Honda Civic with manual transmission to be reengineered

The manually controlled Honda Civic and the Honda Fit will be undergoing some reengineering to be qualified for the Government of Canada’s 2008 ecoAUTO Rebate program. In order to qualify for this program, the car must meet Transport Canada’s fuel economy rating of 6.5 liters per 100 kilometers or less. The Canadian government’s ecoAUTO rebates for both the Civic and the Fit is $1,000, while the Civic Hybrid is up for 2008 with a $2,000 rebate. Honda will only be implementing the changes to both sedan and coupe models, except for their top-of-the-line Civic Si coupe and sedan.

“We worked very hard within an incredibly short period of time with Honda's research and development teams and our assembly facilities to make the necessary changes to allow manual transmission-equipped Fit and Civic models to qualify for the rebate program,” said Honda Canada Inc.’s executive vice president Jim Miller in a statement. “The changes that Honda Canada made to these Fit and Civic models are quite significant. However, we were able to make these engineering changes without any compromises to our full complement of standard safety features. This approach goes beyond industry and government requirements to ensure that Canadians are not forced to choose between environmental concerns or personal safety when buying a vehicle, regardless of its price or size. This is our 'Honda Benefit' for Canadians.”

This is good news for all the Canadians who are eyeing the Civic as their next mode of quality transportation. Not only is the Civic Honda’s fleet of high-performing cars, but also a fuel efficient vehicle. Practical? Nah, the word’s “ideal”. It’s just great to live the Honda Civic Life.

Honda Scholfield donates Honda Civic GX to Greensburg Kansas

Honda Scholfield of Witchita, being known as the only dealer of compressed natural gas in the state of Kansas, turned over the keys of a Honda Civic GX to Greensburg Green Town director Daniel Wallach last Tuesday. Honda Scholfield owner Roger Scholfield honored the ceremony. With this event came the dealer’s attempt to bring the issue of dealing natural gas vehicles on a larger scale in the country. Scholfield said that the technology in developing vehicles such as the Honda Civic GX is greatly needed in the country, as only 160,000 natural gas-run are being shipped to the States, over the six million that are being shipped worldwide.

As there are no plans yet on how the town will use the car that Honda donated, Wallach believes that the car’s presence alone can help boost the town’s efforts in showing their goal to achieve a greener city. As a matter of fact, Wallach sees this opportunity as the town’s first step to be seen as a “model of energy efficiency in transportation, as well as construction and urban design”. Green Town, the non-profit organization that Wallach has founded is planning to build a vehicle rental center in the city, which features “a wide array of state-of-the-art alternative fuel vehicles”, just like the electric-powered cars and the Honda Civic GX.

City Administrator Steve Hewitt only has praises for the whole event: “by stressing this kind of technology we’re showing our kids we can do things right and what is right is what is sustainable.”

Wallach has been known for pursuing his efforts after the May 4 tornado hit the town. He then has been consistently pushing his advocacy of energy efficiency and sustainability at all public forums. Greensburg Green Town was a result of his passionate attempts on bringing back the town what it had lost during the calamity.

Source: Kiowa County Signal

Want a Type-R R3? Order now!

Great news for Honda Civic rally Type-R R3 fans! You now have the chance to experience rally track driving with the superior performance of the Civic! The rally-prepared Type-R R3 by JAS Motorsport is now ready to order. As a matter of fact, it received the full approval of the FIA. Honda was proud to have this baby of theirs to pass as a 2.0-liter two-wheel drive car. They have successfully complied with the latest rally regulations of the FIA, so this legally hot and smokin’ rally car can now be yours!

As a veteran tuner of Honda Civic sportscars, JAS Motorsport enhanced the engine and transmission box of this rally Civic, and even got a hand from Mugen. Actually, this rally-prepared Civic also shares the same framework as the European Civic FN, except the rally type sports a TIG welded roll cage that is crafted from Chrome-Molybdenum steel. Imagine ordering this baby to flaunt it to your friends (given of course, that you have the money to purchase it). They will surely drool over its 2.0-liter Mugen powerplant, producing 260 horses and can reach up to 8,300 rpm. Also, its rally racing components will get you going to the nearest Type-R R3 maker---4kg lightweight flywheel, Pro Competition-ready camshafts, exhaust pipe, air filter, and so much more. You definitely will not miss out if you have its steering wheel in your grip. But of course, if you want to buy this baby, make sure that you’re gonna be taking it out on some dirt road. Otherwise, this baby will fall asleep with the boredom of traversing the plain old highways.

