Honda Civic Sports Modulo TYPE R
Honda present the Honda Civic Sports Modulo TYPE R at the 2008 Tokyo Auto Salon.
Based on the Civic Type R, The Honda Civic Sports Modulo TYPE R demonstrates how aerodynamic performance and design can be brought together to enhance a vehicle.
(Via WWW.YOSAX.COM.)
The Honda Civic SE+ comes with an enhanced exterior styling that includes body-colored skirts, 16-inch alloys, and spoiler.
Powered by the 1.4-litre i-DSi engine, The Honda Civic SE+ is priced at 14,900 pounds and sold on the British market.
Press Release
CRACKING NEW CIVIC KICK-STARTS THE YEAR
A new variant of the Honda Civic goes on sale in the UK today with enhanced exterior styling that represents excellent value for money.
Called the SE+, the new model’s distinctive 16-inch alloys, body-coloured skirts and spoiler
give it sporty looks, designed to appeal to the Civic’s increasingly youthful customer. It is powered by Honda’s 1.4-litre i-DSi engine and costs just £14,900 on-the-road.
‘The market has responded well to the new Civic, and the 5-door is drawing a younger audience than ever before, but customers wanted a higher spec, entry level model that looked even more sporting,’ said Tom Gardner, Head of Marketing, Honda (UK). ‘The SE+ looks great, offers fantastic value for money and represents the success of our UK manufacturing plant at Swindon, where all European Civics are built.’
In 2007, Honda of the UK Manufacturing (HUM) reached its full production rate of 250,000 units per annum, of which 140,000 were Civics. Last year in the UK, 30,772 Civic 5-doors were sold.
On top of the standard SE grade specifications, the new Civic 1.4 i-DSI SE + includes:
- 16-inch Atlas alloy wheels
- Image pack - which includes painted front, rear and side skirts and painted rear spoiler
- Metallic paint
The Honda Civic SE + is available in Vivid Blue or Alabaster Silver. Only 1,000 units will be made.
(Via WWW.YOSAX.COM.)
A prototype of the next-generation Honda Pilot is being unveiled at the 2008 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit.
The prototype conveys design features of the more boldly-styled 2009 Pilot, set to debut in spring 2008, which emphasizes authentic SUV styling, clever and more accommodating interior packaging and advanced technologies for safety, fuel efficiency and convenience.
"The Pilot's pioneering formula improves for 2009 by enhancing its combination of refinement and efficiency with even more traditional SUV strengths," said John Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda. "A powerful exterior design communicates strength and allows for more space inside."
Functional eight-passenger seating, a hallmark of the Pilot, becomes even easier to access in the third row as key dimensions for legroom, cargo and occupant space increase in all seating positions. A redesigned platform allows even more refined handling and ride comfort to exist seamlessly with all-weather and medium-duty off-road capabilities.
To further enhance safety, the Pilot will feature the Honda-exclusive Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE®) body structure and the most extensive use of high-strength steel in any Honda product to date.
The ACE body structure enhances frontal collision compatibility with vehicles of different sizes and bumper heights. A pedestrian injury mitigation design in the front of the vehicle is designed to help absorb energy in the event of a collision.
A crossover SUV platform underpins the Pilot to provide the best of the car and truck worlds by integrating the refined traits and packaging advantages of a unit body car design with the utility and capability of an SUV design. A V-6 engine introduces the latest generation of Honda fuel-saving Variable Cylinder Management™ (VCM®) technology that operates in 6-cylinder mode for power and 4- and 3-cylinder modes for efficiency, an improvement compared to the existing Pilot's available VCM system that works exclusively in 6- and 3-cylinder modes.
Three rows of seats provide a high degree of adaptability for people and large cargo loads. The first row provides a commanding view of the road from two captains' chairs. A wide center stack and center console form the styling anchor for the interior with a design that emphasizes spaciousness and power, while allowing for convenient access to navigation, entertainment and climate-control systems.
The 60/40 split second row, now more spacious, slides further forward for increased ease of access to the third row. The 60/40 split third row, now supplies enough knee room for an above-average-sized adult male to fit comfortably, making the Pilot's third row among the most practical in the industry. Each side of the second and third row independently folds down for cargo. A flat floor is created when the second and third rows are folded down.
The Pilot originally debuted as a 2003 model in July of 2002. Design and development of the 2003 Pilot and the 2009 Pilot were carried out at Honda R&D Americas in Raymond, Ohio, and Torrance, California. The Pilot is assembled at Honda Manufacturing of Alabama in Lincoln.
Honda F1 livery gets rid of the earth-only look
Remember Honda's F1 'Earth' paint job from last year? It's gone, replaced with a new 'earthdreams' look. The new paint job on the new RA108 was unveiled today at the Honda F1 operational headquarters in Brackley, UK. The racing teams want to move 'the focus from raising environmental awareness to action,' which I at first thought meant action on the race track. Instead, Honda means actions like $1.2 million committed to supporting earthdreams-supported projects. Earthdreams is a global-cause marketing program that grew out of last year's myearthdream.com. The Honda F1 Network says that the new Earthdreams website will be up and running later today (there's nothing there as I write this).
