This was earlier reported in 2011, but it was not so clear on whether the manufacturer would use an 8- or a 9-speed gearbox. Now, it has been reported that Honda is leaning to the latter, more powerful automatic gearbox. The manufacturer for the automatic, who has been unknown a few years ago, was also revealed to be the German company ZF.

Does the gearbox sound familiar? It actually is because it was actually showcased by Chrysler and the same gearbox will appear in a number of Fiat/Chrysler vehicles in the next few years. While Chrysler officials have been mysteriously keeping quiet about the subject, insiders have also revealed that the Liberty under the Jeep brand would be carrying this new transmission.

ZF calls this gearbox the 9HP. It is perfect for the front and AWD platforms, and has an impressive torque of 354 pound-feet. The gear spread of this box is at 9.84:1 which is quite wide and is said to make the vehicle more fuel-efficient. It’s not as wide a berth as the 25% Ford is promising, but 10%- 16% of fuel savings is still quite significant. The perfect engine paired with this gearbox should have 1900 rpm. Should this be achieved, the vehicle could run as fast as 75 miles an hour.

Honda executives, when interviewed, also refused to confirm or to deny their use of this gearbox on one of their 2014 vehicle. However, they do have lines which would be perfect for the gearbox. This includes the Acura, Odyssey and the Pilot.

We do not know yet how this new Honda crossover will be called but it will be using a tweaked version of the platform used by the Honda Civic. The new Civic SUV will be sold starting 2013. We can expect the design lines of the new Honda Civic with details like the narrow headlamps or the soft lines of the wheelarches. The front end of the vehicle might borrow elements from the concept car called Skydeck MPV with the underbody guard. For the interior, the crossover will be having rear flip up seats.

According to initial reports the new Honda crossover will have a higher riding clearance and will be easy to handle, thanks to its Civic influences. The stiff subframe on the rear plus the bushes filled with fluid help keep the handling sharp and the ride smoother.

Honda will put its 1.6L i-DTEC powerplant under the hood of the crossover. It is capable of giving out 118bhp with a torque of 300 NM. The carbon dioxide emission is at 110 grams for every kilometer while the fuel mileage is reported to be at 70 miles per gallon. The efficiency might be attributed to a well designed power steering setup and a stop start system.

The more potent 147 bhp 2.2L i-DTEC powerplant will also be available plus another option to go for the 1.8L gasoline dependent engine that gives out 138 bhp.

Honda will have their marketing centered on their new generation of hybrid technologies which we might see being used on this newcomer. There could be an electric motor on the rear wheels to give it an all wheel drive version. The Japanese car manufacturer is also working on plug-in hybrid setup for their bigger vehicles, and according to some source the new crossover might get this.

The crossover is expected to have a tag price around the area of £17,000. It might hit the showrooms by next year.

Honda now accepts orders for the 2012 Insight which implemented cosmetic improvements for both the exterior and interior of the car. The Insight also features additional features for some models and also boast of an additional 1 mpg fuel mileage across its range. The sticker price for the 2012 Honda Insight is currently at $19,120 which includes handling and destinations fees amounting to $770. There is just a minor increase of $150 from the 2011 Insight.

The designers of the new Honda Insight restyled the front grille of the vehicle incorporating a blue accent bar. The bumpers on both ends were also revised. Other changes include improved headlights, graphics of the brakelight, and enhancements under the body of the car improve its aerodynamics. The new look is completed by the new design for the alloy wheels and new look of the wheel covers.

The upgrades of the equipment of the Insight involves map lights and audio controls on the steering wheel for te LX variant. The EX gets automatic headlights, Bluetooth connectivity, and leather treatment for the shifting know and the steering wheel.

The car is still powered by the IMA system made up of the iVTEC 1.3L engine partnered with the electric motor with an output of 10kW. The setup generates an output of 98 horsepower with a torque of 123 lb-ft. The engineers have also reduced the friction encountered by the CVT or Continuously Variable Transmission of the Insight. The fuel mileage numbers are pegged at 40 mpg for city driving and 43 mpg for highway driving.

Honda aims to make this Civic hatchback more confident, verrsatile, and clever through good looks in perfect combination with great passenger and luggage space. The manufacturer claims that they have improved the ride comfort and quality compared to its older sibling.

The 2012 Civic hatchback will roll out the market some time next year.

The designers and engineers of Honda devoted a lot of effort to improve the handling and ride quality of the Civic hatchback by making significant improvements in its suspension system. The car has also been tested on the race tracks and streets subjecting it to different road conditions.

The Civic is still using a beam suspension system utilizing a rear torsion with fluid filled bushes to make sure of the big space for the cabin and improve the handling.

The Civic hatchback has the Volkswagen Golf, Opel Astra, and the Ford Focus as its main competitors in Europe.

