http://www.carbuzz.com/news/2012/10/...ction-7711168/
Honda Beat on Track for Production
New roadster from Honda could be based on Fit/Jazz.
Back in the early 90s, Honda made a small mid-engined, rear-drive roadster called the Beat, a tiny Kei car roadster designed by Pininfarina. It was the last car overseen by company founder Soichiro Honda before he died, when Honda's current president Takanobu Ito was working on developing the original NSX. "I was kind of envious of the little cute sports car," admitted Ito in a recent speech in the United States, in which the Japanese auto exec revealed that Honda would bring revive the Beat with a new compact sports car.
We first reported on plans for a Honda Beat revival back in June 2011, when it seemed that the roadster would be based on the CR-Z hybrid sport-hatch. Now it seems, however, that the Beat will more likely borrow its underpinnings from the Fit with a design derived from the EV-STER and OSM concepts, though its powertrain could go either conventional or hybrid. One way or another, don't expect the Beat to retain the mid-engine/rear-drive layout of its predecessor, as the new roadster is more likely to go front-drive. Whether that proves enough for Honda to take on the likes of the Subaru BRZ/Toyota GT86/Scion FR-S, or even the Mazda MX-5 Miata, remains to be seen.
==========================
http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/16/h...r-view-mirror/
Honda sells its millionth hybrid, sits in Toyota's rear-view mirror for now
Transportation
Honda sells its millionth hybrid, sits in Toyota's rear-view mirror for now
By Jon Fingas posted Oct 16th 2012 1:16AM
Honda sells its millionth hybrid, sits in Toyota's rearview mirror for now
Honda's hybrid cars just haven't achieved the same cachet as Toyota's without a poster child like the Prius to drive demand. Nonetheless, the automaker has something to crow about with word that it has sold over a million hybrids worldwide as of the end of September. The milestone comes almost 13 years after the first Japan-bound Insight changed hands in November 1999, and after a significant expansion that includes more specialized cars like the CR-Z coupe you see here. Americans represent almost a third of the total at 318,000 vehicles that are split mostly between the Insight and the Civic Hybrid. Hitting seven digits gives Honda some eco-friendly credibility in a crowded field, although the firm might not want to brag too loudly: Toyota has sold four times as many to date and expects to sell one million hybrids just in 2012.
Worldwide Sales of Honda Hybrid Vehicles Reach One Million Units
10/14/2012 - TOKYO
Honda Motor Co., Ltd. announced that cumulative worldwide sales of its hybrid vehicles surpassed one million units as of the end of September 2012. This milestone was reached 12 years and 11 months after the start of sales of the first generation Honda Insight in Japan on November 1999, which achieved a fuel economy rating of 35km/liter1, then rated as the world's most fuel efficient vehicle among all mass-production gasoline-powered vehicles.
Honda began hybrid vehicle sales in U.S. in 1999 with the 2000 Honda Insight – the first gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle sold in America. Cumulative sales of Honda hybrid vehicles in the U.S. market have now reached over 318,000 units, predominately sales of the Insight and Civic Hybrid.
Capitalizing on the unique features of Honda's original lightweight and compact IMA (Integrated Motor Assist) hybrid system, Honda has been enhancing its hybrid vehicle lineup and currently sells eight hybrid models in approximately 50 countries around the world, including four distinct models in the U.S.
In May 2012, Honda began to produce hybrid models in regions outside of Japan starting with the Acura ILX Hybrid2 in the U.S., followed by production of the Jazz (Fit) Hybrid in Thailand. Honda will also begin production of the Jazz Hybrid in Malaysia at the end of October in an effort to deliver hybrid vehicles with speed, affordability and low CO2 emissions for customers in Asia where demand for fuel-efficient vehicles is expected to grow in the future.