As for the non-paint-job parts of the RA108, they have been modified from previous Honda F1 racers to be more areodynamic (the exhaust geometry and the air box have been changed); also, the vehicle can accept the FIA-mandated 5.75 percent biofuel mix.
Gallery: 2008 Honda F1 paint job
(Via AutoblogGreen.)
Crash Landing: 2009 Honda Pilot design deemed boring
click above to view more high-res pics of the Honda Pilot Prototype
We were there when Honda trotted out its Pilot Prototype in Detroit, and our snoozy first impression is apparently what the public at large is feeling, too. Sales of the current Pilot have dropped off by nearly 25 percent, so Honda's feeling the pressure with this redesign. It doesn't bode well, then, that the Pilot's new duds leave the buying public unmoved. CNW Research polled several hundred drivers from LA, Chicago and Detroit, and many respondents found the 2009 Pilot a yawn to behold. Nothing about the newly-squared off exterior struck a chord, which is unusual for a new design. Usually, something distinctive garners attention, but the exterior design only earned a 7.5 point score on CNW's 12-point scale, off at least a point and a half from what most new vehicles do. We found the Pilot's freshening a little boring, but mainly the headlights leave us very unnerved, like trying to stare down a bird of prey.
Gallery: 2008 Detroit: Honda Pilot Prototype
(Via Autoblog.)
Believe it or not, this overly busy looking ricey design is a kit from Modulo! Set to debut at the 2007 Tokyo Auto Salon, Honda has stripped the Civic Type-R Modulo down even more, with the entire interior replaced with carbon fiber wherever possible. Even the power window switches have been moved to the center area because the door panel has been replaced with a simple carbon fiber panel.
The famous double-tiered dashboard has been redesigned, with the rev counter now on the top deck and the speedo on the lower deck - basically they’ve swapped positions to suit a race track environment.
No other technical details on the car are available at the moment, but these product photos seem to reveal electronically adjustable dampers of which status is shown in an LCD display where the normal 2-DIN head unit is.
(Via Paul Tan's Raves and Rants on the Automotive Industry.)
Honda Inspire Modulo Touring Concept
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The Honda Inspire Modulo Touring Concept was showcased at the 2008 Tokyo Auto Salon. Nothing much is known about the concept right now - it’s mostly aesthetics I guess. The bodykit features new front and rear bumpers, side sills, a new grille, new headlamps, clear tail lamps, and new wheels.
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The engine under the hood is the 3.5 liter V6 i-VTEC with Variable Cylinder Management as that is the only engine available in the Japanese market - expect some minor performance enhancements via a performance exhaust system.
More photos after the jump.
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Honda Inspire for the Japanese market unveiled
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(Via Paul Tan's Raves and Rants on the Automotive Industry.)
Mugen modifies Honda Accord, creates the Inspire
click above for more high-res images of the Mugen Inspire
When it's time for Bruce Wayne to hang up the bat costume and settle down with a wife and kids, he'll need a car with more rear-seat leg room than the Tumbler. We suggest he take the Mugen Inspire for a test drive (with Morgan Freeman riding shotgun for good measure). With all the style and panache that the Dark Knight's daily driver should have, it's also got two more doors and some LATCH anchors for a baby seat. In typical Mugen fashion, the standard Honda Accord has been gussied up with a number of aero add-ons, including a new grille, front spoiler, side sills, rear apron and a rear spoiler from which a 100 or so bats could hang. Yes, the look is way over the top, but it's fun in the way it comically exaggerates the Accord's ho-hum design. The Inspire also gets a sports exhaust to free a few more horsepower through better breathing, as well as upgraded brakes, a lowered sports suspension and new aluminum wheels. It's faster than a stock Accord for sure, but probably not by much. But hey, with the wife and little ones in tow, Mr. Wayne shouldn't be speeding anyhow.
[Source: Mugen]
Gallery: Mugen Inspire
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Tokyo Auto Salon '08: Honda Inspire Modulo Concept
click above for more high-res images of the Honda Inspire Modulo Concept
The recently released Honda Inspire may be little more than a JDM version of the U.S.-market Accord, but Honda has infused the staid sedan with a healthy dose of bespoke kit for the upcoming Tokyo Auto Salon.
The Inspire Modulo Concept comes equipped with a new front and rear bumper, revised grille and Transformer-esque headlamps, along with some aluminum trim and 19-inch, seven-spoke wheels wrapped in 245/40 R19 rubber. The interior gets a combination of orange leather and black crocodile skin, with an independent audio system for all four passengers, and a duo of LCD screens mounted behind the front seats. It's a clean package that combines a healthy amount of luxury with a small bit of sport, but we doubt crocodile hide will be on the options list of most Japanese Honda dealers.
Gallery: Honda Inspire Modulo Concept
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