Update: Honda Canada not canceling Insight, Civic hybrids, will order as needed

Filed under: Car Buying, Hybrid, Sedan, Hatchback, Honda, Canada

Remember the report from Quebec that suggested Honda Canada would be discontinuing the Insight and Civic hybrid for the 2011 model year due to poor sales? According to company spokesman Richard Jacobs, the two hybrids have not in fact been discontinued. Instead, Jacobs tells us that Canadian dealers currently have a six month supply of the Insight and Civic so it hasn’t ordered any new cars from the factories in Japan.

“Honda Canada will listen to the voice of our customers and will bring the products they want,” says Jacobs. Both hybrids will remain available and Honda will be monitoring inventories and customer demand to determine when to order more units. Perhaps the launch of the CR-Z will get customers to reconsider its siblings as well.

[Source: Honda Canada]

Update: Honda Canada not canceling Insight, Civic hybrids, will order as needed originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: General Motors bringing back mild hybrids next year

Filed under: Hybrid, Sedan, China, Technology, GM

Let’s try this again, shall we? General Motors has announced that it will jump back into the mild hybrid game by the third quarter of 2011. Larry Nitz, the company’s director of hybrid and electric powertrain engineering, made the announcement at a seminar in Traverse City, Michigan, though he declined to comment on exactly which models would get the fuel-saving tech next year. Nitz did say that at least one American model and one Chinese model would be a mild hybrid by the end of 2011, which leads us to believe that the tech will work its way into the Buick lineup.

GM walked away from mild hybrids after Saturn was sent to the company’s scrap heap. At the time, both the Chevrolet Malibu and the Saturn Vue wore the tech, but with the Vue out of the picture, the company couldn’t justify the cost of investing in the drivetrains. Unlike a full hybrid, mild-hybrid vehicles can’t cruise along on just electric power. Instead, the system allows the gasoline engine to shut off when the vehicle is stopped. The electric motor then starts the engine again when the accelerator pedal is depressed.

If we were guessing, we’d say that GM will debut the rebirth of the tech on the Buick LaCrosse – a model that has enjoyed equal success in China and has the potential to revitalize the brand in the U.S.

[Source: Autoweek]

Report: General Motors bringing back mild hybrids next year originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 15:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Surprise! New York cabbies prefer Crown Vics to hybrids

Filed under: Hybrid, Sedan, Work, Ford

If it weren’t for the somewhat obsessive and frankly narrow-minded love by taxi drivers and police officers for the body-on-frame Ford Crown Victoria, we’d imagine the old Panther platform would have been put out to pasture a very long time ago. As it stands, though, New York cabbies especially seem hell-bent on keeping it around on life support as long as possible.

Interestingly, though, a report from USA Today suggests that cab drivers make more money when operating a Crown Vic than any other automobile, and that supposedly includes hybrids. According to John Shaban, a 27-year-old cab driver, “I don’t like the hybrids… Mechanics charge an arm and a leg for them.”

Could it be that customers inherently prefer the Crown Vic? Shaban believes so, saying, “People wait for the Crown Vic because it’s roomier. They’re more likely to get in.” Regardless, that’s all set to change soon as Ford finally discontinues its long-running rear-wheel-drive people mover. It’s expected to be replaced with – you guessed it – a hybrid or some other fuel efficient alternative.

[Source: USA Today | Image: Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty]

Surprise! New York cabbies prefer Crown Vics to hybrids originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 08:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Honda to abandon clean diesel development, focus on hybrids

Filed under: Hybrid, Japan, Plants/Manufacturing, Honda, Diesel

Regular readers know we tend to be big fans of modern diesel engines. All the past demons that had plagued oil-burners over the years have been exorcised, including rough running, nasty smells, loud operation and narrow power bands. But sadly, modern clean diesel powerplants have never taken hold in the United States.

According to the Nikkei in Japan (via Reuters), we can add Honda to the list of global automakers that have abandoned plans to move further into the diesel realm. Instead, Honda will continue to puts all of its eggs in the hybrid basket, developing a new system for use in larger vehicles. Currently, Honda’s Integrated Motor Assist technology is used in the Civic Hybrid and the Insight.

We can only hope that Honda’s next hybrid system will expand on its current IMA tech, which has been unable to match the fuel efficiency and performance of rival Toyota, by being able to operate on the electric motor alone for longer stretches.

In addition to halting development of clean diesel tech, Honda has also put the brakes on the new microcar plant in Japan that was to build future Kei cars for the automaker’s home market.

[Source: Reuters]

Report: Honda to abandon clean diesel development, focus on hybrids originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 16 Jul 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toyota Philippines to Market Prius This Year

Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. (TMPC) said there would be no additional expansions this year instead the country’s biggest car company will be launching its eco-friendly Prius model, work on some initiatives to stop other car companies from further eating into its market share and new financing schemes for its volume models.

Saying they are technically ready, TMPC president Hiroshi Ito said they are launching Prius in the local market by middle of this year. Read more

Toyota to Bring Hybrid Cars to the Philippines

The Philippines needs it.

Akira Okabe, senior managing director of Toyota Motor Corp., affirmed the giant car manufacturer’s commitment to bring energy-efficient and environment-friendly vehicles to the Philippines.

While Okabe would not reveal the timetable for the Philippine introduction of Toyota’s hybrids – including the Toyota Prius and the high-end Lexus hybrids – he said developing countries like the Philippines need hybrid vehicles that will meet the country’s growing transport needs as well as environmental demands such as lower carbon dioxide emissions. Read more

New-Generation Cars Debut at 2nd PIMS

AFTER the rain of confetti had settled and the smoke had cleared, the motoring public was treated to a slew of new auto models that made their Philippine debut at the 2nd Philippine International Motor Show (PIMS) ongoing at the World Trade Center in Pasay City until August 24.

On opening day last Aug. 21, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo walked the main exhibit hall accompanied by the country chief executives of the 15 participating global auto brands, inspecting first-hand the fresh car models soon to hit Manila’s streets, and a number of concept vehicles straight from the future.

This year’s motor show featured some of the glitziest vehicle unveilings as member companies of the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines (CAMPI) pulled all the stops in elaborate presentations to launch their latest offerings. Read more