Honda's N Box, not for U.S. consumption

On the plus side, no one will argue that lighter vehicles are more fuel efficient and yield better acceleration, cornering and stopping ability. On the down side, building lighter vehicles either costs significantly more money thanks to the use of exotic materials, or produces some other kind of trade-off. In a production decision that’s sure to raise a few eyebrows, Honda will revise the way its building cars to save both weight and manufacturing cost.

Today, most cars are built using a steel unibody, with outer panels bolted into place. This makes assembly relatively easy, and it makes repair easy, but it adds both weight and complexity to the finished produce. As Motor Authority and Reuters report, Honda will switch to welding outer panels to vehicle frames instead of bolting them on. The switch will begin on the company’s small vehicles at first (like it’s new N Box, shown above), so changes to U.S. production in the short term aren’t likely.

Honda is making the switch to be more competitive in emerging markets, which the automaker sees as critical to its growth. A strong yen doesn’t help overseas profits. either, so expect to see Honda embrace the new manufacturing technique across its product line sooner or later.

What does it mean to the consumer? In the event of a collision, old panels will have to be cut away and new panels welded into place instead of bolted into place. That’s often the case with rear quarter panels today, so while Honda’s move will make body repair more challenging, it won’t have much of an effect on professional auto body shops. We’d expect the cost of body repair to rise, which likely means higher auto insurance rates for welded-construction cars.

Car shows like putting together eclectic comparisons. Take Top Gear for example, who once compared a Mitsubishi Evo against a main battle tank, and routinely pits sports cars against extreme sport athletes. Still, I’m not sure any comparison I’ve seen to date is as odd as the one in the Auto Express video below, which compares a Mugen-tuned Ariel Atom to a Mugen-tuned Honda CR-Z. In fairness, they’re not running the cars side-by-side on a track, nor are they using both for a rush-hour commute. Still, comparing the Atom to the CR-Z is akin to comparing an ax to a crate of dynamite: both will take down a tree, but in very, very different fashion.

The Atom remains one of the world’s premier track-day terrors, but Auto Express shows clearly that you don’t need to trailer it to and from track days (assuming you don’t suffer from kidney stones, that is). The Mugen CR-Z is much more entertaining with a supercharger to boost output to 200 horsepower, yet it still returns up to 40 mpg if driven carefully. Perhaps that’s the most shocking part about the video: in the not-too-distant future, there will be hybrids that enthusiasts can actually learn to love.

Source: Autoexpress You Tube Channel, via Autoblog

The Destroyer about to take out some Acuras Image: Marvel Studios

It’s an undeniable fact that movies and product placement go together like peas and carrots.  Peanut butter and jelly.  Unicorns and glitter (just kidding).  These days, when I pay half my week’s salary, or roughly the GDP of a small undeveloped nation, to see a movie, I expect to be bombarded with a thinly veiled ad to buy something or another.  Often, it’s integrated cleverly into a scene like a character using a new flip-cam, cell phone or eating at a certain restaurant.  I clearly remember watching Twister and noting the the “bad guys” in their sleek, shiny long caravan of black…Dodge Caravans (I see what you did there, Marketing Department).  It seems modern movie-makers though are taking it one step further.  Thor, which recently debuted, features the entire Acura lineup and makes no bones about it.

Going so far as to advertise specifically Acura’s place in the movie (not the movie itself), several commercials were released in advance of the premier.  A press kit disguised as a S.H.I.E.L.D. “Assessment Test” would look more at-home on the brochure rack of your local Acura dealership.  (S.H.I.E.L.D., for the non-Marvel-geeks like me, is a fictional espionage and law-enforcement agency in the Marvel Universe from whence Thor came).  A few months ago, I had read a news story that the big A would be the “official” car of the movie, but I guess I was a bit taken aback when I started seeing how hard they were selling it via commercials and internet ads.

Image: JoinShield.com

Like the guy at your local hangout who pulls up in a riced-out import tuner, wearing spiky hair, gold chains and a white tracksuit, the full-court press just made me shake my head and mutter “Epic fail, Mr. Try-too-hardy.”  True, I’m the cynical type, but I wondered if Acura would have felt the need to be so blatant if their last redesign had been more well-received.  You know, the one with the chromed-out grille that’s been called everything from a beak to a guillotine to a bagel slicer?  Yeah, that one.

