Honda Cars : New Civic, Hybrid Accords Key for Honda in 2013 | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

by Aaron Foley of www.wardsauto.com

The revamp of the Civic not only is unusual for Honda but also the auto industry as a whole. Midyear model changes generally occur within two to three years of a product’s lifecycle.

Honda is covering all the bases with key improvements to its Civic compact and Accord midsize sedan this year, with extra scrutiny paid to the smaller model.


The much-derided ’12 Civic is being replaced with an almost all-new model in dealerships now. Chief among complaints was the previous model’s spartan interior, replaced by a new one that features soft-touch instrumentation and other premium-feel add-ons.

“We miscalculated a little bit of where the market was headed,” Honda Chief Engineer Art St. Cyr says. “And we recognize it. What we tried to do with the '13 Civic was give it a more sophisticated and high-class appearance. Not to say that the '12 was bad. It still looked like what we were going for.”

There is no cost difference between using softer materials over hard plastic, St. Cyr says. Hard plastic is commonly used because it can be cut to fit multiple cabins regardless of trim level. ”A soft instrument panel gives you the ability to cut some of the hard lines. You don’t worry about how things are mating.”

American Honda President John Mendel says he has received only two letters from concerned customers wondering about the resale value of their ’12 Civics and that he is not worried the previous model will lose its value.

“We’d say, ‘You made a smart choice. The car retained its value, and you have something to look forward to next time you change (vehicles).’ It’s not as if this one obsoletes the old one.”

The revamp of the Civic, referred to as a “minor model change” by Mendel, not only is unusual for Honda but also the auto industry as a whole. Midyear model changes generally occur within two to three years of a product’s lifecycle and are planned well in advance, whereas the turnaround with the new Civic was executed in less than a year.

This won’t become an industry standard, Mendel assures, but it does demonstrate how a car company can change with the market.

“I don’t think a minor model change is going to come every 18 months now,” he says. “Short model changes don’t cost any less than long model changes. It’s how you amortize them. I think that it has awakened the organization to the potential that we can do this faster than we’ve ever been. It doesn’t mean it should be the norm.”

For the Accord, a variety of powertrain options keeps consumer interest piqued in the car, Mendel says. Drivers have warmed to the new continuously variable transmission option, which is helping keep the midsize model “neck and neck with (the Toyota) Camry.”

Honda designed its new CVT (in-house) to feel like an actual gear-change transmission, he says.
“We’re not getting feedback (that it’s) whiny, rubber-bandy. CVT had built that reputation.”

The Accord also is offering a hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions of the ’13 model, with sights set on the former.

“I think that the Accord hybrid will put us firmly competitive in the 2-motor midsize class,” Mendel says. “(The) plug-in hybrid, we’ll see. It’s expensive, and we’ll see what the consumer adoption for that will be.”

He expects the plug-in hybrid to see smaller volume than its hybrid counterpart. “We can expand or contract production on that to the degree that we wish to.”

Honda was dogged with recalls in 2012, issuing about 16 notices potentially affecting an estimated 2,593,627 U.S. vehicles. But Mendel says the number of callbacks – only Toyota had more last year, affecting a potential 5,327,394 vehicles – doesn’t equate to the number of problems each vehicle had.

“Recalls kind of fit into the quality process,” he says. “We as readily identify stuff that we need to fix quicker in most cases than anybody else. I can’t speak for Toyota, but for us certainly we look at that as…the customer has a problem and (we) fix something.”

Driving into 2013, Honda is looking to tweak its strategies for its smaller, alternative-powertrain offerings that include the Insight hybrid-electric and CR-Z mild hybrid compacts and the Fit electric vehicle.

Mendel says the auto maker is eyeing a 1-motor electric powertrain for future small cars, putting current 2-motor systems in the CR-Z and Insight in question. “We have some plans for both those vehicles we’re not ready to share,” he says. “(But the) CR-Z is going to have some significant upgrades.”

The Fit EV, available as a lease-only vehicle in California, could be expanded beyond that market, but there are no firm plans.

“(The Fit EV) is an answer for electric vehicles from a market that is evolving, as we’re trying to figure out what an EV vehicle is supposed to be like in this country,” St. Cyr says.

Source;
 http://wardsauto.com/north-america/new-civic-hybrid-accords-key-honda-2013

Honda Cars : Varoius 2013 Honda Civic Videos and Pictures | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

Source with artical;
http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2012/11/2013-honda-civic-sedan-and-coupe-all.html

Honda Cars : Restyled 2013 Honda Civic Arrives at U.S. Dealerships with Premium Style, Host of Popular Standard Features | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

11/29/2012 - TORRANCE, Calif.

The top-selling and award-winning Honda Civic returns for 2013, with a host of design upgrades and a bevy of new standard features, while still maintaining the efficiency and value that has made the Civic an automotive icon for the past 40 years. The 2013 Honda Civic Sedan receives all-new front and rear exterior styling, along with extensive interior styling upgrades on all models. Retuned steering and suspension sharpen the Civic's handling, while extensive body and chassis upgrades improve the ride comfort and interior quietness.

Across the board, every 2013 Civic model is equipped with a suite of class-leading standard features. Standard equipment on every Honda Civic includes Bluetooth® HandsFreeLink®, Bluetooth® Audio, rearview camera, color i-MID display, USB/iPod® connection, Pandora® Interface, an SMS text feature, steering wheel audio controls, exterior temperature gauge and sliding center-console armrest. Even with hundreds of dollars of standard features added, the 2013 Civic arrives with only a modest $160 increase in MSRP across the lineup, with pricing for the exceptionally well-equipped 2013 Civic LX Sedan beginning at $18,165¹.

