Don't Call it a Comeback....Honda Beat

Well, where there's usually this much smoke, there's fire....
Successor to tiny Nineties’ drop-top is on way

By Peter Lyon
10th June 2011

The Beat goes on, Auto Express can reveal. Sources in Japan say that Honda will combine the best of its car and motorcycle technologies to create a front-wheel-drive, two-seater sports coupé successor to the Nineties Beat.

The original was a 3.3-metre-long drop-top, produced between 1991 and 1996, that had a 660cc engine to take advantage of Japanese tax breaks. The reborn Beat coupé will be based on the platform of the petrol-electric CR-Z two-door, but employ a smaller body with shorter overhangs, and is likely to take cues from Honda’s OSM concept car.

It is rumoured to incorporate one of the firm’s next-generation petrol engines: either the 1.3 or 1.5-litre advanced VTEC, due to appear in the company’s production cars from next year. Our spies tell us that a hybrid is not being considered for the coupé, although stop-start will feature.

The engine bosses eventually choose will be hooked up to the company’s first-ever dual-clutch transmission for cars. This set-up is borrowed and adapted from Honda’s VFR1200F motorcycle.

Targeting coupés such as the next Mazda MX-5 and recently launched Renault Wind, the newcomer is due in dealers in late 2013. It’s expected to cost less than £20,000, and will be sold in the US as well as Europe.

Source: http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/autoexpressnews/268912/beat_is_back.html#ixzz1Pdhoh8OJ

WoodysCarSite Find: Next Gen Nissan Maxima?

With the exception of the current Maxima, I have always been a fan, I love how these cars drive and I have even heard that when Honda looks at their Accord, they always look to see what the Maxima is doing....
Source;
http://www.woodyscarsite.com/2011/05/next-nissan-maxima-teana.html

TOV Reader Kai Lui Snaps 2012 Honda Civic at local dealers

Source with more pics!;
http://www.vtec.net/news/news-item?news_item_id=963518

Honda stresses product, tech blitz to get back on track

Honda Motor Co. survived the global financial crisis better than most, avoiding the full-year losses seen on many balance sheets. But Honda's rebound has not been as sharp as most of the rest of the industry. American Honda's sales rose only 3 percent through September, compared with the 10 percent advance for the U.S. market as a whole. Its market share shrank to 10.6 percent, from 11.3 percent a year earlier.

But Honda Motor CEO Takanobu Ito says new products, led by the redesigned Odyssey minivan, will deliver above-average growth in 2011. A blitz of new technologies is also on tap for the next two years, including a hybrid system for mid-sized to large vehicles, an electric car and a small clean diesel drivetrain. Honda also will start overhauling gasoline engines and transmissions.

Ito, 57, spoke with Asia Editor Hans Greimel through an interpreter at Honda's headquarters in Tokyo about the latest technology drive, the positioning of the Acura brand and Ito's market outlook.

Honda's U.S. sales growth is slower than the industry average. Where will it be next year?

Our sales are slightly below our initial expectations. But for next year we will have help from the new Odyssey, an incredibly strong product [which launched this fall in the United States]. The biggest reason our sales are slightly behind is due to the good growth of Hyundai, especially the Sonata. To counter that, we have plans to make the Accord and Civic far more attractive. So for next year, we should be able to get sales growth above the market average.

Has the traditional rivalry between the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry turned into a three-horse race with the Hyundai Sonata?

It has become a competitor.

What models do you see delivering the biggest U.S. sales growth?

The segment that's showing relatively good growth is the light-truck category. And under those circumstances, we are introducing the highly competitive new Odyssey, for which I have high expectations.

The styling looks really sharp. And it comes equipped with a six-speed automatic transmission and our original cylinder deactivation system, which is a big contributor to fuel efficiency and has been further refined. So it combines good driving, good fuel efficiency and good looks. And this has all been developed in the United States by Americans for the American market. I'm very confident that with the Odyssey, we've come out with a good car at the right time.

What about small cars? Are Americans ready to buy them?

With overall demand in such severe shape, it has become difficult to forecast how acceptable the market finds small cars. But if you look from a long-term perspective, demand for small cars -- in our case, the Fit class -- will grow. But it may take some time.

Does that apply to hybrids as well? Sales have been sluggish this year.

