Honda Rated Most Reliable UK Car Manufacturer

Honda has been rated the UK's most reliable car manufacturer in the What Car? and Warranty Direct reliability study.

Honda has been rated the UK's most reliable car manufacturer in the What Car? and Warranty Direct reliability study. The Japanese motoring giant out-performed its rivals to hit the top of the What Car? league table thanks to a rock-bottom nine per-cent first year failure rate.

Furthermore, the capable HR-V and CR-V sports utility vehicles were rated first and second in their sector, and the Civic came third in the small hatchback category.

What Car? Editor In Chief, Chas Hallett, commented: 'the success of Honda in this year's reliability study is very impressive - especially as this is Honda’s sixth overall win as the UK’s most reliable car maker. Reliability is key for car buyers. The car makers at the bottom of the study have a lot of work to do to catch up with Honda'.

What Car? is not the only prestigious title to recognise Honda's exceptional reliability. The 2011 Which? Car Survey named this dependable constructor the Most Reliable Brand. Furthermore, this year's JD Power Vehicle Ownership Satisfaction Study saw Honda retain the number two spot in the overall league table – the highest-placed volume manufacturer. Sounds like hassle-free ownership is virtually guaranteed. Excellent work.

By Stephen Turvil, motoring.co.uk

Source;
http://www.motoring.co.uk/car-news/honda-rated-most-reliable-uk-car-manufacturer_32297

For First Time In Years, Civic Isn’t ‘Recommended’

Whoa! I didn't think I'd ever see the day.... I got to say I'm not sure what to think, on one hand I do agree with consumer reports on the quality of materials taking a step back, but the noisy choppy ride I couldn't disagree with more, especially having done a comparison ride and drive between all the major competitors listed in the top 12 and knowing how each drives.

CR's also says that the rear seat room is a positive, well, I am no giant but I have noticed that there is less head room in the rear compared to the previous model. Hmm.

I think Honda is a victim of their own success, there is no doubt that the competition has gotten better, it's very hard to have a 'revolutionary' new bodystyle everytime but I do feel they made some improvements; safer (10% more high tensile steel), better fuel economy (with or without Eco mode), and more features (bluetooth is standard, new multi-informational display, USB is more standard, power seat in a Civic EX-L, and I could go on).

At the end of the day it is going to come down to what the consumer says and if early indications are anything, at least here in Canada, we can't get enough of them. I expect a revision to this rating some time, might not be until their May 2012 issue, but I expect something.
A popular consumer magazine known for its automotive road tests says it can no longer recommend the Honda Civic compact sedan. The Civic, which has been a top finisher in comparisons with rivals in the small-car segment for decades, finished second from the bottom in a 12-car shoot-out in Consumer Reports.

The magazine’s announcement, which coincides with distribution of its latest issue, marks “the first time in recent memory” that the Civic has not received its stamp of approval, a magazine spokesman says.

Summing up the Civic’s performance in its small-sedan evaluation, Consumer Reports says, “The Civic, long one of our top-scoring small cars, has slid backward with its latest redesign and no longer scores high enough in our testing for us to recommend it. The new Civic dropped a whopping 17 points — from a very good 78 to a mediocre 61 on our 100-point scale.”

The statement continues: “Compared with its predecessor, the 2012 Civic has lower interior quality and suffers from a choppy ride, long stopping distances, and pronounced road noise. Vague steering impairs its agility and robs it of its fun-to-drive feel.”

Among the positives, the magazine says, are the car’s rear-seat room and fuel economy of 30 mpg overall .

Honda released the following statement:
“In a broad sense, we disagree with Consumer Reports’ findings. Without question, the small sedan segment is more competitive than ever. In virtually every way, the completely redesigned 2012 Civic is a step forward. The new Civic excels in areas that matter to small-car customers, including fuel efficiency, safety, and reliability. Among the Civic’s greatest competitive strengths, is a smooth and efficient powertrain that, in Consumer Reports testing returned, “… an impressive 30 mpg overall on regular fuel and 47 mpg on the highway.” Also noted in Consumer Reports findings, the Civic excels in the area of safety, with a long list of important features standard on all trim levels, and a class-leading ‘Top Safety Pick’ rating from IIHS. Lastly, the Civic has a stellar reliability history with Consumer Reports, and we are confident that the new Civic will be a reliability leader as well.”

