Honda CR-Z Hybrid

The new Honda CR-Z is crafted and designed based on Honda's eco-friendly attitude

The CR-Z's reference to the Honda CR-X compact sports coupe of years gone by is an obvious one. Standing for Compact Renaissance Zero, the CR-Z is designed as a lightweight, hybrid sports car. Honda says the CR-Z focuses on a return to fundamentals, while offering a sporting feel and a small environmental footprint. We feel that the existing powertrain in the Civic Hybrid could find a good home in the engine bay of the CR-Z -- much as the original CRX made use of the Civic's engine.

The CR-Z features a large front grille giving it a rather bold, aggressive look that keeps with the nature of the car. A steeply raked windscreen and profile furthers the CR-Z's sporting image, while the broad, high rear fenders also give an impression of purpose and power. Large, 19-inch wheels fill out the wheelwells nicely and the CR-Z's overall stance is low and somewhat menacing.

Inside, a flat-bottomed steering wheel and heavily bolstered seats again pay heed to performance-oriented driving, while the large glass sections including a vast moonroof give the cockpit an airy, spacious feel. Ultra-modern also seems to be a theme here, with an iridescent blue gauge cluster and center console trim. It has yet to be announced if the CR-Z is a mere design exercise or something to be taken more seriously, but we've been hearing rumors of the CRX's rebirth for some time and this concept could easily be viewed as a true homage to that car.

Honda Accord Coupe 2009

You'll simply love this car.

Drive an eye-catching Accord Coupe, and you’ll just have to get used to the extra attention.

Sculpted

With stylish lines and available 18-inch wheels, the Accord Coupe will attract more than a passing glance.

Inspiring

Eagle eyes inspired the shape of the new projector-beam headlights.

Detailed

Brilliantly finished exhaust, chrome door handles (V-6) jewel-like brakelights and an exquisite attention to fit and finish are proof that the Accord has left no stone unturned.

Driving an Accord, you’ll never forget that it’s a high-performance vehicle. But it’s so quick and agile, you might not always remember that it’s cleaner running and fuel-efficient,* too.

Options Abound

Accord Coupe offers three engines: a 2.4-liter i-VTEC® 4-cylinder, putting out 190 hp; and two versions of a 271-hp, 3.5-liter V-6 i-VTEC (automatic models) and the 6-speed manual transmission.

Ingenious

i-VTEC engines, which come standard in all Accord Coupes (except V-6 6MT), add more power and efficiency at all engine speeds. And the V-6 features the latest generation of Honda’s Variable Cylinder Management™ (VCM®) technology, which activates the engine’s cylinders as needed, providing both brisk acceleration and fuel savings.

Agile

Honda power meets razor-sharp handling, thanks to a low center of gravity and a multi-link rear suspension.

Transmissions

In the 4-cylinder models, choose a quick-shifting 5-speed manual transmission or an available 5-speed automatic. In the Accord EX-L V-6 Coupe, go with the standard 5-speed automatic or opt for the close-ratio 6-speed manual transmission.

*Based on 2009 EPA mileage estimates, reflecting new EPA fuel economy methods beginning with 2008 models. Use for comparison purposes only. Do not compare to models before 2008. Your actual mileage will vary depending on how you drive and maintain your vehicle.

Luxury, as imagined by the Honda Accord. Yeah, you could get used to this.

Sumptuous

Available leather-trimmed, deep-bolstered seats and a driver’s seat with eight-way power adjustment (EX-L) beg you to indulge.

Helpful

The Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System™ with voice recognition is a seemingly endless resource of information, including restaurant ratings and reviews from Zagat Survey®.

Convenient

Included with the available Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System™, Bluetooth® HandsFreeLink® enables you to make hands-free calls with many Bluetooth-compatible phones. And steering wheel-mounted controls allow you to easily access cruise, audio, navigation and hands-free functions.

High Tech

Accord LX features a 160-watt AM/FM/CD audio system with 6 speakers and a 6-disc in-dash changer. Step up to the EX, and enjoy a 270-watt AM/FM/6-disc in-dash premium audio system and XM® Radio†. And all Accord audio systems feature an auxiliary input jack for MP3 players.

Spanish Grand Prix

Most of the F1 teams are looking forward to the races in Europe this May 2009.

The Formula 1 season is nearly a quarter over but this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix will be like a new beginning.

After four races in the long-haul destinations of Australia, Malaysia, China and Bahrain, the sport hits Europe for the first time this year and all the leading teams will be fielding modified cars.

