Honda Cars : Honda working hard on the 2012 Civic Hybrid to take on Toyota Prius | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

The Toyota Prius will soon be up against a fierce challenger as Honda is now placing the finishing touches to the next-generation 2012 Civic Hybrid. Honda is overhauling the entire Civic lineup but the hybrid model is being prioritized over the conventionally powered Civic. That is why the 2012 Civic Hybrid is confirmed to go on sale in Japan next year but there’s still no date set for the start of sales of the "normal" Civic. Sources say that Honda is aiming for an evolution rather than a revolution with the next Civic. The current model has been restyled to have a rounder overall profile but there were no major changes to the design, size or market positioning.

The US market will receive Honda’s sedan and Si coupe body styles, which will be unveiled this January at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show. According to a source in Tokyo, Honda’s biggest challenge currently is to come up with a new eco champ that can steal sales away from the Prius.

This means that the redesigned Civic Hybrid will be the lead vehicle in the new strategy. Once again, Honda will be using its unique, home-grown IMA hybrid system, similar to what’s used in the CR-Z.

By next year, the Civic Hybrid will move up from the current 1.3 liters to 1.5 liters. It will be the first Honda hybrid to make use of lithium-ion batteries, which considerably extends the car's EV driving range. A downside to the current Civic Hybrid with the NI-MH battery pack is that it can barely run a considerable distance in silent, electric-only mode, like the Prius.

Source;
http://www.4wheelsnews.com/honda-working-hard-on-the-2012-civic-hybrid-to-take-on-toyota-prius/

Honda Cars : The Honda Accord is Creeping up on the Toyota Camry's No1 Spot in the U.S. | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

Toyota Camry: No. 1 But for How Long?

The '09 version of the best-selling Camry is a near-flawless car but it could lose its crown to the surging Honda Accord

by Thane Peterson of Businessweek

I hear more and more people claiming that Toyota's (TM) Camry has seen its better days. The Camry's fit and finish aren't as good as they once were, the critics say, and some of the materials used in the cabin are a bit chintzy. The editor of Car and Driver claims General Motors' (GM) new Chevy Malibu is just as good, and Consumer Reports dropped the six-cylinder version of the '07 and '08 Camry from its recommended list. Among the critics are many BusinessWeek.com readers (check out the comments about my review of the Malibu (BusinessWeek.com, 12/10/07)

I think the critics are all wet about the Camry declining in quality, especially as concerns the fuel-efficient four-cylinder version, which is what most shoppers want these days. I recently test-drove the four-cylinder '09 Camry LE under all kinds of conditions, and I can find very little to criticize about the car. The Camry was completely redesigned for the '07 model year and has remained largely unchanged since then. It certainly isn't exciting to look at. But for what it is—an affordable family sedan designed to appeal to Middle American tastes—the Camry is still a flawlessly executed vehicle.

Of course, you can't tell much about a car's long-term reliability from a one-week test drive. But if the Camry were really in trouble, its resale value would be plunging, something J.D. Power & Associates sees no sign of. In fact, the Camry continues to hold its value at least as well as Honda's (HMC) Accord (BusinessWeek.com, 11/19/07). For instance, in the first quarter of 2006, the '05 Camry had a resale value of $17,864, vs. $20,539 for the '05 Accord, J.D Power says. The '05 Accord was more valuable because its original average price was higher. But since then, the '05 Accord's resale value has fallen faster than the Camry's, dropping 24.2%, to $15,571, compared with only a 17.5% drop, to $14,739, for the '05 Camry, J.D. Power figures. (Like BusinessWeek.com, J.D. Power & Associates is a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies (MHP).)

There are early signs that the redesigned '07 Camry and Accord are reversing roles, with the Camry costing more initially and losing value a bit more quickly. Since the third quarter of 2006, the value of the '07 Camry has fallen by 18.2%, from $23,036 to $19,070, while the '07 Accord's resale price dropped 17.2%, from $22,750 to $18,839. But J.D. Power says the numbers may be skewed because the '07 Camry came out earlier than the '07 Accord. The Accord also was redesigned the following year. My take: Even if the Camry only matches the Accord on resale value, that's still terrific.

For the rest of the article;

http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/aug2008/bw20080815_802849.htm?autos+product+review