Here is the finishing order in the Consumer Reports test:
1. Hyundai Elantra GLS
2. Nissan Sentra SL
3. Subaru Impreza 2.5i
4. Toyota Corolla LE
5. Kia Forte EX
6. Mazda Mazda3 Touring
7. Chevrolet Cruze 1LT
8. Ford Focus SE
9. Chevrolet Cruze LS
10. Mitsubishi Lancer ES
11. Honda Civic LX
12. Volkswagen Jetta SE

Source;
http://blogs.wsj.com/drivers-seat/2011/08/01/for-first-time-in-years-civic-isnt-recomended/

2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid Spyshots

By Alex Nunez

Toyota was busy introducing all flavors of the 2012 Toyota Camry to the media earlier this week, but since all that stuff's embargoed, there's not much to tell. Yet. But what isn't under embargo is this collection of spy photos showing the 2012 Camry Hybrid in its birthday suit while shooting a television commercial.

The new Camry's familiar roofline communicates practicality overall, but the updated sheetmetal has more crisp lines, with new fascias fore and aft. The hybrid's grille treatment apes that of the facelifted Highlander Hybrid, and yes, those headlights are indeed the ones Akio Toyoda teased a few weeks ago.

In a nutshell, it's still a conservative look, but decidedly less frumpy than before. Now, let's see what changes Toyota's made below the surface to bring the Camry in line with the current midsize family-sedan competition.

Image Credit: KGP Photography

Source (with alot of pic's!);
http://www.autoblog.com/2011/07/30/this-is-the-2012-toyota-camry-hybrid/

European Market 2012 Civic and CR-V to be built at Honda’s UK Plant

Honda announced today that it will manufacture the new Civic hatchback and the next generation of the CR-V SUV at its Swindon plant in the UK.

The five-door hatchback version of the new Honda Civic, which we previewed earlier today (see here), is designed exclusively for Europe and will only be built in Swindon. The Civic was first introduced in 1972, and is now in its ninth generation. It will be revealed at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September.

Production of Honda’s European compact-sized hatchback will commence in late 2011, and sales will begin in early 2012. Like the current generation, it bears no resemblance to the US model. However, Honda has also patented the sedan version of the Civic in Europe so it could be offered alongside the hatch.

As for the European market version of the new CR-V, which was unveiled a few days ago as a concept model, it will go on sale in the fall of 2012. The production version will probably have little -if any- differences from both the concept and the US model that will reach showrooms by the end of the year.

In addition to the announcements concerning the manufacturing of the new Civic and CR-V at Swindon, Honda also revealed that production at its UK plant that had been disrupted due to shortage of parts after the March 11 earthquake and Tsunami in Japan will return to normal levels in September.

Source;
http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2011/07/european-market-2012-civic-and-cr-v-to.html

More details emerge about the 2012 Honda CR-V

The 2012 Honda CR-V Crossover Concept’s solitary image has been leaked by Honda to build buzz around Honda’s most popular Crossover. Along with that, Honda has also slipped in a few details about the Crossover that prospective 2012 CR-V buyers would be very eager to know. For the Indian car market of course, Honda will launch the 2012 CR-V sometime later next year, even as the international launch of this car is scheduled for later this year.

The 2012 Honda CR-V will be lighter and feature a more fuel efficient. Lighter also could mean faster. So, expect the 2012 Honda CR-V to be quicker off the block than the current version. This apart, the 2012 Honda CR-V will also continue to feature a diesel engine for the European market, which is something Honda India will be seriously contemplating for India, considering the plastering the petrol version is now getting from the likes of the Toyota Fortuner and the Chevrolet Captiva.

The 2012 CR-V is also touted to arrive with new interiors that will be more versatile and spacious. Honda also has added a “more accommodating” tag to the Honda CR-V’s interiors and whether this means an addition of two more seats at the rear to take the seating capacity of the Crossover to seven adults, is something we still need to wait and watch. Other than this, the 2012 CR-V will also feature a lower cargo area at the rear for easier access.

Meanwhile, here's what Honda America’s Executive Vice-president for Sales, John Mendel has had to say about the upcoming 2012 Honda CR-V.

The 2012 CR-V Concept introduces the exterior styling for the more sophisticated and dynamic design of the upcoming production model. Long considered the benchmark for packaging and user-friendly design in the small SUV segment, the all-new CR-V will offer an added dimension of style, amazing interior versatility and Honda’s latest technologies for convenience and refinement.