The developments introduced in Spain are likely to define the order for much of the rest of the season - and they could also change the balance of competitiveness between the teams.

The Brawn team, who have emerged from the ashes of Honda to lead the drivers' and constructors' championships this season, started the season with a performance advantage of nearly a second over the rest of the field, but this has been clawed back in recent weeks.

After Jenson Button's win in Bahrain - his third in four races - the Englishman admitted the team's cupboard was bare and that they needed the upgrade package they are introducing in Barcelona if they wanted to stay ahead of the pack.

Brawn's chief rivals on pace so far this season, Red Bull and Toyota, will also have upgrades to their cars in Barcelona.

Of these three, Red Bull are the only outfit without the controversial 'double-decker' diffuser that dominated paddock discussion at the first three races of the year.

The device makes a big difference to the performance of a car fitted with it - as much as 0.5 seconds per lap, according to most F1 designers - so the fact that Red Bull are so quick without it speaks volumes for the quality of their car.

But it is also likely to mean that they still have another big step forward in pace to come compared to their rivals - which, if they remain competitive in Spain, could be an alarming thought for Button, among others.

For the three teams that dominated F1 last year, though, this race could define their season.

McLaren, Ferrari and BMW Sauber have all struggled to one degree or another this year - and all have upgrades for their cars in Barcelona.

McLaren and Ferrari will both have their first version of a double-decker diffuser - so it will be fascinating to see where that puts them over the weekend.

BMW, meanwhile, have admitted that while they do have an aerodynamic upgrade for this track which makes such a heavy call on a car's efficiency through the air, they will not have one of the trick floors.

They have also taken the decision to abandon the Kers power-boost and energy-storage system for the next two races. Which, given that Kers only escaped being canned this year because of BMW's support for the device, has raised a few eyebrows.

BMW drivers Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld finished at the back in a dispiriting outing in Bahrain.

Only a fool would write BMW off but, right now, the Mole finds it hard to see much of a chance of them returning to their winning form of 2008.

Honda Targets To Sell 6,000 New Civic Units This Year

An update from Bernama

PETALING JAYA (PNA/Bernama) — Honda Malaysia Sdn Bhd is targeting to sell 6,000 units of its new Honda Civic this year, its chief executive officer and managing director Atsushi Fujimoto said Thursday.

“Sales of the new Honda Civic will contribute to our initial total sales target of 35,000 units of vehicles this year,” he told reporters after the launch of new Civic which has undergone a facelift here.

The total sales target is a 14-percent increase compared to last year’s volume, and will be around nine percent of the total industry volume this year.

“Despite the gloomy economic outlook, Honda Malaysia is still in a good position to achieve our total sales target this year,” said Fujimoto.

The company has sold more than 6,500 units of cars for the first two months of this year, up by 50 percent compared to the same period in 2008.

Honda Malaysia also expects to sell 300 units of its Civic Hybrid this year, having already received 50 bookings before the launch.

Fujimoto also said that Honda Malaysia would see a change of management later this year with his transfer to Honda Thailand as managing director. Toru Takahashi will succeed him.

Featuring a redesigned grille and bumper, the new facelifted 8th generation Honda Civic comes with a sportier appearance and better air ventilation.

The 1.8L variant is priced at RM114, 980 (on the road) while the Civic 2.0L and Civic Hybrid will be sold at RM129, 980 each.

Ecclestone: twilight races here to stay

 

It seems that F1 is attracting all the media hype this season.

Ecclestone dismisses speculation that construction of the Abu Dhabi circuit is not on track for its inaugural race in November.

Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone says the later start times for races in the Far East and Australia have boosted television audiences threefold. Despite widespread criticism from drivers due to fading light levels, Ecclestone says twilight starts in F1 are here to stay.

This year was the first time the Grands Prix in Australia and Malaysia began at 5pm local time, three hours after their usual start time. This was done so the races could be broadcast live in Europe in the early morning, rather than the middle of the night, and it served its purpose. "All our TV up to now has been up 300 per cent," says Ecclestone, adding: "We have been getting more than 50 per cent of the market share."

The later start time was a compromise after the Australian organisers objected to following the example set by Singapore last year and hosting a night race. The sticking point was the cost of floodlighting the circuit and Ecclestone says that although this will cost the Malaysian circuit $16 million (£10.8m), it will be the next night race on F1's calendar.

He dismisses speculation that construction of the Abu Dhabi circuit is not on track for its inaugural race in November. "It will be done on time," says Ecclestone, adding that although F1 is increasingly moving eastwards, he cannot envisage a time without races in Europe since "it is a world championship".

