WheelTronix

Honda is putting a stop to the production of its 6 seat FR-V MPV. Production will come to an end at its Japan factory from this summer and it is anticipated that its last car will be rolled off from its Suzuka plant in August.

The Honda Company has not yet substantiated anything about a replacement for the FR-V.

This actually points to the course of curtailment and the slumping of the MPV market. It lays claim that it will be capable of covering the market with the Insight and Jazz.

Right from its first sale in 2004, 13,531 of the FR-Vs have been sold in the UK alone. Like the Fiat Multipla that came before it, the Honda banished the more distinctive 2+3+2 for a 3+3 placement.

The FR-V will go on with its sale in the UK till stocks last. Prices start from £16,700 for the 1.8-litre SE.

Car manufacturers Ford India and Honda Siel Cars India today decreased the prices of some of their makes up to Rs 6,000 a piece.

This is done to pass on the advantage of excise duty reduction on large cars declared in the Budget.

Ford India declared a decrease in the price of its sport utility vehicle (SUV) ”Endeavour”, by Rs 6,000.

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The first prescribed pictures of the heavier Civic Type-R Mugen from Honda’s Mugen Motorsports performance tuning arm are unveiled.
This version boasts of a deeper and broader front end coddler, a new lattice, an aired bonnet with releases at the backside of the front wheels.

At the back 2 big tailpipes that accommodate underneath a more marked back end bumper has replaced the Civic’s triangular exhausts. For clear visibility a double-decker wing has also been installed.

There are no rear seats inside with the exception of only a couple of Recaro sports seats. A 2.0-litre VTEC engine is placed under the bonnet.

This engine pumps out 240bhp. The Mugen also has fresh wheels and brakes.
The price will be in excess of £35k for a Mugen Type-R but will be available only later this year. Merely a few dozen will be made available in the UK each year. Honda anticipates that its demand will exceed its supply.

General Motors Corp registered for insolvency on Monday. This has forced the 100-year-old automaker which was formerly a sign of American economic strength and dynamism into the wilderness of a doubtful age of government ownership. This is the third largest bankruptcy filing in the history of the US and biggest ever in US manufacturing.

This filing of bankruptcy in order to render an extra taxpayer fund of $30 billion is an enormous speculation for the Obama administration. This was done in order to bring in some restructuring for the automaker.

The immediate allegation is that GM will get smaller and thus reducing its market share to a lesser competitive structure. This will give an opportunity for rivals like Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Hyundai to take advantage of the situation and rise up and affix their stamp in the auto industry.

Honda franchises in the UK are extending £100 worth of coupons to automobilists who attain the maximum fuel economy when they road test the Insight.

The countrywide gainsay is being utilized to establish the Insight hybrid, which gives an official mean of 64.2mpg.

The challenge will last till Thursday, the 30th of April. Each customer who acquires the maximum mpg – as exhibited
on the Insight’s travel meter after finishing a set home test route will be eligible to win the coupons for honourable goods dealer Biome Lifestyle.

The Insight makes use of a program called Eco Assist and it employs exhibits on the fascia to cheer the driver to make use of the car in a better fuel-efficient manner. For instance, the digital speed indicator gleams green if the driver is applying less fuel – by driving effortlessly – and blue when do not. Drivers are then compensated for well-organized journeys.

Honda has substantiated that its S2000 roadster will go off production from this summer after completing a ten-year production run.

Hailed as one of the astute sports cars on the market, S2000 has altered very little since its launching and presented a very dated look even after significant rises in 2004.

2,500 Honda S2000s were sold last year when compared to over 4,300 in 2007.

Honda does not have any immediate plans to replace S200 and it has cancelled or frozen plans for several low-volume products which include a new-generation NSX super car and a convertible version of the CR-Z hybrid coupe.
Another roadster which is also due to be chopped is the Cadillac XLR.
The sales of Cadillac were only 1,250 last year.

Honda’s keeping a tight rein on the 2009 Insight hybrid, due to officially drop for the U.S. market in two weeks at the North American International Auto Show . (Honda has cancelled its press conference at the show, but the Insight will still be displayed.)That hasn’t stopped the folks at the Temple of VTEC and Carscoop from getting leaked scans of a Japanese-market brochure, revealing the new Insight’s front, rear and interior details.

Judging by the pictures, the interior is largely unchanged from the Insight Concept that debuted in Paris.

The brochure also shows images of the Japanese-market Insight Modulo, a sportier version of the hybrid featuring a body kit, auxiliary lighting and larger wheels.

According to the scans, the Insight will be available in three trim levels in Japan. There’s also a set of specifications copied below from the “Insightman” website, but they’re unverified.

More info about alternative fuels or hybrid technology can be found on the website of car fuel options. The newest alternative fuel is CNG, also known as Compressed Natural Gas. More about cars on natural gas. Looking for a better car insurance? A full coverage insurance or other types of cars insurance.

Honda has stopped development of its new-generation NSX – despite it being well-advanced towards production.

Honda CEO Takeo Fukui said in his end-of-year speech that further work on the super car had been suspended as Honda is to concentrate its efforts onto bringing its hybrids into mass production. Originally scheduled for 2010, the NSX could be revived at a later date if fortunes change.
The new NSX was to have a V10 engine but a smaller unit – or perhaps even a hybrid power train – is now more likely.

Honda has also said it is to cancel the launch of its Acura brand in Japan. This news follows the shock announcement that the company is to pull out of Formula One.

The next high-tech trend in green cars is now clear: cars that teach their drivers how to drive them.
First, Nissan gave us the gas pedal that pushes back when the driver accelerates too hard.

Then Ford gave us the dashboard display that grows leaves as the driver drives at peak efficiency.

Now, Honda gives us a color-changing speedometer to teach drivers to use gas most effectively.

Honda’s Ecological Drive Assist System, according to Autoblog Green, uses a color-changing speedometer to teach the driver.  “If the color behind the number is green, you’re driving efficiently. Get a little sloppy, and a bit of blue appears. When you’re driving in the least economical fashion, the whole screen turns blue.”

A Honda press release states, “The Multi-Information Display also allows drivers to view fuel economy figures for the past three trips, as well as instant and average fuel economy statistics. The scoring function promotes drivers to take an interest in acquiring fuel-efficient driving habits over the long term.”

Honda is to close down its factory at Swindon for the entire months of February and March next year, ceasing production for 50 working days.

This is in reaction to decreasing global sales, and will cut production by 21,000 vehicles in addition to the 32,000 already declared. Honda is to cut its global output by 140,000 vehicles next year.

The Swindon plant employs 4,800 people; Honda says there are no plans for superfluousnesses as yet, and that the laid-off workers will get basic pay during the shut-down. Some will undergo training or does maintenance work.