Source;
http://www.indiancarsbikes.in/cars/honda-crv-46040/#more-46040

Edmunds.com Announces True Cost to Own(R) Award Winners: Honda and Ford Vehicles Shine

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Jul 25, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Honda Motor Co. won five categories in the 2011 Lowest True Cost to Own(R) Awards, given by Edmunds.com, the premier online resource for automotive information. The awards name the 2011 model year cars and trucks in 23 categories that offer the lowest True Cost to Own(R) (TCO(R)), which is the projected ownership cost over a five-year period.

The 2011 Honda Accord earned victories in two categories: Coupes $25-$35K and Sedans $20K-$30K. Honda's other award winners are the Honda Civic Hybrid (Hybrids), the Honda Ridgeline (Large Light Duty Truck) and the Honda Pilot (SUV $35K-$45K).

Ford Motor Co. also had a strong showing in this year's awards, with Edmunds.com recognizing the Ford Ranger (Compact Truck), the Ford Flex (Wagon Over $35K), the Ford Fiesta (Sedan Under $20K) and the Ford Transit Connect (Van/Minivan).

The other automotive brands receiving at least two awards were Chevrolet and Cadillac.
"One of the key factors that pushed many of this year's award winners over the top was their free maintenance plans, which can save car owners hundreds or even thousands of dollars over a five-year period," said Danny Zhou, senior director of data products and operations at Edmunds.com. "The 2011 Volkswagen CC, for example, edged past its closest competitors in the Sedan $30K-$40K category in large part because it offers free maintenance for three years or 36,000 miles."

To calculate the Lowest True Cost to Own(R) winners, Edmunds.com uses an algorithm that takes into account depreciation, interest on financing, taxes and fees, insurance premiums, fuel, maintenance, repairs and any federal tax credit that may be available. In order to estimate certain mileage-dependent costs, Edmunds.com assumes that vehicles will be driven 15,000 miles per year. Only vehicles launched during the period from July 29, 2010 to April 14, 2011 were considered for the 2011 awards.

To see the full list of all 23 winners this year, please visit the award page at http://www.edmunds.com/car-reviews/2011-lowest-cost-to-own.html .

Consumers can learn more about Edmunds.com's True Cost to Own(R) (TCO(R)) before they buy their next car at http://www.edmunds.com/tco.html .

About Edmunds.com, Inc. ( http://www.edmunds.com/help/about/index.html )
Edmunds.com Inc. publishes Web sites that empower, engage and educate automotive consumers, enthusiasts and insiders. Edmunds.com, the premier online resource for automotive information, launched in 1995 as the first automotive information Web site. Its mobile site, accessible from any smartphone at www.edmunds.com , makes car pricing and other research tools available for car shoppers at dealerships and otherwise on the go. InsideLine.com is the most-read automotive enthusiast Web site. Its mobile site, accessible from any smartphone at www.insideline.com , features the wireless Web's highest quality car photos and videos. AutoObserver.com provides insightful automotive industry commentary and analysis. Edmunds.com Inc. is headquartered in Santa Monica, California, and maintains a satellite office in suburban Detroit. Follow Edmunds.com on Twitter@edmunds and fan Edmunds.com on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/edmunds .

Source;
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/edmundscom-announces-true-cost-to-ownr-award-winners-honda-and-ford-vehicles-shine-2011-07-25?reflink=MW_news_stmp

2012 Honda CRV Test Mule involved in Accident

Don't hear of this very often, but it's funny how the Honda get's hit by a Toyota....
Follow this link for the full story and more pic's (orig. source via www.autoblog.com);

http://www.notcot.com/archives/2011/07/the-car-accident.php

2012 Honda Ridgeline Sport Package Revealed

The 2012 model year brings a new trim level and some visual revisions for Honda's Ridgeline truck. The new trim is optimistically called Sport -- it doesn't entail any sporty performance upgrades, but does bring aesthetic modifications to make the Ridgeline look a little cooler.

The key word for the Ridgeline Sport is black, as the color is applied to the head-, fog-, and taillight bezels; the mirrors; door handles; unique honeycomb grille; and 18-inch wheels. It's a cool look, but we wonder whether the Sport label is truly justified by what's essentially just a collection of blacked-out body parts. From what we can tell, the Sport will sport much of the same equipment as a typical Ridgeline RT model.

New duds aren't limited to this black-on-black model, as Honda will graft a new grille design onto every 2012 Ridgeline. There are no pictures of the non-Sport model, but our money says the Ridgeline will score the same chrome-slat grille design as the 2012 Pilot.

