Next Gen Accord spy photo

We (TOV/TOVA) have published spy photos of what is believed to be the new Accord, being tested on the streets in the U.S. The car caught on photo will be the U.S. version but from history, it is known that other than Japan and Europe, the rest of the world will be getting a variation of this model, including most of asia.

For more photos and discussions, visit http://www.vtec.net/news/news-image?image=1066673/13accord_kgp-01.jpg

The Making Of : Acura's Avenger Supercar

One of my facebook buddies posted this on his wall, an article which talks about how the Acura supercar that is featured on the Avengers movie and driven by Tony Stark was made. I think you would be interested if you have not already read the article.

http://autos.sympatico.ca/features/13757/the-avengers-hero-car-how-to-make-a-one-off-acura

Honda CR-Z Review is out.

My initial review of the CR-Z is finally finished. There was a slight delay in getting it published on TOVA but it is finally up as at yesterday night. As I did several different tests on this car, I have taken the strategy of publishing several articles so this initial review will be followed by a few other shorter reviews addressing specific areas, like dyno results, or 0-100kph standing start acceleration tests. 

More than any other Honda model, the CR-Z has been 'different'. It is Honda's first hybrid 'sports car', and one of the first hybrid 'sports car' in the world. In addition, Honda has taken a quite different approach with the CR-Z, compared to their sports coupes and hot hatches of old, like the Integra, Civic SiR, CR-X, and so forth, and especially their Type-Rs. Consequently, the CR-Z has elicited countless controversies and even outright arguements between long time Honda fans. Opinions of it have been really polarized, with lots of praises and lots of criticisms. After 'owning' the car for a weekend, I have found that, as would be expected and as usual, it all really do depend on one's point of view. This is one of the most important issue I intend, and hope, to address in this review feature. 

To make it easy for you, the link to TOVA is at http://asia.vtec.net. Feel free to give your comments or ask your questions here in this post. 

BOSS Article : Part 7 Final.

I think it is a good time to conclude the BOSS article thread so here is Part 7, the final part. Again, here is the link to TOV forums Part 7 thread.

One final note, the article was in the January 2012 issue of the BOSS magazine and since it is now May, do bear in mind some of the comments of the article is a little bit dated.

Furthermore, it is my opinion that the ending of this article seems a bit abrupt, even stunted and rushed through. It almost seems as if the author has gotten impatient and decided to end the article immediately. Nevertheless, this article has been bold in the sense that it addresses numerous issues that many Honda hardcore fans and even some Honda employees have been unhappy about. It certainly has been thought provoking.

Motor Sports: Dwindling Spirit of Challenge Caused by a Wave of Reductions

On December 5, 2008, Honda announced its withdrawal from F1. In the midst of the collapse of Lehman Brothers at the time, and triggered by the global economic recession, automotive manufactures were withdrawing from motor sports activities one after another. Honda¡¦s decision was reached as the company concluded that it needed to redistribute its operating resources in the face of a downturn in business. Subsequently, Toyota and BMW also announced their withdrawals from F1, while Renault has cut back on the activities as well. It can be said that this was unavoidable considering the F1 entry fee, which was said to be as high as 50 billion yen annually.

However, the then-President Takeo Fukui definitively stated about F1 entry, "This is not a pause on the participation, but a withdrawal". Isn't this a sign of Honda¡'s change in its attitude towards motor sports?

The company, however, has not given up on its belief that motor sports are a symbol of "challenging spirit." It was Honda who participated in a variety of races with a goal to get on top of the world since the days of the company¡¦s founder, Soichiro Honda.

Nevertheless, it appears that the company no longer has the sentiment to take part in motor sports activities and aim for the first place. The sentiment is, of course, completely different on the race field. Not just the drivers and riders, but the mechanics and engineers are all hungry for victory and are risking their lives to cut down the time by even one tenth of a second. As if to throw a wet blanket on their passion, withdrawals and reductions were repeated one after another in the form of "management decision."

