Honda to Build More CR-Vs in the U.S., Plans to Increase the use of Parts from Low-Cost Countries

The strong yen is affecting all Japanese automakers that are exporting their locally produced cars to America. Honda is one of them, as of the 72,000 CR-Vs built last year in Japan, 35,000 made their way to North America. Japan’s third largest automaker wants to invest in its North American plants to increase the number of CR-V it builds here and reduce exports from Japan, thus minimizing losses due to exchange rates.

“Our profit structure has improved mainly thanks to robust overseas operations, and the toughest area remains exports from Japan”, Chief Financial Officer Yoichi Hojo told reporters at Honda's headquarters on Wednesday. “With a little investment, we would be able to increase production of the CR-V in the United States, so that's the most probable course of action (to reduce yen exposure)”, he said.

The company official said that Honda is currently examining various options to increase the crossover’s production. One of the factories that builds the CR-V, the East Liberty plant, in Ohio, is already operating at full capacity, but the neighboring Marysville plant is at 80%, while a factory in Indiana is working at half of its total capacity.

Should the need arise, Honda could also increase the output of its Mexican and Canadian plants.

In the future, the automaker also plans to use more components sourced from low-cost countries, such as China and India.

According to Yoichi Hojo, low-cost components will account for at least 10% of the upcoming 2012 Civic, a major improvement considering that the current generation uses very few if any low cost parts. The same ratio is at 17% in the case of the Fit subcompact, but Honda is aiming for about 30%.

By Csaba Daradics

Source: Reuters

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Honda Recalling 2010MY Accord and CR-V Models in the States for Engine Stalling Problems

Honda has issued a new recall for certain 4-cylinder Accords and CR-Vs from the 2010 model year to check a potential failure with the engine wiring harness connector, as it may cause intermittent spark firing or the engine to stall.

"The wire harness coupler could have been damaged during vehicle assembly, which can lead to engine stalling over time," the Japanese automaker said in a statement, adding that it identified this problem through warranty repairs, and that no related accidents or injuries have been reported to date.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the recall affects 2,277 vehicles in the States.

Under the recall, the firm's dealers will inspect and replace the ignition wiring harness connector free of charge. Notification to customers is expected to begin in early February, 2011.

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Honda Germany Celebrates 50th Anniversary with Special Edition Models

Honda has launched a new series of special edition models in Germany to celebrated the company's 50th anniversary in Europe. The first Honda store in Germany opened in 1961 in the city of Hamburg. The lineup of special edition models includes the CR-Z hybrid sport hatch, the Civic, the CR-V, the Accord and the Jazz, all of which feature additional standard equipment such as larger alloy wheels and upgraded audio systems (depending on the model) without a price increase. More details on the 50th Anniversary specials can be found on Honda's German website.

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Honda Dealer Memo Says 4-Cylinder CrossTour and 2012 CR-V on their Way Along with New Civic

The Honda fan-boys over at the Temple of VTEC claim to have intercepted an internal memo with details on the firm's upcoming models, which was sent out today to dealers. The email reportedly states that Honda will be releasing a lower-priced based version of the Accord CrossTour equipped with a 4-cylinder engine, with sales to start in "mid-summer". We'll remind you that that CrossTour is currently offered exclusively with a 275HP 3.5-liter V6 and available four-wheel drive.

The website notes the memo also mentions the 2012 Civic, which will arrive in "late April" (this has already been officially confirmed by Honda that will show a pre-production study at the Detroit Show next week), as well as the 2012 CR-V and the Pilot SUV, without, however, getting into any more details.

Source: Temple of VTEC

Honda Expands Airbag Recall that is Linked to One Death to an Additional 437,763 Vehicles Worldwide, Most in the USA

A defective airbag that has been linked to one death and 11 injuries in the United States over the past few years is still haunting Honda as the company today announced that it is adding 437,763 cars to its existing global safety recall over the airbag inflation problem.

The expanded recall is concentrated mainly in the United States, where nearly 378,758 vehicles are affected, but the latest announcement also covers Japan, Mexico, Taiwan and Australia.

The models added to the list concern certain 2001 and 2002 Honda Accord, Civic, Odyssey, CR-V, 2002 Pilot, 2002 Acura CL and selected 2002 Acura TL vehicles.

According to the automaker, the driver's airbag inflators in these vehicles may deploy with too much pressure causing the inflator casing to rupture and send metal fragments through the airbag cushion material possibly resulting in injury or even fatality to vehicle occupants.

