Jun Nishimoto, Jeff Conrad at Honda’s Greensburg Plant

Official release from hondanews.com:

04/23/2012 – GREENSBURG, Ind.

GREENSBURG, Ind. (April 23, 2012) – Honda Manufacturing of Indiana, LLC (HMIN), celebrated the start of mass production of the all-new 2013 Acura ILX today. The first ILX, built exclusively in Indiana, rolled off the assembly line at 10:30 a.m. EST and was greeted by Honda associates, community partners and elected officials, who gathered to mark its launch.

“Acura has a sparkling reputation and we are thrilled to build the gateway vehicle to this brand at our Greensburg facility,” said Jun Nishimoto, president of Honda Manufacturing of Indiana. “As the exclusive builder of the ILX, HMIN has a big responsibility. Our associates meet this challenge by working together as one team and today we are ready for our customers to share our pride in this beautiful new product.”

The new Acura ILX sedan symbolizes the gateway to the Acura lineup and comes with both gasoline and gas-electric hybrid powertrain options. HMIN produces three versions of the Acura ILX – a 150-horsepower, 4-cylinder 2.0-liter model, a 201-horsepower 2.4-liter model with 6-speed manual transmission, and the ILX Hybrid, with a 1.5-liter 4-cylinder engine. The gasoline engines for the 2,0- and 2.4-liter versions of Acura ILX come from the Anna, Ohio, engine plant of Honda of America Mfg., Inc.

The Acura ILX hybrid version is Acura’s first-ever hybrid model, the first hybrid vehicle to be made in America at a Honda plant, and the first Acura model to be produced in Indiana. The Acura ILX joins the TL sedan, ZDX crossover vehicle, and the MDX and RDX sport-utility vehicles as the fifth Acura model produced exclusively in North America. Acura finished second among all luxury brands in the J.D. Power and Associates’ 2011 Initial Quality Study.

“This all-new Acura luxury sedan is closely linked to the future of Acura,” said Jeff Conrad, vice president and general manager of Acura for American Honda. “Just as the Acura ILX is the gateway to the Acura brand, Honda Manufacturing of Indiana is a gateway to Acura customers.”

Click here to continue reading

Best Retained Value SUV Over $45,000: 2012 Acura MDX

After an honorable mention last year, today Edmunds.com has announced Acura as the top luxury brand winner in its 2012 Best Retained Value^® Awards. In its second year, the awards aim to recognize brands and individual models that have the highest projected resale value after five years according to Edmunds’ data.

“Edmunds.com found that Honda’s average projected retained value after five years is 47.9%, while Acura’s average projected retained value is 44.6%.”

The Acura MDX took top spot in the SUV Over $45,000 segment, while the Acura TL and TSX are honorable mentions in the Sedan $30K-$40K segment.

“Honda has long had a reputation for dependable used vehicles, and that is reflected in today’s booming used car market, “ said Joe Spina, Director of Remarketing at Edmunds.com. “And with Acura beating out all other luxury brands, Honda’s family of vehicles continues to expand the company’s status as one of the best values available to car buyers today. “

This is Acura’s first time as the Luxury brand winner and Honda’s second consecutive win in the Non-Luxury division.

Visit Edmunds.com for more information or click here for the press release.

[Source: Edmunds.com]

NSX Concept - The Power of Dreams

Acura’s roots flow way back into Honda’s long history as a manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles and engines. In the mid-nineties they were producing motors for bicycles, today you can find Honda engines powering ATVs, watercraft, and even jets.

A new video clip from Honda Japan shows their history with a “real” timeline of some of their past products, ending of course with their newest dream – the next generation NSX.

Have a look at the short video along with the “making of” below.

Click here to view the videos

Honda NSX Concept

Today the NSX Concept made its European debut at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show in the form of a Honda. The eventual Acura and Honda models should essentially be the same, aside from the badging and minor cosmetic details. See below for the press release from Honda Europe and some new images and video of the Honda badged NSX Concept.

Official release from hondanews.eu:

HONDA NSX CONCEPT

Honda presents the new Honda NSX Concept for the first time in Europe, highlighting the design and technology direction for the next-generation supercar.

The dynamically-styled NSX Concept gives an indication of the next great performance vehicle from Honda. Making use of lightweight materials and a mid-mounted V-6 engine, the NSX Concept employs several new technologies, including an innovative new Sport Hybrid SH-AWD (Super Handling All Wheel Drive) system.

Takanobu Ito, President and CEO of Honda Motor Co., Ltd, who was part of the development team of Honda’s first NSX supercar, recently explained the values of the new NSX, “Like the first NSX, we will again express high performance through engineering efficiency. In this new era, even as we focus on the fun to drive spirit of the NSX, I think a supercar must respond positively to environmental responsibilities.”

While most supercars opt for brute force delivered from a large engine, the NSX Concept represents the true racing philosophy of an extremely favourable power-to-weight ratio.