In 2009, Honda announced that they intend to cut its racing-related expenses to half of that of the previous year. The company pulled out of most of the works team activities in the motorcycle races except for MotoGP, and has evidently suspended its works activities in the Suzuka 8 Hours World Endurance race. In 2011, the Indy Japan series that have been held at the Twin Ring Motegi (in Motegi, Tochigi in Japan) operated by a group company, Mobilityland, came to an end. And in 2012, the budget for MotoGP, in which Honda won championships, is expected to be cut back from the current six-unit team to a combination of two works units and two satellite units. With this change, a MotoGP rider, Hiroshi Aoyama, will not be racing in next year¡¦s event, which means that there will be no more Japanese representation in the world¡¦s top group.

In Formula Nippon, Honda, despite supplying engines, was outdone by the Toyota engines in all races. Chevrolet is to compete in the 2012 IndyCar„¥ (IRL) event as an engine supplier, and if Honda were to suffer another loss here, the company may be forced to stop supplying engines. On a side note, the contract for F1 Japan Grand Prix at Suzuka Circuit is in effect through 2012, and, as was the case with IndyCar„¥, it is possible for this series to come to an end depending on the attendance and the move by Fuji Television who broadcasts the event.

Some people believe that Honda withdrew from F1 because there was no more advantage of feeding back the technological development to now popular eco-friendly commercial vehicles as the FIA neglected on engine development, while only pursuing commercial success. As a matter of fact, Honda¡'s business is supported by its line of commercial vehicles that have little to do with speed, such as compact cars and hybrid cars. If they were to pursue profit as a corporation, it¡¦s no wonder that it is not worthwhile to participate in motor sports any longer.

But then, why does Honda keep saying that motor sports are a symbol of ¡ts "challenging spirit?" If it is meant to bolster the corporate image, what the company is doing is exactly the opposite of its intent. It's obvious that the world of racing is not so lenient that you could win the races just by doing the math, and each time the race division is shrunk, Honda has lost its strength and undermined its image.

The reason why Ferrari has so many enthusiastic fans is that the company has no hesitation in stating that "We sell cars so that we can enter races." There are many people who had admired and felt electrified by the passion for races that Honda once had. Fans are waiting to see Honda machines on the circuit.

BOSS Article Part 6

Apologies for the lapse in posting. To continue on the BOSS article series, here is part 6. Here is the link to TOV forum Part 6 thread.

“Dropping Out” in Europe and “Struggling” in the U.S. Nissan (Not Honda) Is Now Toyota’s Rival

Flooding of Honda’s Thai Factory

During the press conference announcing the company’s second quarter results on October 8, Toyota’s Vice President Satoshi Ozawa said something that made everyone doubt his ears. He said, “We want to learn from Nissan Motor.” 


Following the East Japan Earthquake on March 11 and recent massive flood in Thailand, all automakers were forced to stop production or make production cutbacks. Besides the direct damages suffered by their production factories, one major blow was the disruption of parts supply. Component manufacturers and second- and third-tier subcontractors were affected and lost the ability to supply parts. Many Japanese manufacturers have boosted efficiency by thoroughly implementing the Just In Time system (concept of supplying/producing the necessary items by the necessary quantities only when necessary) and carrying hardly any parts in stock. However, this approach backfired.

Recovery after the earthquake was quick and smooth, but the flood in Thailand again raised the same question. Honda and Toyota decided not to announce their business projections and their earnings are expected to be significantly affected. Toyota will resume production at its Thai factory on November 21, but production adjustments will continue for a while. Still, resumption of production points to a positive outlook going forward.

On the other hand, Honda is still in a very difficult situation. Its complete body unit (CBU) plant in Thailand was flooded on October 8 and water is still not receding as of November 14. Since there is sill water, nothing can be planned. It is certain that production in Thailand will remain stopped until after the New Year and the impact will be immeasurable.

Amidst this situation, Nissan Motor who quickly resumed local operations is the only automaker expecting production increases in this fiscal year. Nissan benefited from the alliance with Frances’ Renault having a global supply chain for parts. Nissan was also lucky to have been carrying more-than-normal parts in stock to respond to anticipated production increases reflecting strong global sales. Taking advantage of its good fortune, Nissan is even raising its business outlook for this fiscal year.

The comment by Toyota’s Vice President Ozawa mentioned at the beginning of the article represents the company’s commitment to building a system resistant to risks of natural disasters. Toyota believes a risk-resistant system is needed urgently, even if it means the company must readjust the “Toyota Production System” that has long supported Toyota’s growth.

