Honda Cars : Honda shows off future auto tech | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

by Richard Russell of 'You Auto Know'

TOCHIGI, Japan — Honda fans rejoice, the company you have come to respect for its engineering prowess is back.

There has been a bit of a draught on that front in recent years but a flood of new products and technologies will soon take care of that.

During an intensive ‘Deep Dive’ at the company’s Research and Development Center here about two hours northwest of Tokyo, we were given a look at what is ahead and a chance to drive prototypes being used to evaluate these future technologies.

Honda has always been an engineering-led company so it was a relief to see a raft of new engines and transmissions ready for, or already into, production.

Engines

On the engine front, there are new 1.5-, 1.8- and 2.4-litre four-cylinder engines coming to market as you read this, the first in the new 2013 Accord.

Like every Honda engine from this point forward, from 660-cc to 3.5 litres, it has direct injection and variable valve timing.

We saw a new 1.6-litre aluminum diesel engine stuffed with weight saving and friction reducing technology.

Start pestering your local Honda dealer for this one. If enough of them ask, Honda will supply.

Transmission

The team has developed a trio of new CVT (Continuously Variable Transmissions) automatics for use in tiny, small land medium-sized cars.

Every effort has been made to inject some fun and feeling back into these units. But those feature prominently in a pair of new seven-speed dual clutch transmissions with built-in high-power electric motors, one for hybrids and another for regular applications.

The electric motors provide assist during acceleration and at high cruising speeds while serving as a generator when slowing.

The version developed for plug-in hybrids has two motors within the CVT. I managed 60 km/hr. in the normal hybrid and 100 km/hr in the plug-in on pure electric power.

They have also come up with a new coaxial gearbox integrated into the motor of the Fit EV (electric vehicle).

It provides three stages of power depending on the degree of accelerator travel, varying from 47 kW through 75kW to 92 kW.

Steering and suspension

There are two major developments in this area — a new SH-AWD system and all-wheel-steering.
A newly-developed drive unit has separate electric motors for each rear wheel.

In a corner, the motor at the outside wheel applies positive torque while the inside one exerts negative power.

By making the outside wheel go slightly faster and the inside slightly slower, the car follows the intended line more closely.

The energy generated while the inside wheel is in negative mode, is used to power the outside motor.
Add to this Precision All-Wheel Steering and you’ve got a pretty amazing package. An electric actuator in the tow control link at each rear wheel uses information from the engine, vehicle stability assist system and electric power steering and to extend or retract an arm and adjust the toe-in of each rear wheel by up to two degrees in either direction.

Unlike mechanical systems, this one can control each wheel separately allowing it to contribute to stability during cornering. It also applies toe-in during extreme braking to further aid in stability and reduce stopping distances

Safety

A City Brake Active System controls speed through various traffic lights to reduce consumption and fuel use.

In a demonstration the car equipped with the system proceeded steadily through a series of traffic lights without changing speed while the vehicle in adjacent lane, without it, sped away and came to stop at each light.

We also saw a system of vehicle-to-vehicle communication that predicts possible risk at intersections, greatly reducing rear-end, motorcycle. car and pedestrian collisions.

Dubbed Intelligent Communication Technologies, it will require buy-in from different manufacturers and participation by various levels of governments down to municipal level to install systems
Autonomous Emergency Brake, similar to others I have sampled in Europe, it uses a combination of camera and radar to recognize an object’s size, position, speed and direction and predict the risk of a collision, applying the brakes automatically to bring the vehicle to a full stop.

A new intelligent cruise control system monitors up to six vehicles in adjacent traffic. If it knows the speed of the vehicle pulling in front of you is the same as or greater than yours, it knows there is no need to alter the speed of your vehicle.

Vehicles

We drove an European Accord equipped with the drivetrain bound for the 2014 Acura RLS (formerly RL) coming in the spring. A 3.5-litre V7 producing more than 310 horsepower drives the front wheels.

Each rear wheel is driven by its own 20-plus horsepower electric motor. The new seven-speed dual clutch automatic has a third electric motor within, this one putting out more than 30 horsepower.

The new SH-AWD system thus is able to drive all four wheels simultaneously — but separately. The motor at the outside rear wheel applies positive torque in corners to help push the car into he intended line.

The motor on the inside wheel applies negative torque to slow that one slightly tugging the car into the turn. The kinetic energy developed by the inside wheel is converted to power for the other motor.
The trick rear-steer system mentioned above is also incorporated.

