Honda Announces End of Production for the S2000

The Honda S2000 is officially dead. In a brief statement released today, Honda said 2009 will be the final model year for its high-performance roadster. No reason was given for the termination, but Honda did mention that the program was originally conceived as a limited-edition tribute to the company's 50th anniversary.
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The New Honda Accord 2009

The New Honda Accord 2009 Red Colour

The New Honda Accord 2009 Black Colour

The New Honda Accord 2009 on Show Room

The next generations from Honda in this Year. This is Hoinda Accord 2009. Eighth generation of Honda Accord is very near to its release. So how would 2009 Honda Accord Coupe that is going to be launched around the spring or summer of 2008 look like.

We have very little information on that but what we could claim is that it would very much resemble 2009 Honda Accord Coupe Concept, revealed in January at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.We could very much expect a choice between 4-cylinder engine and a V6. The next generation V6 (with Honda’s i-VTEC variable valve timing) is going to be more fuel efficient as claimed by company. V6 with its Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) technology will surely make it possible as the technology de-activates every other cylinder when the car is cruising under light load to reduce fuel consumption. Once higher power is required engine runs with its all the cylinder activated.

There is no doubt for the safety features of the future Honda Accord Coupe due to Honda’s Safety for everyone initiative. Honda has set up a baseline of safety features for all its future models. 2009 Honda Accord Coupe will be for sure have front and side-impact airbags for people sitting at front seats, the curtain style head protection airbags for both front and rear would fall in the basic safety features. The electronic stability control and advanced anti-lock brakes presence could not be denied. ACE i.e. Honda’s Advanced Compatibility Engineering body structure would be present which incorporates a front-end frame structure primarily designed to wholly soak up and dissolve crash energy over a big area in case of a frontal collision.

Honda Cancels All Sportscars Development Projects - including S2000 Successor

Honda has put an end to the next generation Honda S2000 in a restructuring plan meant to flex the company's green muscle while bringing them back to basics. A halt to the S2000 will no doubt leave many fans of the roadster disappointed.


Honda CEO Takeo Fukui has made company objectives clear: 500,000 hybrids built by 2012, including the Honda Insight and the 80mpg Honda Jazz. It is too bad they could not figure out a way to keep the Honda S2000 in the fold. Hopefully, they will take another look at the project when the economy recovers.


The plan was first announced in an end-of-the-year speech by Honda CEO Takeo Fukui. In that speech, he directly addressed the need to cut projects like the Honda NSX (Acura NSX, in America), as the need to be sustainable outweighed the demand for sports cars. The new direction was a result of the rapidly declining economy, and sudden -yet massive- fluctuations in oil pricing. Fukui believes products that larger audiences want, and are capable of paying for, will insulate the company from any more exposure to a global economic crisis.
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Brawn confirms Ferrari engine talks

Honda team boss Ross Brawn has confirmed he is in talks with his former employer Ferrari about securing a customer engine supply for 2009.

The Briton told La Gazzetta dello Sport that he and colleague Nick Fry are also speaking with multiple potential buyers of the Brackley-based team.

"Honda has already said it will not supply us with engines, so that's why I contacted Ferrari," said Brawn, who was the Maranello team's technical director until 2006.
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Honda set to pull out of F1

2009 Honda Insight Leaked Brochure Includes Sporty Modulo Version

2009 Honda Insight Hybrid Sedan The brochure that was uploaded on the Honda enthusiast site called Temple of Vtec also reveals a picture of the Insight Modulo. For those wondering, Modulo is the name Honda gives to jazzed-up versions of factory-designed cars. The accessorized Insight pictured above features a sporty bodykit with a front spoiler that incorporates an extra set of (fog?) lights, side skirts, a rear apron and larger alloy wheels. Finally, we also learn from the leaked brochure that the JDM Insight will be offered in three trim levels, G, L and LS.


Despite Honda's attempts to keep a tight lid on any information concerning the new Insight hybrid sedan, a set of scans from the official Japanese market model (JDM) brochure have been leaked online, two weeks before the car's worldwide premiere at the Detroit auto show on January 11. Honda had released a three-quarter front shot of the production version but the brochure scans give us our first glimpse of the 2009 Insight's more conservatively styled rear-end along with the hybrid's interior which remains for the most part unchanged compared to the Paris Show Insight Concept.


Another site called 'Insightman' posted a more detailed article with plenty of data sourced from an unnamed Japanese car magazine that supposedly gathered the information from a product preview meeting for Honda dealers in Japan. We've included the 'spec-sheet' of the JDM Insight below, but since it's unofficial info from an unnamed source, we wouldn't take it too seriously.


As for the information that Honda has verified up until now, the production Insight will be equipped with a mild hybrid powertrain developed from the one found in the Civic IMA, combining an electric motor with a small displacement petrol engine and a CVT gearbox. The Insight will go on sale worldwide in the spring of 2009 with U.S. prices said to start from around $18,000 to $19,000.

