Associates. "However, automakers must not lose their focus on the importance of these models also achieving exceptional quality levels. Expected reliability continues to be the single-most-important reason why new-vehicle buyers choose one model over another."

Honda, Acura, Mercedes-Benz and Mazda rounded out the top five nameplates in the IQS survey, which is one of the most closely watched measures of quality in the car industry.

With Ford's fall, you have to go to ninth place before the first U.S. brand shows up -- Cadillac.

Only it and GMC were above the industry average of 107.

Land Rover showed the biggest improvement.

The worst brands for quality? That would be Dodge, followed by Mitsubishi and Suzuki. Still the gap between best and last isn't all that great. Lexus had 73 and Dodge had 137 per 100 vehicles -- and the study doesn't take into account whether the problem was as simple as a rattle in a glove compartment or as bad as a cracked engine block.

Overall, cars had fewer problems, but the number of issues increased slightly in new models.
"Automakers must not lose their focus on the importance of these models also achieving exceptional quality levels. Expected reliability continues to be the single-most-important reason why new-vehicle buyers choose one model over another," said David Sargent, vice president of global vehicle research at J.D. Power.

Only seven all-new or redesigned models rank among the top three of their respective award segments, compared with 17 models in 2010, and only one launch model receives a segment award this year vs. five launch models in 2010. Just one-fourth of redesigned models perform better than the outgoing previous-generation model did in 2010, and eight all-new models perform above their respective award segment average.

Honda picked up seven segment awards for the Accord, Accord Crosstour, Civic (in a tie), Element, Fit, Insight (in a tie) and Ridgeline.

Lexus receives four segment awards for the ES, GS, GX and LS models. For a second consecutive year, the Lexus LS has the fewest quality problems in the industry with just 54.

Source;
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2011/06/lexus-toyota-gm-ford-jd-power-initial-quality-survey/1

Burlapp find: 2013 Mitsubishi EVO Illustration

Gotta say, nice looking illustration....
"Another illustration, so who know what it will look like.But Road and Track reports that the Evo is not dead.And the new version would be powered by a Hybrid system, paired with a 1.6 Liter Turbo engine.Why not?We still need fun cars around. I just wish they also looked more fun. So far it's just been tricked out versions of the boring Lancer.How about its own design, for once. "

Source;
http://www.burlappcars.com/2011/06/2013-mitsubishi-evo.html

Honda Mugen CR-Z driven

-Hybrid hot hatch tested
-1.5-litre supercharged petrol engine and electric motor
-Not on sale yet - production version could cost £30k

What is it?

Honda's tuning partner Mugen has been charged with demonstrating what can be achieved with hybrid technology by turning the eco-focused CR-Z sports coupe into a proper road rocket.

What's it like to drive?

Although power output from the electric motor is unchanged, by strapping a supercharger to the 1.5-litre petrol engine, power has been boosted from the standard car's 122bhp to 197bhp.

Select sport mode and the Mugen will hit 60mph in just 6.5seconds, but it's more the integration of the supercharged engine with the electric motor that impresses.

Power delivery is most unusual for Honda: there's a distinct absence of the rather flat take-up followed by the distinct kick that its V-TEC engines are famed for.

Instead, there's so much torque - 50% more than in the standard car - from just above 1000rpm that the power is delivered almost instantly and climbs towards the 6500 rpm redline with a strong linear thrust.

Equally beguiling is the duality of the Mugen CR-Z. Put it in eco mode and it will return the low emissions output and an identical cruising fuel consumption of the standard car.

How does it handle?

Superbly, but with one enormous caveat: the only car Honda provided for us to assess was a £150,000 development mule, fitted with track-oriented suspension, super-sized brakes, weight-saving carbonfibre bonnet and doors, and a free-flowing big-bore exhaust.

Even more extreme were the ultra-sticky slick tyres, which proved brilliant on the tight bends of the Rockingham speedway's touring car circuit, but hardly practical on a slimy, rain-soaked high street.

Should I buy one?

Actually, you can't.

Mugen is waiting to see if press coverage is positive and if there is a strong enough customer demand before it commits to production.

If it goes ahead, you can expect the sticker price of the road-going Mugen to be closer to £30k, and for that you will get the bloated bumpers, front and rear side skirts, aerodynamic undertrays and large roof-mounted spoiler.

Inside it'll feature two sports seat - the rear seats will be binned to save weight - a bank of extra gauges displaying water and oil temperature, a separate gauge indicating oil pressure and a heavily weighted gearknob to aid fast shifts through the six-speed manual gearbox.

However, although power and performance will be similar to those of the car we drove, the carbonfibre components certainly won't see the light of day and chassis modifications will be far less track oriented.

Source;

http://www.whatcar.com/car-news/honda-mugen-cr-z-driven/257797

Honda Announces Global CO(2) Emissions Reduction Targets, Including 30 Per Cent Reduction for Products

New Global Environmental Slogan Established

TOKYO, June 21, 2011 /CNW/ - Honda Motor Co., Ltd. today issued its 2011 Environmental Annual Report. Striving to realize the Honda environmental vision of the joy and freedom of mobility and a sustainable society where people can enjoy life, Honda has established 2020 CO2 emissions reduction targets to address the most important business management issues of climate change and energy issues. At the same time, Honda introduced a global environmental slogan that draws directly from Honda's environmental heritage - "Blue Skies for Our Children."

Honda has been pursuing its own environmental targets and is committed to proactive environmental conservation activities. In 2006, Honda set a goal to reduce global CO2 emissions from use of its motorcycles, automobiles and power products by 10 per cent by the end of 2010, compared to year 2000 levels. In 2010, this goal was attained by all products.

Honda has now set a target to reduce CO2 emissions from its global products by 30 per cent by the end of 2020, compared to year 2000 levels. Furthermore, in addition to reducing CO2 emissions during production and supply chain, Honda will strengthen its efforts to realize reductions in CO2 emissions through its entire corporate activities. Honda will also strengthen its efforts in advancing technologies in the area of total energy management to reduce CO2 emissions through mobility and people's everyday lives.

In addition, Honda has established a global environmental slogan as an expression of the company's proactive commitment to make progress in its environmental efforts on a global basis. With this slogan, Honda will strive to become the leader in the area of environmental and energy technologies.

The new global environmental slogan and symbol will be used with Honda's internal and external environmental activities and communications around the world.

■HONDA ENVIRONMENTAL VISION: Realizing 'The Joy and Freedom of Mobility' and 'A Sustainable Society where People Can Enjoy Life.'

■GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL SLOGAN: Blue Skies for Our Children
Honda engineers who took on the challenge to meet the stringent new emissions standards of the 1970s U.S. Clean Air Act used the phrase "blue skies for our children" as a passionate rallying cry to devote themselves to this effort. Honda wants to pass on the "joy and freedom of mobility to the next generation" (for our children), therefore, we want to realize a sustainable society where people can enjoy life (blue skies). This slogan continues to represent Honda's passion toward its environmental commitment which has not wavered and will remain resolute in the future.

■GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL SYMBOL: http://files.newswire.ca/775/HondaEnvironmental.doc
The circular graphic represents the earth and sun with blue skies (clean air), clean water, and lush green land expressing the bounty of nature that is necessary for us to realize a sustainable society where people can enjoy life. The white line through the middle represents a road where freedom of mobility is realized, while the heart represents Honda's thinking and passion toward our environmental commitment.

For more information about Honda's environmental commitment and activities, please visit the Honda website: http://world.honda.com/environment

Source;
http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/June2011/20/c7862.html