New safety technologies built into the 2013 Civic include the application of the next-gen Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ II (ACE™ II) body structure, which includes additional front end structures designed to help increase occupant protection by dispersing crash energy in narrow overlap frontal crashes, and should help the Civic obtain a top rating in the new small-offset crash test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Also new are SmartVent™ side airbags, side curtain airbags with a rollover sensor and the availability of Forward Collision Warning (FCW) and Lane Departure Warning (LDW) systems, which make their compact-class debut in the 2013 Honda Civic Hybrid.

Featuring the widest array of powertrain choices available in the segment, the Civic lineup is designed to meet the diverse needs of today's compact-vehicle buyer. The 2013 Honda Civic Sedan and Coupe will be available in LX, EX, EX-L and Si models, with the Civic Hybrid, Civic Natural Gas and Civic HF also available in sedan form. The entry model Civic DX has been discontinued for 2013.

Summary of Changes for 2013

• Completely revised front and rear exterior styling (Sedan)
• Enhanced standard feature content on all model grades
• Recalibrated suspension and steering
• Extensive new NVH reduction features
• Revised interior styling including soft-touch materials
• Next-gen Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ II (ACE™ II) body structure
• Standard rearview camera
• Standard Bluetooth® HandsFreeLink®
• Standard Bluetooth® Audio
• Standard Pandora® Interface
• Standard USB/iPod® interface
• Standard SMS text message functionality
• Available Forward Collision Warning (FCW), Lane Departure Warning (LDW) systems
• Two new exterior colors: White Orchid Pearl and Kona Coffee Metallic
• New interior color: Black

Powertrains
The 2013 Civic lineup includes sedan and coupe models with a conventional gasoline engine and "Si" performance models. Civic also offers a high fuel efficiency "HF," hybrid and exclusive natural gas alternative-fuel sedans.

Heavily revised for the ninth-gen Civic introduction for model year 2012, the Civic's all-aluminum, 140-horsepower, i-VTEC® 1.8-liter 16-valve four-cylinder engine is unchanged for 2013, continuing to provide exceptional responsiveness, refinement, and fuel efficiency. Providing 128 lb-ft of torque at 4300 rpm, the Honda mill is paired with either a 5-speed manual or 5-speed automatic transmission. In the Civic Sedan and Coupe, this powertrain has earned an EPA fuel-economy rating of 28/39/32 mpg² city/hwy/combined when equipped with the automatic transmission. In the Civic HF Sedan, those figures climb to 29/41/33 mpg².

Now available in 37 states, the 2013 Honda Civic Natural Gas continues as the only mass produced natural gas sedan available in the U.S. In the Civic Natural Gas, the 1.8-liter engine produces 110 horsepower, and earns an EPA fuel economy rating of 27/38/31 mpg2 (city/hwy/combined). The 2013 Civic Hybrid features a 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine equipped with Honda's Integrated Motor Assist (IMA®) system, which when coupled with its Lithium-Ion battery pack, produces 110 horsepower and 127 lb-ft of torque. Paired to a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT), the Civic Hybrid earns a city/hwy/combined EPA rating of 44/44/44 mpg². The Civic Sedan and Coupe, Civic Natural Gas and Civic Hybrid models all feature Honda's ECO Assist™ technology, which with the push of the green, dash-mounted "ECON" button, can help drivers operate the vehicle more efficiently.

Along with strong fuel efficiency, the Civic lineup also offers strong performance. The 2013 Civic Si Sedan and Si Coupe models are equipped with an all-aluminum, 201-horsepower, i-VTEC® 2.4-liter DOHC 16-valve engine paired to a 6-speed manual transmission. Even though it provides 170 lb-ft of torque and offers exhilarating performance, the Civic Si has a remarkable 31 mpg² EPA highway fuel economy rating.
Body
For 2013, the Honda Civic has received a host of changes that far exceed the typical mid-model refresh. The front and rear styling of the 2013 Honda Civic Sedan has been completely altered for a more youthful and premium feel, including sheet metal changes that include an all-new hood and trunk lid. Up front, a new open-mouth lower bumper with a horizontal chrome accent and a sportier, black honeycomb mesh grille is anchored by new integrated fog lights on EX-L and above trims. The grille is flanked by new clear-lens corner lights to provide a more premium look. The 2013 Civic's more sculpted front end flows into a new taller, more deeply faceted hood.

In back, a new rear bumper design and new rear trunk lid are capped by a clean, horizontal chrome trim piece. The all-new design of the jewel-like taillights now carries into the trunk face, providing a more finished and upscale look. The rear bumper features integrated reflector treatments and a new lower diffuser panel finished with a honeycomb mesh vent. While the expressive exterior styling of the 2013 Honda Civic Coupe remains unchanged, restyled wheels on all models help sharpen the look of the 2013 Civic.

Constructed of 55-pecent high-strength steel, the 2013 Civic's body minimizes weight and maximizes strength for greater rigidity. The 2013 Civic's body has seen a host of changes to the front floor, side sill, A-pillar, upper wheel housing and front bumper extension. This addition of high-strength steel is expected to pay refinement dividends and provide a stiffer structure for the numerous chassis updates for the 2013 Civic. In addition, the Civic's new structure is designed to help it excel in the new Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) small overlap crash test.

Chassis
Under the skin, the 2013 Civic has had significant alterations aimed at enhancing handling refinement and noise isolation. A reworked Electronic Power Steering (EPS) setup reduces friction and provides a quicker ratio, while stiffer wheels, stiffer front springs and a thicker front stabilizer bar with new Teflon-lined mounting bushings are designed for more fluid suspension action and a flatter, more responsive cornering attitude.