Although American people talk about fuel economy, they are sensitive to the price of gasoline. They have the natural tendency to like something big and powerful. Therefore, my impression is that demand for technologies specializing in fuel economy, such as hybrid vehicles, would be impacted by the fuel price.

However, in the long run, we must reduce carbon dioxide, and we must increase the attractiveness of products, and hybrid technology has great potential here. Hybrid is a very good technology to make the vehicle more powerful and to increase fuel economy. I think it is important for us to continue refining our hybrid technologies patiently so that we can prepare even better products with more affordability.

What are you doing to make Honda's hybrids more attractive?

We developed a simple one-motor hybrid system called IMA. The key to the success of IMA is how simple it is, how low the cost can be and how it can be made a natural part of the vehicle's system. I want to grow this technology as the most efficient, in terms of return on investment, and a technology to improve fuel economy.

We are also developing a hybrid system for larger-size vehicles with a goal to make it contribute not only to fuel economy but to the attractiveness of the products. The concept for this hybrid is significantly different.

You are introducing the larger hybrid system in 2012. What percentage of your global sales volume will be hybrid vehicles by 2015?

Maybe around 10 percent by 2015. Even after the bigger hybrids, sales aren't going to grow exponentially. The conventional gasoline engine will remain the mainstream. The volume for large-sized vehicles is not so large to begin with, so applying hybrid there won't bring about major change. The small-sized IMA system will remain the contributing factor.

If you look to 2015, I don't think there will be that much of an impact from rising fuel prices or more stringent regulations. But by around 2020, the social situation surrounding the market may be different, and probably carbon dioxide regulations will be made even more stringent.
How big is a big hybrid in Honda's view?

A hybrid system suitable for the class of vehicle equipped with a V-6 engine is called large size.

Obviously, we will further advance the conventional V-6-equipped vehicles for more power and fuel efficiency. But by adding a hybrid model, we will add a more powerful and more fuel-efficient option.

Honda also plans to overhaul its gasoline engine and transmission lineup starting in 2012. What are the key improvements?

Our products must impress customers with great engines, and thus, that is how we are developing our vehicles. But we are not ready to unveil what we are doing. It is a fact that we are accelerating the development of hybrid technology, where we were slightly behind, because it is a must-have item for the next era. However, hybrid sales will probably be only 10 percent of sales by 2015. Therefore, there is no doubt that the advancement of the conventional engine is important for our business.

What are your plans for positioning the Acura brand?

We are having a lot of discussions about Acura and which way it should be going. And what we confirmed is that the brand direction should be smart premium, not top tier.

Among the technologies we have at Honda, we must apply those that symbolize our advanced performance technology and environmental technology. We call this "smart." We agreed that smart premium is what we should be targeting with Acura, not the upper-segment vehicles such as Lexus or Mercedes-Benz. We must apply advanced technologies which make our vehicle more fun to drive, achieve a more comfortable drive and high environmental performance.

How is the stronger yen affecting Honda, and what are you doing?

The best risk-hedging approach is to establish a business structure focused not only on the United States and Japan but also on utilizing other production sites worldwide, meaning the rest of Asia, China, South America and other areas. Build a system where all those production sites complement each other with some of their local specialty products and locally sold products.

When you think foreign exchange rates, you need to take into consideration the yuan vs. the yen, the yen vs. the dollar, the baht vs. the dollar and so on. Traditionally, we have been concerned mostly with the U.S. dollar vs. the yen. But the proportional weight of those transactions in our global sales volume is getting lower.

Does that mean you might be importing more vehicles or components to Japan?

We have no definitive plans to do that, but we have imported vehicles before. About 15 years ago, we imported the Accord wagon from the United States. This was not due to foreign exchange considerations. It was done more to complement local products.

None of our plants has recovered to full production since the Lehman Brothers collapse and global financial crisis. The U.S. plants are probably at around 80 percent of capacity. Japan is probably around 70 percent to 80 percent. The same applies to other production sites in Asia except for China, which is operating close to full capacity.

Since the financial crisis, none of the sites have been overwhelmed by demand in excess of their capacity. Depending on how the foreign exchange situation continues, it is possible that we could import cars into Japan. This is nothing new to us. We have done this in the past.

What adjustments do you see in your U.S. production footprint in the near term?

