Honda Summer Clearance Event

Honda Testing Micro Commuter Prototypes

Autocar is reporting that Honda is about to start testing prototypes of its Micro Commuter, a petite EV that'll do adorable battle with the Renault Twizy if it reaches production.

Honda first showed the Micro Commuter, a so called super-urban vehicle, in November. Like the Renault, it features a 1+1 setup, meaning there's a central seat up front and a small backseat behind it. Honda has designed the tandem runabout for versatility, featuring a body that can be adapted for everything from child hauling to elderly passengers.

A rear-mounted electric motor draws power from a 15-kilowatt, lithium-ion battery, granting it a top speed of 50 miles per hour. With 37 miles of range, the Micro Commuter could be a neat urban solution. That said, these were figures that were announced in November, so we wouldn't be surprised to see them change as Honda gathers data from its new prototype testing program.

Source: autoblog.com
By: Brandon Turkus

Used Honda S2000 Named Among Best Affordable Sports Cars

There are a lot of automotive customers that think to themselves, “You know, I would really like to purchase a sleek, sporty, powerful sports cars, but I simply cannot afford a really good one.” And you know, for the most part, we can appreciate that sentiment, even if it’s not particularly true. TV ads for the newest, most expensive sports cars make it hard for us to believe that we could afford something excellent for ourselves, but a recent list of 10 Sports Cars Under $10,000, which was put together by Popular Mechanics, proves that there are a number of great sports cars out there for a more than reasonable price.

Honda reveals next-gen Fit Hybrid

Psst! Remember late last month when we showed you those Japanese magazine scans purporting to show the next Honda Fit? The ones with the markedly more aggressive snout and Cuisinart-blade alloys? Yup, they were the real deal, but they weren't the standard model, they were images of the new Hybrid. We know this because Honda has just released a handful of images and some details on its forthcoming gas-electric hatchback, and the images line up perfectly.

The big story for the third-generation Fit Hybrid will be the fuel economy, naturally. Honda says it has achieved economy ratings of 36.4 kilometers per liter – 86 miles per gallon – on its home-market cycle, highest among all hybrid models in Japan and a 35-percent improvement over the current Fit Hybrid, a model not sold in the US.

Interestingly, the Fit brooms the company's underwhelming Integrated Motor Assist system in favor of a new single-motor e-assist system dubbed Sport Hybrid i-DCD, and it eschews a CVT like most hybrids in favor of a "dual clutch drive" (i-DCD) with seven speeds. The architecture can completely uncouple the 1.5-liter Atkinson cycle four-cylinder engine and the i-DCD's 22-kilowatt electric motor. The motor itself is backed by a lithium-ion battery that's integrated into the power unit, and Honda is also touting a new servo brake system and electric compressor that increases the efficacy of the regenerative braking while curbing engine load. The Fit Hybrid will be able to putter along at speeds of up to 31 mph in pure electric mode for 1.9 miles.

Automotive News reports that while the Fit Hybrid seen here isn't expected to be sold in the US, the technology will come to America in the form of a subcompact sedan and crossover based on the Fit's architecture, as early as next year. The conventionally powered five-door Fit will be built in North America for the first time, and should hit dealers in the third quarter of next year. Built in Honda's new Ceyala, Mexico plant, the US car is likely to be offered with a 1.5-liter direct-injection engine paired to a CVT, both new components in Honda's Earth Dreams arsenal. A 1.3-liter port-injected powerplant is also expected to be fitted elsewhere in the world.

Source:autoblog

Honda Summer Clearance Event

Make sure you don't miss all of the great deals going on right now during the Honda Summer Clearance Event at Pacific Honda. Come down to test drive one of your favorite Hondas, or visit us online @ www.pacifichonda.com

Honda Accord Named as KBB.com's Best New Sedan Under $25,000

The 2013 Honda Accord and Civic were named to KBB.com's list of the 10 Best New Sedans Under $25,000. The Honda Accord was the top ranked vehicle on the list of new vehicles introduced in 2013 compiled by the auto experts at KBB.com. The Civic was the highest rated compact car on the list.
"Nothing beats the value Accord and Civic offer customers" said Mike Accavitti, senior vice president of auto operations at American Honda. "Both models deliver on all fronts – value, performance, fuel efficiency, top safety ratings and a wide array of standard features – all at a competitive price point."
As the top ranked model on the list, the Accord was recognized by the editors of KBB.com for its sophisticated styling, excellent driving performance and innovative features, like the available LaneWatch™ blind spot display. Additionally, Accord earns industry-leading safety scores, having been rated a TOP SAFETY PICK+ by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and distinguished by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) with a 5-star Overall Vehicle Score¹.
"While other mid-size cars have threatened its dominance, now we can definitively say that the Accord is back on top, with the completely overhauled 2013 model hitting No. 1 on our list of the '10 Best Sedans Under $25,000'," said Jack R. Nerad, executive editorial director for Kelley Blue Book's KBB.com. "The latest Honda Accord is as refined as any previous edition, but with a newfound sense of sporty style and cool new technologies that are as user-friendly as the car itself."
The 2013 Honda Civic was the top rated compact car on the list. KBB.com applauded the Civic for its revised interior and exterior styling along with an impressive list of standard features, which includes rearview camera, Bluetooth™ connectivity and Pandora® internet radio capability. The Civic also earns industry-leading safety scores; having been the only compact car rated a TOP SAFETY PICK+ by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and distinguished by a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) 5-star Overall Vehicle Score1.

Source: Honda Media Newsroom

2013 Honda CR-V, Civic Win Segments for Initial Quality

Once a year, J.D. Power & Associates conducts a study of which models are the most reliable over the course of the first three months of ownership, which to some consumers sounds a little ridiculous because why wouldn’t a new car behave itself for at least three months? But surprisingly, there are some automakers that really struggle with building cars that get through 90 days without reporting problems. Honda, however, is not one of these cars, as they were recently named among the top ten automakers in the industry in initial quality, with the 2013 Honda CR-V and 2013 Honda Civic each earning the top scores in their segments.