Honda Cars : TOV: Mag-X brings some 2012 Civic and 2011 CR-Z info to light | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

This is straight from Temple of Vtec....
TOV Reader Frank Oppermann sent in this scan from the pages of the June.09 issue of Mag-X. I bounced them back across the Atlantic to danielgr, our resident multilingual specialist and he provided a quick rundown on the contents of these pages. He will provide more details (if there are any) after he has had more time to review what's said. Following is the e-mail response from Daniel:

Hi Jeff, Right now I don't have the time, nor the required dictionary to really go through it, but I can tell you what they are talking about in short.

Top-left is the CR-Z picture (the 21st century CR-X), from which they say: - 1.5L engine with both CVT and 6MT available.
- Monthly target sales : 850 JP, 2500 Europe, 1500 North America.
- Expect to see a production prototype in this year's Tokyo Motor Show.
- Expect an introduction in early 2010

The rest, the main article, is about the next-generation Civic.
- (warning) Not 100% sure, but it seems that there will be a "Japanese version" with a body in between a 3box (sedan) and 2 box (hatch).

The internationally sold Hybrid will have that "unique" (outside Japan) body. Otherwise, Europe will keep on having hatches developed within the Fit platform, and NA their traditional sedan and coupe.

- The hybrid will be THE Honda going head to head with the Prius, and use a 1.5L engine + motor ( I guess they are guessing it will be pretty close to the CR-Z unit...).

- Expect new Civics to arrive in 2011.

The old picture of the 72 Civic echoes their comments on the supposed "unique" styling of the "new JDM Civic". They say that at the time Honda surprised Japan with a 2 box FF car when Corollas and Sunny's were 3box FR sedans. So basically it's something like : "Honda did it again" (i.e. find their own original way).

I won't be able to tell you accurately about the part marked with with "warning" until tonight. They also say something about the TypeR, but I understand it sooooo roughly that I won't say anything about it.

Source;
http://www.vtec.net/news/news-item?news_item_id=831062

Honda Cars : Honda: Would Mull Counter Measures Vs Cheaper Toyota Prius | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

SUZUKA, Japan (Dow Jones)--Honda Motor Co. (7267.TO) would have to consider counter measures if Toyota Motor Corp. (7203.TO) sets competitive prices for its Prius hybrid as recently reported, a company executive said Wednesday.

Honda launched its new Insight hybrid in February in Japan and is rolling out the model in the U.S. and other overseas countries.

The company has received orders that were more than triple the hybrid's monthly sales target a month after its Feb. 6 launch in Japan as the prices, which are lower than those of the current Prius, attracted customers looking for cheaper gas-sipping car amid the economic slump.

Yasuhiro Wada, a Honda general manager, said the company continues to receive solid orders for the Insight. As of Monday, orders for the new hybrid totaled more than 21,000 in Japan, more than four times the model's monthly sales target of 5,000.

Honda set the lower limit on Insight's prices at Y1.89 million, about 20% cheaper than the bottom price of the current Prius.

The Nikkei recently reported that Toyota will set the prices of the new Prius at Y2.05 million-Y2.50 million, lower than the current Y2.33 million-Y3.34 million and when it launches the new model it will also continue to sell the current one by lowering the bottom price to Y1.89 million to compete with the Insight.

"If they could do that, it would be a threat," Norio Ano, the head of the Insight product project, said at a press conference.

"We would have to consider something" to stay competitive, he said.
He added that Honda executives would order Ano and his team members to further cut costs if the report is true.

Toyota has said nothing has been decided on the prices of the new Prius and whether to continue to sell the current Prius.

-By Yoshio Takahashi, Dow Jones Newswires; 813-5255-2929; yoshio.takahashi@dowjones.com

Source;
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20090325-704087.html

Honda Cars : Honda’s Insight looks a lot like the Prius, but that’s just pure coincidence - Huh? | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

To say that the new Honda Insight and the Toyota Prius look alike is an understatement, however how's this;

Any resemblance between Hondas new Insight, set to go on sale next April, and the Toyota Prius is pure coincidence, according to Honda.

Honda plans to unveil the Insight at the 2008 Paris International Auto Show on Oct. 2 and released images of the vehicle earlier this month. Immediately, automotive publications dubbed the Insight a "Prius fighter" or "Prius killer" -- in part because its design reflects the distinctive egg-shaped Toyota Prius. But Honda spokesman Chuck Schifsky disputes the comparison.

It was done that way because it was the most aerodynamic design, and we were going for fuel economy," Schifsky said.

Schifsky says that the design for the Insight was mainly influenced by the FCX Clarity. The production version of the Honda CR-Z sport hybrid car will also look similar.

Source;
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080914/BUSINESS01/809140416/1014
Orig. Source;
http://www.egmcartech.com/2008/09/15/hondas-insight-looks-a-lot-like-the-prius-but-thats-just-pure-coincidence/#more-25896