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Honda set to pull out of F1

TENERIFE, Canary Islands _ Honda will pull out of Formula One unless a new buyer can be found within three months, The Associated Press has learned.


Honda Formula One driver Jenson Button of Britain is seen making a pit stop during the second practice session of the Belgian F1 Grand Prix at the Spa-Francorchamps race track in this September 5, 2008 file photo.

The Japanese car manufacturer has the operating budget to keep the team running into early 2009, but escalating operational costs amid the worldwide financial crisis have the Brackley-based outfit in danger of shutting down if a new sponsor is not found quickly.

A formal announcement will be made from Japan on Friday, but a person familiar with the decision told The AP that team bosses Ross Brawn and Nick Fry informed the near 700-member team late Thursday.

"Their intention is to pull out entirely _ as an engine supplier and sponsor," the Honda team member said on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to discuss it. "It's a shock. I think this came as a total surprise to everyone. No one in the UK was aware of this decision before Thursday night."

Brawn and Fry had returned from a FOTA meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, where they informed the other F1 teams of the manufacturer's decision.

A pullout by one of the world's biggest car manufacturers will send shockwaves through F1, which could start the season with only 18 cars on the grid. Japanese team Super Aguri, which was backed by Honda, pulled out of F1 this year.

The season opens at the Australian Grand Prix on March 29.

Earlier Thursday, Honda announced it was cutting jobs in Britain and Japan because of plunging vehicle demand. It has already reduced its annual production of consumer cars by more than 140,000 worldwide.

If Honda does withdraw from F1, Jenson Button will be without a car seat for next season along with promising rookie Bruno Senna, who was trying out for the No. 2 seat at winter testing last month.

Honda, with an operational budget of around 200 million pounds (230 million euros; $294 million), finished ninth in the constructors' standings last season with Button 18th out of 20 drivers with three points. Rubens Barichello, who was dropped by the team going into 2009, was 14th with the remaining points.

Honda, which originally entered F1 as a constructor for a stint in the 1960s before returning as an engine supplier in the 1980s, bought out BAR Racing in 2005.

FIA president Max Mosley had described F1's combined $1.6 billion (1.25 billion euros) spending in 2008 as "unsustainable," saying the teams were relying too heavily on the goodwill of rich individuals and corporate sponsors. Mosley has vowed to push through cost-cutting measures by 2010 in a bid to make the sport more feasible.

The governing body has already reached a deal with F1 to cap the cost of engines supplied to smaller teams as part of a plan to save money during the global financial crisis.

Over recent months, the 10 teams have been meeting regularly with F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone to discuss reducing costs, including streamlining engines.
[Agencies]

Detroit Debut: 2010 Honda Insight Hybrid Production Car First Photo

Three months ago, Honda dropped a Prius-shaped bomb on the automotive world with the return of the Honda Insight hybrid. A month later, we got our first look at the concept at the Paris Motor Show. Today, Honda has graced us with the first shot of the production car.
Honda Insight Concept

As we understand it, the new Insight will essentially be a Honda Civic Hybrid with a more aerodynamic body. While the car's rumored 40 mpg city and 45 mpg highway won't beat the Prius' 48 mpg city and 45 mpg highway, the Insight's $19,000 starting price handily undercuts the Prius' $22,000 base. We've also learned that in addition to the fuel-sipping 1.3L gas engine and Integrated Motor Assist hybrid unit, the Insight will feature Honda's new Ecological Drive Assist System, which maximizes the car's efficiency and coaches the driver on green driving practices.
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Car News: Honda V8 coming... in 2015

"You've got to have the right tool for the job." "You can't bring a knife to a gun-fight." Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. We've heard it all before. Honda makes some excellent engines, there's no doubt about that, from small displacement four-pots that rev through the roof to gloriously smooth and reliable V6 units. Unfortunately, the fun stops there, as the Japanese automaker has steadfastly stuck to its guns, not building an eight-cylinder engine when it can do just as well with fewer pistons.
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Honda Under the skin of all-new NSX

Where its predecessor had a mere 280bhp from its 3.0-litre V6 engine, the new model features a 5.5-litre V10 delivering 560bhp. This increased power is transferred via a six-speed semi-auto box, with steering wheel-mounted paddleshifters.


As a result, the car should cover 0-60mph in less than four seconds and hit a near-200mph top speed. Honda’s Super-Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) system promises amazing grip, while huge brakes complete the package. Inside is a luxury two-seater cabin, with soft leather throughout. A price of around £100,000 is likely.


Set to reach showrooms late next year, the new supercar will be as technologically advanced as the Nissan GT-R. It will target big-name rivals such as the Ferrari F430, Aston Martin V8 Vantage and Porsche 911 GT3.
Source: autoexpress



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Honda offers Michael Schumacher a ride

Seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher has been offered a ride in the World Superbike Championship next year by Honda.