The rear suspension also receives a thicker stabilizer bar, increased spring rate, new Teflon-lined stabilizer-bar bushings, and reworked suspension bushings to increase both bump- and roll-motion stiffness. With its retuned MacPherson strut front and multi-link rear suspension, handling linearity, responsiveness and overall vehicle composure have been increased, while at the same time improving ride quality and the characteristic Honda fun-to-drive feel. For 2013, front brake-rotor diameter on automatic-equipped Civic LX, EX and EX-L Sedans and Coupes jumps 20 mm from 262 to 282 mm for improved stopping performance.

A large range of new noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) countermeasures work together to reduce road, engine and wind noise in the 2013 Civic's interior. This includes a stiffer front subframe, new thicker windshield and front door glass, and additional soundproofing material in the dash, floor, doors, and rear tray to help reduce unwanted road noise, and provide a more serene ride and quieter cabin.

Interior
Inside, extensive refinements in design and construction gives the entire 2013 Honda Civic lineup a more premium feel, with an all-new tricot headliner, new soft-touch materials on the instrument panel and upper door treatment, and revised textures and panel junctions throughout the instrument panel and center console. Subtle silver accents in the interior lend a higher-quality look, along with door panel and seat fabric upgrades. Providing a more upscale environment, black carpeting and a trunk lid finisher are now standard on all Civic models. For the first time, Civic is available in both cloth and leather with an all-black interior.

The 2013 Honda Civic provides a host of new class-leading standard features, including Bluetooth® HandsFreeLink®, Bluetooth® Audio, rearview camera, color i-MID display, Pandora® Interface, USB/iPod® interface, SMS text message function, steering wheel audio controls, exterior temperature gauge and a sliding finished center armrest. Available on Civic EX, EX-L, Hybrid and Natural Gas models, the Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System™ with voice recognition³ now includes a multi-view rearview camera and provides routing and guidance to individual addresses and more than 7-million points of interest within the continental United States. With its 16-GB flash memory system, it offers fast route calculation and includes FM traffic, a subscription-free service that alerts drivers to traffic conditions.

Safety
Named a "2012 Top Safety Pick" by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Civic returns for 2013 with a re-engineered Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ II (ACE™ II) body structure. The changes that went into the ACE II body structure were designed to help increase the protection provided to vehicle occupants in a frontal collision, including the addition of front end structures to help disperse crash energy in narrow overlap frontal crashes. These changes should also help the Civic obtain top marks in the new Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) small overlap frontal crash test.

Also new for 2013, the Civic features Honda's new SmartVent™ front seat side airbag construction that recently debuted in the 2013 Honda Accord. The new SmartVent™ airbag design helps mitigate the risk of excessive side airbag deployment force, while eliminating the need for the prior Civic's Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS). The elimination of OPDS allows improved heating of the seatback on Civic EX-L models. Additionally, the 2013 Civic is equipped with a side curtain airbag with rollover sensors, nearly two years ahead of regulatory requirements.

A first in the compact segment, the 2013 Honda Civic Hybrid will provide standard Forward Collision Warning (FCW) and Lane Departure Warning (LDW) systems. FCW is designed to detect a possible collision with another vehicle or object ahead and provide visible and audible alerts to the driver. LDW provides visible and audible alerts if the driver begins to drift out of a detected lane without using the turn indicator.

The 2013 Civic's additional safety technologies include standard dual-stage, multiple-threshold front airbags, an anti-lock braking system (ABS), Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA)⁴ with traction control, a tire pressure monitoring system, and a pedestrian injury mitigation design in the front of the vehicle.

Warranty and Awards
The 2013 Honda Civic is covered by a 3-year/36,000-mile new-car limited warranty, a 5-year/60,000-mile powertrain limited warranty, a 5-year/unlimited-mile corrosion limited warranty and on hybrid models a 15-year/150,000-mile emissions warranty when the vehicle is registered and normally operated in California and certain states that have adopted California Zero-Emission Vehicle regulations.

Since its complete redesign as a 2012 model, the Honda Civic has received host of awards and recognition. It was named one of About.com's Best New Cars of 2012. Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com named the 2012 Civic one of the "10 Best Green Cars of 2012" and one of the "Best Family Cars of 2012." In addition, KBB named the Civic Natural Gas a "2012 Best Redesigned Vehicle." The Civic Natural Gas was also named "2012 Green Car of the Year®" by Green Car Journal. Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com has already awarded the 2013 Civic with a Best Resale Value award in its segment.

2013 Honda Civic On-Sale Dates
Model	On-Sale Date	Starting MSRP
Civic Sedan	November 29, 2012	$18,165
Civic Coupe	December 5, 2012	$17,965
Civic Natural Gas	December 10, 2012	$26,465
Civic Si Coupe	December 12, 2012	$22,515
Civic Hybrid	January 23, 2013	$24,360
Civic Si Sedan	January 23, 2013	$22,715
Civic HF	February 6, 2013	$19,765

Honda Cars : The 2013 Honda Civic fully exposed | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

 

 

 

 

This of course is a Minor Model Update in response to Consumer Reports specifically.  You can see the soft touch dash and stitching, the 'faux' chrome around the vents, the 2013 Accord front and rear style ques, and from what I understand the EX-L is now changes to a TOURING model and will include a Backup Camera.

