Honda’s own Civic GX hailed as the “greenest” car by the ACEEE

Honda’s own pride and joy, the Civic, is on a great roll lately. After impressing the worldwide market with its great styling and astounding performance, the Honda Civic has just added another leaf to its hat.

The hybrid version called the Honda Civic GX, which runs on natural gas, clinched the top spot on ACEEE”s list for the greenest vehicles this 2008. The American Council for Energy Efficient Economy awarded this distinction to the Honda Civic, beating other more popular hybrids in the market today. Along with the Civic GX, Honda also has four vehicles that made the list. These Honda vehicles include the Civic that runs on gasoline, Civic Hybrid and the Fit. This is the fifth year running the Honda Civic GX has won the award for greenest vehicle bestowed by the ACEE. At the same time, this is also the eight consecutive year in a row that a vehicle made by Honda reached the top spot and the seventh year that Honda vehicles have entered the top 12.

"The ACEEE awards speak to the commitment Honda has made to lead the industry in lowering emissions, increasing fuel efficiency and reducing dependence on oil," said John Mendel, Honda’s executive vice president for its American branch.

"Honda continues to set the standard for socially and environmentally-responsible automotive products and our commitment to alternative fuels will further expand with the zero emissions FCX Clarity fuel cell vehicle coming to market this summer." Mendel added.

The ACEEE uses a method to measure the fuel-economy of the vehicle and its effect and impact to the environment. Using this method, they analyze and conclude which cars may be included in the list. The end result is the top 12 vehicles that topped their standards for being the friendliest to our environment. Along with the 12 “greenest” vehicles for the year, ACEEE also bestows the top 12 “meanest” cars that are detrimental to the environment.

First introduced in 1998, the Honda Civic GX boasts of a clean internal combustion procedure in its engine which is certified by the EPA. The exhaust from the Civic GX is 90% cleaner than most gasoline-powered vehicles in the market today.

Honda Selling The Civic Like Hot Pancakes In Europe

Honda has just delivered the knock-out punch to its competitors across the European Continent with an increase in their sales for 2007. Leading the surge in their sales is two of their best-selling models, the Civic and the CR-V.

For 2007, Honda posted a huge increase in the sales of the Civic, selling 160, 082 units, while their other best-seller, the CR-V, also fared well with 90, 562 units being sold all over Europe. This marks a 41.7% rise in the sales of the Civic and a 72.7% for the CR-V all over Europe.

Sales of the Civic Hybrid has been positive with sales reaching up 10, 515 units or a 206.6% rise for 2007. This marks an all-time sales record for Honda.

Honda is now on their 4^th consecutive year of topping the annual sales in Europe and is also on their 6^th year of holding the annual sales increase in the same region.

Sweden leads the pack of European countries in which Honda has achieved a surge in their sales with 60%. Norway comes in second with an increase of 55%. France, Greece and Poland follow them with an increase above 30%. Rounding off the countries who have posted an increase in their year-on-year sales in excess of 20% are Spain, the Netherlands and Denmark.

"We are very pleased to see that such a large number of European customers have chosen Honda products," said Shigeru Takagi, President of Honda Motor Europe Ltd.

Honda Is now looking to further the lead by a mile as it plans to release the new Accord this summer. They are also planning to release another best-seller, the 2^nd generation Jazz, during the latter half of the year.

Want the sched of the Honda Civic Tour? We’ve got it

April 10 Warfield San Francisco, CA February 2

April 12 Soma San Diego, CA February 2

April 13 Mesa Amphitheatre Phoenix, AZ February 2

April 15 Brady Theatre Oklahoma City, OK February 2

April 17 Thomas Assembly Center at Louisiana Tech Ruston, LA February 16

April 18 Palladium Ballroom Dallas, TX February 2

April 19 Stubb's BBQ Austin, TX February 16

April 20 Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Houston, TX February 2

April 22 Ruth Eckerd Hall Tampa, FL February 2

April 23 The Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theatre Miami, FL February 2

April 24 House of Blues - Orlando Orlando, FL February 2

April 26 The Tabernacle Atlanta, GA February 2

April 29 House of Blues - Myrtle Beach Myrtle Beach, SC February 16

April 30 Constitution Hall Washington, DC February 2

May 2 Alfond Arena at the University of Maine Orono, ME February 16

May 3 RPI Field House Troy, NY February 16

May 6 Gordon Fieldhouse - Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, NY February 16

May 7 Roseland Ballroom New York, NY February 2

May 9 Festival Pier Philadelphia, PA February 2

May 10 Chevrolet Theatre Wallingford, CT February 2

May 11 Bank of America Pavilion Boston, MA February 2

May 13 Metropolis Montreal, QC February 16

May 14 The Sound Academy Toronto, ON February 2

May 16 Tower City Amphitheatre Cleveland, OH February 16

May 17 PromoWest-Outdoor (LCPavilion) Columbus, OH February 16

May 18 Egyptian Room at Murat Centre Indianapolis, IN February 16

May 20 The Fillmore Theatre Detroit, MI February 2

May 23 Congress Theatre Chicago, IL February 2

May 25 Eagles Ballroom Milwaukee, WI February 16

May 27 Myth Minneapolis, MN February 2

May 30 The Pageant St. Louis, MO February 2

May 31 Westfair Amphitheatre Omaha, NE February 16

June 1 Uptown Theatre Kansas City, MO February 16

June 3 The Fillmore Auditorium Denver, CO February 2

June 4 Salt Air Theatre Salt Lake City, UT February 16

June 6 PNE Forum Vancouver, BC February 16

June 7 Paramount Theatre Seattle, WA February 16

June 8 Portland Exposition Center Portland, OR February 16

June 13 The Pearl Las Vegas, NV February 16

June 14 The Theater at the Honda Center Anaheim, CA TBD

Source: top40 charts.com

Three more Hybrids coming up for 2011

It’s game time for Honda as they challenge their rival Toyota in the arena of Hybrid vehicles.

While Toyota’s Prius may be dominating the Hybrid market in the US, Honda is not one to be let down. Its “ambitious” plans for their fleet of Hybrid vehicles include two new hybrid-only vehicles and an upgrade of one of their hybrids in the next three years. By 2009, Honda already has set its goals of adding a new dedicated hybrid which is more affordable than the Civic hybrid. Already, they are expecting to sell 200,000 units of the new hybrid-only vehicle in its first year in the market, with 100,000 being sold in the States.

It was Honda President Takeo Fukui who said that the next-generation Civic hybrid and the recently debuted CR-Z were to be expected by 2011. The company however, did not confirm if whether or not the CR-Z will be sold in the US. Honda did not reveal any pricing details yet, but according to Fukui the new models are targeted to be more affordable than their current lineup of hybrids.

“Around 2011, all those three models are ready to go, so we’ll be achieving 400,000 to 500,000 global production of hybrids,” Fukui said in a conference, speaking through an interpreter. “These models we worked on the cost to reduce their costs because MSRP is very important to customers, so we think these vehicles will be very appealing.”

Dating back to history, it was Honda who first introduced the States to hybrid vehicles through the Insight back in 1999. But when Toyota introduced the Prius after a year, it quickly gained sales and overshadowed the Insight. Honda’s fleet was eventually phased out, as they were planning a new approach in their next generation of hybrids. President and Chief Executive of American Honda Motor Co. mused that the Insight was not practical, which made it an easy competitor of the Prius.

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