Ecclestone is in negotiations about bringing F1 back to the United States, where it has been absent since 2007, and he reveals "we'd like to do something in New York or California". But if this race is added, then another may have to go. When South Korea joins the calendar next year, there will be 18 Grands Prix and Ecclestone says that in the past the teams "just about lived with 18".

Another dispute between Ecclestone and the teams is over the £20m prize money earned by Honda which left F1 at the end of last year. They are now leading the F1 championship under the Brawn GP name but lost their entitlement to the money after being classed as a new team by F1's governing body, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA).

The Concorde Agreement, the contract committing the teams to race in F1, says prize money earned by outfits which have left the sport should be split between those remaining in the sport. However, the contract is not in force and although the teams initially agreed to give the money to Brawn, there are now objections to this given Brawn's success. Ecclestone reveals that the money will not be paid to Brawn and he adds it will not be paid out at all if there is not unanimous agreement on who should receive it. "We can keep it," he says.

Despite Brawn's success, Ecclestone says it would have been better for the team to have retained their former name. "I opposed the name Brawn," he says, claiming it is "not a good name, doesn't mean anything to the public, better being Honda than Brawn".

If the Honda prize money goes to Brawn, the teams can make up for it by running under a £40m budget cap next year. Critics have claimed that it will be impossible to police in the notoriously secretive world of F1 but Ecclestone says that this will be quite a straightforward process.

He explains that every three months the teams will have to sign a commitment that they are running under the limit and, as with everything in F1, the punishment they will face if found in breach will be financial: a $100m fine.

Serious title contenders

There has been certainly big surprises on how the big guns such as the Ferrari & McLaren team has perform so far throughout the early season of the F1 campaign. New title contenders has emerged in the name of Jenson Button & Sebastian Vettel. F1 legend Michael Schumacher has reckons that Jenson Button will the favorite to run away with the championship this year

LEADING THE CHARGE BACK TO EUROPE: Sebastian Vettel (left) and Jenson Button have been the race winners so far in 2009 - but that may change in Barcelona. Images: AFP

He's won three of the first four races of the 2009 Formula 1 season in Asia and the Middle East but now Jenson Button will head back to Europe and into the unknown.
The championship-leading Briton has been the quickest and most consistent driver so far but, as McLaren's World champion Lewis Hamilton showed in Bahrain on Sunday, the rest are picking up the pace.
Button's Brawn GP team had an early advantage with a controversial rear diffuser which others first tried in vain to outlaw it but are now busy copying.
By the time the 10 teams gather again in Barcelona for next week's Spanish GP the new world order may have changed again

Brawn has significant new developments coming

.
Button, winner in Australia, Malaysia and Bahrain and third in China, said: "We've had four races; they've been pretty important to us, especially at the start of the season when people have reliability issues or are making mistakes - but when we get to Europe we don't know where anybody is going to be."
Brawn has significant new developments coming to its battle-scarred car for the Circuit de Catalunya but so have McLaren, Renault, BMW and struggling Ferrari.
With testing banned during the season, the first real evidence of how successful any of them is will come next week during Friday practice.
Button said: "We have an upgrade coming for Barcelona, I just hope it's enough. There's so much change already in the sport and going back to Europe it's going to be even more change

Jenson Button is getting his long overdue reward

."
Brawn and Red Bull, 1-2 winners in China, are a refreshing change after years of domination by Ferrari and McLaren. Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel is a fresh-faced new talent with bags of character and Button is getting his long overdue reward after years of toil among the back markers with now-departed Honda.
Toyota, still without a win since its debut in 2002, is coming more to the fore with first and second on the Bahrain grid. Scratch the surface, however, and the same old rivalries are still very much in play.
Adrian Newey, the design genius behind Red Bull, was Brawn GP owner Ross Brawn's opposite number when they were at McLaren and Ferrari respectively during the Mika Hakkinen/Michael Schumacher era.
HUGE HONDA INVESTMENT
The first stage of the season has in many respects resembled a re-run of the old Newey-Brawn duel but with cars of different colours. Mercedes-powered Brawn is also Honda's successor and owes many of its achievements to Honda's huge investment during the past 18 months.
If Honda is now cheering on the supposed minnows, having pulled out of F1 in November 2008, it's as much as anything because they've kept Toyota off the top.
The car Button will have in Barcelona will be much more of a Brawn than a Honda. Ross Brawn said: "It was such an achievement just to get the car to the first race that there were no developments left, that was it.
"From the time Honda announced it was stopping at the end of November the budget was very limited, the developments weren't coming, but they are coming now so we can get the ball rolling again with improvements." - Reuters

Do it yourself – change the oil of your Honda CR-V

 

You can save some money by doing the oil change yourself. You can follow the steps below one at a time..good luck guys

Prepare Your CR-V for an Oil Change

Step1

Lift your car up using a car jack and place jack stands underneath it. If you don't have jack stands, you can drive your car up onto tire ramps.