The driving impression were: V8-like power delivered in a smooth and progressive fashion, near neutral handling with gobs of stick and amazing braking.

This same drivetrain, re-arranged to accommodate a mid-ship engine placement, will be further enhanced and used in the upcoming NSX sports car.

At the other end of the scale we drove an N-One, Honda’s entry in the K-Class so popular in Japan. Restricted to 660 cc, these little devils are everywhere you look. Honda got around the displacement restriction by turbocharging the engine.

They were unwilling to talk horsepower but on the big track I got the box-shaped test mule up to 172 km/hr before running out of room.

The CIVIC Type-R — We didn’t get to drive one, but expect a turbocharged engine developed during the company’s recent foray in the World Touring Car Championships.

Source;
http://thechronicleherald.ca/wheelsnews/185336-honda-shows-off-future-auto-tech

Honda Cars : Honda Brio Amaze first studio shots leak out | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

The Honda Brio Amaze has leaked to the web, ahead of its debut on November 23rd.

Essentially a sedan version of the Brio hatchback, the Amaze has familiar styling but adopts a revised grille, new rear doors and a far more attractive rear end. The overall design is fairly conservative but that's to be expected in a class that values function over form.

The interior will likely carryover from the standard model, but reports have indicated the sedan will have a unique rear seat and revised upholstery.

Engine options remain unconfirmed, but speculation suggests the Amaze will be offered with a 1.5-liter i-DTEC diesel and a 1.2-liter i-VTEC petrol that develops 90 HP (66 kW).

Source;
http://www.worldcarfans.com/112112050795/honda-brio-amaze-leaks-out-early

Honda Cars : Honda 1.5 litre i-VTEC direct-injection engine and G-Design Shift CVT sampled, along with CR-Z facelift | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

The Sport Hybrid systems, including the all-new single-motor Intelligent Dual-Clutch Drive, weren’t the only highlights at the 2012 Honda Meeting – Earth Dreams Technology showcase held in Japan. Honda also previewed its new direct-injection mills, in both 2.4 litre and 1.5 litre guise. The two Earth Dreams inline-four units wear fresh CVTs as well.
The 1.5 litre twin-cam DI unit, which offers 127 hp and 154 Nm, has both VTEC and VTC as well as auto stop-start in the inventory. The 11:0 compression NA unit features a new lightweight block construction, with active measures to reduce friction.
Key tech employed includes low-tension piston rings, a two-stage relief oil pump, high-tumble port, mass EGR and patterned piston coating. In terms of improvement, torque is up by 6%, and efficiency by 5% over a similar existing powertrain.
As for the CVT, the transmission wears a G-Design Shift badge, and for this one the company states that a “new cooperative control achieves ‘the joy of operating’ the car.” Such imagery aside, the new 6.2 ratio unit is claimed to have a quicker response, better efficiency and wider range.

Reduced friction is on the cards, as well as the employment of a new CVT transmission fluid. Elsewhere, the design incorporates a new high-precision pulley pressure control, high-efficiency oil pump and a new high-strength belt.
The new power and drivetrain was on a Fit at Tochigi, and there was a chance to try it out on the high-speed banked oval – the upper lane was closed off at the banked sections, but there was still ample acreage to stretch the car’s legs as part of what the company tagged the ‘Acceleration Fun’ part of the event.
Tuned towards offering economy without sacrificing drivability, the unit isn’t a veritable powerhouse, but it’s energetic enough. It’s also impressively smooth, especially the CVT. There’s none of the rubber-banding characteristics associated with the type, and what was coming off the unit was rather direct, almost auto transmission-like in feel.
The engine itself is quite willing, lively as it climbs up the rev range, and the smoothness carries through to higher band operation. A simple round across Tochigi won’t reveal what it’s like in the real world, so things will have to wait until it – presumably – debuts on the new Fit to show what it can really achieve, especially with regards to fuel consumption.