In addition to further advancing the current hybrid model offerings equipped with the one-motor IMA hybrid system, Honda is introducing new hybrid systems for mid-size models that will be equipped with a two-motor hybrid system. Additionally, a highly-efficient and high-output three-motor hybrid system, the Sport Hybrid SH-AWD® (Super Handling All Wheel Drive), offering both superior dynamic handling and fuel efficiency, will be applied to the Acura NSX and RLX Sport Hybrid model, as well as the successor model of the Legend, scheduled to be introduced in Japan.
Under the global environmental slogan of "Blue Skies for Our Children," Honda will continue its efforts to further market penetration of hybrid vehicles to realize a low carbon society.
History of Honda's Hybrid Models
Year
Month / Model introduced to the market
Honda's Cumulative
Worldwide Hybrid Vehicle
Sales
1999
November: First generation Insight
2001
December: Civic Hybrid
2004
December: Accord Hybrid (North America only)
2005
April: 100,000 units
2007
May: 200,000 units
2009
February: Second generation Insight
August: 400,000 units
2010
February: CR-Z
October: Fit Hybrid
December: 600,000 units
2011
June: Fit Shuttle Hybrid (Japan only)
October: Freed Hybrid (Japan only)
Freed Spike Hybrid (Japan only)
December: 800,000 units
2012
May: Acura ILX Hybrid (USA, Canada only)
September: 1000,000 units
1Measured in 10・15 mode with a 5-speed MT vehicle; roughly 82 m.p.g.
2Honda products are produced using domestic and globally sourced parts.
==========================
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/...w/16828487.cms
Will Honda be able to surpass Hero in terms of market share?
MUMBAI: Ashok Tiwari, a 38-year-old government employee from Mumbai, has been riding a Hero Honda Splendor for over a decade. After 1 lakh km, Tiwari wants to buy a new bike.
But he's undecided between Hero and Honda, the erstwhile partners who had carved the Indian market between themselves but now compete with each other for market share. Tiwari is tilting towards a new Splendor, but the absence of [COLOR=#0000FF !important]the Honda badge[/COLOR] is forcing him to do a rethink.
Unlike Tiwari, Guranath Balkrishna Dhadwe, a 32-year-old auto spare parts businessman from Mumbai's western suburbs who rides his motorcycle for more than 60 km a day, made the switch when the time came to replace his old bike.
"Owning a Passion (from Hero) was a good experience. I wanted to get a new bike and my friends recommended Dream Yuga (from Honda). I have been using the bike for the past few months, and I am pleased with it," said Dhadwe.
Tiwari and Dhadwe are not alone. A recent research report from Antique Broking says many others are doing a similar rethink.
A survey by [COLOR=#0000FF !important]the firm of Hero[/COLOR] dealerships across the country found a 5-10% drop in conversion of enquiries into sales for its popular models Splendor and Passion. The worry for [COLOR=#0000FF !important]the New Delhi-headquartered Hero[/COLOR] is that it is starting to reflect on the numbers.
After a 15% growth in FY12 with record sales of 6.2 million units, it seemed Hero MotoCorpBSE 0.60 % had managed the transition post the break-up with Honda well. But the slowdown in the market and rising competition has come as a surprise with sales declining 3% in the first six months of the current fiscal year.
Best Stories of the day:
RIL's over $1 bn Q2 profit may not impress investors
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Realty cos back with NCDs to lure HNIs
Jaypee not to crack breakeven for F1 before 5 yrs
In September 2012, Hero posted a 26% decline in sales, its steepest fall in over a decade. The month also saw Hero's flagship brand Splendor, the world's largest-selling two-wheeler brand, ceding the spot to Bajaj Auto's Discover.
Sales of Splendor have Halved
Sales of Splendor have almost halved from 2.4 lakh units in April 2012 to a little over 1.20 lakh units in September. During the same sixmonth period, Honda Motorcycle and Scooters India (HMSI) has seen the sales of entry-level motorcycles jump almost five-fold, from 7,290 units in April to 34,745 units in September, led by Dream Yuga.