Picture Source (and a great site worth checking out I might add!);
http://carstyleblog.com/this-is-the-new-2013-honda-civic/#more-607

Honda Cars : 2013 Honda Civic to Debut at Los Angeles Auto Show With More Youthful and Premium Styling | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

1/12/2012 - TORRANCE, Calif. Honda today revealed the first look at the much-anticipated 2013 Honda Civic Sedan, in advance of its debut at the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show on November 29. The refined styling of the 2013 Civic Sedan, which goes on sale at Honda dealerships on November 29, will encompass a host of safety, feature, comfort, chassis and interior styling enhancements that will further define the top-selling Civic as the best car in the compact class.

The more upscale and premium styling of the 2013 Civic Sedan's front end includes a new open-mouth lower bumper with a horizontal chrome accent and a sportier, black honeycomb mesh grille, anchored by new integrated fog lights on upper trims. The grille is flanked by new clear-lens corner lights to provide a more premium look. The 2013 Civic's more sculpted front end flows into a new, more deeply faceted hood, complemented by a collection of sharp new wheel designs.

In back, a new rear bumper design and new rear trunk lid are capped by a clean, horizontal chrome trim piece. The all-new design of the jewel-like taillights now carries into the trunk face, providing a more finished and upscale look. The rear bumper features integrated reflector treatments and a new lower diffuser panel finished with a honeycomb mesh vent.

"The 2013 Honda Civic exterior refinements infuse Civic with a more youthful, premium style. Coupling these with additional changes beneath will ensure that Civic maintains its top-ranked status," said Vicki Poponi, assistant vice president of product planning for American Honda.

Heading into 2013 with styling and content additions, the Civic's fun-to-drive nature and core attributes of safety, spaciousness and fuel efficiency remain intact. As the compact segment's retail sales leader, the Honda Civic continues as the benchmark for consumers looking for the smart purchase in a very competitive segment.

Full details of the 2013 Honda Civic will be revealed on Nov. 29 at 10:05 a.m. PST at the Los Angeles Auto Show. For photos showing the styling direction of the 2013 Civic, visit www.hondanews.com.

Source;
http://www.hondanews.com/channels/corporate-headlines/releases/2013-honda-civic-to-debut-at-los-angeles-auto-show-with-more-youthful-and-premium-styling

Honda Cars : Spied! 2013 Honda Civic Revealed with Accord-Like Front Styling | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

The redesigned 2012 Honda Civic didn’t get the critical reaction Honda sought, and now we’ve got shots of a refreshed Civic sedan testing. Likely debuting as a 2013 model, the face-lifted Honda Civic is clearly showing influence by the 2013 Accord, which has received a much more positive response than the Civic did last year.

The 2013 Honda Civic prototype has reimagined front styling, with a grille sporting the same U-shaped trim piece we’ve seen on the 2013 Honda Accord. The 2013 Civic integrates a new lower front fascia design and, at least on the higher-trim Civics, we wouldn’t be surprised to see LED daytime running lights.

From behind, a revised taillight design is visible, though the 2013 Civic appears to use the same taillight housing shape as before. The license plate surrounding area has been expanded and the built-in rear spoiler look remains.

The two-tier instrument cluster displays — introduced on the 2006 Honda Civic, our 2006 Car of the Year — remains on what we believe is the 2013 Honda Civic, which may have upgraded interior materials. Whether Honda still has any development money to improve the car’s powertrains is unclear, but the compact already offers a number of different choices, from the regular gas-powered I-4 to a hybrid, plus a natural gas and higher-powered sporty variant.

Revisit WOT’s thoughts about how Honda should improve the Civic here, and reread our 2012 Honda Civic EX First Test here.

Source;

http://wot.motortrend.com/spied-2013-honda-civic-revealed-with-accord-like-front-styling-285789.html

Honda Cars : Temple of Vtec Reader Chad Davis spies a 2013 Honda Civic? | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

Hmmm, for those that don't know, Honda has accelerated their Mid-Model Life change on the redesigned Honda Civic due to panning of the car (Consumer Reports).....


Here is directly from www.vtec.net
"TOV reader Chad Davis sent this photo to us last night. The subject car was spotted in Ohio, and as you can see it's wearing one of Honda R&D's license plates, it's definitely a Civic, and it's taped up as if to hide something. This naturally leads one to conclude that we could be getting an early look at the hastily revised 9th generation Civic, which is due for the 2013 model year.

Hopefully we will get some more shots from different angles so we can see what's going on.

A big thanks to Chad Davis for sharing this photo with the TOV community." 

Source;
http://www.vtec.net/news/news-item?news_item_id=1064540

Honda Cars : Honda Commits to Finding it's Way Back to Roots | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

By Chang-ran Kim And Ben Klayman, Reuters

The future of Honda Motor Co. may rest with a pair of contrarian Japanese car engineers working from a drab Tokyo suburb with a hotline to the boardroom. Their mission: just say no.

Honda's creative directors, Toshinobu Minami and Yoshinori Asahi, are out to kill any mediocre car designs rumbling down the pipeline. In short, they have been told to stop anything like the 2012 Civic, a cheapened redesign that prompted critics, consumers and rivals to wonder how Honda had so badly lost its way.

Inside Honda, in both Japan and the United States, that same question has also been asked with urgency.

Honda, many say, slipped into designing cars by committee in recent years and drifted away from the iconoclastic ambitions of its founder.

Honda had become boring.

"Somewhere along the way, we lost the ability to express ourselves more freely," Asahi said. "We have a lot of designers here, and when we ask ourselves, 'Which Honda car would we want to buy?' sometimes some of us draw a blank."

That's a startling admission at a company long praised for the quality and durability of its vehicles - a company that caught U.S. automakers flat-footed in the 1970s with inexpensive, fuel-efficient cars like the original Civic.

Touted four decades ago for its CVCC engine that boasted cleaner tailpipe emissions - as well as inspiring the Civic name - Honda has trailed with advances such as six-speed transmissions and direct fuel-injection systems.