The German, who retired from Formula One racing at the end of the 2006 season, has been taking part in German superbike races during the year.

He also tested for the Ducati MotoGP team.

"Michael is convinced that the German championship is right for him at the moment," Honda Racing's Carlo Fiorani was quoted as saying by Gazzetta dello Sport. "For the moment he has not asked us to race in the 2009 world championship.

"But if he wants to, there is a way for him (to do it). All he has to do is ask us."

Schumacher has always maintained, however, that he had no intention to start a serious racing career on bikes.
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Honda launched minicar called the Life in Japan

The Life includes more standard goodies than you'd expected from a minicar. A reflection, perhaps, of the collapsing car market globally and the necessity for incentives to drive sales. It is the first minicar in Japan to offer an audio system and a backup camera as standard equipment. It also includes Honda's Advanced Smart Parking Assist System -- a fancy wording for steering assistance.


The Life, Honda says, was developed with the concept of "daily smile technology". Which means that Honda understands the most essential element needed for any minicar to succeed -- and that's the cute factor.


It will also offer something called a Special Mobility Assistive version, which appears to simply be electric-adjustable seating. But such luxuries are always welcomed in minicars.


Propulsion power will come from a 660 cc, 3-cylinder i-DSI engine, for both a front-wheel and a 4-wheel drive version, but the excitement likely comes from inside the cabin.


Starting price will be 1,410,000 Yen for the base version (14,387 US dollars) or 1,540,000 (15,714 US) for the 4-wheel drive version.More Photos






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Honda showcases 16 vehicle lineup at SEMA 2008

Car News: Honda showcases 16 vehicle lineup at SEMA 2008

Honda will be showcasing more than 16 custom vehicles at this year’s SEMA Auto Show in Las Vegas, with a lineup consisting of project cars, concepts and accessorized production vehicles. Specially featured in the display is a 2009 Fit equipped with Mugen accessories, a Civic Coupe Concept fitted with Honda Factory Performance (HFP) accessories, and the 2009 Ridgeline Powersports Concept.


Honda also revealed a Civic Honda Factory Performance (HFP) Concept sedan that looks to improve vehicle performance while also conserving fuel. Honda Access America, Honda's accessory development company, took on that challenge. Through aerodynamic improvements to the next generation HFP body kit, super-light alloy wheels with aerodynamic covers, a lighter HFP exhaust system and an upgraded HFP suspension kit, this concept offers the possibility of improving both fuel economy and performance.


Honda also used the SEMA event to announce that it will make a complete line of new Mugen accessories available for the 2009 Fit that will be available through authorized dealers in the first half of next year. Some of the pieces will include 16in alloy wheels, an aluminum oil filler cap, front sports grille, front under spoiler, side spoiler, rear under spoiler, sports silencer, rear emblem, quick shifter, shift knob, sports pedals, sports floor mats and a mirror cover.


In the truck display area, the 2009 Ridgeline Powersports Concept represents what Ridgeline owners could build using currently available Honda Genuine Accessories. The highlights include a custom grille, 18in alloy wheels, and an experimental painted black finish.


The complete list of vehicles at the Honda booth are as follows:
2009 Civic HFP Concept
2009 Ridgeline Powersports Concept
2009 Fit Sport with Mugen accessories
2009 Accord Coupe HFP
2009 Civic Coupe HFP
2009 S2000 CR
2009 Element EX with accessories
Carr "Ridgeline Racing" Baja truck
Carr "Pilot Safari" Baja support vehicle
Compass 360 Racing Civic Si Sedan
Fenton Motorsports Civic Si Coupe
Galpin Honda 2009 Accord two-door project
Tjin Edition 2009 Fit project
Ryan Shutt 2009 Pilot project
DSO Eyewear 2009 Pilot project
Danica Patrick IndyCar Racecar
2009 Honda Big Red (sold through Honda motorcycle dealers)
Source:motorauthority








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Official Photos:Honda Element Facelifted for 2009

The very first official photos of the revised 2009 Honda Element unceremoniously hit the web today. Expected to hit U.S.


dealerships this fall, the 2009 Element obtains Honda’s new corporate grille which was first seen in the redesigned Pilot crossover along with larger, wraparound headlamps and a newly styled front bumper.


At the rear-end, the facelifted Element features a new set of tail lamps, a redesigned fifth door with more angular crests and a slightly revised bumper. -Continued


The same styling tweaks have also been applied to the sportier 2009 Element SC that stands out thanks to the mild aero-kit and the body-colored moldings.


We're not aware of any other changes, so until Honda releases official details on the redesigned Element, enjoy the photo gallery below.

Via: carscoop

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