Utilizing a unique 2 Electric Motor Drive Unit with a bilateral torque adjustable control system, the new hybrid all-wheel-drive system can instantly generate negative or positive torque to the front wheels during cornering, which Honda anticipates will deliver handling performance unmatched by previous AWD systems. In addition to the handling benefits of the Sport Hybrid SH-AWD system, a powerful next-generation VTEC V-6 engine with direct-injection, works in concert with a dual clutch transmission and a third electric traction motor integrated within the transmission housing, to create supercar acceleration while offering outstanding efficiency.

This Sport Hybrid SH-AWD system will make the NSX the ultimate expression of, “the synergy between man and machine,” added Ito.  “The NSX will make the driver one with the car to enhance dynamic driving abilities without getting in the way.”

The new NSX, which is expected to go on sale in the next three years, will be developed by Honda R&D Americas and manufactured in Ohio, USA and is targetted for true sports driving enthusiasts throughout the world.

[Source: Honda Europe]

If you were hoping to get a glimpse of the Acura NSX Concept at the Chicago Auto Show last week you probably weren’t alone. Unfortunately the hot concept wasn’t even on the continent, it had been flown out to Tokyo to make its Japanese debut as a Honda.

We’ve seen the Gran Turismo rendered Honda NSX in a previous post, but the real concept was finally put on display for the anxious Japanese public early February. A post from Honda Japan’s official site did indeed say it would be launched as a Honda in three years. Also mentioned was entry in Japan’s Super GT series where Honda is currently running the front engine, V8 powered HSV-010 GT. The Honda NSX Concept is set to make its European debut at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show March 8-18th.

Have a peek at the Honda NSX Concept below with its blacked-out grille. Which do you think it looks better as, an Acura or a Honda?

Click here to see the videos

Will the next-generation American built NSX be branded a Honda globally? A recent NSX video from Honda Japan suggests so.

The video which was released for the NSX Concept’s debut in Japan, combines footage of the original NSX with the Gran Turismo rendered NSX Concept intro. Missing from the Concept is the signature Acura grille and Acura emblems. Instead Honda badges are now swapped in and the grille is blacked out. Oddly enough the first-generation NSX used in the first few seconds of the Concept intro is still clearly branded an Acura.

I’m not totally convinced this means the NSX will also be launched as a Honda, not that I’m against it. With Acura making some small steps in its global expansion next year, it’s hard to say where the brand will be when the NSX finally reaches production in three years. Regardless, it’s a great video tribute to the original NSX with plenty of racing clips to inspire dreams of its successor. Check out the video below.

[Source: Honda Japan via YouTube]

Honda EV-STER

Official release from Honda Worldwide:

TOKYO, Japan, November 30, 2011 – Honda Motor Co., Ltd. will exhibit the world premiere of the EV-STER, the next-generation electric small sports concept model, at the 42nd Tokyo Motor Show 2011, which will take place at Tokyo Big Sight from Saturday, December 3 through Sunday, December 11, 2011.

Featuring a dynamic and innovative styling design and excellent environmental performance, the EV-STER, an electric rear-wheel-drive two-seater convertible sports car, will propose a new way to enjoy a sports type model which is unique to the electromotive mobility. The adoption of carbon materials made it possible to reduce the vehicle weight contributing to the vehicle’s high driving performance and range of approximately 160km. The easy-to-operate twin-lever steering was adopted for the thorough pursuit of the joy of driving. Moreover, the new concept model enables the driver to make his/her own adjustments to some vehicle characteristics such as motor output and suspension settings, to embody the joy of maneuvering to the fullest extent.

Furthermore, the instrument panel features not only meters, but also the vehicle information display which enables the driver to enjoy driving as well as the network display used for the audio and navigation systems and also for the internet access. The well-designed layout of the meters and displays enables the driver to concentrate on driving and enjoy the comfortable space.

Honda remains committed to developing sports models beyond the expectations of its customers and offering exciting and thrilling mobility products.

Key specifications of the EV-STER

Earth Dreams Technology

Official release from Honda Worldwide:

New plan calls for top-of-industry fuel efficiency in every vehicle class within 3 years

TOKYO, Japan, November 30, 2011 – Honda Motor Co., Ltd. today announced the outline for a revolutionary next-generation technology for automobiles called “Earth Dreams Technology.”

“Earth Dreams Technology” is a next generation set of technological advancements which greatly enhance both driving performance and fuel efficiency at a high level, using as its base advanced environmental technologies to pursue the joy of driving unique to Honda. It is a series of measures in which efficiency of internal combustion components including engine, and transmission, as well as electric-powered motor technology, is further improved.

Through its implementation first in the mini-vehicle N BOX and gradually onto other vehicle models, Honda aims to achieve top-of-industry fuel efficiency for every category within three years, while simultaneously setting a timeline of 2020 to reduce by 30% CO2 emissions for all products sold worldwide, relative to emission figures for 2000.

Inspiration of the “Earth Dreams Technology” name:

“Earth Dreams Technology” is an expression for a set of technologies which takes into account both our need to protect the environment and our desire to provide a joy of driving.

Key features of “Earth Dreams Technology”

Click here to continue reading