In recent years, Honda's "car guys," the engineers that built the automotive upstart into a powerhouse, were overshadowed by the "bean counters," financial executives more willing to cut corners on vehicle content to shore up margins, insiders say.

That approach looks good on a spreadsheet, but it also carries the risk of a backlash. Consumers can turn on a debased version of a popular car and the resulting publicity can burn a brand - a lesson GM, Ford and Chrysler all learned the hard way in the slide to crisis in 2008.

Ironically, Detroit's willingness to settle for also-ran status in small-car quality created the opening for Honda in the 1970s and 1980s. Now, analysts and industry executives wonder whether Honda can rekindle the underdog ambition of founder Soichiro Honda.

Changes at Honda can't come soon enough after a terrible year. Slow to recover from the earthquake and tsunami in Japan a year ago, Honda's U.S. sales tumbled seven per cent in 2011. By contrast, Nissan bounced back with a 14 per cent sales gain to almost match Honda's market share. Meanwhile, Hyundai Motor Co. and its affiliate Kia Motors Corp. have overtaken Japanese automakers as the benchmark for value-for-money.

"Honda somehow managed to get very, very far away from their engineering discipline," AutoTrends Consulting president Joseph Phillippi said, adding it could take three years for Honda to show it has turned the corner in car development.

Honda's earnings remain supported by a strong finance arm and its leading motorcycle business. In addition, the automaker is taking steps to shift more production to North America to shore up profitability.

In another move that shows the importance Honda attaches to getting it right in the United States, the board last month promoted North America chief Tetsuo Iwamura to become the No. 2 global executive, the first time that job has been based outside Japan.

But behind the scenes, the battle for Honda's automotive soul is being played out in places like Asahi and Minami's sprawling third-floor studio in the Tokyo suburb of Wako. If the upscale Aoyama neighbourhood that houses Honda's headquarters can be likened to New York's Fifth Avenue, then Wako would be a dreary town in New Jersey.

Since September, when they were promoted to fix Honda's car designs, Asahi, 47, and Minami, 44, have been working from Wako with a mission to shake things up. Both worked in the early 1990s on the fourth-generation Accord, a bigger Honda that won praise for its simplicity and a near-indestructible fourcylinder engine.

Honda's creative duo now have a direct line to chief executive Takanobu Ito. Frustrated with the pace of decision-making at Honda, Ito has put himself in charge of Honda's car operations, splitting the core of the company into three units headed by engineers: the Acura brand, mid-sized vehicles and small cars.

Honda is rushing a redesigned Civic to market late this year, essentially a facelift to protect the image of a car that is key to both Honda's future and heritage.

Source;
http://www.calgaryherald.com/business/Honda+will+revamp+after+dent+from+Civic/6245829/story.html

Honda Cars : Honda Aims to Reclaim Its Luster | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

By NICK BUNKLEY

DETROIT — When everything seems to be going wrong, hire Jerry Seinfeld, bring back Ferris Bueller and pray. And even then things might not improve all that much.

That’s the predicament for Honda as it tries to recover from its troubles in the past year, when a series of natural disasters in Asia caused sales to plunge, and an important model, the revamped Civic, got such a poor reception that the company rushed to make changes.

Honda’s chief executive, Takanobu Ito, was so fearful that the company might be “jinxed” that he spent New Year’s Day at a Japanese shrine in the hope of eliminating the “bad omens,” he said recently. In commercials for Honda shown during the Super Bowl, Mr. Seinfeld is desperate to get the first Acura NSX, a concept car not coming to market for several years, and Matthew Broderick plays himself, taking a Bueller-like day off away from the movie set and giving a shout-out to the Honda CR-V.

The two ads were highly rated by viewers, and Honda is off to a better start in 2012, breaking a string of eight consecutive monthly sales declines in the United States with an 8.8 percent increase in January. But analysts do not foresee a smooth road back for the carmaker, whose market share dropped to 9 percent last year, the lowest level since 2005. Its share was 10.6 percent in 2010.

On Monday, Moody’s Investors Service cut Honda’s credit-rating outlook to negative from stable, citing “significant challenges” for Honda and doubts about how much market share the company can regain even after dealer inventories are back to full strength. “Although Honda still has a good reputation, the competition in the auto market is getting tougher because its rivals have improved their product quality and brand acceptance in the last several years,” Tadashi Usui, a vice president with Moody’s Investors Service in Tokyo, said in a report.

Honda executives, while projecting a 60 percent drop in net profits for the fiscal year that ends in March, have expressed confidence that the company is on the brink of a significant rebound. One goal is a 25 percent sales increase in the United States this year, helped by a redesigned CR-V crossover vehicle and several new models for its upscale Acura brand.

Honda unveiled the production versions of the Acuras, the RDX crossover and ILX compact car, this week at the Chicago auto show. They are part of a major push to expand Acura, whose sales last year suffered even more than the mainstream Honda brand. Honda executives have said they hope to sell 180,000 Acuras this year, which would represent a 46 percent increase. Still, the NSX featured in the Super Bowl ad is not scheduled to go on sale for about three years, and with a price expected to top $100,000, it will not be a very high-volume car.

“In order to grow, the product offering that they have needs to be more compelling,” said Rebecca Lindland, an analyst with the research firm IHS Automotive.

Honda was hit harder than other automakers by the earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan last March. Its factories in Japan, North America and elsewhere were forced to stop or slow production for months because of parts shortages, and dealerships across the United States sold out of some popular models as a result.

A rival, Nissan, even ran a commercial showing a loaded Nissan car carrier passing an idle Honda dealer in an empty lot.

