Honda Cars : Tesla Rises as N.Y. Times Finds Story Flaws: S.F. Mover | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

Wow, what a crazy story....

by Alan Ohnsman of www.bloomberg.com

Tesla Motor Inc, the maker of electric vehicles led by billionaire Elon Musk, rose the most in more than three months after the New York Times said there were flaws in a critical review of the battery-powered Model S sedan.

The shares rose 6 percent to $39.28 at the close in New York, the biggest one-day gain since Nov. 5. The Palo Alto, California-based company is to release fourth-quarter results tomorrow.

Musk said last week a story by Times reporter John M. Broder was “fake,’’ citing inaccurate details on speed, route, use of the heating system and for failing to properly charge the $101,000 car. Tesla released data from the test vehicle on Feb. 13 to back Musk’s statements.

“Did he use good judgment along the way? Not especially,” Margaret Sullivan, public editor for the Times, said yesterday in an online column, referring to the reporter. “In addition, Mr. Broder left himself open to valid criticism by taking what seem to be casual and imprecise notes along the journey, unaware that his every move was being monitored.”

The paper last week rebuffed Musk’s statements, saying Broder’s story was “fair and accurate.”
The flap between carmaker named for inventor Nikola Tesla and the flagship newspaper of New York Times Co. came before Tesla reports Model S sales and results for the fourth quarter of 2012. Musk has set a goal of delivering 20,000 lithium-ion battery-powered sedans this year.

Excluding some items,the company may have lost 57 cents a share, the average of 12 analysts’ estimates compiled by Bloomberg.

Source;
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-19/tesla-rises-as-n-y-times-finds-story-flaws-s-f-mover.html

Honda Cars : Honda Reveals New 2011 Odyssey | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

Honda revealed its fourth-generation Odyssey minivan Thursday in an online news conference from its research and development center in Ohio.

The location for the conference was important because the new 2011 Odyssey, which will be released in the fall, is the first Honda van developed by a team of engineers in the United States. It will be built at the same plant in Alabama where the current Odyssey is assembled.

The new minivan looks sleeker. It has a roofline that is 1.6 inches lower than the current model and a track (the distance between opposite wheels) that is 1.4 inches wider, also improving aerodynamics for better fuel economy and providing more interior width. Honda added almost an inch of extra shoulder room in the front row.

The engine is a 3.5-liter V-6 with Honda’s three-mode variable cylinder management system, which allows the engine to run on 3, 4 or 6 cylinders, depending on how much power is needed. The old model has the same type of V-6; if any enhancements have been made to the engine for the new model, Honda is not saying.

Much of the information Honda gave out Thursday had to do with the interior and seating.
Honda created a “cool box” that will hold and keep cool six 12-ounce cans or four 20-ounce bottles while the vehicle is running. A new center console between the first row seats is large enough to hold a purse. And it can be removed so someone can walk through to the second row and then be reinstalled.

There are three seating configurations for the second row. The center seat between the two captain’s chairs has been a very narrow affair, but now it is four inches wider so that it might be comfortable for even an adult. The second change is “wide mode” seating that allows both outboard seats to move sideways almost two inches so that some of the largest child seats on the market can fit in all three seats simultaneously. Finally, the center seat has a comfort slide feature so that parents can move an infant in that seat almost six inches closer to the front row.

As for the third row, Honda said the cabin was wider back there to make adults more comfortable by keeping the sliding door motor below shoulder level. Third-row legroom was increased by one inch as well. Honda said it has made the third row “magic seat” that folds into a well in the floor — a concept that Honda introduced to the market years ago — easier to stow or lift. Instead of having to use a handle and a strap, it can now be done with just one strap.

Honda has not announced pricing for the 2011 Odyssey. Preliminary estimated fuel economy for the top-of-the-line Touring Elite model is 19 miles per gallon in the city and 28 m.p.g. on the highway. That’s an improvement over the outgoing Odyssey Touring model.

Source;
http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/18/honda-reveals-new-2011-odyssey/