Honda HPD Supercharged CR-Z Concept is the one we've been longing for

The staunchest Honda geeks among us have always wanted the CR-Z to be a great car.

The automaker's Honda Performance Division (HPD) has done just what enthusiasts – and more than a few tuners – have been expecting since the model's inception... they've made the CR-Z a lot quicker. The addition of the headlining supercharger as well as an intercooler, high-flow injectors and a recalibrated ECU have netted the car a total of 185 horsepower and 169 pound-feet of torque. The suspension, wheel/tire package and and brakes have been revised to round out the performance offerings. 

Honda is just calling this concept an "exploration of the performance potential of the CR-Z Sport Hybrid" for right now, but we'd vote that they just break down and build the thing.

 

Courtesy of Autoblog.com

Next Honda Fit will spin off a mini crossover and a sedan for U.S.

Honda’s Fit is coming back as an all-new car next year—and it’s bringing friends. The upcoming Fit also will spin off two models for the U.S. market: A Fit-based small crossover and a sedan likely called the City. In a recent meeting, Honda’s U.S. CEO said that we’d see the Fit plus two derivatives in the States.

Current-generation Honda City

Originally developed for markets where customers downright refuse to buy hatchbacks, the current Honda City is a design coup: it’s a subcompact sedan that offers decent looks. Although Americans have become friendlier to five-door cars, Fit sales have been hampered by the sole body style. The City could potentially double the Fit’s sales, which are on pace so far this year.

The small-crossovers segment has a lot of entrants, but tens of thousands will buy Honda’s Fit spinoff. The CR-V, now in its fourth generation, is big enough for a smaller sibling, and Honda’s new jacked-up jackpot will join the Nissan Juke, Buick Encore, and an upcoming B-segment Jeep in the subcompact crossover segment.

-Courtesy of Car and Driver

High School Student Building An Electric Honda S2000 In Parents’ Garage

Most high school kids these days seem more interested with cellphones than supercars, but there are still those who like to get down and dirty under the hood of a car. Juan Ehringer is taking a Honda S2000 sports car, ditching the four-cylinder engine and replacing it with a powerful electric drivetrain that will give it between 500 and 600 horsepower. That’s quite the project car.

Jalopnik interviewed Juan, and the whole thing is well worth reading who, as your might have guessed, isn't your typical teenager; the kid has a small CNC business setup in his bedroom, and it is safe to say that the kid knows his stuff.

Juan picked the Honda S2000 up for just $6,000 after explaining to the former owner what he planned. He convinced his parents to support this project car rather than buying him a commuter car, though Juan has had to save money from a couple of part-time gigs to scrape together enough money to make the project feasible.

Under the hood will be a 26 kWh battery pack, which Juan estimates will give him between 80 and 120 miles of driving range, and around 600 horsepower to play with.

What a project! 

-Courtesy of Gas2.org-- http://gas2.org/2012/10/15/high-school-student-building-an-electric-honda-s20...

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"I enjoyed the services provided by the folks at Honda of Gainesville! Everyone was so pleasant and extremely helpful. I fully intend to refer my friends."

"My family an I are so thankful for our honda. Chris was wonderful an really help us out.so blessed to now have a safe reliable car.thank you so much for everything chris."

"I started out very discourage because my credit was low and i didn't have that much money to put down. I had been up to Honda like twice before I met Chris(Mr.Credit)and wasn't satified with what I would qualify for. It took Chris, to come out and talk to me about what I wanted, what i could afford to pay and what he could do for me. After we talked not only did he get me a car i was satisfied with my payments was lower also. I would Recommend Honda At Gainesville anytime."

"Chris was the best! I went in to look at used Civics and ended up buying a new one. Everyone was friendly and helpful through the whole transaction."

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Honda's ASIMO meets IndyCar Driver Josef Newgarden

Honda Beat on Track for Production

Back in the early 90s, Honda made a small mid-engined, rear-drive roadster called the Beat, a tiny Kei car roadster designed by Pininfarina. It was the last car overseen by company founder Soichiro Honda before he died, when Honda's current president Takanobu Ito was working on developing the original NSX. "I was kind of envious of the little cute sports car," admitted Ito in a recent speech in the United States, in which the Japanese auto exec revealed that Honda would bring revive the Beat with a new compact sports car.

We first reported on plans for a Honda Beat revival back in June 2011, when it seemed that the roadster would be based on the CR-Z hybrid sport-hatch. Now it seems, however, that the Beat will more likely borrow its underpinnings from the Fit with a design derived from the EV-STER and OSM concepts, though its powertrain could go either conventional or hybrid. One way or another, don't expect the Beat to retain the mid-engine/rear-drive layout of its predecessor, as the new roadster is more likely to go front-drive. Whether that proves enough for Honda to take on the likes of the Subaru BRZ/Toyota GT86/Scion FR-S, or even the Mazda MX-5 Miata, remains to be seen.

-Courtesy of Car Buzz

Honda sells millionth hybrid 13 years after first introducing Insight

Remember when selling 100,000 hybrids was something to tout? Today, Honda comes calling with the news that, since putting its first-gen Insight on sale in 1999, the company has sold more than a million hybrids around the world.