Honda was just beginning to recover from the tsunami when severe flooding in Thailand compounded the shortages. Executives say dealers should finally be back to normal inventory by the end of March, putting the company back on a level playing field with its rivals for the first time in nearly a year.

Honda’s inventories grew 38 percent from December to January.

“Last year we had a big handicap,” Tetsuo Iwamura, the chief executive of American Honda, said last month in Detroit, adding that 2012 “is the year that we will be able to show how Honda is competitive in the marketplace.”

Besides running plants on overtime to compensate for the lost production last year, Honda has worked to get vehicles to dealerships faster. By altering how it assembles shipments of various models and making other changes to its logistics operations, deliveries to crucial markets like Chicago and Houston occurred up to 15 percent faster, a Honda spokesman, Edward K. Miller, said.

“We thought we were efficient, but we discovered a whole lot of room for improvement,” Mr. Miller said in an e-mail. “Delivery times shrank dramatically.”

Honda has said it might cost $650 million to rebuild a plant in Thailand that was underwater for several weeks last fall. The damage and lost production from the flooding and the Japanese tsunami combined with the high value of the yen to cut Honda’s third-quarter earnings by 41 percent.

The company now expects to earn about 215 billion yen ($2.8 billion) in the current fiscal year, down from 534 billion ($6.9 billion) a year earlier. Its shares on the Tokyo Stock Exchange are down 20 percent in the past year, though they have risen 20 percent so far in 2012
For decades, Honda had been on a relentless march upward in the auto industry, steadily expanding its market share by churning out ever-larger quantities of cars consistently rated as the most fuel-efficient and reliable in the country. Though it has never been able to catch its rival, Toyota, in size, Honda always seemed equally invincible as the two companies wrested control of the American passenger-car market from Detroit.

After introducing itself to American shoppers in the 1970s with cars including the Civic, Honda turned its Accord into the top-selling Japanese car in each year from 1982 through 1996; the Accord was the first Japanese nameplate to be the country’s most popular car over all in 1989.
In the fall, Honda plans to bring out a redesigned version of the Accord, still its top-selling vehicle. Much of Honda’s ability to regain market share depends on the Accord’s being successful, and the stakes are even higher after the Civic elicited many negative reviews last year.

In addition, the Accord will face stiffer competition than in the past from other midsize sedans. Besides the Toyota Camry, whose sales have surged since it was redesigned last year, the Accord will be up against new versions of the Ford Fusion, which was a breakout hit at the auto show in Detroit last month, and Chevrolet Malibu.

“There’s going to be a lot of noise in the market in that particular segment,” said Ms. Lindland, the IHS Automotive analyst. “They’ve got to have a significant home run in order to get people to notice.”

Most notably, the magazine Consumer Reports, which historically has given high marks to most Hondas, stopped recommending that consumers buy the Civic. It said the car now “feels insubstantial with a cheap interior” and falls short of the standards set by improved compact-car models from Chevrolet, Ford and Hyundai, among others.

Though Honda officials disputed the notion that the Civic is not competitive — and pointed out that its sales jumped 50 percent in January, making it the month’s top-selling compact — the carmaker is accelerating what is known as a “midcycle refresh” of the car.

Executives told dealers attending a national convention last weekend that the refreshed 2013 Civic will arrive around the same time as the Accord, a mere 18 months after its introduction, the trade publication Automotive News reported. Automakers typically wait at least three years after introducing a model before making substantial changes.

Source;
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/09/business/global/beleaguered-honda-hopes-the-fates-are-kinder-in-2012.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha25&pagewanted=print

Honda Cars : Honda moves up to this fall major changes to the Civic | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

Honda will bring out a significant mid-cycle change to its embattled Civic compact this fall, just 18 months after it launched, a high-ranking executive told dealers here.

The move is a rush to improve the Civic in time for the 2013 model year. The Civic's cheapened interior and other reductions in content got a critical reviews from The Wall Street Journal, and Consumer Reports removed the model from its recommended list.

John Mendel, executive vice president at American Honda Motor Co., previously had said Honda hoped to get a midcycle freshening for the Civic sometime in 2013. More recently, Honda executives said they hoped a change could come by the end of 2012.

Even that would have been a feat, since most automakers wait three years into a five-year cycle for a midcycle change.

Most midcycle changes involve minor changes to the front and rear fascias and some minor interior updates. A dealer source said changes to the 2013 model year version would be more significant than that.

This latest announcement confirms that the substantially revised Civic will arrive at about the same time as a redesigned Accord. The Civic still is in the fight for the title of best-selling compact car, despite the bad reviews and inventory shortages related to the Japan earthquake in March and then floods in Thailand.

Source;
http://www.autoweek.com/article/20120206/CARNEWS/120209930#ixzz1lcCBwJN7

Honda Cars : 2013 Honda Civic Minor Model Change Update | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

If you have wanted to take a look at the all new Honda Civic, then may be your wait could be over sometime soon.

The car maker Honda, have the first refresh model of Honda Civic ready for release. This is believed to help the automaker to kick start the sales process for the all new model.

According to the Associated Press, the company has been trying to get a new face for the 2012 Honda Civic ever since it started its sale in 2011. The reasons for the same have been the drivability of and quality of the car in all respects. Usually, it is not common to see a revamp of car model in less than three years of its first release.

Sources say that this move by Honda is a clever one. The company does not want research and development to render waste, which would otherwise drop the overall sales of the automobile manufacturer.

However, if you take a close look most critics speculate that the car would not be very technically different. The drivetrain and suspension would possibly be heightened in terms of quality to give a better driving familiarity. Also the interiors could be classier and sophisticated. This could be a change in embellishments and fixtures. There is an expected upward trend for these changes.

