Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Honda HSV-10 Caught in Action at the Suzuka Circuit

Honda HSV-10 Picture

Honda HSV-10 Picture

Camera-wielding fans captured images of the Honda HSV-10 GT racer on the Suzuka circuit. The car is slated for a March racing debut.
Honda has yet to unveil any further details on its HSV-10 GT racer, but thanks to a fan on the ground at Suzuka Circuit it's now possible to watch videos of the multiple NSX successors in action on the tarmac.

Four different HSV-10, or Honda Sports Velocity, vehicles were caught at Suzuka, meaning the Japanese automaker will most likely be using all four in the upcoming 2010 season of the Super GT Series. It's not yet known what drivers will be piloting the four racing cars, but there is confirmation that the GT500-class cars will wear the numbers 8, 18, 32 and 100 when they debut.

The video above is just a quick tease of the HSV-10 hitting a corner on the circuit; both YouTube users UltimateSnakeProject and scivi1600 have many other videos uploaded on their respective channels.

As already announced, Honda will use a 500-plus-horsepower front-mounted 3.4-liter V8 under the hood. Power will be sent to the rear wheels via the same six-speed sequential manual transmission that both Nissan and Toyota are using in their Super GT vehicles.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

2010 Honda Civic

2010 Honda Civic

We’ve done an article on the 2010 Honda Civic before, so check that out too

We generally buy cars since we like it and that that is the best the automaker can give us at that point in time. Then they come along giving us a facelifted version with some tweaks making the engine smoother and sharpen the styling.

Then you ask yourself, why the hell did they not incorporate these things in the first place? In India, as far as I can remember, only 2 cars have survived the test of time when it comes to facelifts- the Honda Civic and the Suzuki Swift.

Ever since their launch, these cars have remained largely the same and still hold on their appeal because of the way they look. So these cars are all-appealing throughout their lifetime and only when their next gen car comes, do we get a considerable new car.

Honda will unveil the next generation (ninth) Civic in 2010. Here is an exclusive rendering of what reports suggest the future car may looks like. It will be based on the OSM Concept unveiled by Honda at the British Motor Show.

2010 Honda Civic - new rendering

2010 honda civic

Honda will unveil the next generation (ninth) Civic in 2010. Here is an exclusive rendering of what reports suggest the future car may looks like. Based on the OSM Concept unveiled by Honda at the British Motor Show, the future little Honda will likely look more aggressive in its European form and hopefully this look will s----over into North America.

Although Honda has not announced plans to bring the hatchback version of the Civic back to the U.S., we chose this rendering to give us all something to drool over. For Euro Civic fans, sources indicate that the future Civic hatchback will carry over the current single strip light cluster at the rear, but the split rear screen has been dropped to improve visibility.

Honda currently makes two different versions of the Civic. Just like the Accord, the car offered in Europe is a different design and rides on a different platform. The last two generations of the Civic in the U.S. have taken the car away from the youth and turned it into mom and pop’s second car. Gone are the days of the performance-oriented double-wishbone front suspension (2001), instead we get more interior room. It may be reliable, but it lost most of its passion.

The true hope is that with the 2010 update, we will get back the hatchback or at least something similar to the sporty design from our rendering of Honda’s own OSM Concept. Honda make it dependable, but make sure it has a pulse.

2010 Honda “Acura” NSX V10

2010 honda acura nsx car
American Honda President and CEO Tetsuo Iwamura announced the release of the Acura NSX will be in 2010 “We are developing it without any delay, so most probably we will have it in the period we already promised”. It had previously been promised earlier and many expected the new NSX to debut alongside the Nissan GTR at the 2007 Tokyo Show but it was not to be.

I need to decide which sports car i should buy soon? May be in 2020 when i have the budget, or may be at that year i will by a flying car!

The 2010 Honda Insight: A Toyota Prius copycat?

I have a 2007 Toyota Prius and I love it! Not only do I get 46 mpg on average, but I also get to drive it on the carpool lane, by myself!

I also pay attention to the competition between Honda and Toyota. Remember how Honda used to call the Toyota Prius shaped like a “Cheese Wedge”? See this Honda commercial from September 2007:

“The Honda Civic Hybrid: All the gas mileage, all the style, none of the hype.”

Fast forward a year and a half. Honda announces the new 2010 Honda Insight, and it looks very similar to a … Toyota Prius. Looks like the “Cheese Wedge” shape is not so bad after all!

2009 Prius and 2010 Insight

Left: 2009 Toyota Prius. Right: 2010 Honda Insight. Image from Edmunds.com

2010 Insight vs Prius


Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Honda sets Canadian pricing on 2010 Crosstour

2010 Honda Accord Crosstour EX-L.
2010 Honda Crosstour

Honda's new Crosstour will be in dealerships starting Nov. 24 with a starting price of $34,900 for the EX-L model in two-wheel drive. That's a fair distance from the starting price of the Toyota Venza at $28,900, but the Crosstour comes with a bigger V6 engine and a raft of other luxury features (such as leather interior) not found in the base Venza, which starts at $30,600 with a V6.

All Crosstour models feature a 271-horsepower, 3.5-litre V6 engine. There is also an EX-L four-wheel-drive version and a top-of-the-line EX-L Navi trim with Honda’s satellite-linked navigation system.

Standard features on the Crosstour EX-L include leather-trimmed seating surfaces with heated front seats, leather steering wheel, and leather gear shift knob, dual-zone automatic air conditioning with second row ventilation, 360-watt AM/FM 6-disc audio system with XM Satellite Radio, USB audio interface and seven speakers, 60-40 split rear seat back, 18-inch aluminum wheels, sunroof, power seats with memory function, fog lamps and more.

“With the recent price reduction on our existing Accord sedans and coupes, the pricing for the all-new Accord Crosstour is designed to make this vehicle an attractive option for Canadians wanting car-like handling and performance with the functionality of a sport utility vehicle,” said Jerry Chenkin, executive vice president of Honda Canada Inc.

Pricing for Crosstour in the models is: EX-L two-wheel drive (MSRP - $34,900); EX-L 4WD (MSRP - $36,900); and EX-L 4WD Navi (MSRP - $38,900) with a satellite navigation system, rearview camera and Bluetooth.