Honda also disclosed that the new Civic hatchback and the new CR-V will be made in their Swindon factory in England. The volume of production will also be normalizing by September after the company experienced shortage of supplies following the tsunami and earthquake in Japan. The CR_V is expected to roll out by fall of 2012 in Europe or about a year after its US introduction.

Reports show that Honda Motor Co. has raised its expectations for its annual profit figures despite its enormous fall last year. Clearly, Japanese car company’s latest figures exceed great expectations from the market, zoning in on various U.S. markets to meet these new figures.

During the last quarter of year 2010, Honda Motors Co. has reported a staggering 29 percent fall at only $1.5 billion. Its previous reported yearly earnings were somewhere around 177 billion yen with an average of about 110 billion yen. According to Reuters, the figures were studied by seven financial analysts.

Competitor Nissan Motor Co. ran past Honda Motors Co. The latter ranked as the third largest car company in Japan in 2010. Today, Honda raised its operations profit expectations from 500 billion yen to 620 billion yen in its March 31 time table. Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S’s team of analysts made a forecast that Honda would reap in profits of around 594 billion yen. Therefore, the car company raised their net profit forecasts from 500 billion yen to 530 billion yen.

Amazingly, Honda’s expected profits in the span of nine months have exceeded the figures outlook for an entire year.

Due to the price hike for raw materials and the end of financial support for eco-friendly brand models, it is expected that Japanese car companies would report a painful downfall in the figures of its last quarter profits. Despite these forecasts, these companies have already taken deliberate actions in terms of cost-cutting and efficiency in manufacturing process and activities to counter these incoming challenges in the automobile industry.

The US$18,600 price tag is still as staggering $3,500 lower when compared with the Honda Insight, the present cheapest hybrid in the market today.  It is also $4,600 lower compared to the conventional gasoline-chugging Fit.  While Japan’s market price does not always coincide with the US, Honda Fit Hybrid’s manufacturer’s suggested retail price might land somewhere around $17,000.

The Honda Fit Hybrid will carry an electric motor and a 1.3-liter engine. It is expected to achieve 70.6 mpg US, 3.3 L/100km with the fuel economy of 30 kilometers per liter.  However, the Fit Hybrid’s title of being the cheapest hybrid vehicle is challenged by Toyota’s plan to debut its compact hybrid in 2011.  Toyota’s hybrid will have the

price tag of around ¥1.5 million (that’s $17,554) and is expected to reach 40 kilometers per liter and 94 mpg US, 2.5 L/100km.  According to analysts, the release of these two hybrid vehicles will improve the competition in the sales of eco-friendly vehicles between the two Japanese automobile giants.

Honda’s new Fit hybrid will make its debut in the Paris Auto Show this fall season and will be released sometime in 2011.

Accidents are an important part of driving, they are going to happen. You are required by law to have insurance on your vehicle in order to protect other people in the event of an accident. You can also get insurance to protect yourself in the event that your nice, new Honda gets damaged but this isn’t required, although it is a good idea. In the event that you cause an accident you are financially responsible for any damage you cause. If somebody gets injured that could cost millions of dollars, it is important that you have adequate insurance.

The coverage on your Honda bike will be a little bit different than that on your Honda car. The most important difference covers what happens if you get hurt. Insurance policies on cars will cover you if you are injured in an accident, this isn’t the case with motorcycles. When riding a bike there is no personal injury cover for the rider unless he purchases it separately. If you plan to carry passengers you will also need to get a personal injury plan to cover them as well (available at great rates in the UK at www.carolenash.com).

You will probably find that it costs quite a bit less to insure your Honda bike than it does to insure your car. The reason for this is that you are the most likely person to get hurt in a bike accident. Insurance premiums are largely determined by who gets hurt in an accident. It is far more expensive for the insurance company if you hurt somebody else than it would be if you got hurt. Since a bike will do far less damage to other people than a car they are cheaper to insure.

Accidents are an unfortunate part of driving,which means that insurance is a part of driving. It is important that you make sure that you have the right insurance coverage. It is a good idea to research insurance before you even buy your new Honda. And that includes making sure that you understand the differences between bike insurance and car insurance. That way you will know going in how much the insurance is going to cost and you won’t buy a bike or a car that you can’t afford to insure.

According to Honda, the production version of the Li Nian concept will be available to the Chinese market during the Guangzhou Motor Show. This is set to happen by the end of 2010, but the company did not release any other details about the car. Reviewers suspect that the model will be based on the Honda City, a small sedan which was also based on the Jazz’s platform, but nothing official has been announced.

The Honda City is powered by a 1.8 liter engine which is perfect for a smooth, city cruise. The concept car’s name “Li Nian” means “idea” in English, and with the spare information released about the concept car, it remains just like that right now: an idea. Consumers may have to wait for a few more months before this idea can be realized by Honda. The Li Nian concept car was first introduced to the public in 2008, and after two years of waiting, the Chinese market is just hoping that it will be well worth the wait. Based on the photos alone, the concept “idea” car Li Nian seems to hold a lot of promise.

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.