In the recent past, natural disasters such as the earthquake and tsunami in Japan in March 2011 and floods in Thailand in October 2011, have hit the automobile maker quite a bit. This is believed to cause an inventory dearth for the company. Subsequently, the United States experienced a drop in the sales of Honda Civic by almost 13 percent in this fiscal year as reported by research companies.

Some quick reviewers claim that the new 2012 Civic might not be able to compete with its competitors in the same domain. All new 2012 Honda Civic begins its sales at USD 15,805. Reviewers and critics uphold potential with the new Civic. The expectations with the gem automobile are high. And critics are wondering how the car would perform after the revamp. Is the new Honda Civic 2012 going to do the magic?

Source;
http://www.auto-types.com/autonews/honda-civic-2012-refresh-sooner-than-soon-8133.html

Honda Cars : Report: Honda Will Revise Sales Forecasts Up While It Revises Civic | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

By Ben Timmons
Honda’s not taking its recent Civic-related setbacks quietly, and it certainly isn’t giving up in the face of natural disasters, supply problems, and cheap plastics: the company is shooting to increase sales by 24 percent next year.

Automotive News reports that Tetsuo Iwamura, the President and CEO of American Honda, is predicting a 24 percent increase next year in sales, as the company works to upgrade and fix its 2012 Civic coupe and sedan. If Honda can pull off both of these ideas well, it would spell a great 2012 for a company that struggled through 2011. Its Civic sedan is down 13 percent thanks to inventory problems and quality problems, and the whole nameplate is off 5.3 percent year-to-date.

Keep in mind, also, that Honda was one of the hardest-hit Japanese automakers in last March’s Great East Japan Earthquake, and it continued to suffer during the Thai floods later this year. Sales of Honda’s hybrids, which are either produced in Japan or rely on Japanese parts, were down 53 percent in November 2011 from the same period in 2010.

Still, Honda hopes that its product portfolio will carry it to victory next year, as it pushes the one-two punch of natural disasters further and further in the rearview mirror. It is looking to replenish dwindling inventories of the Civic as it readies the update, and along with the all-new CR-V, sell roughly 1.25 million Hondas in 2012.

It’s a lofty goal, but we’ll see just how attainable it is in the coming months.

Source;
http://rumors.automobilemag.com/report-honda-will-revise-sales-forecasts-up-while-it-revises-civic-96285.html

Honda Cars : Updated 2013 Honda Civic Coming Late Next Year, Company Says it Expects to Improve Sales | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

With less than two weeks to go before the year’s end, we can safely say that one of the biggest disappointments of 2011 was the ninth generation of Honda’s U.S.-market Civic. Launched in April as a 2012 year model, the new Civic was criticized for its drop in quality and was even removed from Consumer Reports’ “Recommended” list.

Honda Motor CEO Takanobu Ito took personal responsibility for the new Civic's poor performance. And now, the company's executives confirm earlier reports that Honda is rushing back to the drawing board much earlier than originally anticipated.

Honda U.S. executive vice president of sales John Mendel may claim that “building a good car isn’t good enough for us, we have to build a great car”, but we suspect that the 13 percent drop in sales to 200,690 units in 2011, is probably the reason why the Civic is getting ready for a redesign only a year after launch.

Tetsuo Iwamura, Honda’s top North American executive, told Bloomberg News that the 2013MY Civic will go on sale by late next year and that it will be “upgraded”. That was to be expected, as the Civic is Honda’s second best-selling car in the U.S. after the Accord.

Iwamura admitted that “the gap between the Civic and the competitors has been narrowed”, adding that “we have to make it wider”. Thus, he revealed that the Japanese carmaker will improve the styling, driving dynamics and comfort of the 2013 MY Civic.

The performance of such a critical model only added insult to injury for Honda, as the March earthquake that hit Japan seriously diminished its inventory and resulted in a 5.3 percent drop in the company's U.S. sales through November.

Despite this year’s performance, Japan’s third biggest carmaker has set quite a high target for next year: it wants its U.S. sales to increase from about 1 million units in 2011 to 1.25 million, and its luxury brand Acura to improve its record even more, from 126,000 to 180,000 deliveries.

“It looks like quite a high jump, but because of the availability problem we had a really low year in 2011”, Iwamura told Bloomberg. “That is the reason why growth looks huge, but for us, it’s a natural growth.”

Source;
http://www.carscoop.blogspot.com/2011/12/updated-2013-honda-civic-coming-late.html

Honda Cars : Honda: Let's try that again | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

HONDA is working flat-out on improvements to its all-new Civic after a lacklustre start to the car's life.
The latest model of the Japanese compact has been criticised for its lack of innovation and quality. For the first time, it has been struck from the list of recommended models in the influential Consumer Guide in the US.
The new Civic sedan arrives here towards the middle of next year, with the five-door hatch to follow, as global head of Honda, Takanobu Ito, promises significant upgrades to counter the criticism.
"We will continue to make improvements on a daily basis," Ito says.
He takes responsibility for the car's shortcomings and admits Honda underestimated its opposition, as well as the level of improvement needed over the outgoing model.
"I believe that the ultimate responsibility for the Civic rests with me," Ito says.
"Right now we are trying to work out the best actions possible in response.
"We might have underestimated the competition to a certain extent."In Honda's defence, Ito says he believes the previous-generation Civic was well ahead of its rivals and that might have led to decisions that did not push hard enough on the new car.
"The previous Civic was something of a major surprise to the world, it was extremely advanced, and therefore the concept for this current Civic was trying to carry over the concept.
"We look at the history of the Civic model. We are constantly aiming towards more advanced features and carrying out development of the new Civic."
He admits Honda has been stung by the poor reception for the car.
"In this situation it is true that we lacked the capability to understand beforehand that such reactions might have come about. We should have studied these things more carefully."
He believes Honda's effort with the previous Civic also spurred rivals to develop the cars that are now making things tough for the maker and the model.

