Honda Plans New Cars for Chinese Automobile Market

Honda Motor co recently unveiled their new lineup in Shanghai auto show. The new model includes the Jade, the Crider sedan, an avant-garde sedan and the Concept M MPV. These models are specially designed for the fast growing Chinese automobile market. These models are neither hybrid nor of electric category.

What type of cars Chinese customers prefer?

Honda has lot of expectations from their hybrid technology. However, it is seen that Chinese car buyers don’t care much for hybrid cars. Chinese consumers prefer the cars which are best suitable for their needs. Chinese customers buy high quality cars that have looks and are available at affordable price. Chinese auto buyers are not yet ready for the concept of Hybrid cars. That’s why Honda is revamping its conventional car models to suit the needs of Chinese customers.

Joint venture Guangqi Honda will produce the 1.8 ltr Crider and it will available for sale in the month of June. Guangqi Honda will also launch its wholly owned brand Everus S1 in May 2013. Read more »

Isuzu D-Max Sets High Fuel Efficiency Record

Nowadays auto manufacturers mainly aim at fuel efficiency as the oil prices are increasing day by day.  Isuzu Trucks Philippines has recently proved fuel efficiency of their D-Max SUVs at Manila rally.  Isuzu’s current engines generation had proved the company’s tradition of dependability, longevity and fuel efficiency.

The challenge taken by IPC was to test that if this vehicle can run with highest speed of 80 km/hr during the day. There was a verifier and navigator on the board along with one driver to test this challenge. The challenge of fuel economy was started in 2002.  The Isuzu Challenge meant to test Isuzu vehicle’s mileage efficiency particularly for their sales in Philippines.  The fuel efficiency recorded in that year was 36.48 km per liter for which the vehicle covered the distance of 89-km between Nasugbu to Alabang in Batangas. Read more »

Mitsubishi launches Delica D:5 Minivan in Japan

Mitsubishi Motors focused on green technology for their new models of minivans that they have introduced this year. Mitsubishi launched a clean diesel version of minivan called Delica D:5 in this month. Mitsubishi Motors aims to expand environmental friendly vehicles lineup. This plug-in category of hybrid model is an Outlander SUV which can be easily charged from your household power source. DELICA D:5 by Mitsubishi is actually a minivan of monobox type vehicle with combination  of user-friendly feature of minivan and the sturdiness of SUV’s.

Mitsubishi started manufacturing MPVs and Delica trucks since 1968. Actually “Delica” is a short form of delivery and car. This entire segment was produced at small quantity in 1967 and sold as pickups. The price of DELICA D:5 will be ranged between 3,419,000 yen to 3,934,000 yen.

Mitsubishi clean diesel: Delica D:5 Features

What are the special features of Mitsubishi’s minivan Delica D:5? It is comfortable for long journeys as well as trips within cities. Deica D:5 aims at safety, relaxation to passengers along with taking care of ecology. This minivan is specious and has enough room for eight persons along with comfortable foot space for 3^rd row passengers as well as larger luggage capacity. Read more »

Toyota, Honda, Nissan Post Record Sales in 2012

Three biggest auto manufacturers from Japan – Toyota, Honda and Nissan have posted their record sales for last year 2012. And as per the results, Toyota won the crown of being world’s biggest automaker.  In 2011, Toyota’s production and sales was hammered by the tsunami-quake disaster. However the company was successful in regaining the lost crown as the world’s biggest automaker to GM, who is leading automaker in China and US market. Toyota who is a clear leader in Japan auto market increased sales by 35% from 2011 and won a sales title for 2012.

Toyota’s vehicle production was 9.90 million which is increased by 26.1 %. And, the company sold 9.75 million autos in 2012 and the sales increased by 22.6 %. Nissan produced 4.88 million vehicles which is actually a 5.5 % increase in production in the year 2012. Nissan also recorded sales of 4.94 million vehicles with 5.8 % rise. Honda saw 3.81 million rise in sales, their sales was about 3.09 million in 2011. Honda has lot of expectations from Plug-in hybrid which was displayed at the North American International Auto Show 2013. Toyota aims to be number one in brand loyalty too and not number one in sales volume.

Japanese Auto Industry – Post Earthquake and Tsunami in 2012

The Japanese automakers were affected by the natural disasters in country in 2011. They were also affected by the Thailand flood as they have their production plants in Thailand. However, the trio succeeded in regaining the sales in the year 2012. The sales result also highlights the strong demand for Japanese vehicles in US and Asian auto market. Read more »

Top Selling Cars in 2012 in the US

Various automakers surveys show that there is an improvement in auto sales figures. It also shows that the economy is improving and people are buying cars again. We have listed the top 7 models which were top selling in the US in the year 2012. And, you can see that 5 Japanese cars feature in this list of top 7 best selling cars in the United States.

7. Toyota Corolla

The compact Toyota Corolla is the best-selling car in the history of automobile even in its fourth generation of production. Toyota Corolla is in seventh position of top selling car in US as it is more economical, reliable, fuel-efficient yet small & compact. It is preferred by everyone in US right from high school students to retirees as it provides more dependable transportation. The tree trim levels of Corolla include S, L and LE. The base Toyota Corolla-L features with keyless entry full power accessories, air-conditioning and 15” steel wheels. Toyota Corolla-LE features with 16” alloy wheels, cruise control and with Bluetooth as well as iPod connectivity. Toyota Corolla-S comes with metallic interior and sporty body elements. Toyota Corolla cars were on the seventh position of top selling cars in US with total sales of 290,947 in the year 2012.