I am curious to know if the general population (read: those who don’t live and breathe exhaust fumes, which explains a lot come to think of it) is yet aware of just how far Acura’s cache has fallen in recent years.  Like parent brand Honda, offerings have either been extremely polarizing or bland as plain oatmeal covered in weak sauce.  Worse, the cars themselves have been lacking in that important, intangible fun-to-drive factor that used to make the company shine above most others.  Many have asked why they should pay for the “Acura” nameplate when a fully loaded Honda can often offer the same level of luxury touches for less green.  Valid issues, all.  Are those reasons why Acura decided to pimp out their cars harder than a stage mom at a Little Miss Priss pageant?  Or did they just happen to score an excellent opportunity and are milking it for all its worth?  I suppose that’s for the target demographic to decide with their checkbooks, in whether or not Acura’s sales improve.

For what it’s worth, I audibly cheered when the ZDX and its prominent proboscis got destroyed in glorious, IMAX 3-D (although I still don’t think it was worth the extra $5 per ticket).

Image: Honda

If you like the looks of the Mugen-tuned CR-Z in the picture above, I’ve got good news and bad news. The good news is that the car has legitimate performance gains over the stock CR-Z, yet still delivers reasonable fuel economy. The bad news is that the car is a work in progress, and is still officially described as a “concept vehicle”. The translation of that is that it may or may not see production, and that production may or may not be sold in the United States. Honda isn’t releasing a lot of performance data just yet, since the car won’t be “officially” unveiled until July’s Goodwood Festival of Speed.

So far, Honda is claiming that the Mugen CR-Z’s 0 to 60 time is comparable to a European market Civic Type R, which does the run in 6.6 seconds. Since that benchmark was achieved, Mugen has shed 110 pounds from the CR-Z and has bumped up power by another 15 percent; in other words, the Mugen CR-Z that the world will see at Goodwood will be “noticeably quicker” than an EU market Civic Type R.

Mugen has retained the car’s three-mode personality, and they’re quick to point out that the car is still “green”. In Eco mode (which is terrifyingly slow in a stock CR-Z), Mugen claims to get nearly 42 mpg, which is comparable to a stock CR-Z. In “Mugen” mode, which replaces Honda’s “Sport” mode, the car still gets 29 mpg, not bad, considering that the Mugen car uses a supercharger to boost power.

The Mugen-tuned CR-Z will also get lighter wheels, bigger brakes and a stiffer suspension, which tells me that these components will probably be available ala carte, even if Honda doesn’t sell the Mugen CR-Z on this side of the pond. It’s not the turbocharged, gasoline engined CR-Z we’d been hoping for, but the Mugen CR-Z may turn out to be the next best thing.

Source: Carscoop

Want a Mazda 3? Buy it soon... Image: Mazda

The economic effects of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami will begin to hit U.S. auto dealerships in April and May. Last week, both Mazda and Honda temporarily suspended U.S. dealership orders for all vehicles built in Japan. For Mazda, this includes the Mazda 2, Mazda 3, Mazda 5, MX-5, RX-8, CX-7 and CX-9; for Honda, the vehicles impacted include the Fit, CR-V, Insight, CR-Z, Civic Hybrid, Acura TSX and Acura RL. Nissan will reduce U.S. vehicle allocation for May by 50%, while neither Toyota nor Mitsubishi have announced any changes to dealer ordering procedures. Neither Mazda nor Honda will speculate on when orders will resume, but it’s reasonable to expect inventory shortages of popular models heading into the summer months.

Multiple factors are contributing to the order suspensions, including regional rolling blackouts and restrictions on industrial water usage in Japan. Even if an automaker’s manufacturing plants aren’t damaged, those of suppliers may well be inoperable, leading to production delays. It’s too early to say what the long term impact will be on the global auto industry, as no one really knows how long it will be before automobile and component production reaches pre-quake levels. Equally bad is the domino effect that will likely impact domestic and European automakers who rely on components sourced from Japan. It may be months or even years before we’re back to business as usual, so factor that in if you plan on car shopping in the near future..