Hero's market share shrank to 42.7% in April-September 2012, from 45.3% in the year-ago period, and the biggest gainer has been HMSI, with a 6% rise in share. In September alone, Hero's share fell to 36.8%, almost a 4% drop over the previous month. The market share picture clearly indicates that HMSI has been bucking the trend in the slowing two-wheeler market.
"We are currently the fastestgrowing two-wheeler company in the country," said YS Guleria, vicepresident (sales & marketing), HMSI.
=======================================
http://www.leftlanenews.com/chipmake...da-others.html
Chipmaker Renesas to get majority buyout by Japanese government, Nissan, Toyota, Honda, others
The Japanese government has set up a fund to help the country's troubled chipmaker Renesas. The $2.55 billion deal will see automakers such as Honda, Nissan, and Toyota also contribute, along with about seven other companies.
A taxpayer-funded Innovation Network Corp. has plans to invest 150 billion yen (about $1.9 billion), according to Automotive News, and thus acquire two-thirds of Renesas' shares on a voting-rights basis. The remaining 50 billion yen (nearly 650 million) will come from a consortium of Japanese companies, including Canon, Denso, Honda, Nikon, Nissan, Panasonic, Toyota, and Yaskawa Electric, according to Japanese reports. Germany's Robert Borsch is also reportedly planning on investing. The consortium wants to complete the deal by year's end.
Renesas is keeping mum about any such deals, noting that nothing has been decided. The company, which is the leading maker of automotive microcontroller chips is in financial trouble due to the high yen and competition from South Korea's Samsung Electronics.
A U.S. private equity firm, KKR & Co, has been talking with Renesas to buy control for 100 billion yen (about $1.3 billion), but is likely to retract any offers considering the acquisition plan from the government. This company is reportedly planning on selling Renesas assets in order to make money, while the consortium aims to keep it running in order to keep supplying the companies involved.
Renesas' current shareholders include NEC, Hitachi, and Mitsubishi Electric.
===============================
Honda Beat on Track for Production
New roadster from Honda could be based on Fit/Jazz.
Back in the early 90s, Honda made a small mid-engined, rear-drive roadster called the Beat, a tiny Kei car roadster designed by Pininfarina. It was the last car overseen by company founder Soichiro Honda before he died, when Honda's current president Takanobu Ito was working on developing the original NSX. "I was kind of envious of the little cute sports car," admitted Ito in a recent speech in the United States, in which the Japanese auto exec revealed that Honda would bring revive the Beat with a new compact sports car.
We first reported on plans for a Honda Beat revival back in June 2011, when it seemed that the roadster would be based on the CR-Z hybrid sport-hatch. Now it seems, however, that the Beat will more likely borrow its underpinnings from the Fit with a design derived from the EV-STER and OSM concepts, though its powertrain could go either conventional or hybrid. One way or another, don't expect the Beat to retain the mid-engine/rear-drive layout of its predecessor, as the new roadster is more likely to go front-drive. Whether that proves enough for Honda to take on the likes of the Subaru BRZ/Toyota GT86/Scion FR-S, or even the Mazda MX-5 Miata, remains to be seen.
==========================
http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/16/h...r-view-mirror/
Honda sells its millionth hybrid, sits in Toyota's rear-view mirror for now
Transportation
Honda sells its millionth hybrid, sits in Toyota's rear-view mirror for now
By Jon Fingas posted Oct 16th 2012 1:16AM
Honda sells its millionth hybrid, sits in Toyota's rearview mirror for now
Honda's hybrid cars just haven't achieved the same cachet as Toyota's without a poster child like the Prius to drive demand. Nonetheless, the automaker has something to crow about with word that it has sold over a million hybrids worldwide as of the end of September. The milestone comes almost 13 years after the first Japan-bound Insight changed hands in November 1999, and after a significant expansion that includes more specialized cars like the CR-Z coupe you see here. Americans represent almost a third of the total at 318,000 vehicles that are split mostly between the Insight and the Civic Hybrid. Hitting seven digits gives Honda some eco-friendly credibility in a crowded field, although the firm might not want to brag too loudly: Toyota has sold four times as many to date and expects to sell one million hybrids just in 2012.