In terms of luck, Honda had the least of it. Honda is the only one among the big four Japanese automakers whose CBU factory was flooded.
“The Nissan factory was also bracing for water. We build dikes to shut out water, but it came really close. Nothing can be done once water is in, like what happened to Honda.” (Source at Nissan)

Because this is literally an act of God, other manufacturers are making sympathetic comments. Fortunately Honda’s motorcycle factory was spared and has since resumed production, but resumption of operation is not yet in sight at the automobile factory.

How Honda is Different from Toyota and Nissan

One auto journalist let out, “Shouldn’t we acknowledge that Toyota’s rival is no longer Honda, but Nissan?” 

The emerging markets have grown tremendously in recent years. Nissan successfully took advantage of this momentum and is showing the kind of increase in sales volume that surpasses not only Honda, but Toyota as well. This is especially notable in the Chinese market where, in 2010, Nissan ranked first with 1,024,000 units sold among the Japanese automakers. Toyota was second with 846,000, while Honda was behind with only 655,000 units.

It isn’t just in the emerging markets that this is happening. Nissan’s advancement can also be seen in the industrialized nations, especially in the North American market. While Nissan enjoyed a 25.3% increase over the same month of the previous year with 92,964 units sold in September 2011, Honda’s performance was lackluster with 89,532 units, down 8% from the previous year, which finally forced Honda to surrender the fifth position to Nissan. Even with the on-going production adjustments after the earthquake, Honda has lost its shares to Nissan without putting up any fight.

Toyota can’t now help but pay attention to the momentum of Nissan who is well on its way to reach a worldwide sales volume of 5 million units. In contrast, Toyota’s view on Honda has become that of indifference. Koichiro Imoto, the journalist who wrote “Prius vs. Insight (Shogakukan),” says as follows: 

“The hybrid car showdown between Toyota’s “Prius” and Honda’s “Insight” attracted a lot of attention in 2009. Some of the Toyota people, however, seem to be voicing their regrets that the company had taken Honda’s challenge too seriously. As indicated by the number of sales, Insight was not at all a match. It is true, at the time, that there was an air of tension within Toyota against Honda, but it can be said that they no longer show such interest. Toyota’s compact HV to be released in December, “Aqua,” is said to offer fuel efficiency of 40 km per liter and is very much capable of driving out and putting an end to Fit Hybrid.”

Honda, on the other hand, is also expanding its HV line-up, but doesn’t offer much excitement as the company is, to one’s dismay, neck and neck with Mazda’s SkyActiv in terms of fuel efficiency. Despite being no match in the total number of sales, Honda has always battled against Toyota with its technological strength and creative power, and that is why Toyota has regarded Honda as its rival. With technology and creativity falling behind on the curve, however, wouldn’t Honda be losing its competitive edge against not just Toyota, but all manufacturers? If that were to happen, Toyota will then have to become mindful of Nissan who stepped up its presence.

The driving force behind Nissan’s rapid growth is its ability to successfully form alliances with competitors. With the capital tie-up with Renault as a start, Nissan has recently collaborated with such manufacturers as Daimler, Mitsubishi Motors and Russia’s AvtoVAZ, to lessen its internal burden and to become able to offer a wide-ranging line-up from Japanese K-class cars and eco cars such as EV or HV to luxury cars for all markets from emerging to advanced countries.

While also making progress in its own unique technologies, Toyota has formed technological alliances with Tesla Motors and Ford in the U.S. and is expanding its line-up that takes advantage of the technologies of the group companies, such as Daihatsu and Hino, as well as companies like Fuji Heavy Industries.

Set on its policy of individualism, Honda needs to handle everything on its own. As a result, the company is unable to offer an extensive line-up and is forced to have the kind of vehicle composition that disproportionately focuses on the areas of specialty. The reality is that the company is left with no option but to go with compact cars and minivans when there is no chance of winning with a premium line of luxury cars that offers a wide profit margin.

If Honda was to place too much confidence in its “technological strength” forever and believes that it’ll never lose, it’s only a matter of time that the company will have to pay dearly for its mistakes. Now that luck has turned against the company, how will Honda find a way out of the current state where the company suffers from sluggish business in China, while being on the verge of dropping out of the race in Europe and struggling in North America? The end of the individualism may be drawing near.