Clearly, the company's gas-electric sales pace is quickening – it took Honda until 2005 to sell its first 100,000. At the time, only the Insight, Civic Hybrid and Accord Hybrid were available. By 2007, with no new models added to the list, another 100,000 had been sold. Honda introduced the second-gen Insight in 2009 and the CR-Z and Fit Hybrid in 2010. By December of that year, the company had cleared its decks of 600,000 units, and the pace of new introductions was about to increase. 2011 saw three new hybrid models (in Japan only), the Fit Shuttle, Freed and Freed Spike. This year, Acura introduced the ILX Hybrid in the US and Canada and, last month, after almost 13 years of offering hybrids, cumulative sales for the two brands hit seven digits. The US is responsible for 318,000 of those. Next year, a new Accord gas-electric and Accord Plug-In Hybrid will arrive with improved powertrains.

 

-Courtesy of AutoblogGreen

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Throwback Thursday: 1988 Honda Civic

We're making today a Throwback Thursday, and looking back to 1988, when the Civic got a whole new look.

Honda Civic wins 2012 Women's World Car of the Year in Economy car category

It would take women to know what women want, and this applies to to selecting a car as well. It was for this reason that the jury for Women's World Car of the Year 2012 consisted of 20 female heads from various auto companies across 11 different counties. Honda Civic has been awarded the title of Woman's Car of the Year in the Economy category at a special event held at the 2012 Paris Motor Show.

The Civic was ranked the highest by this specially selected committee and also received honors in the Economy Car category. Honda's Toshiaki Konaka – Director of European Car Division of Honda Motor Company-- received the award on behalf of the company.

Konaka stated that this award showcased the Honda Civic for its highly innovative exterior styling coupled with practical and comfortable interiors which meets the needs of women of today. The car was adjudged on the basis of safety standards, aesthetic appeal, storage space, value for money, easy to drive, colors offered and how child safe and environmentally friendly it made out to be.

The Honda Civic has received an award from the Women's World Car of the Year committee. The award was presented to Honda at the Paris Motor Show 2012.

-Courtesy of Rush Lane.com

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"I rated the service my husband and I received from Ryan Hurewitz the best we have ever received from Gainesville Honda. This is our third vehicle that we buy here. My husband is very pleased with the service on his 2010 Civic each time he comes in. We like the Honda product for gas consumption and ergonomics of vehicle plus the looks. Very satisfied customers."

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The 2013 Honda Accord: Setting the standard on standard equipment

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"Everyone was very friendly and put no pressure on me to purchase a new car. They were willing to work out the best deal for me in order to buy my 2012 Honda Accord. This is the 3rd Honda I have purchased from this dealership and I will always go back as long as I live in this area. Thanks again."

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Cars.com 'shoppers' test Honda CR-V for SUV shootout, like it so much they buy it for themselves.

The Honda CR-V won Cars.com's $25,000 Compact SUV Shootout earlier this year, and the automaker just won again on a smaller scale when the Shootout's test family, Nicholas and Erin Ravelingeen, recently purchased a 2013 Honda CR-V.

"All around, the Honda just felt like the best fit for us ... because of the styling and mostly because of the reliability factor," Erin said in a phone interview. "It didn't hurt that it was comfortable and good looking."

During the Shootout, the Ravelingeens happened to be in-market shoppers who wanted to replace their aging Chevy Tracker. They examined and test-drove the six competitors and shared their preferences with the judges.

After spending a day test-driving the SUVs, they thought the CR-V was the best fit for their family. Once they saw the Shootout results, which were published on Cars.com and in USA Today, "it really solidified our decision," Erin said.

The couple was so sold on the compact SUV that when it came time to buy last week, they didn't bother looking at any competitors, she said.

The Ravelingeens bought a 2013 CR-V EX-L with all-wheel drive. "Every day that we drive it, there's something we like more and more," she said. The couple has been syncing their smartphones with the CR-V's Bluetooth and enjoying the complimentary XM Satellite Radio.

"For us, doing the Shootout was truly like the best-case scenario," Erin said. "It was really a pressure-free situation.

"I think it will definitely change the way that we look at a car," Erin said. "The family-friendliness, the comfort level ... if you really think about things more broken up that way [where] you can see what some cars have and what some cars are lacking."

Erin said her husband really appreciates that the CR-V's rear doors open a "full 90 degrees," making it easy to get child-safety seats into the car. Their children — Trudy, 4, and Mason, 2 — love the CR-V. "My little guy can see out of the window; he'd never been able to see out the window before."

-Courtesy of Cars.com's Kicking Tires

Get your car ready for shorter days by following this Monday Maintenance Tip

The days are shorter, and the nights are longer. Daylight savings time ends next month, too. To make sure you're safe in the early morning and evening hours, make sure your signals, taillights and headlights are working properly and exhibiting the proper amount of light. Need a hand? Ask the professionals at Honda of Gainesville at http://bit.ly/PSluJO

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