Hybrid Honda Insight & Civic Vehicles Delayed in Use of California Car Pool Lanes

The California State Department of Motor Vehicles has confirmed drivers of the Honda hybrid Civic and Honda Insight are still unable to use California highway car-pool lanes due to a pending waiver from the federal government.

The new law will allow for the cleanest, most-fuel-efficient class of hybrids, of which only the Hybrid Honda Civic, Honda Insight and Toyota Prius currently qualify, to apply for a car-pool lane permit.

A California DMV spokesman, however, said they are currently unable to issue the permit due to a pending waiver by the federal government after congress legislated that states need a waiver to change car-pool lane rules because the lanes are funded by the federal portion of the gas tax. Complicating matters further, the DMV stated, was the fact that Ford and other American carmakers, whose hybrid car models don't currently meet the California law's 45 miles per gallon and near-zero emission standards, began lobbying to block or weaken the standards.

The number of California hybrid drivers that currently qualify for the special permits is estimated at 20,000 and is expected to reach 75,000 in the next three years.

Car Similar to Honda Fit will be Offered to American Market in 2006

Hoping to capitalize on the success of Toyota Motor Corp.'s entry-level Toyota Scion, Honda announced it will be offering a new entry level compact in the U.S. in 2006. "We are bringing a car from Japan for entry level and young people in the U.S.,'' Honda President Takeo Fukui is reported as saying in an interview recently. "The U.S. first-time buyers' market has been left 'vacant' by Honda," he added.

The compact car is expected to be smaller than the Civic model "Toyota had success in the U.S. with its Scion brand and Honda will probably succeed, too,'' one industry analyst said.

According to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Honda has filed for U.S. trademarks based on the Fit compact car in 2003. The Honda Fit compact car in currently sold in Japan with either a 1.3-liter or 1.5-liter engine. The five-door hatchback was Japan's most successful vehicle model in August and September. The Fit is also sold as the Honda Jazz compact car in Europe and is also exported from Japanese production facilities. Analysts indicate these models have begun to offset impact of the popular Toyota Scion.

Honda NASCAR Program Speculated to Follow on Future Announcement of Toyota

Motorsport racing has once again stirred up speculation regarding the introduction of foreign car makers competing in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series in the future. The growing assumption is that Honda will be following Toyota's expected announcement that they intend to compete in the Nascar Nextel Cup series as early as 2007.

No further news has been issued by Honda regarding the speculation or whether or not they will sponsor a Honda truck in the NASCAR Truck Series. However, motorsport racing insiders have indicated it could occur in conjunction with the debut of the new mass-production Honda Ridgeline truck to be launched in 2006.

Honda Motors North American Assembly Plants Expected to Reach Full Capacity by 2006

Honda Motor Co. recently announced that it expects its plants in the U.S., Canada and Mexico to reach maximum production capacity close to 2006, coinciding with the company's plans to start building three more light Honda trucks.

Honda said it will be shifting vehicle production of Honda CR-V sport-utility vehicles for the U.S. to Ohio from overseas in the United Kingdom. Adding that it will also build the new Honda Ridgeline pickup truck in Ontario Canada beginning in 2005. It's partner Acura will produce an SUV in Ohio in 2006 as well.

"The CR-V, Ridgeline and Acura SUV will fill the rest of Honda's expected capacity in North America to make 1.4 million autos annually," Honda spokesman Yuzuru Matsuno said. Adding that Honda doesn't plan to add a sixth factory in North America, where it sells the most vehicles. Matsuno stated "There is always the potential to squeeze out more from existing facilities. It's too early to think about an additional plant."

Honda Motors' Marysville and East Liberty Ohio plants will each get one of the models, stated Ed Miller, a company spokesman for Honda's North American manufacturing unit in Marysville. The two Ohio factories can make up to 680,000 autos a year. The Lincoln, Alabama plant is forecasted to reach full production of 300,000 vehicles annually in 2005. The plant builds Honda Odyssey minivans and Honda Pilot SUVs. Two plants in Alliston, Ontario make Civic cars and the Acura MDX and Pilot SUVs and is expected to be at full capacity of 390,000 units per year after the Honda Ridgeline is added," Mr. Miller said. Honda's plant in El Salto, Mexico, which builds about 30,000 Accord cars a year, is not expected to expand.

Toyota, Honda and Nissan currently hold a record 34.5% of U.S. light vehicle sales through November 2004, up from 32.8% a year earlier.

2005 Honda Pilot Includes Several New Features

HONDA MOTORS PRESS RELEASE
The 2005 Honda Pilot sport-utility vehicle offers more power and additional features. It's overall design is still based on Honda's upscale Acura MDX. The Pilot replaced the Honda Passport SUV, which was itself a retooled Isuzu Rodeo.