The foreign exchange situation has the potential to change very dramatically, when we least expect it. It is very difficult to deal with. Currently, both Japan and the United States have excess production capacity. So if the foreign currency situation continues like this, there is a possibility that there could be a gradual shift of production to the United States. But I have no intention to bring about any sudden, dramatic changes.

What may be possible, for example, is this: We now produce the Accord in Japan and export some to the United States and other countries. But perhaps the portion that is going to other countries may eventually be sourced from the United States. That's something we are thinking about. It would also be good for the United States.

What change would you most like to see in the U.S. dealer network?

We have a good, strong U.S. dealer network, so I'm not thinking of changing anything specifically for 2011, 2012. What's most important is finding out and taking in what U.S. customers really find attractive in products, be it affordability or other features. We need to reinforce that in the early stage and build that into our products to further strengthen our brand identity. That is our first priority.

Source;
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13746_7-20022088-48.html

Is the US ready to accept diesel?

By: Glenn Brooks, Monday, September 27, 2010, AutomotiveWorld.com "Hybrids are costly and although sales are strong in the US and Japan, globally they are not so successful. Of the 60 million vehicles built a year, just 1% are hybrids."

So said Mazda president and CEO Takashi Yamanouchi at the New York auto show earlier this year. With its sole hybrid model, the Tribute HEV, having recently been withdrawn from the US market due to disappointing sales, Mazda has been brave enough to address a situation many rivals remain in denial over. While no-one doubts the success of the Toyota Prius in both the US and Japan, this car is the sole exception to the global reality of hybrid vehicles being little more than pricey niche models.

Honda, Toyota's main rival in gasoline-electric technology, has tried to emulate the success of the Prius with its CR-Z, Insight and Civic Hybrid models. But with fewer than 5,000 Civic Hybrids and 15,000 Insights sold in the US in the first eight months of 2010, even American Honda would hesitate to label those numbers a good result.

It would be surprising if VW wasn’t planning to build diesel engines at its new Mexican powertrain plant.

Some of the reason why the fizz has gone out of US market hybrid sales is the end of tax credits for most brands. The cars are also typically high-priced and, with the weight of two propulsion systems onboard, are often none-too-economical in the freeway conditions typical of many owners' daily commutes.

Perhaps another, equally unseen factor is also contributing to declining hybrid sales: the US consumer's endless desire for novelty. Once seemingly everyone has a Prius it's time to find The Next Big Thing. Could that be diesel? The received wisdom that Americans dislike compression-ignition cars is outmoded as anyone who takes even a casual look at the recent sales figures for Volkswagen of America.

It is also worth noting the wording of VW's recent statement concerning its forthcoming 330,000/annum 'engine' plant that's due to come on stream in Silao, Mexico in 2013. No doubt the majority of engine production will be gasoline units but with sales of its diesel models rising rapidly in North America and all those TDI engines currently being imported from Europe, it would be surprising indeed if VW wasn't planning to also build diesels at Silao.

Volkswagen may have the diesel segment to itself for the foreseeable future

With 23% of its annual US sales already diesel and plans to lift its overall annual numbers to 800,000 vehicles by 2018, VW could even have much of this market to itself for the foreseeable future: neither General Motors, Ford, Toyota nor any other major player has plans to manufacture passenger car diesel engines in North America.

Until Volkswagen starts building diesel engines in Mexico and/or the US, we just don't know what the true potential for vehicles like the Jetta TDI (presently 25% of the car’s average 11,000 monthly sales in 2010) or Audi A3 TDI (fully 50% of sales in August) might be: much of the exchange rate volatility from imports of European engines is currently passed on to the US consumer in the form of high stickers for such models.

As the prices of diesel cars in the US market fall, as surely they will, so their popularity will grow. In the premium segment, the signs are already unmistakable. BMW, which had not offered a diesel in the US for 24 years, quietly introduced the 335d and X5 xDrive35d in 2009. Despite limited promotion, sales have surged. Lexus, the long time leading premium brand is no doubt already feeling alarmed, saddled as it is with slow-selling hybrids such as the HS 250h and LS 600h but without even one diesel offering: last month, BMW became the US market's number one premium brand.

Source;
http://www.automotiveworld.com/news/environment/83958-is-the-us-ready-to-accept-diesel

2011 Honda CR-Z Development Video

Here's a great video on how Honda came up with the CR-Z....