Worldwide Sales of Honda Hybrid Vehicles Reach One Million Units
10/14/2012 - TOKYO
Honda Motor Co., Ltd. announced that cumulative worldwide sales of its hybrid vehicles surpassed one million units as of the end of September 2012. This milestone was reached 12 years and 11 months after the start of sales of the first generation Honda Insight in Japan on November 1999, which achieved a fuel economy rating of 35km/liter1, then rated as the world's most fuel efficient vehicle among all mass-production gasoline-powered vehicles.
Honda began hybrid vehicle sales in U.S. in 1999 with the 2000 Honda Insight – the first gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle sold in America. Cumulative sales of Honda hybrid vehicles in the U.S. market have now reached over 318,000 units, predominately sales of the Insight and Civic Hybrid.
Capitalizing on the unique features of Honda's original lightweight and compact IMA (Integrated Motor Assist) hybrid system, Honda has been enhancing its hybrid vehicle lineup and currently sells eight hybrid models in approximately 50 countries around the world, including four distinct models in the U.S.
In May 2012, Honda began to produce hybrid models in regions outside of Japan starting with the Acura ILX Hybrid2 in the U.S., followed by production of the Jazz (Fit) Hybrid in Thailand. Honda will also begin production of the Jazz Hybrid in Malaysia at the end of October in an effort to deliver hybrid vehicles with speed, affordability and low CO2 emissions for customers in Asia where demand for fuel-efficient vehicles is expected to grow in the future.
In addition to further advancing the current hybrid model offerings equipped with the one-motor IMA hybrid system, Honda is introducing new hybrid systems for mid-size models that will be equipped with a two-motor hybrid system. Additionally, a highly-efficient and high-output three-motor hybrid system, the Sport Hybrid SH-AWD® (Super Handling All Wheel Drive), offering both superior dynamic handling and fuel efficiency, will be applied to the Acura NSX and RLX Sport Hybrid model, as well as the successor model of the Legend, scheduled to be introduced in Japan.
Under the global environmental slogan of "Blue Skies for Our Children," Honda will continue its efforts to further market penetration of hybrid vehicles to realize a low carbon society.
History of Honda's Hybrid Models
Year
Month / Model introduced to the market
Honda's Cumulative
Worldwide Hybrid Vehicle
Sales
1999
November: First generation Insight
2001
December: Civic Hybrid
2004
December: Accord Hybrid (North America only)
2005
April: 100,000 units
2007
May: 200,000 units
2009
February: Second generation Insight
August: 400,000 units
2010
February: CR-Z
October: Fit Hybrid
December: 600,000 units
2011
June: Fit Shuttle Hybrid (Japan only)
October: Freed Hybrid (Japan only)
Freed Spike Hybrid (Japan only)
December: 800,000 units
2012
May: Acura ILX Hybrid (USA, Canada only)
September: 1000,000 units
1Measured in 10・15 mode with a 5-speed MT vehicle; roughly 82 m.p.g.
2Honda products are produced using domestic and globally sourced parts.
==========================
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/...w/16828487.cms
Will Honda be able to surpass Hero in terms of market share?
MUMBAI: Ashok Tiwari, a 38-year-old government employee from Mumbai, has been riding a Hero Honda Splendor for over a decade. After 1 lakh km, Tiwari wants to buy a new bike.
But he's undecided between Hero and Honda, the erstwhile partners who had carved the Indian market between themselves but now compete with each other for market share. Tiwari is tilting towards a new Splendor, but the absence of [COLOR=#0000FF !important]the Honda badge[/COLOR] is forcing him to do a rethink.