Honda first issued a recall on the matter on less than 4,000 model year 2001 Accord and Civic back in November 2008. After the original recall, the Japanese automaker said that two additional incidents were reported, including one fatality from a vehicle not included in that recall.

That led Honda to expand the recall in July 2009 to include approximately 440,000 model year 2001 and 2002 Accord, Civic and certain 2002 Acura TL vehicles.

Facelifted 2010 Honda CR-V with More Powerful Diesel Priced in the UK

Honda has released pricing for its UK-bound CR-V facelift that goes on sale in January 2010. The subtly revised compact SUV benefits from new bumper and grille designs on the outside while the cabin has been refreshed with upgraded fabrics and plastics as well as a new audio console. The most notable change for the 2010 model is hidden under the hood and concerns the introduction of Honda's new 2.2-litre i-DTEC diesel engine that can be combined with an automatic gearbox.

The new diesel powerplant, which debuted in the latest Accord, produces an output of 150HP at 4,000rpm (up 10HP) and torque of 350Nm at 2,000rpm (up 10Nm). It can be matted to either a either a 6-speed manual transmission or a 5-speed automatic gearbox.

With the manual gearbox, the CR-V diesel sprints from 0 to 62mph (100km/h) in 9.6 seconds and achieves a top speed of 118mph (190 km/h) while returning a combined fuel economy of 43.5mpg UK (36.2mpg US or 6.5 lt/100km).

When combined with an automatic transmission, the diesel model hits 62mph in 10.6 seconds and has a top speed of 116mph (187km/h) while fuel economy is rated at 38.2mpg UK (31.8mpg US or 7.4 lt/100km).

The facelifted CR-V is also offered with a 2.0-liter petrol engine that remains unchanged for 2010 producing 150HP at 6,200rpm and 192Nm of torque at 4,200rpm.

Manual versions of the petrol CR-V sprint to 62mph in 10.2 seconds (automatic: 12.2 sec) and reach a top speed of 118mph (automatic: 110mph) with a combined fuel economy of 34.4mpg UK (automatic: 33.6mpg UK).

Buyers can choose from three different grades with the entry-level SE now featuring newly-designed 17-inch alloy wheels as standard as well as air conditioning, auxiliary socket, cloth upholstery and power-heated door mirrors.

The ES trim gets 18-inch 10-spoke alloy wheels, auto-dimming mirror, cruise control, double-deck cargo space, electric folding mirrors, half leather and Alcantara heated seats, headlight washers, front fog lights, leather steering wheel and gear knob, rear parking sensors, unique interior inlay trims and USB connector for an iPod.

Finally the top-spec EX models are differentiated by full body-colored bumpers and come equipped with DVD voice-activated satellite navigation with premium audio and subwoofer, full leather upholstery with front heated seats, HID Xenon headlights and auto headlight on function, panoramic roof, rain sensor, reverse tilt mirror and 8-way driver power seat in addition to the ES' standard specs.

Prices - Petrol models

• 2.0-litre SE - £20,175
  
• 2.0-litre SE auto - £21,475
  
• 2.0-litre ES - £21,675
  
• 2.0-litre ES auto - £22,975
  
• 2.0-litre EX - £25,215
  
• 2.0-litre EX auto - £26,515
  
• 2.0-litre EX with Advanced Safety Pack - £27,215
  
• 2.0-litre EX with Advanced Safety Pack auto - £28,515
  

Prices - Diesel models

• 2.2-litre SE - £22,135
  
• 2.2-litre SE auto - £23,475
  
• 2.2-litre ES - £23,635
  
• 2.2-litre ES auto - £24,975
  
• 2.2-litre EX - £27,175
  
• 2.2-litre EX auto - £28,515
  
• 2.2-litre EX with Advanced Safety Pack - £29,175
  
• 2.2-litre EX with Advanced Safety Pack (auto) - £30,515

2010 Honda CR-V Facelift: New Sporty Modulo Outfit and Mugen Accessories for JDM Model

With the market launch of the mildly refreshed 2010 CR-V in Japan (see the European version here and the U.S. model here), Honda's own Modulo brand as well as the firm's in-house tuner Mugen introduced a new line up of interior, exterior, handling and numerous cosmetic parts for the compact SUV.

These range from a full aero kit with new front and rear bumpers, different grille treatment, side skirts and a roof spoiler plus a more subtle kit with aluminum skidplates from Modulo to 19-inch alloy wheels, a sport exhaust and a tire pressure monitoring system from Mugen.