Source: Autoweek

Honda CR-Z Hybrid R Concept, as displayed at SEMA. Image: Honda Motors America

It’s probably no secret that Honda Motors America didn’t buy into the “hybrid sports car” concept of the CR-Z. Give the enormous shoes the car had to fill, HMA predicted early on that the car would be a sales flop. Even in California, land of the Prius, sales of the two seat pseudo-sport coupe have been underwhelming. What the car really needs is an infusion of horsepower, some weight reduction and a switch to conventional (not regenerative) brakes. Honda’s working on just such an animal, but now comes rumor that Honda will fast-track the gas-only turbo CR-Z into production. If the “unnamed sources” are correct, the worthy successor to the CRX Si could hit dealer showrooms as early as next spring.

Two versions of the gas-only CR-Z will be manufactured; the base model will use a turbocharged 1.6 liter four to make 160 horsepower, while the tuned version (Si, presumably) will get 200 horsepower from the same displacement. That’s quite an improvement over the current CR-Z’s 112 horsepower, or 126 horsepower if you include the electric motor. Losing that motor, as well as the batteries and controller, should shave a few hundred pounds from the front of the car. Lighter weight, improved balance and more horsepower are exactly what the CR-Z needs to compete in the market, and I think the revised car has the potential of being a badly-needed home run for Honda. I can’t wait to drive one.

Source: Autocar, via Autoblog

Let’s keep this simple: if you want to look at gorgeous, semi-naked women or read insightful reporting, go to Playboy.  If you want accurate information on cars and trucks, come to Automotive Addicts.  We don’t do the whole pictures of naked women thing (although we have been known to look at them admiringly), because it’s just not what we do best.  Likewise, when Playboy publishes a list of the “Hottest Rides” of the year, you need to read it with some skepticism.

Here are Playboy’s picks for the hottest cars of 2011, along with our feedback.  Some we agree with, others we don’t, but then again we don’t get big fat advertising checks from automakers.  Read on to find out what made the list.

Playboy’s 2011 Car Of The Year: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG.

Not much to argue with here, and I’m glad to see a publication pick a car other than the Chevy Volt or the Nissan Leaf as car of the year.  I’m not a huge fan of the SLS AMG’s styling, since only the front 55% of the car looks good; the rear looks like the stylists just gave up.  Performance wise, the SLS AMG is the real deal, and its 6.2 liter V8 will run with the big dogs.  Zero to sixty comes up in about 3.7 seconds, and the gullwing coupe tops out at 197 miles per hour.  If you’ve got the coin, the SLS AMG will get you noticed.

Best Hybrid: The Honda CR-Z

This category really should have been titled the “Least Worst Hybrid”, since enthusiast driving and hybrids go together like Ellen Degeneres and Tiger Woods. Yes, the Honda CR-Z is hands-down the best hybrid (if you opt for the six speed manual transmission), much the same way as waterboarding is much better than having your fingernails pulled off with pliers. If I had an option for “C, none of the above”, I’d pick that.

Best Sport Sedan: Aston Martin Rapide

If the category was “sport sedan most likely to get you heels-to-Jesus”, I’d agree. I don’t know too many who can shell out the Rapide’s $200,000 price of admission, and I can’t help but thinking that kind of money would buy three Cadillac CTS-V sedans, or two Hennessey tuned CTS-V sedans. Give me the Caddy, in White Diamond Tricoat with Dark Graphite wheels, and I’ll use the $130,000 I save to pay for gas, tires and speeding tickets.

Best Sports Coupe: Cadillac CTS-V

Don’t get me wrong: I love the looks of the CTS-V coupe, but I can’t live with the concessions it asks you to make. The rear seat, for example, is for midget acrobats only. Full size humans with normal muscles and joints simply don’t fit back there, and the coupe’s added width actually makes it slower than the sedan (courtesy of parasitic drag, if you want some science). My pick? The 2011 Shelby GT500 Mustang. It’s the automotive equivalent of rough sex with a six foot tall Scandinavian blond; it doesn’t work well if you treat it nice, but throw it down, stomp it hard and it just comes back for more. Like the blond, it’ll either kill you or make you stronger, and you won’t care much either way.