The Honda Pilot engine and transmission is similar to the powerful Acura MDX powertrain. Both the Pilot and MDX share a moderately long 106.3-inch wheelbase and wide track for enhanced stability.

The 2005 Honda Pilot has a third-row seat for high eight-passenger seating and features more cargo volume. Brakes have a standard anti-lock system. Front side air bags are standard. The 2005 Honda Pilot also adds a driver-seat position sensor and a passenger seat weight sensor that correlate to front air bag deployment.

Horsepower from the 2005 Pilot 3.5-liter V-6 engine has been increased from 240 to 255, offering significantly more punch from the single-overhead-camshaft 24-valve engine. Fuel economy rates at 17 mpg in the city and 22 on the highway.

The Honda Pilot EX-L versions now offers the new vehicle stability assist system. The EX-L models also offer improved sunroof with a wind deflector. EX and EX-L models come equipped with new 6-disc CD changers.

All 2005 Pilots now have a tire pressure monitoring system, magnesium frame steering wheel, driver foot rest, remote key fob, front bucket seats, factory Honda roof rack siderails, revised instrument panel with added ambient lighting, large outside mirrors and deep center console bin.

Honda Rolls Out Accord Hybrid Sedan for 2005

On sale beginning this week, Honda announced that the new Honda Accord gasoline-electric hybrid sedan is the first mainstream midsize sedan to offer a hybrid drivetrain. It is currently priced about $7,000 over a comparably equipped conventional V-6 gasoline-only Honda Accord. The price will land it within the range of Honda's Acura TL, as well as other premium midsize sedans such as the Lexus ES 330 and Infiniti G35.

The new Honda Hybrid Accord sedan looks similar to a regular Accord, possibly making it more appealling to consumers previously turned off by the unconventional looks of the Toyota Prius Hybrid.

The introduction of the Accord hybrid makes it the second mainstream hybrid vehicle on the market in the United States. Ford began offering the Hybrid Escape SUV earlier this year.

The Honda Accord Hybrids use a combination of gasoline powered engines and electric motors to provide power to their drive wheels, with the electric motors run by a nickel metal hydride battery pack. The biggest draw of hybrids so far is their fuel efficiency, and interest has risen this year with the considerable uptick in gas prices.

Honda already offers two other hybrids, the two-seat Honda Insight, with fuel economy of about 70 mpg, and the more compact Honda Civic Hybrid sedan, with up to 51 mpg. Sources from Honda noted that the major difference between Honda and Toyota hybrids is that with the Toyotas, the electric motor is used at low speeds, especially in stop-and-go traffic, with the gasoline engine kicking in at speeds of 30 mph, while with Honda the gasoline engine runs all the time, and the electric motor is used just to boost power and allow for use of a smaller gasoline engine.

"With the electric motor assist in the Accord," Honda sources stated, " fuel economy is improved by about 38 percent over regular V-6 Accords in city driving, and 23 percent on the highway. The regular V-6 Accord with automatic transmission is EPA rated at 21 mpg city/30 highway. The hybrid, with its five-speed automatic transmission, is EPA rated at 29 mpg city/37 highway, about the same as the gas-powered Civic four-cylinder sedan."

Honda is also offering several premium amenities in the Accord hybrid, such as leather interior, dual-zone automatic climate control, eight-way power driver's seat, XM Satellite Radio and an in-dash six-disc CD changer. Standard features include alloy wheels and a rear spoiler for further efficiency. Additionally all Accord hybrids have driver and front-passenger side air bags, side curtain air bags, antilock brakes and traction control.

Honda was the first to sell a hybrid in the U.S. with the Insight in February 2000. Honda added the Civic hybrid in March 2002. With three hybrids, Honda expects its hybrid sales to total about 45,000 cars during calendar year 2005, double the expected total for this year.

Honda & BMW Reported to Drop Opposition of 2006 F1 Engine Rules

Honda & BMW have reported that they will be ending their challenge to the F1 governing body's new engine rules for 2006. Honda & BMW together decided that legal action would be bad publicity for motor racing.

A spokesman for the governing International Automobile Federation (FIA) confirmed that it knew of the Honda & BMW latest decision. Honda, BMW and Mercedes originally opposed the reduction of engine capacity from the current 3.0 litre V10s to 2.4 litre V8s in 2006 as part of a group of measures pushed through by the FIA. All three carmakers previously discussed possibly taking FIA to arbitration, arguing that the governing body had gone beyond its remit.

Max Mosley, FIA president, pushed the rule changes through on safety grounds, arguing that more engine power equals more speed and more speed means more danger for both drivers and spectators. Under Formula One's 'Concorde Agreement' any technical changes have to be agreed to unanimously by the teams, unless there are safety issues involved.

Honda, BMW and Mercedez countered that, at a time when F1 racing was trying to cut costs, it could be more expensive to switch to the V8 engines from the current V10 engine models.