Heads are turning at the prospect of a new Honda in the SUV market. The revised CR-V is here, and courtesy of a quick nip and tuck, is looking fighting fit.
Owners of small SUVs had reason to feel smug this winter. As Britain shivered beneath a blanket of snow, suddenly they had a good reason for using a 4×4 for the school run. True the school in question was normally closed, but they could certainly get there.
Japanese manufacturers Honda are set to unveil the concept for their new small city car at next month’s Delhi Motor Show. The cleverly named “New Car Concept” (we’re assuming it’s Honda’s working title) will be manufactured in India and Thailand and is aimed at emerging markets, though there is the suggestion that it could also be sold in the West.
Honda aren’t the only manufacturer to be entering this particular part of the market. Nissan are also targeting the global small car platform with the new model of their Micra; it seems that cars which are cheap enough to manufacture and sell to emerging markets but are also sophisticated enough for Western markets are the new target for many manufacturers in the small car market.
With The Insight becoming the first hybrid vehicle to top the Japanese sales list in April, Honda has recorded rising domestic sales once again in August.
Honda car sales significantly outperformed industry figures, increasing by 13 per cent during the first three weeks in August compared to the same period in 2008.
The Honda Insight has continued to perform strongly gaining significant market share in the Hybrid sector.
Honda increased their global production by 90,000 units in June as sales and pre orders rose considerably as the Japanese Government offered incentives and tax breaks on the purchase of eco-friendly vehicles.
Honda have catered for those who wanted a new Civic Type R but couldn’t afford one with the release of the Sport-Si Civic.
The Sport-Si Civic is soon to hit the UK market, starting with a 1.4 litre i-VTEC Si and then the 1.8 i-VTEC Si and 2.2 i-CTDi Si will follow a few months later.
With colour-coded body mouldings, Type R front grille, alloys, dark chrome features, half leather interior and USB connectivity, starting from just 15,800, pounds Honda are sure to be inundated with pre-orders.
Honda dealers are taking orders for the Sport-Si Civic now – click here for more info.
Honda are to increase their global production following an increase in sales and sales forecasts.
A further 90,000 vehicles will be produced by Honda in response to higher than expected sales in China, India, Thailand and Brazil.
As a result Honda’s net income will increase. This is a significant turnaround for Honda who like so many car manufacturers had been hit hard by the global economic downturn.
This comes on the back of impressive domestic sales, with the Honda Insight becoming one of the fastest selling new cars in Japan.
Over the years, Honda has been known for their affordable, stylish range of cars, but that’s not where it stops: Honda has also pushed the boundaries with their innovative and playful take on advertising, and that is where they are being recognised at the moment.
Five of their adverts, announcing that their Swindon plant is back to work, have won nominations for the 2009 Awards for National Newspaper Advertising (ANNAs). The ads were made by Wieden + Kennedy.
ANNAs judge Darren Bailes described Honda’s adverts as: ‘news in the form of advertising’ and picked the ‘Bacon’ execution as Ad of the Month for June. Other executions nominated were ‘Bolt’, ‘Uniform’, ‘Paint’ and ‘Tea’.
The Honda Accord is officially the most reliable car in the UK according to consumer experts Which?
The Accord scored a reliability rate of 98.5 per cent in Which? Magazine’s survey based on more than 84,000 motorists.
And it was a double whammy for Honda as the Honda Jazz came second in the 121 model strong survey based questions regarding breakdowns, faults and servicing.
This is good news for Honda who have suffered indifferent news in the past 12 months having had to close their UK plant in Swindon for four months due to falling sales figures because of the economic downturn and also to safeguard jobs.
News that Honda has topped Warranty Direct’s used car reliability survey again proves the engineering expertise of the Japanese car giants.
According to insurance specialist’s survey used Honda vehicles only have a 10.59 per cent chance of breakdown – when compared to those at the bottom of the list, such as Land Rover with a 47 per cent chance of breaking down, that is an impressive statistic I’m sure all motorists would agree!
Honda’s domestic sales continue to perform well with the Insight and Jazz proving popular in Japan.
Having become the first hybrid vehicle to top the Japanese sales list in April, the Insight looks to be taking the Japanese market by storm, although sales in Europe are yet to meet such heights.
The Jazz, named the Fit sub compact in Japan, has been a complete success, becoming the number one selling Japanese car of 2008.
Honda believe that the increased interest in the Insight will have a knock on effect with other models as showrooms fill up with prospective buyers as the worst of the motor industries sales slump looks to have passed.
It seems as though Honda are mounting a real challenge to Japanese rivals Toyota in the Hybrid market as their new Insight vehicle has returned impressive sales figures in its home country since launching in February.
Last week the Insight became the first hybrid at the top of Japan’s best sellers list. The Japan Automobile Dealers Association ranked the Insight at the top of the tree after Honda sold 10,481 units in the month of April alone, becoming the first hybrid vehicle in history to outsell all other conventional models.
The Government scrappage scheme has received mixed reactions amongst those in the motor trade and taxpayers alike, but car manufacturers such as Honda will be hoping that it kick starts the UK motor industry, and Honda in particular received evidence that it could well do so.
Honda’s new hybrid vehicle, the Insight, flew to the top of the best sellers list in Japan having sold more than 10,000 units in April. The car industry in Japan has been in decline for the past decade – unlike the rest of the world whereby the market has been affected by the global credit crunch and economic downturn.
Honda haven’t experienced the finest six months in their history, what with having to close their production plant in Swindon for four months until reopening in May, yet since production has restarted things are finally looking positive for the Japanese company.
Despite financial problems Honda have continued their eco friendly engineering and although early UK sales figures of the Insight aren’t inspiring sales of the Insight, the world’s cheapest hybrid vehicle, have soared in Japan.
In the UK, Honda have set up a roadshow to showcase their new technological advances that have made it into their new models, including the Insight but also the Civic Type R and the ever popular S2000.
Honda have done it again! The Japanese car giants have been at the forefront of car manufacturing – incorporating the latest technology and engineering expertise and now they have designed a pet friendly car!
We all know Honda are advanced but they haven’t yet managed to allow for your pooch to chauffeur you to town and back. They have though developed a cushioned dog seat incorporated in the boot of the Honda Element utility car.
There are very few adverts that avoid being annoying, irritating or serve as a cue to flick over the channel these days, yet those that stick in the memory are the clever ones, the cool ones, the ones that you actually look forward to seeing during the commercial break and there is one particular company that fail to impress with their TV adverts: Honda.
That pesky recession! Who does it think it is, coming over here, taking our jobs, hitting everyone in the pocket, grabbing all the headlines, making the lives of us Brits a misery? The best way for Britain to cope with the dire straits that is the recession, is to put on a brave face. Britain may not be the best in the world at many things these days, but one thing we are good at is having a laugh in the face of adversity.