Best Convertible: Porsche Boxster Spyder

Maybe I’m not a big fan of the whole “less is more” thing, which is why I have a hard time grasping the logic of paying more for a Porsche Boxster with a Pontiac Solstice folding roof. Yes, it’s fast, but it’s also impractical for the real world; I’ll pass, and opt for the STaSIS-tuned Audi R8 V10 convertible. It’s wretched excess in every way, and it comes with a real top.

Best Bang For The Buck: Mazda 2

This is a tough category, since so many automakers are making good, inexpensive cars these days. The Ford Fiesta is roughly the same as the Mazda 2, and both need a serious infusion of horsepower to be appealing to enthusiasts. The Chevy Cruze has potential, if and when Chevy builds a Cruze SS version. Until they do, sign me up for the Hyundai Sonata Turbo as the best bang for the buck. Where else can you get 274 horsepower for a sticker price in the mid-twenties?

Best SUV: Jeep Grand Cherokee

This is another tough call, because the best depends on your expectations. If you use you $40,000 SUV for serious off-roading and plan on tackling the Rubicon Trail just as soon as you have two weeks of vacation saved up, then your best choice is Playboy’s pick. If you live in the real world and spend 90% of your time on-road, with occasional trips to the beach and up to your uncle’s mountain cabin, my pick would be the new Ford Explorer. It’s still capable of going off-road (except for the whole rock-crawling thing), and it’s much better on road. For the vast majority of SUV buyers, it’s simply a better option.

Best Commuter: Nissan Leaf

I’ve never had a job where the Nissan Leaf would have been a sensible choice for commuting. Most of my drives have been 50 miles or so round trip, which may or may not exceed the Leaf’s range, depending on traffic, road conditions, weather and electromagnetic disturbances in the upper atmosphere. I don’t want to spend the last ten miles of my commute wondering if I’ll make it home, so a pure electric car makes no sense to me. Give me a Chevy Volt, and I’ll go as far as I can on batteries every day. When the batteries run down, the generator fires up to ensure I’ll get the rest of the way home. The Volt is comfortable, it’s relatively entertaining to drive and (above all) it’s practical. I can’t say the same for the Nissan Leaf.

Best Plug-In: Chevrolet Volt

I already picked the Volt for “Best Commuter”, so I can’t pick it twice. Instead, I’ll select the Tesla Roadster 2.0 for “Best Plug In”, because it’s currently the only electric car worth drooling over. I still don’t think it’s worth the price, and it’s still too heavy to be a real sports car, but it is a step in the right direction. For now, that’s as good as a plug in car gets.

Most Likely To Succeed: Hyundai Equus

I couldn’t agree more with Playboy’s pick in this category. I’ve driven the Equus, and it’s good, very good. Once you get past the Hyundai name, the Equus will make you wonder why spending $10k to $30k more for the equivalent Lexus, BMW or Mercedes was even a consideration. Hyundai knows what’s riding on this, and they’re going to make every effort to do things right the first time. World class luxury for the price of a well-equipped Lincoln? Sign me up.

[source: Playboy]

Green Car Journal is gearing up to announce their choice of Green Car of the Year at the Los Angeles Auto Show on December third.  This award, started in 2005, has increased steadily in importance during the past five years.  Pushing auto makers and consumers alike to be more aware of the impact their cars and actions have on the environment, as well as take the necessary steps to lessen the negative effect we are having.

Prior to the show, 5 nominees will be announced from a field that includes EVERY new car produced this year, no matter the fuel source; hybrid, electric, diesel, petrol, etc.  Fleet and promotion vehicles will not be considered, as the car must be readily available to consumers throughout the year.  It is a painstaking process to narrow the list down, which makes winning a true honor.  Driveability, newness of the car and technology, and the impact the car has on the industry being the main factors looked for.  Past winners include the Volkswagen Jetta TDI, Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid, Toyota Camry Hybrid, and the Mercury Mariner Hybrid.  Who do you think will come out on top this year?

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