The Honda Odyssey Concept looks compact, sleek, and very modern. The design lines used for the Odyssey seem to represent the future of how mini vans should look like and how they should be fun-to-drive.

The beltline of the car has a cool lightning bolt touch. The lines jag down before the D pillar. This gives the Honda Odyssey Concept a more aggressive stance than the typical minivan on the road. The Odyssey will also be more than your usual people-mover with its wider base and lower roofline. These features add to the sporty feel people have been looking for in minivans.

The A pillar slopes into the roof that narrows down as it approaches the back. The rear looks more of a hatchback which distinguishes it from the car driven by mommies to their kid’s soccer game. The Odyssey though does not miss the touch of being a family car with seat capacity of up to 8 people with a magic seat set up for the third row.

The improved aerodynamics of the vehicle also gives it a decent 19mpg fuel efficiency on city driving and about 28 mpg while cruising on the highway.

The power of the Honda Odyssey Concept comes from a V6 i-VTEC power plant under its hood. The engine is equipped with variable cylinder management that does not utilize some of the engine’s cylinders when full power of the vehicle is not needed.

The next generation of Honda Odyssey will be due for production by fall this year. Though the one unveiled during the auto show in Chicago is just a concept, we can expect that the production car will resemble much of it.

The CR-Z hybrid will be powered by the 4-cylinder i-VTEC 1.5L engine that makes use of the Integrated Motor Assist(IMA) by Honda. It looks like that this car shares most of its DNA with the recently rolled out Insight Hybrid. The CR-Z makes use of a 10 kilowatt electric motor which accelerates the car and recaptures power as it coasts and decelerates. The energy is stored in a 100 volt battery pack made of nickel metal hydride.

The fuel economy is not the best as we expect for small hybrids. The electric engine is paired with six speed manual transmission or via a continuously variable transmission. The CVT version rates 36/38 mpg which is just like the Ford Fiesta while the manual hits worse at 31/37 mpg.

Though the fuel economy is not impressive the CR-Z still makes it as a AT-PZEV or Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emission Vehicle as per CARB standards.

The Honda CR-Z hybrid has an output of 122 horsepower at 6,000 rpm with 128 lb-ft of torque at 1,000 to 1,500 rpm.

The car will be sold with a base and EX versions. The base comes with the usual standard features of stability system, climate control, ABS, and cruise control. The EX will add HID headlamps, leather trim, fog lamps, Bluetooth, and a 360-watt entertainment system.

Some experts comment on the absence of the Honda brand in the premium end of the auto world where rear wheel drive sedans from BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Lexus dominate the race. Ito does not see the sense in producing front engine and rear drive cars by imitating the other brands that have devoted almost half a century developing their cars.

The Honda leader wants to focus their target on producing medium and large sedans that will sport their new engines, transmissions, technologies, packaging, and efficiency. The Japanese brand is locked on developing good hybrids that may dominate the market in the future.

Last fall, Honda announced the release of the 2010 Acura TL SH-AWD equipped with a V6 engine coupled with manual transmission. The car targets drivers which are after the performance of their cars, and they will surely capture a chunk of the market with the SH-AWD system paired with manual transmission.

The use of the AWD system in the premium brand Acura places it side by side with Audi which has crafted the AWD very well with their Audi quattro technology.

The market will tell if the Acura brand relying on front drive, fuel efficient sedans can compete with the premium brands producing RWDs.

The information was revealed by a spokesperson from Honda as they learn that Pioneer is veering away from the development of television but focusing on the market of car electronics.

The Japanese car maker is looking into the great potential of a possible collaboration with a company that has a vast experience on in-car entertainment technology.

The investment of Honda according to expert estimates may reach between $30 million and $50 million. Aside from the in-car next gen of Blu-ray players, the partnership will also include Pioneer car stereos, other entertainment units, and navigation systems.

In-car technology advancement has a big chunk of effect on the driving experience of a car owner in terms of finding his way on the road, being comfortable, and entertained with friends or family.

The new technologies in blu ray and navigation can open new doors of experience in terms of multimedia entertainment and vivid details in terms of providing direction for the driver.

The amount of money being invested is really irrelevant since Honda will create a strong partnership in the auto electronics side of the production line.

The Honda partnership may also be a good timing for Pioneer which has been struggling in recent years due to the drop in sales of their home electronics segment.

The Type S Accord will feature a revised turbo-charger, a 20% power boost from the standard accord model, an increased torque at 380 Nm at 2000 rpm and a 2.2 liter diesel i-Dtec engine.

Fans of Honda will also be quick to note that the Type S looks different from the rest of the batch. It’s based on a new design, with 18-inch alloy wheels and clear indicator covers. The model will be available in two body colors: Basque Red and Premium White Pearl.

There is no sticker price on the Honda Type S Accord yet, but as of now, the model will be available in either Saloon or Tourer body shapes. The type S will also be available in manual transmission.

