Honda News
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Yesterday, Honda delivered its first Fit EV electric car to private buyers--or, more accurately, private lease customers, since the car isn't available for outright sale. Only 1,100 lucky lessors in a small handful of states will ever get behind the wheel of a 2013 Honda Fit EV, because for Honda it's solely a "compliance car," produced to meet California zero-emission vehicle mandates. Which is too bad, because as we noted in our late-June drive report, we really liked the Honda Fit EV. Not only is its 118-MPGe rating the highest efficiency of any car in the U.S., but it's peppy to drive...
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Honda Delivers First Privately-Leased 2013 Fit EVHonda delivered its first coporately-leased all-electric Fit EV back in December 2010 to the city of Torrence, California, one month after announcing it at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show. Since then, Honda has continued deliveries of its Fit EV to fleet customers, but at the start of last week...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2013 Honda Civic Hybrid Will Be Made In U.S., Not JapanThanks to the spiraling costs associated with building cars in Japan and shipping them to the U.S., Honda has announced that the 2013 Civic Hybrid will be made in the U.S. Currently made in Japan and shipped to customers in North America, the U.S. version of the four-door compact hybrid sedan will...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
2013 Honda Fit EV: First Drive Of Honda's All-Electric CarThe 2013 Honda Fit EV is a fun and well-executed little all-electric hatchback. It's quick, handles decently, gets the highest EPA efficiency rating of any vehicle on the market (118 MPGe), and its rated range of 82 miles is longer than that of the somewhat larger Nissan Leaf. Too bad you have very...
John Voelcker -
2012 Honda Civic Models Recalled For Possible Assembly ErrorHonda is recalling 50,190 model year 2012 Civics to inspect and possibly replace the left driveshaft, which may not have been properly assembled.
Kurt Ernst -
2012 Honda Insight: The Overlooked Subcompact Hybrid Choice?With four different Prius models and two non-prius hybrids now for sale in the U.S., it’s easy to go straight to a Toyota dealership when you’re looking for a hybrid car. As we’ve pointed out before, however, there are plenty of other great hybrid choices on the market worthy of...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
The 2013 Honda Fit EV has earned the highest EPA efficiency rating granted to any vehicle offered in the U.S.: 118 miles-per-gallon-equivalent. That's higher than the 2012 Mitsubishi i minicar, the previous record-holder at 112 MPGe, and considerably higher than the Nissan Leaf and Ford Focus Electric, at 99 MPGe and 105 MPGe respectively. MPGe is an efficiency measure based on how far the car can travel on the amount of electricity with energy equivalent to that in a single gallon of gasoline. The EPA has also rated the Honda Fit EV at 82 miles of driving range. That's more than the Focus...
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Honda Reveals New Personal Mobility Device: Err... No ThanksIf you've seen the animated Pixar film WALL-E, you'll remember a scene where humanity, after generations of being on a space ship where everything is done for them, are hugely overweight and never get out of their hovering chairs to interact with the world. That was the scene that came to mind when...
Antony Ingram -
Honda Wins Round In Long-Running Hybrid Gas-Mileage LawsuitThe long-running saga of Heather Peters versus Honda Motor Company has apparently come to an end after a Los Angeles Superior Court Judge overturned a previously awarded small claims judgement in Peters’ favor. Peters had been successful in pursuing her case against Honda, with a lesser court...
Kurt Ernst -
Best Used Green Cars To Buy: 2006-2011 Honda Civic HybridNow in its third generation, the Honda Civic Hybrid is one of the stalwarts of the compact hybrid class, having been around in one form or another since its introduction to the U.S. in 2002. Here we're looking at the popular 2006-2011 model, as one of our Five Best Used Green Cars To Buy. While not...
Antony Ingram -
Honda Anti-Congestion Tech Improves Your MPG... And Everyone Else'sIs there a more depressing sight when driving than seeing the brake lights of hundreds of cars ahead on the freeway suddenly illuminating? Even if there's no accident or construction work causing the mass slow-down, it takes only a few drivers miles ahead to bring traffic behind to a complete halt...
Antony Ingram -
Want A Honda Fit EV Electric Car? Honda Has A Quiz For YouAfter realising the potential of hybrids early on, Honda has been a little late to join the electric car party with its Fit EV. Better late than never, though--and now the carmaker has launched a 'readiness assessment' to determine the suitability of potential lessees. Just as with the MINI E, BMW...