Step2

Pop the hood and take off the oil filler cap and remove the dipstick. These components are near the middle, on either side of the engine. The dipstick has a yellow, circular handle.

Step3

Gather a 17mm wrench and an end cap filter wrench, along with an oil drip pan, new oil filter, washer and cleaning cloths. Most Honda models use a typical banded filter wrench, but a CR-V has tight quarters near the oil plug, so you need an end cap wrench.

Step4

Slide under your Honda CR-V and locate the oil filter and oil plug. The plug is on the bottom of the engine, with the filter being on the bottom front or to the side.

Change the Oil

Step1

Use the 17mm wrench and loosen the drain plug. You can manually remove the drain plug with your hands, once the bolt is loose. Let the oil drain out into the oil pan for approximately 10 to 15 minutes.

Step2

Clean off excess oil and replace the drain plug, once the oil's drained. Move over to the oil filter and using the end cap oil filter wrench, remove the oil filter. Dump the old oil into the drip pan, and place the filter into a plastic bag for disposal.

Step3

Inspect the threads and check that the rubber gasket isn't stuck to the engine block. If it's stuck, pull it off. Coat the gasket with a bit of oil and replace the oil filter.

Step4

Refill the oil filler hole under the hood of your Honda CR-V. Use oil with a viscosity of 5W-30 or 10W-30, with 5W being good for cold temperatures and 10W being good for hot temperatures. Replace the dipstick, and start the car for about a minute. This helps build oil pressure and gives you an accurate oil reading.

Step5

Turn off your CR-V and check the dipstick. If it isn't at the full line, add a little more oil. Remove your car from the lifts and close the hood.

New Honda Chief for Malaysia

 

A new chief has been appointed for Malaysia to stir the company during these tough economic crisis

HONDA Malaysia Sdn Bhd has announced the appointment of Toru Takahashi as managing director and chief executive officer of the company with immediate effect.
Takahashi, 55, previously a manager in the automobile department, overseas operations at Honda Motor Co Ltd in Japan, will succeed Atsushi Fujimoto, 46, who will assume the post of managing director of Honda Automobile Thailand Co Ltd.

Honda Forza-X

Check out this scooter from Honda

Diverse scooter market has enjoyed a dazzling array of new models over the last few years, with ever-more attractive new arrivals designed to appeal to a broader spectrum of riding styles, tastes and needs.

From simple and economical basic modes of transportation to high-tech sports scooters and larger, more luxurious commuting machines that compete with motorcycles in utility and performance, scooters have gained wide acceptance as viable alternatives to the glut of cars that now clog Australia’s crowded urban centres.

Of special interest over the last few years is the fact that scooters have not only won a following among young people, they have also attracted significant attention among more affluent working people who have been gratified to discover the exceptional range of comfort and styles available at the higher end of the price and displacement scale, not to mention the superb convenience and ease of use that the 250cc class of scooters have to offer.

Features

• Compact, High-Powered 250cc 4-Stroke Single-Cylinder Engine
• Large Fuel Tank
• Responsive Motorcycle-Class Suspension System
• Advanced Combined Disc Brake System
• The World’s First Honda Smart Card Key System for Motorcycles

Toyota Prius competing with Honda Insight

TOKYO, April 15 - Toyota Motor Corp <7203.t> expects pre-sale orders for the new Prius hybrid to reach 40,000 units in Japan by the time it goes on sale in mid-May, a newspaper reported on Wednesday, a pace that would see it easily overtake Honda Motor's <7267.t> rival Insight model.

Toyota, the world's biggest automaker, sold around 73,100 units of the current Prius in Japan in 2008.

Local newspapers including the Chunichi and Nikkei reported that Toyota dealers in Japan had received orders for more than 20,000 units of the third-generation Prius. Orders are expected to reach 40,000 units ahead of the car's debut, the Nikkei said, citing an unnamed Toyota official.

A Toyota spokesman declined to confirm the reports.