Other Honda Introductions

Honda will also be coming out with two other introductions during the Geneva 2009 Motor Show. Along with the Type S Accord, Honda will also be launching its affordable line of hybrid family cars tagged the Insight. Currently, the Insight runs on petrol-electric power.

The Limited Edition S2000, Honda’s iconic roadster, will also be unveiled during the Geneva Motor Show.

The streets of Suzuka, Japan, will be seeing its tracks in June 2009, and only a limited 100 units will be sold in the UK.

The car company is making continuous studies on the technologies of bioethanol production in collaboration with Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth or RITE. The research processes began in 2006, with experiments done in a facility of Honda, the Fundamental Technology Research Center since April 2007.

The cellulosic ethanol process of the RITE-Honda partnership makes use of genetically modified Corynebacterium glutamicum to be able to produce ethanol out of combined sugars. Last November 2008, RITE-Honda had won the Grand Prize of the 18th Nikkei Global Environment Technology Award for their outstanding contribution to biofuel research industry.

Honda decided to create a new research and development institute for them to speed up the production and practical use of their latest technology. It is indeed needed to carry out the research and experiments on a large scale facility to allow them to obtain precise evaluations.

The planned facility, Honda R&D Co., Ltd. Fundamental Technology Research Center, will be constructed within Kazusa Akademia Park located in Kisarazu, Chiba. The car company is intending to construct a single building measuring 1,050 m2 for a research facility on a 5,000 m2 lot. On April 2009, the construction will start to be able to start the facility’s operations in November 2009.

Much more on Bio-Ethanol on Green Cars are GReat!

The S2000 was introduced to the market in 1999 but was marketed as a 2000 model. The S2000 was a hit with car enthusiasts who enjoyed its effective manual transmission and its cool chassis work. Top Gear star Jeremy Clarkson was reported being a huge fan of the S2000, and the car always did great in their annual car surveys!

The first release of the Honda sports car was designed to pay homage to the company’s 50th anniversary. The S2000 was well received by consumers that the Japanese car manufacturer decided to produce the car..

The 2000 on its tag was coined from the 2000 cc engine that had an output of 240 horsepower. During that time, the horsepower per liter ratio of 123.5 was record breaking and was considered as very efficient.

Revisions were very minor to the next releases of the S2000 through the years. The 2004 released received a facelift with cosmetics to the body panels and reconfigured suspension system to decrease the potential oversteering.

In 2007 the Club Racer S2000 variant (photo above) was released and featured a removable hardtop. Its suspension was specifically designed to provide a smooth ride on the track.

Honda is also discontinuing the program for the Honda NSX / Acura NSX super car amid the global financial crisis. Some other plans of Honda were also shelved including the V8 programs, rear drive development, and the CR-Z.

The S2000 is marketed in 64 countries across the globe with about 110000 units sold. The S2000 of 2009 has a sticker of $35669.

The Japanese car maker is re-thinking its strategy and line of cars to mold their approach to market amid dwindling car sales around the globe.

Honda experienced an 18% drop of car sales in 2008. The December year over year performance was significantly lower by 35%. The tough times led to Honda’s decision of calling off the production of the NSX supercar scheduled to be out by 2010. The NSX super car was destined to have a V10 power plant in its engine bay.

A rear-driven Acura with a V8 engine was being designed by Honda to rival BMW. Plans of having this car by 2015 were also scrapped off. The V8 was seen as an unsuitable option because of the sky rocketing fuel prices.

Honda executives discloses that Honda will concentrate more on building more fuel efficient vehicles to better survive and deal with the current economic climate.

Other moves to mend the hard punch of the economic crisis include the following:

Honda decides to back out from F1 racing. This will enable them to cut on costs. This is a tough decision for the company since Honda has a long history in formula racing.

The new research and development center in Japan plus two other factories will not be opened soon. They are also delaying the release of new diesel fuels to the US and Japan. Company expansions to Turkey and India are also being delayed.

Salaries of the executives are also being trimmed by as much as 10%. Honda is expected to lay off around 450 people come February 2009.

Not too much talking — straight on the the beautiful pics I found on the green car site!

Supersleek lines…

Great sexy nose!

Look at that cut in the side. Awww! I love the huge logo on the back too — very nice!

It’s an environmentally-friendly Gallardo!

Insurance agents also know that there are many Honda owners out there who do not drive their car as much as they would have liked to. If there was a way that these people could insure their Honda cars than they would have driven the same a lot more, safe in the knowledge that they would be compensated if their car met with an accident. Fortunately for the owner of the Honda cars, there are certain agents who specialize in insuring Honda cars.

They can get in touch with them and get the best insurance quotes for the favorite cars. One should however check out the same insurance policy with various agents because there are some agents who can provide you with a lower quote. This does not mean that the quality of service will be deteriorated. They cut the prices by giving you a part of their commission.