Test Drive: 2010 Honda Civic Sedan Sport

Almost five years after its introduction, the eighth generation Honda Civic is still at or near the top of the passenger car sales charts in Canada. This is surprising when you consider that it’s not available as a hatchback – it’s offered only in sedan and coupe bodystyles – whereas its arch-rival, the Mazda3, is offered as a sedan and hatchback. (The Corolla is also offered as a hatchback, but it’s called the Matrix).

I often wonder how many Civics Honda Canada would have sold had they imported the sharp-looking Civic hatch from Europe.

Even after five years, the Civic’s aerodynamic styling still looks quite stylish when compared to its competitor’s recent redesigns, such as the Mazda3 sedan and Corolla sedans’. Inside, the Civic’s unconventional two-tier instrument layout, with digital speedometer on top of the dash and a traditional tachometer behind the steering wheel, was a bold design move in 2005 that could have derailed Civic sales – but to the surprise of critics, including me, it didn’t – although it’s worth noting that no other vehicle manufacturer has rushed to copy Honda’s dash design.
It will be interesting to see what Honda will do with the next generation Civic which is supposed to arrive in 2011 as a 2012 model. I’ll be rooting for an additional hatchback model and a new instrument panel.

Changes for 2010

For 2010, there are no major changes to the Civic sedan, except for the addition of a centre armrest and auxiliary port on base DX models. The Civic sedan is still offered with the basic 140-hp 1.8-litre SOHC 16 valve i-VTEC four-cylinder engine and five-speed manual or five-speed automatic transmission. As before, the Civic Si sedan gets the high-revving 197-hp 2.0-litre DOHC 16-valve i-VTEC engine and a six-speed manual transmission, while the fuel-efficient Civic Hybrid develops 110 combined horsepower out of its 1.3-litre SOHC 8-valve i-VTEC four-cylinder engine and Integrated Motor Assist electric motor and generator. The two-door Civic Coupe also uses the 1.8-litre motor while the Civic Si Coupe uses the 2.0-litre powerplant.

The Civic sedan Sport ($21,780), which was introduced last year, is sandwiched between the DX-G sedan ($19,580) and the well-equipped EX-L model ($23,680). Over and above the standard equipment in the DX-G sedan, the Sport adds 16-inch tires and alloy wheels (up from 15-inch), four-wheel disc brakes (from front disc/rear drum), body-colour mirrors and door handles, chrome exhaust tip, power heated mirrors, power tilt/slide glass moonroof with sunshade, variable intermittent wipers, unique black cloth seats with contrasting silver stitching, 60/40 split-folding rear seatbacks, leather-wrapped steering wheel, outside temperature display, map lights, rear centre armrest, and USB device connector.

Our test car was an Alabaster Silver Sport sedan with the optional five-speed automatic transmission ($1,200), a Freight charge of $1,395, and air conditioning levy of $100 for an as-tested price of $24,475.

Driving impressions

Though it’s called the Sport, this Civic has the same 140-hp 1.8-litre engine as the base DX and premium EX-L Civic sedans – it doesn’t get the 197-horse 2.0-litre engine of the Civic Si sedan, or its six-speed manual transmission. But it does get rear disc brakes, an upgrade over the DX’s rear drums, and 205/55R16-inch all-season tires, an upgrade over the DX’s 195/65R15-inch all-seasons.

The Sport designation refers mostly to its appearance: sporty 16-inch five-spoke alloy wheels, chrome exhaust tip, body-coloured door handles, sunroof, and rear lip spoiler spruce up the outside while a unique velour/cloth black and white seat covering is unique to the inside.
As far as performance goes, the Civic Sport is on par with the other non-Si models: according to the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada, 0 to 100 km/h comes up in about 8.6 seconds (with manual transmission) and you can probably add about a second with the automatic transmission. AJAC also recorded a 100 km/h to 0 braking distance of 42.8 metres.

Those values are slightly better than the recently redesigned 148-hp Mazda3 which has a 0 to 100 time of 9.9 seconds (automatic) and a 100 to 0 braking distance 45.7 metres. The 132-hp Toyota Corolla’s numbers are 10.1 seconds and 43.6 metres. The Civic’s lighter curb weight (1256 kg/2769 lbs with automatic transmission) is a big factor in its superior performance.

