24hcar: Honda

Showing posts with label Honda. Show all posts

Honda to cease Civic Type R 4-door production

Posted by Mr Dung Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Drive goes to the front wheels through a 6-speed manual transmission.

Honda says it will stop production of the Civic Type R 4-door model at the end of August 20 The car was being manufactured at the company's Suzuka factory in Japan.Its predecessor had come off Honda's Swindon, Wiltshire, UK, production line.Unlike its 3-door hatchback sibling with 150 kW (201 bhp/ 204 PS), the four-door Type R's 0-litre naturally aspirated engine was injected with extra power for a rating of 168 kW (225 bhp / 228 PS).

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Honda’s NSX Could Be Revived—We’ll Be Lucky To See A 2011 Debut

Posted by Mr Dung Tuesday, March 30, 2010

[Autobid]

The Honda/Acura NSX could be revived as early as 2011, according to Auto Bild. In an unsourced report, the German magazine says that a road-ready version of the HSV-010 GT racecar is being developed to fight the Lexus LFA.

A new version of the supercar was officially cancelled by Honda during the peak of the economic crisis. At that time, the company announced that they would be eliminating many of their niche market models in favor of vehicles that are broadly accepted worldwide, and can be produced in large volumes.

The magazine says that the production NSX would come with a 5.0-liter V8 engine. The production version would likely be both narrower and less defined than the race model, and be sold without a rear spoiler.

The Honda HSV-010 GT uses a 3.4-liter V8 engine generating 493 horsepower (500PS, 368 kW). The race car had its debut earlier this month at Japan's Suzuka Circuit, where two of them crashed out .

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2011 Acura TSX Sport Wagon to be Unveiled at New York Auto Show

Posted by Mr Dung Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Back in October of 2009, Acura told us about its plans to expand its TSX lineup with a more practical station wagon variant in the fall of 2010. Today, the Japanese automaker announced that we'll get our first look at what is essentially the North American market version of the European Honda Accord Tourer (pictured here) at the New York International Auto Show on March 31.

"The TSX Sport Wagon will offer a new solution to modern utility needs with its balanced and efficient performance coupled with bold styling and versatile cargo capabilities," said Acura in brief press release without revealing any other details on the car.

However, we believe it's safe to assume that the TSX Sport Wagon will be offered with the same 201HP 2.4-liter four cylinder and 280HP 3.5-liter V6 powertrains already available on the sedan version here in the States.

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Honda 3R-C Single Seater Concept set for a Geneva Unveiling

Posted by Mr Dung Friday, February 26, 2010

Amongst other Honda moniker bearing automobiles in Geneva, a notable concept getting a preview will be the single seater 3R-C prototype which is a battery electric powered machine. Honda aims to make the world have a feel of the future mobility options in urban areas where clean technology will be the key. Riding on the three wheels, the Honda 3R-C Concept comes with a canopy which covers the driver’s seat when the commuter is parked and when the wheels get rolling, the same canopy becomes a shield. Honda has put in plenty of thought by even incorporating a lockable boot area in such a puny commuter thereby making it ideal for future urban needs.

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VIDEO:2011 Honda CR-Z Engineer Cites Lotus, MINI, Scirocco as Influences

Posted by Mr Dung Thursday, January 21, 2010

[WCF]

A new video produced by Honda attempts to explain the design and development of the 2011 Honda CR-Z. The 3m 08s video features the car's chief chassis engineer, Terukazu Torikai, who says the CR-Z was created with the basic concept of "fun to drive."

The engineering team drew inspiration from the performance abilities of the Lotus Elise, and decided that they wanted a car that handled as well as the MINI. Engineers also used the VW Scirocco for benchmarking.

"Since the target of this car was to realise enhanced handling we put huge emphasis on the settings of the EPS [Electric Power Steering], and set body stiffness at a similar level to that of the Civic Type R, using the base frame of the Insight in order to gain predictable control," Torikai said.

The 122-horsepower CR-Z Hybrid is slightly more powerful than the MINI Cooper, but at 2,670 lbs it weighs 174 lbs more. The European-tested car uses a torsion-beam rear suspension, which may not provide as enjoyable handling as other options.

Despite this, Torikai thinks the car will be a hit.

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Honda Releases New Photos and Spec Sheet on HSV-10 GT Racer

Posted by Mr Dung Monday, January 18, 2010

[Carscoop]

Today, Honda officially introduced its all-new HSV-010 GT racing car with which it will compete in the GT500 class of the Japanese 2010 Super GT series. The HSV-010 GT, which will take the place of the racing variant of the NSX, is all that has been left from Honda's V10 powered supercar project that got canned at the end of 2008 due to the recession.

Instead of wasting all the work that went into the development of the Honda / Acura NSX's spiritual replacement, the Japanese firm decided to use the supercar as a base for its Super GT contender.

Although the HSV-10 GT keeps the unfinished production model's front-mounted engine, rear-wheel drive layout, Honda's engineers ditched the V10 powerplant in favor of a naturally-aspirated 3.4-liter V8 unit that churns out more than 500-horsepower and over 392Nm or 289 lb-ft of peak torque.

Honda says that the blacked-out racing model tips the scales at a little over 1,100 kg or about 2,425 pounds and features a double wishbone suspension all around, steering-wheel mounted paddle shifters for the transmission and a rack and pinion system with electric power steering.