Source: Product Review.com

Hesitating to buy a Hybrid? Here are the reasons why you shouldn’t

People are always hesitant to try something new. This is greatly evident for the automotive industry. Its latest development, the Hybrid technology, has got everyone quite tiptoeing on whether or not they should ride along with the green bandwagon. Here are some of the most common reasons why people are hesitant on buying a Hybrid---and some of the reasons why they shouldn’t.

(Source: cnn.com)

First: the Hybrid technology is quite complicated which makes it expensive to fix

--assessing the situation, this shouldn’t really be a legitimate reason for hesitation. As the automotive industry progresses, its complexity goes along with it. Even non-hybrid cars have gone totally complicated nowadays, which could lead to misguided conclusions in case of car problems. And let’s not forget: cars are only getting more expensive, not cheaper. Of course, our times have changed (along with the rise of expenses). We must not complain about shelling out money for our cars, because unless you are knowledgeable about modern automotive mechanics, then it’s really unlikely that you will spend money to have your problems solved. But just in case, keeping close contact with the dealer will not hurt, and prove to be handy in times of dire need.

Second: Hybrids have a limited battery pack life---according to the Kelley blue Book’s survey.

--All batteries have a limited pack life---even that of your internal combustion engine vehicle. But not to worry, according to cnn.com, hybrids run on a regular gasoline-powered engine assisted by an electric motor. In fact, the electric motor's battery is charged through the gas engine while the car is braking and idling. Hence, the car batteries that Hybrids use are specifically designed to “move energy in and out quickly and efficiently,” according to Ford manager Tom Watson in the same interview.

Third: Hybrids can “stall” or “sputter”

--Some concerns were raised when some Hybrids would allegedly shut off their engines along the highways. But, this is only a “software glitch”. Car owners who experience this must immediately contact their dealers and have the new software installed to avoid having these problems.

When all else fails, you ought to try out what the Honda Civic hybrid has in store for you. You will be surprised that you hesitated to buy a hybrid, knowing that the Civic Hybrid has it all in one smooth package.

Source: cnn.com

Honda Civic VTi gets honored by Aussies for the second time

According to Australia’s Best Cars judging panel, the Honda Civic VTi was “perennially excellent.” As if this description was not enough to explain how the Civic triumphed as a sedan, they awarded this car with the Best Mid-Size car under $28,000.

“It's on road ability suits the type of daily commuting a vehicle could normally expect to encounter. The ride is comfortable, yet well controlled over almost any road surface, while the handling is more surefooted on the highway,” the club said in a statement. “It's just as much at home in city traffic or squeezing into a tight parking spot. The Civic looks and feels like a more expensive car.”

Grateful enough, Honda Australia’s Managing Director and CEO Yasuhide Mizuno was really glad to win the award. “My thanks go to the Australia's Best Cars judges,” he said in a statement. “Winning an award of this kind is true reflection of the Civic's style, quality and affordability. The Civic has been a Honda favourite for many years and it contains our unique and advanced technology in an affordable package.”

Congratulations Honda Australia!

Source: Paddocktalk.com

Team Honda J.A.S.---Impressive Gravel Round at the World Championship

After posting about the preparations that team Honda has undergone for the 2007 World Championship, we now have the news on how they fared. They were pretty much good---and I am not just saying that. As a matter of fact, they managed to take home a glistening class A7 win. This is despite veteran driver Dani Sola’s unsuccessful trips on the first and second day. What more if they took the road on a clear ride? (Smiles smugly.) (In photo: Dani Sola)

The Type-R R3 is the latest addition to Honda’s growing fleet of Civic cars. But the Type-R R3 is more geared towards conquering the gravel paths of the earth. (Or Great Britain for that matter.) According to Honda J.A.S. team, “…throughout the event, the Civic Type R R3 demonstrated perfect mechanical reliability and a prodigious pace, within two seconds per kilometre of the four-wheel drive Super 2000 cars,” the statement read. “On stage 16, Sola even set an excellent 25th quickest time overall, just behind the top runners in the Production Car World Championship.”

Also a flash of good news: the Type-R R3 is eligible for the Junior Championship to be held next year, the same race where Type-R R3 pilot Dani Sola championed. Sola only had good things to say about his experience, even if they encountered some problems along the way due to Britain’s rough roads and weather condition.

“I've been very impressed with the car throughout the rally, which has given us no mechanical problems whatsoever despite some very tough conditions. On Friday we were just a little too fast into the corner, so the car jumped out of the ruts left by the World Rally Cars and we went off, luckily with no damage,” he said in a statement. “Over the rest of the rally we were able to push quite hard and I'm very pleased with our times. I've also been very proud to contribute to the development of this great car with JAS Motorsport over the course of the year: now we have a really competitive package.”