Cruising on the freeway, the Civic’s engine does only 2,000 rpm at 100 km/h in fifth gear, which is quite low for a 1.8-litre engine. Even so, there’s a surprising amount of torque (max 128 lb-ft @ 4,300 rpm) and the five-speed automatic transmission responds quickly to throttle input. This transmission includes Honda’s grade-logic programming which automatically downshifts from fifth to fourth when descending steeper grades. While engine braking prevents the car from picking up too much speed going downhill, I often wonder how much fuel is sacrificed.

Still, along with the Toyota Corolla, the Civic sedan is consistently one of the most fuel efficient compact cars on the road. Its official Canadian Energuide numbers (L/100 km) are 7.4/5.4, City/Hwy (manual transmission) and 8.2/5.7, City/Hwy (automatic transmission) but more realistic figures come from the U.S. EPA whose calculations include faster highway speeds and acceleration, air conditioner use and colder outside temperatures. With the automatic transmission, the EPA rates the Civic sedan at 9.4/6.5 City/Hwy (30/43 mpg Imperial).

The Civic’s five-speed automatic transmission includes a shift gate that defaults to ‘D3’ rather than ‘D’, so the driver has to be careful not to slip it into D3 by mistake. Since the transmission has five speeds, it should default to ‘D4’. In fact, I would prefer it to default to ‘D’ and move to D4 with a button release. But the transmission has been this way since 2005, and nobody seems to mind.

As Civic owners know, the Civic sedan is a sporty handler. It steers and handles with the composure and nimbleness of a sports sedan without the punishing ride common to sports cars. All Civics have a four-wheel independent suspension, MacPherson struts in front and multi-links at the rear and the Sport model comes with standard Goodyear Eagle RS-A 205/50R-16-inch all-season tires which offered satisfactory traction and grip in the dry and wet conditions I experienced over a week of driving.

Unlike the Civic Si Sedan, the Sport doesn’t get the limited slip front differential, or electronic stability control which would enhance traction and handling. Stability control will become mandatory next year so all Civics will have to have it.

Even with a steeply raked windscreen and a long dashtop, the Civic sedan offers the driver good visibility ahead. Two extra front quarter windows help when making sharp turns, and the rear view is relatively unobstructed by the head restraints and roof pillars.

One unusual Civic feature is the front wipers which sweep outwards from the centre. This allows greater coverage to the side pillars but leaves an unwiped area at the top centre of the windscreen. However, I didn’t find this to be a problem as the rearview mirror blocked this area of the windscreen anyway.

Interior impressions

The sleek profile of the Civic Sedan makes it look low and sporty, and you might think there isn’t much headroom, but the Civic’s roof is taller than it looks (1435 mm/56.4 in.) and four adults will fit comfortably in the Civic sedan, even though the moonroof eats up some headroom. The Civic’s raised centre rear seat makes it uncomfortable for a fifth occupant, though. As well, while rear legroom is sufficient, footroom under the front seats is shallow.

The seats in the Sport model are covered in a unique and attractive black velour/black-and-white cloth combination with white stitching, and the same soft velour covers the head restraints and armrests. It looks great, but this kind of velour attracts lint and dust, so regular vacuuming will be required.

The front seats are comfortable but there’s a bulge in the lower lumbar area of the seatback which presses into the lower back – this may be an attempt to make up for the lack of a lumbar adjustment, but not everybody needs that much lower back support. The driver’s seat is height adjustable, and with the leather-wrapped tilting and telescoping steering wheel, most drivers will find a comfortable position. Unfortunately, heated front seats are not available in the Sport model.

The Civic’s split instrument design is odd, but the large white-on-blue speedometer display just below the base of the windscreen is easy to read, and the illuminated speedometer behind the steering wheel is also in clear view. Beside the tachometer is a transmission gear indicator and odometer, but there’s no average fuel consumption readout. Unlike other vehicles in its class, the Civic doesn’t offer a Bluetooth hands-free phone system.

The centre instrument panel protrudes rudely into the cabin so that the radio and heater are easy to reach, but I find the dash a tad imposing. I still hanker for the last generation Civic’s vertical heater dial arrangement next to the steering wheel.

The standard 160-watt stereo with AM/FM/CD/MP3 with four speakers is the same stereo in the DX model and it proved adequate in sound quality for this small sedan. It includes an auxiliary input and USB connector for music devices.

The shift lever for the automatic transmission has a big, grippy shift knob and is easy to reach but it would have made more sense to put the shift lever to the left of the handbrake lever instead of on the right, in my opinion.