Unlike Tiwari, Guranath Balkrishna Dhadwe, a 32-year-old auto spare parts businessman from Mumbai's western suburbs who rides his motorcycle for more than 60 km a day, made the switch when the time came to replace his old bike.
"Owning a Passion (from Hero) was a good experience. I wanted to get a new bike and my friends recommended Dream Yuga (from Honda). I have been using the bike for the past few months, and I am pleased with it," said Dhadwe.
Tiwari and Dhadwe are not alone. A recent research report from Antique Broking says many others are doing a similar rethink.
A survey by [COLOR=#0000FF !important]the firm of Hero[/COLOR] dealerships across the country found a 5-10% drop in conversion of enquiries into sales for its popular models Splendor and Passion. The worry for [COLOR=#0000FF !important]the New Delhi-headquartered Hero[/COLOR] is that it is starting to reflect on the numbers.
After a 15% growth in FY12 with record sales of 6.2 million units, it seemed Hero MotoCorpBSE 0.60 % had managed the transition post the break-up with Honda well. But the slowdown in the market and rising competition has come as a surprise with sales declining 3% in the first six months of the current fiscal year.
Best Stories of the day:
RIL's over $1 bn Q2 profit may not impress investors
Indian expats give up global roles for home challenge
Bangalore property market surpasses other metros
Realty cos back with NCDs to lure HNIs
Jaypee not to crack breakeven for F1 before 5 yrs
In September 2012, Hero posted a 26% decline in sales, its steepest fall in over a decade. The month also saw Hero's flagship brand Splendor, the world's largest-selling two-wheeler brand, ceding the spot to Bajaj Auto's Discover.
Sales of Splendor have Halved
Sales of Splendor have almost halved from 2.4 lakh units in April 2012 to a little over 1.20 lakh units in September. During the same sixmonth period, Honda Motorcycle and Scooters India (HMSI) has seen the sales of entry-level motorcycles jump almost five-fold, from 7,290 units in April to 34,745 units in September, led by Dream Yuga.
Hero's market share shrank to 42.7% in April-September 2012, from 45.3% in the year-ago period, and the biggest gainer has been HMSI, with a 6% rise in share. In September alone, Hero's share fell to 36.8%, almost a 4% drop over the previous month. The market share picture clearly indicates that HMSI has been bucking the trend in the slowing two-wheeler market.
"We are currently the fastestgrowing two-wheeler company in the country," said YS Guleria, vicepresident (sales & marketing), HMSI.
=======================================
http://www.leftlanenews.com/chipmake...da-others.html
Chipmaker Renesas to get majority buyout by Japanese government, Nissan, Toyota, Honda, others
The Japanese government has set up a fund to help the country's troubled chipmaker Renesas. The $2.55 billion deal will see automakers such as Honda, Nissan, and Toyota also contribute, along with about seven other companies.
A taxpayer-funded Innovation Network Corp. has plans to invest 150 billion yen (about $1.9 billion), according to Automotive News, and thus acquire two-thirds of Renesas' shares on a voting-rights basis. The remaining 50 billion yen (nearly 650 million) will come from a consortium of Japanese companies, including Canon, Denso, Honda, Nikon, Nissan, Panasonic, Toyota, and Yaskawa Electric, according to Japanese reports. Germany's Robert Borsch is also reportedly planning on investing. The consortium wants to complete the deal by year's end.
Renesas is keeping mum about any such deals, noting that nothing has been decided. The company, which is the leading maker of automotive microcontroller chips is in financial trouble due to the high yen and competition from South Korea's Samsung Electronics.
A U.S. private equity firm, KKR & Co, has been talking with Renesas to buy control for 100 billion yen (about $1.3 billion), but is likely to retract any offers considering the acquisition plan from the government. This company is reportedly planning on selling Renesas assets in order to make money, while the consortium aims to keep it running in order to keep supplying the companies involved.
Renesas' current shareholders include NEC, Hitachi, and Mitsubishi Electric.
===============================
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