Source;
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/ipad/honda-lets-try-that-again/story-fn9y0ah4-1226217398926

Honda Cars : Honda CEO Says Civic will Improve, Shoots Down F1 Rumors | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

Honda's chief executive acknowledged that the 2012 Civic has fallen flat with critics--accepting personal accountability--and said the company is considering ways to upgrade the car in light of stiffer competition.

The Civic was revealed at the New York auto show in April and launched soon after. Though it remains fuel efficient and popular with many consumers, detractors have said the car's styling is too similar to that of the previous generation, and it has been panned for an average-looking interior.

"I'm fully aware there were mixed opinions for the Civic for the U.S. market," Honda CEO Takanobu Ito said. "I believe that the ultimate responsibility for the Civic rests with me. Right now we are trying to work out the best actions possible in response."

A mid-cycle freshening could occur in 2013 rather than 2014, reports say.

Speaking to North American reporters in a wide-ranging interview on Wednesday at the Tokyo motor show, Ito also shot down rumors of a potential tie-up with McLaren to return to Formula One racing in some capacity.

"That was a complete unfounded rumor," he said through an interpreter. "Of course we are interested, but we think there are higher priorities than Formula One."

Honda left the sport in 2008 amid the global financial crisis that also forced the company to scuttle the second-generation Acura NSX program and some of its motorsports endeavors.

Honda remains active in IndyCar, MotorGP and other series.

The NSX has been confirmed to be back in Honda's product plans, though Ito deflected a direct question as to whether it will be revealed in January at the Detroit auto show.

The Honda chief said the company would focus its performance money into sporty cars. He envisions an all-electric sports car and a larger, yet athletic alternative-propulsion car in its lineup someday. Presaging that, Honda revealed the EV-ster, an all-electric roadster concept, and the AC-X, a plug-in sedan, in Tokyo.

Still, the Japanese automaker will not focus strictly on electric cars and hybrids, Ito said, preferring a broad strategy that involves internal-combustion engines, hybrids and fuel cells.

Ito also defended the Acura brand, which has also been the subject of criticism for balky styling and a lack of V8 engines. Ito said Acura vehicles will get more luxury and performance features, including a next-generation all-wheel-drive system.

Source;
http://www.autoweek.com/article/20111130/TOKYO/111139999#ixzz1fChOR0g5

Honda Cars : Honda rushes Civic refresh in wake of criticism | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

By: Mark Rechtin, Automotive News on 10/31/2011
Because of the chilly reception this year for its redesigned 2012 Civic, which was universally panned for its cheap, hard-plastic instrument panel and center console, Honda is moving more quickly than planned on some mid-cycle changes.

"We take feedback seriously, regardless of who it's from, and we will act accordingly quickly," John Mendel, American Honda executive vice president, said in an interview.

The mid-cycle update normally would occur in spring 2014. But Mendel said the change could occur sometime in 2013.

Honda was in the midst of redesigning the Civic when the global economy imploded in 2009. Honda Motor Co. CEO Takanobu Ito stopped the redesign in its tracks, approved shortening the wheelbase and reducing content to appeal to budget-conscious consumers.

Reviewers chastised Honda for its penny-pinching ways after it debuted in April. Consumer Reports removed the Civic from its "recommended" list for the first time in memory, calling it "cheap" and "insubstantial." A recent Wall Street Journal review called it "a betrayal."

For the car that leads the compact segment in retail sales--and is Honda's bread and butter--those words are damning when competitive entries from Ford, Hyundai and Chevrolet have shown major improvement.

"I don't know how much we can do, and how quickly," said Mendel at the media launch of the redesigned 2012 CR-V crossover. "But the comments of Consumer Reports and our customers have not gone unnoticed. We are appropriately energized."

The launch was severely disrupted by the Japan earthquake on March 11. Dealers held blowout sales of the outgoing Civic in March and April but allocations were slow in coming.

Still, the Civic was the most shopped nameplate in June, in the thick of the car's marketing launch, according to the consulting firm Compete Automotive. But the spike was surprisingly short-lived, and shopper volume declined quickly--"atypical for Honda in particular," the Compete report said.

The downgrade by Consumer Reports likely played a role in the diminished interest, Compete said.

Source;
http://www.autoweek.com/article/20111031/CARNEWS/111039993#ixzz1cMnFOVjp

Honda Cars : Temple of Vtec Rumour: New Civic to get a 'Refresh' for 2013?!? | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

Yesterday we received a bit of news that came as a little bit of a surprise. According to a source (who has been reliable in the past), Honda hosted a "Grassroots" meeting for West Coast Honda dealers yesterday. During this meeting, the dealers are said to have shared some of their comments and concerns about the 2012 Civic, and reportedly Honda's response was that a "very refreshed, and more aggressively styled Civic" would make its debut in December 2012, as a 2013 model.

We tried reaching out to some of the contacts we have in other regions to see if they had heard anything similar. The one that I heard back from indicated that they had not heard this information, but they had heard a few months back that there would be some tweaks to the '12 Civics (improved wheels/tires on the Civic LX, possibly some upgraded interior materials) and the car would be "relaunched" sometime in the near term.

Suffice it to say, we will be tracking this one.

Source;
http://www.vtec.net/news/news-item?news_item_id=1007927