For cabin storage there are two small open bins to the left of the steering wheel, and two centre bins ahead of the shift lever with a 12 volt power outlet and auxiliary jack. Directly behind that are an open coin bin, the shift lever, and two cupholders with spring-loaded cup grippers and a sliding cover. Under the padded armrest between the front seats is a storage bin with a USB connector inside. Additional storage can be found in the front and rear door pockets, and front passenger seatback map pocket.

As our test car had the automatic transmission, placing full coffee cups behind the shift lever wasn’t a problem, but it would have been if the car had a manual transmission. Two more cupholders are found in the folding rear armrest.

The Civic Sport includes split folding seatbacks released from inside the trunk which can be opened remotely with the keyless entry device. The trunk is roomy for a compact car (340 litres/12.0 cu. ft.) and fully lined, but its U-shaped hinges intrude on trunk space.

Like all Civic sedans, the Sport has two front airbags, two seat-mounted side airbags, and roof-mounted curtain airbags for both rows of seats, five three point seatbelts with pretensioners, front active head restraints, rear child door locks, and rear upper tethers and lower anchors for child seats.

Verdict
Positioned between the base Civic DX and uplevel EX-L trims, the Civic Sport sedan is better equipped than the DX and looks sportier, but it has the same powertrain and suspension, so performance is comparable.

Source;
http://www.canadiandriver.com/2010/06/04/test-drive-2010-honda-civic-sedan-sport.htm?page=all

House Bill Mandates 'Black Boxes' For All Cars

Wide-ranging measure also includes mandatory emergency braking

On a 31-21 vote, the House Energy and Commerce Committee has approved a bill that, among other things, would require all vehicles sold in the U.S. to be equipped with a "black box" that records crash data by 2015.

The Motor Vehicle Safety Act now goes to the full House for debate. The Senate is considering a similar measure.

Included in the bill is a requirement for automakers to provide an emergency brake override system that could stop the car if the throttle were stuck in the open position. That provision was added in the wake of Toyota's well-publicized unintended acceleration problems that forced a large recall earlier this year.

The measure also includes a provision increasing the maximum penalty on carmakers that fail to report defects. Toyota has paid a record $16.2 million fine in connection with its unintended acceleration problems.

Some tougher provisions of the bill were removed after objections from the auto industry. However, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers said it is generally in favor of most of the bill's provisions, including the emergency brake override system and the inclusion of a "black box" data recorder.

In testimony before the committee earlier this month, Alliance CEO Dave McCurdy tempered his support of the black box provision with a few concerns when the original wording called for "black boxes like those found in airplanes."

"The typical airplane black box costs $22,000, which is close to the average price of a new car," McCurdy told the committee. "In my opinion, Rep. Green's legislation -- H.R. 5169, the Event Data Recorder Enhancement Act -- is a better approach."

Under Green's measure, the Secretary of Transportation would set the standards for automobile "black boxes."

The measure would give new power to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. NHTSA would be authorized to order recalls that "present a substantial likelihood of death or injury to the public."

To increase NHTSA's budget, the measure would add a $9 tax per car -- ultimately to be paid by the purchaser -- with the money going directly to fund the agency's operations.

The idea for "black boxes" in cars has been around since the 1970s. It was first advanced by the National Transportation Safety Board, the agency that investigates airplane accidents. The agency made the recommendation to both NHTSA and the automobile industry.
Objections

When Event Data Recorders were introduced in the last decade, hundreds of consumers wrote to federal auto safety regulators objecting to a new rule establishing minimum requirements for automobile "black boxes" and data recorders. Privacy advocates said they were concerned the data would fall into the wrong hands and would contribute to government "spying" on drivers.

Many vehicles currently collect data in onboard computers that are part of the vehicle electronics system. Toyota analyzed data from the computers earlier this year when it investigated a number of sudden acceleration reports.

The legal website ExpertLaw.com says there are many misconceptions about a vehicle "black box," saying its best uses are for diagnosing vehicle related problems, not to settle legal issues arising from accidents.

"Motorists should be very concerned about this device," the website warns. "The automobile black box should never be used as a stand-alone device. The use of physical evidence, such as impact data, skid / yaw marks, initial / resting positions of vehicle(s), in conjunction with the black box, as well as common sense is essential to obtain the correct resultant. "

Source;

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2010/05/autos_black_box.html