Toyota is bracing for a head-on price battle with Honda's new Insight hybrid, which overtook the Prius in domestic sales in February, when it went on sale.

Hybrid car sales are expected to get a big boost from new tax and cash incentives announced by the Japanese government. [ID:nT195388]

The new Prius, which has a 1.8 litre engine, is expected to carry a price tag of around 2.05 million yen , cheaper than its predecessor, which starts at 2.33 million yen and is powered by a 1.5 litre engine. [ID:nT333230]

The Insight hybrid, with a 1.3 litre engine, is priced from 1.89 million yen, the first hybrid car to be sold for less than 2 million yen. Toyota is planning to continue selling the existing version of the Prius alongside the fully remodelled version, reportedly for the same price as the Insight.

Toyota has set a global sales target of 400,000 units in 2010 for the new Prius, which has listed mileage in Japan of 38 km per litre, versus 30 km/l for the Insight.

Honda sold some 18,000 Insights in the car's first month on the market, 3.6 times its monthly sales target of 5,000 for the model. (Reporting by Yumiko Nishitani and Chang-Ran Kim; Editing by Joseph Radford)

New Enhanced Honda Civic Hybrid With Reduced Price of RM129,980

We can all go green and save the environment with the Civic Hybrid. It about time that we Malaysian save mother earth.

Petaling Jaya, 10 February 2009 - Honda Malaysia Sdn Bhd today introduced an enhanced version of the one and only hybrid vehicle in Malaysia, the Civic Hybrid with a new and even more attractive price tag!

The new Civic Hybrid will now cost RM129,980, 20% less than the previous pricing, after taking into consideration the tax incentives for hybrid vehicles as announced in the Budget 2009.

With the new price tag, Honda Malaysia targets to sell 300 units of Civic Hybrid this year. Honda Malaysia believes that with the more affordable price tag and enhancements to the already stylish Civic, the Civic Hybrid will receive encouraging response from Malaysians who are environmentally-conscious and appreciate innovation and advanced technology in their choices of vehicles whilst not compromising on design and driving pleasure.

The new Civic Hybrid is now available in 2 new colours: Premium White Pearl and Neutron Blue Metallic.

Since its introduction, the Civic Hybrid has been receiving overwhelming demand globally with accumulative sales of more than 250,000 units.

“With the current global economic uncertainty and rising cost of living, consumers are more sensitive towards the volatility of fuel prices. Besides this, there is also the urgency worldwide to promote advanced environmental technologies that are fuel efficient with lower emissions in order to decelerate climate change. Being a car manufacturer, it is our responsibility to preserve the environment and to leave behind minimal environment footprint.” said Mr. Atsushi Fujimoto, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Honda Malaysia.

The hybrid system in the Civic Hybrid draws its power from an engine assisted by an electronic motor which has been made more compact and efficient. It intelligently employs different valve timing through a 3-stage i-VTEC engine and combining it with Honda’s 4th generation IMA system. The new Honda Hybrid system, works cohesively with the 1.3 litre engine to give out more power, better fuel-efficiency and lower emissions without compromising on performance. The Civic Hybrid can give up to 31 km/litre fuel consumption, significantly more than most conventional engine vehicles.

The Civic Hybrid was recently recognized in two awards in Malaysia, namely the Innovation Award of the NST-Maybank “Car Of The Year” 2008 Award and Hybrid Cars category of the Asian Auto — Bosch Fuel Efficiency Awards 2008/2009.

The hybrid is a result of Honda’s “Environmentology” philosophy, which is Honda’s ongoing commitment to create environmentally responsible technology. The results include world-changing advances in fuel economy, low emissions and alternate sources for the future. The Civic Hybrid is built as part of Honda’s commitment to the society and towards a sustainable future through developing green vehicles that are gentle on the environment.

“Notwithstanding its advanced technologies, the Civic Hybrid is amazingly simple to drive and maintain. In fact, you use it just like you would any other car. The drive and maintenance of a Hybrid is similar to any other Honda vehicles. In fact, the Civic Hybrid gives an extra feel good boost to drivers knowing that they are contributing to the protection of the environment”, said Mr. Fujimoto.

Mr. Fujimoto also hinted that Malaysians could look forward to the new face-lifted 8th Gen Civic which will be launched in mid March 2009.

Check out this latest edition of Civic Hybrid at your nearest authorised Honda Dealers today! You can also log on to www.honda.com.my/models/hnr/hybrid.html to find out more about thetechnology behind the Civic Hybrid through an interactive game. For more information, please call Honda Toll Free number at 1-800-88-2020.