The bigger displacement unit, the 2.4, has pretty much the same bag of tech tricks seen on the 1.5 DI, with the inclusion of a double-arm chain system into the list. Output torque has been increased by 10%, and efficiency is up by 4% over the current unit. As for power output, the new 2.4 DI offers 184 hp at 6,400 rpm (188 hp in Sport trim) and 243 Nm at 4,000 rpm.
Aside from the two DI units, there were other engines on static display – the new 1.6 litre Earth Dreams i-DTEC turbodiesel, which will make its market debut in the new Civic hatchback in Europe in January, as well as a research three-cylinder petrol turbo mill.
No details were available for the three-cylinder turbo, and none were again forthcoming from the Honda engineers despite some serious prodding, but the unit does look rather 1.0 EcoBoost-esque in intent and form. It does look like Honda is viewing the downsizing card and at alternatives quite intently – might be that something like this would bridge the gap from its 1.5 DI to its 660 cc mills quite nicely.
Speaking of 660 cc mills, we had the chance to take out the recently-launched N-One kei car, in both normally-aspirated and turbo forms. The NA version offers 57 hp at 7,300 rpm and 65 Nm at 3,500 rpm, while the turbo delivers 63 hp at 6,000 rpm and 104 Nm at 2,600 rpm. The N-One only comes with a CVT, and from what was gathered at the event, that also wears a G-Design Shift badge.

The car looks cute, in a kitschy way – I quite like the front end, actually. The interior is rather neat too, if spartan. The front bench looks novel and there’s a decent number of cubbyholes for storage, and a push-button ignition and auto AC keeps it all tidy.
Around the track, belting it seemed a poor idea, especially with the NA, given that it’s really meant as a city car, but aside from a wooly steering at speed and some wind noise, the N-One gave a decent account of itself. Its behaviour is clean and the overall spirit is definitely perky. The turbo went around much easier, naturally, but performance isn’t the be all and end all – in Japan, it’s the cheaper NA that sells far better.
Such is the case too with the gangly N Box, which was at Tochigi in its turbocharged form, complete with Custom dress-up kit – the engine is the same unit as that on the N-One, and has identical figures.
Like the N-One, the normally-aspirated N Box does much better than its turbo sibling in terms of sales, but Japanese consumers do opt to dress it up with the Custom kit – it’s 50-50 basic and Custom as far as sales go, I was told.

Inspired by what the N-One achieved, I decided to let rip with the N Box, and at 130 km/h going into the middle lane of the bank, images of the vehicle tottering over flashed in my mind, but aside from a complete drop in steering weight, it chugged along happily.
As far as drive character goes, think of it as a bigger N-One. It’s not the prettiest thing, the N Box, but it is eminently practical (plenty of space at the back with the rear seats folded down), and sales reflect its popularity in Japan.
Last, but not least, the facelifted CR-Z. The example at Tochigi was an auto mule, but the additional juice incorporated into the revision helps add zip – you should temper your expectations, because it’s not jaw dropping, but there’s a definite improvement, notably going into the midband.

I finally figured out how the S+ button operates. Press it, and you get all the available power the car can muster, but the battery has to be at least four bars full; any lower and the system is unavailable. When available, a ‘S+ Ready’ indicator lights up on top of the battery meter display.
Operation is accelerator pedal dependent. The moment you ease off on it, the system disengages and goes back to normal output. Things are also good for a moderate time only, but it’s long enough for something like overtaking.
No word on when the car will arrive on our shores, but given that production of the pre-facelift model is all but over, you can work the math as to when it’ll tentatively arrive here. Oh, and apologies for not grabbing any pix of the CR-Z’s interior – there was simply too many things going on, and by the time I remembered we had left for the next section!

Source;
http://paultan.org/2012/11/16/honda-1-5-litre-i-vtec-direct-injection-engine-and-g-design-shift-cvt-sampled-along-with-cr-z-facelift/

Honda Cars : Honda Insight with 1.5 liter IMA system to debut soon? | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

Check out the Honda Insight section on Honda Japan’s website and you’ll be greeted by the teaser image above, which seems to indicate that an Insight with a larger 1.5 liter i-VTEC IMA engine will be available soon. So far, most Honda hybrids including the Honda Insight sold here in Malaysia use the 1.3 liter system, while the 1.5 liter system is reserved for the sporty Honda CR-Z.

A larger more powerful system in the Insight would certainly be welcome for those looking for a little more fun in their green motoring, but do not want to go for the 3-door body of the CR-Z. With the hybrid tax exemptions just recently extended by the Malaysian government, perhaps Honda Malaysia can introduce this 1.5 liter variant of the Honda Insight as well? I’m sure there’s a market!

Source;
http://paultan.org/2011/10/11/honda-insight-with-1-5-liter-ima-system-to-debut-soon/