Antony Ingram -
Car sharing services are often viewed as a green transportation alternative, the idea being that users may not need to own a car--or can dispense with a second vehicle--that they only use occasionally. Now Zipcar says it plans to add more 42-mpg Honda Insight subcompact hybrid hatchbacks, as well as Honda CR-V compact crossovers, to its network of nationwide locations starting early next year. Zipcar [NSDQ:ZIP] will also add a small number of 2013 Honda Fit EV all-electric cars when they become available later this year. The Fit EV, however, will be an exceptionally low-volume vehicle--as...
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Honda Launches Larger CVT In Japan For Better Gas MileageAt the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show, Honda unveiled the Earth Dreams Technology range, a set of new engines, transmissions and hybrid drivetrains which it claimed would help it lead the automotive industry in fuel efficiency for every segment within three years. Now the Japanese automaker has expanded...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Honda EV-STER Concept Live Photos: 2012 Geneva Motor ShowHonda's EV-STER electric sports car concept is no stranger to the auto show stands, having debuted at the 2011 Tokyo Auto Show. The car has now made its European debut at Geneva, accessible to all rather than placed high on a turntable - so we've got some more live shots for you. Though the EV-STER...
Antony Ingram -
Honda Civic Hybrid Gas Mileage Class Action OK, Says Attorneys GeneralWhen 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid owner Heather Peters took Honda to Small Claims Court for what she said was misleading and unachievable gas mileage claims, the world looked on with interest. Not everyone thought Peters would win. But when she did -- to the tune of nearly $10,000 in damages --...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
20 Years Of Gas Mileage: All Cars Improving, But Hybrids BestWith conventional gas engines incremental improvements of the range of 20% are possible over a 20 year span, but for really large gains alternative technology seems to be necessary.
George Parrott -
2012 Honda Civic Hybrid: Hammer It, How High Is Gas Mileage?Honda has managed to raise the gas mileage ratings on all of its new 2012 Civic models, including the 2012 Civic Hybrid, which is rated at a combined 44 mpg. In a road test over several days last May, we managed to get a real-world 45.3 mpg over a route that was about two-thirds highway, one-thirds...
John Voelcker -
If you buy a new car but can’t get anywhere near the gas mileage the automaker says you should, can you sue them for misleading you? For Heather Peters -- former attorney and owner of a 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid -- the answer is a resounding yes. At the Torrance Small Claims Court in California yesterday, Los Angeles County Superior Court Commissioner Douglas Carnaham ruled that Honda had misled Peters into believing her 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid could achieve a gas mileage of 50 mpg. In reality, Peters claimed her car “never got more than 41 or 42 [mpg] even on its very best...
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2012 Honda Fit Vs 2012 Honda Insight Hybrid: High Gas Mileage BattleIf you're in the market for a fuel efficient vehicle your choice is better than ever. Virtually every manufacturer now offers a high-mpg vehicle, but Honda could lay claim to being one of the first. Since the Civic arrived back in the 1970s, the Japanese carmaker has made fuel economy a high...
Antony Ingram -
First Honda Fit EV Delivered To California City FleetWhile carmakers like Nissan, Tesla and Renault go on the electric car offensive, Honda has been somewhat candid about its electric car plans. The 2013 Honda Fit EV makes the odd subtle appearance at international auto shows, but the company is certainly less than bullish about its electric vehicle...
Antony Ingram -
Honda Civic Hybrid Gas Mileage Case Heads To Small Claims CourtWhen you buy a new car, you’ll probably use manufacturers’ own gas mileage estimates alongside the official Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) fuel economy database to help you choose which car will be best for you. Any of these gas mileage figures -- whether official or not -- can...
Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield -
Truck Stop Natural Gas May Spur On Alt-Fuel Car AdoptionNatural gas has forever been a "nearly" fuel. While offering several advantages over gasoline or diesel, such as low cost of refueling, HOV-lane stickers in California and cleaner running, the disadvantages are even greater. One of those has been the availability of natural gas, limiting its...
Antony Ingram -
Honda Changing Construction Methods To Shed PoundsHonda will move away from traditional, fastener-based construction techniques on its small vehicles to embrace more welding, which will reduce both cost and overall vehicle weight.
Kurt Ernst