6. Honda CR-V

Honda CR-V introduced in the late 90s offering a distinctive option to conventional mid- size &full-size large SUVs. In the initial stages it was popular because it was competitively priced and offered more cargo capacity. Its fourth generation model was redesigned in 2012 with minimal hardware changes but adding style and few new features. Honda CR-V features include comfortable & sensible interior, swift handling, improved passenger protection and top crash test scores. Honda CR-V offers base LX and uplevel EX trim. Nearly 281,652 Honda CR-V vehicles were sold in the year 2012.

5. Honda Accord

Honda Accord is not popular for its sporty or sexy look but for its comfort driving in US. Honda Accord has offered reliability, strong resale value and comfort for daily transportation in America for last three decades. Its three trim levels are DX, EX and LX. Honda Accord EX is available in luxury EX, EX-L (leather-lined), EX-L with Navi (leather & navigation-equipped). Honda Accord’s new trims consist of LX (only sedan), Sedan (enthusiast-oriented Sport), loaded Touring Sedan and LX-S. 331,872 units of Honda Accord were sold in the year 2012.

4. Honda Civic

Honda Civic compact cars are popular in US for their high fuel economy and environmental awareness. Mainstream trim levels of Honda civic consist of EX, EX-L, DX and LX. It is also available in Natural Gas sedan, Si coupe and Hybrid sedan. Buyers are attracted towards its munificent selection of engines and configurations. This cute capable small car is on the forth place of the list. All Honda Civic trims are featured with side curtain airbags, front-seat side airbags and antilock brakes. Even with the major drawback of controversial dash layout and elevated road noise, around 317,909 units were sold in the year 2012. Read more »

Toyota Aqua remains top selling car in Japan

Toyota Motor Corporation sold around 22,466 units of its hybrid sedan Aqua also called Prius C in January 2013 in Japan and thereby, maintaining Toyota Aqua as the best selling car in Japan for four consecutive months. The sales has gone up by 66.6 % compared to the previous year. The rankings of the cars are based on the data obtained by the Japan Mini Vehicles Association and the Japan Automobile Dealers Association.

The sales of Honda N Box mini car have jumped up by 2.1 times to 20,552 units and it was ranked the second best selling car in Japan. Another Toyota Hybrid Sedan, ‘the Prius’ ranked 3rd and sold at 17,735 units, sales going down by 39.1 % compared to the previous year. Daihatsu’s Move mini-car ranked at the 4th position in the month of January, with sales going up by 22.5 % after launching an improved version of the car in December.  Nissan Note ranked at the 5th position with sales boosting by 3 times after a full changeover done in September last year.

It is interesting to note that among the top ten best selling cars, six were mini-cars with engines no larger than 660cc.  These cars are popular because of their affordable price and high fuel efficiency. customers are very much interested in buying these Mini-vehicles as the small cars have low maintenance costs and have a cheaper price tag. Even though the overall sales of new vehicle were down since September last year, because of the withdrawal of subsidies offered by government for buying environment friendly vehicles, mini cars sold well. The expiry of the subsidy program affected the sales of Japan’s new passenger cars down by 13.6 % in the month of January.

History of Toyota Aqua

Toyota Aqua is assembled at ’Kanto Auto Works in Iwate Prefecture in north Japan. Toyota initially targeted production of around 12,000 units per month though it has a manufacturing capacity of 30,000 units every month. But because of the high demand for the Aqua or Prius c (city) in the Japanese market, the car is expected to be in short supply unless Toyota augments the production capacity.

The Toyota Prius c (City) is named as Toyota Aqua in Japan. Read more »

Fuso Introduces Active Mitigation Brake in Buses to Prevent Collisions

Mitsubishi Fuso Truck & Bus Corporation, Japan, has unveiled their new tourist buses which will sense a potential crash.  Mitsubishi, one of the top bus and truck maker from Japan, will launch Aero Ace and Aero Queen tourist buses which will have latest safety technology, that uses its new Active Mitigation Brake system to ward off collisions.  Mitsubishi Fuso’s 2013 model will be incorporated with autonomous technology in braking system giving more safety to vehicle and driver.  Now, we are heading towards the era where vehicle will drive itself.  Fuso has proved by introducing these technologies in their vehicles that they are committed to enhance overall safety to protect drivers, on-board passengers and surrounded traffic.

Aero Ace and Aero Queen tourist buses will incorporate Active Mitigation Brake, Brake Override System, MDAS-III system and Anti-Spin Regulator. The latest braking system and the existing MDAS-III will sense and learn driving habits of driver in the initial 15 minutes and will send alerts to the driver if it suspects that the driver is not attentive to the road. The Active Mitigation Brake is a dynamic technology which slows down the bus by automatically applying the brake when it senses a possible collision.

Active Mitigation Brake in Fuso Buses

The AMB or Active Mitigation Brake is safety technologies which slow downs the bus with automatic breaks in case of likely collision. Read more »

Toyoya is World’s Biggest Automaker Again

Last year Toyota had lost the number one position to General Motors.  But now it is set to reclaim the crown as the world’s largest automaker for 2012.  Volkswagen and GM will be competing for second place.

Having sold 80 million trucks and cars for the first time, the auto industry is projected to pull off record global sales for 2012. The creditable performance by Japan and the US has offset the economic downturn in Europe. After rebounding from the tsunami that hit Japan in 2011, Toyota is ready to grab the top rank from GM. With their sales figures differing by below one percent, the fight for the second place between GM and Volkswagen will be a tough one.

Currently, in the really close three-horse race, the leading players are swirling around and inter-changing places rapidly. All three of them have gained from the strong US light-vehicle market that is moving towards a third consecutive profit-making year after the collapse of 2009 and the industry bailout. But next year, American sales are expected to increase again, matching the lengthiest string ever since the close of World War II.  Due to the large size of the American market, when the US reaches double-digit growth, this drives the rest of the world. Read more »