Honda HSV-010 GT Spec Sheet

Specifications and performance characteristics

Length x Width x Height (m): 4.675 x 2.000 x (not disclosed)

Wheelbase (m): 2.700

Vehicle weight (kg): 1,100 or more

Engine name: HR10EG

Configuration: Liquid-cooled, naturally aspirated, longitudinal V8

V angle (°): 90

Valve train: Gear-driven DOHC: 2 intake and 2 exhaust valves per cylinder

Displacement (cm3): 3,397

Bore x stroke (mm): 93.0 x 62.5

Compression ratio: (Not disclosed)

Maximum output: 500 or more

Maximum torque(Nm): 392 or more

Throttle control system: Mechanical

Fuel supply system: Programmed fuel injection system (Honda PGM-FI)

Fuel: Lead-free premium gasoline

Lubrication: Dry sump

Transmission mechanism: Constant mesh

Transmission shifting method: Steering paddle shifter

Steering system mechanism: Rack and pinion system with electric power steering (EPS)

Tyres: Front 330/40R18, Rear 330/45R17

Brake type and mechanism: Hydraulic ventilated disc system

Suspension system: Double wishbone

Stabilizer: Torsion bar

Note: The letters "HSV" stand for Honda Sports Velocity.

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Honda to Debut Insight Sports Modulo and other Models at Tokyo Auto Salon

Posted by Mr Dung Thursday, January 14, 2010

[Carscoop]

A tricked out Insight hybrid that looks like it came straight off the set of a cheesy sci-fi B-movie will be the crown jewel of Honda's fleet of cars at this week's Tokyo Auto Salon 2010. The largest aftermarket tuning show in Japan will be held from January 15 to 17 at the Makuhari Messe in Chiba.

The Insight Sports concept has been modified by Honda's own Modulo customization brand and features numerous aero parts that glow in the dark along with a set of oddly styled alloy rims.

The hybrid model's interior has been upgraded with bucket seats trimmed in Alcantara, while the same material is also found on the three-spoke steering wheel.

Honda did not say if the Insight Sports Modulo concept features any kind of performance modifications.

Aside from the Insight, the Japanese automaker will also showcase various other vehicles including the Freed Styling Study and Life Styling Study.

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2011 Honda CR-Z Hybrid Coupe with 122HP and up to 38mpg Unveiled in Production Form at Detroit

Posted by Mr Dung Monday, January 11, 2010

The long-awaited 2011 Honda CR-Z hybrid sports coupe made its world premiere in production guise at Detroit Motor Show today. Compared to last year's Tokyo show concept, the U.S.-spec model seen here has remained more or less the same with changes limited to the different alloy wheels, the larger exterior mirrors, the Honda logo that has moved from the grille to under the bonnet and the revised tail lamp crystals.

The strictly two-seater CR-Z also retains the concept model's lightly futuristic interior boasting a multi-layer dashboard and three-dimensional instruments with a blue color scheme.

The coupe also gets a mid-ship console behind the front seats to optimize cargo space while a hard-shell separator can be closed to create additional hidden storage.

At the heart of the coupe is a 1.5-liter i-VTEC engine with Honda's compact and lightweight Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) hybrid-electric system.

The CR-Z's 10kW electric motor assists in acceleration and also acts as a generator during braking or coasting to capture kinetic energy that recharges the 100-volt IMA nickel-metal hydride battery pack. The gasoline engine can automatically turn off during vehicle stops to further improve efficiency.

The hybrid system delivers a combined peak output of 122 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 128 lb-ft. of torque at 1,000 to 1,500 rpm with the standard six-speed manual gearbox and 123 lb-ft when combined with the optional CVT.

The CR-Z also gets a three-mode drive system that allows the driver to select between individual modes of performance for Sport, Normal and Economy driving styles. The system, which affects the settings for steering, engine response, motor assist and air conditioning, is activated through three backlit buttons to the left of the steering wheel.

While Honda did not announce performance figures for the U.S.-spec model, a leaked brochure of the JDM CR-Z makes word of a 0-100km/h (62mph) time of 9.7 seconds, which if true, isn't exactly what you'd expect from a car that's the spiritual successor of the CR-X.

What the Japanese automaker did reveal are the preliminary fuel economy estimates. Honda anticipates that the CR-Z will achieve an EPA-estimated fuel economy rating of 36 city/38 highway mpg for the CVT-equipped models and 31 city/37 highway mpg (7.6 lt and 6.4 lt/100km respectively) for the manual cars.

Again, nothing to be excited about. For example, the latest Toyota Prius that is powered by a 134HP hybrid powerplant and can sprint from 0 to 60mph in 9.8 seconds returns 51mpg city and 48mpg highway. Heck, even the BMW 335d sedan with its mighty 260HP diesel achieves 36mpg on the highway.

When the CR-Z arrives at Honda's U.S. dealers later this summer, it will be offered in two trim levels, base and EX.

Standard features on the base model include Vehicle Stability Assist, an audio system with six speakers, automatic climate control, power windows and door locks, remote entry and cruise control.

The CR-Z EX will add High-Intensity Discharge (HID) Headlights with Auto-On/Off, fog lights, a 360-Watt premium audio system with seven speakers including subwoofer and Bluetooth, and perforated leather-wrapped steering wheel.

[Source:Carscoop]

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Tommy Kaira Makes the Honda Insight Hybrid a Little Bit More Interesting to Look at

Posted by Mr Dung Thursday, January 7, 2010

The new Honda Insight hybrid is one of those vehicles that makes us wonder if the team responsible for its styling fell asleep during the design stage. Tommy Kaira has tried to address this "problem" by developing a new sport package for the Japanese hybrid.

The tuner's offerings includes an aero kit that is also available in carbon-fiber trim and comprises of a front spoiler, a new grille, side skirts and a rear apron with an integrated diffuser that can optionally house four tail-pipes for an all-show, no-go appearance.

The package can be rounded off with new 15- or 16-inch alloy wheels, a sport suspension that lowers the car by 30 to 35mm and various other accessories and parts such as sport seats, sill plates etc.