The 2012 Ridgeline is said to boast improved fuel economy; the 250-hp 3.5-liter V-6 engine will probably remain unchanged while the five-speed automatic transmission could be swapped for a six-speed unit, like that used on the Acura MDX, which rides upon a similar platform. The truck is currently EPA-rated at 15/20 mpg (city/highway). The new Ridgeline (and the Sport variant) goes on sale this November.

Source;

http://www.trucktrend.com/features/news/2011/163_news110725_2012_honda_ridgeline/index.html

2012 Honda CR-V Concept - Official Image and Info

Honda calls it a concept, but this is the next CR-V.
BY JUSTIN BERKOWITZ, PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROBERT WHITLEY, KGP PHOTOGRAPHY, AND THE MANUFACTURER July 2011

Honda has released a picture of the concept version of its next-generation CR-V, and it looks, well, pretty much like we expected based on recent spy photos. The vehicle seen here is, as is typical with Honda’s concepts, a loosely disguised version of the production car.

That’s not to say that when the fourth-generation CR-V arrives at dealerships some time in late 2011, it will be festooned with some of the concept’s more colorful design elements. Items like the smoked-out headlights, prominent front skid plate, gargantuan wheels, and polished black lower trim likely will remain the domain of the show car. Otherwise, though, what you see here is what we’ll get.

Despite a relatively significant change in the CR-V’s design—it’s major by Honda’s conservative standards, at least—the new car will be mechanically similar to the one it replaces. Front-wheel drive definitely will again be standard, with optional all-wheel drive returning to the menu, too. It’s doubtful that Honda will make any major changes in the engine department from last year’s car, meaning that buyers will probably get a 2.4-liter inline four good for about 180 hp. Unlike the 2011 CR-V, which had a five-speed automatic transmission, the new model is likely to receive a six-speed unit. If Honda does go this route, you can expect a modest boost in fuel economy over the current CR-V’s 21 mpg city/28 highway for front-drive models and 21/27 for those with AWD.

While the CR-V has never fully roused the enthusiast’s soul, it has always been one of the more involving small crossovers to pilot. (Pun intended as an excuse to post a link to the face-lifted 2012 Pilot, which Honda also announced.) At the same time, the CR-V has been one of the more practical and easy-to-use small utes, too, a factor we’re sure is of higher importance to most of the people with one in their driveway. (There are a lot of those people: 227,760 CR-Vs were sold in the past 12 months alone.) We don’t expect those traits to change with this next-gen model, although we’ll have to wait until Honda decides to show us the production model to find out for sure.

Source;
http://www.caranddriver.com/news/car/11q2/2012_honda_cr-v_concept-official_image_and_info

Feature Flick: 2012 Honda Civic Song the Next Big Hit?

Karla Sanchez on July 21 2011 6:00 AM

Honda wanted to give its new 2012 Civic its 15 seconds of fame, while also giving music hopefuls a shot of getting theirs too. Back in June, the company announced the Sounds of Civic Facebook contest where aspiring musicians had to submit a song about the Civic. The contest came to a close earlier this month and a winner has been announced.

Jonatan Barahona won over Honda Civic Facebook fans with an original song about the Civic titled, “Forever.” Barahona went down the sentimental path in creating his song and video, focusing on how spacious the rear seats of the Civic are and all how all the roominess contributes to bringing people together.

All types of situations take place in the back seat of the Civic: a pregnant woman and her partner are rushed to the hospital, a recent grad and his family continue with the celebration, girls with their shopping bags have a blast and compare what they bought after a day of shopping, and skateboarders and their boards fit in just fine.

On top of becoming an internet star, the winner also received a 2012 Honda Civic, which will help him get to the 2011 Honda Civic Tour where he will perform live in Los Angeles.

Source;
http://rumors.automobilemag.com/feature-flick-2012-honda-civic-song-the-next-big-hit-61965.html

Toyota Window to the world - multimedia system

Wow....

2012 Honda CRV Illustration

Well, this looks alot like all of the 'spy photo's' running around.... Good find Burlapp! This is a good look for the CRV, I like it.
Source;
http://www.burlappcars.com/2011/07/2012-honda-crv.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+VinceBurlappCarPage+%28Vince+Burlapp+Car+Page%29

Honda tops British brand reliability poll

Japanese and Korean carmakers dominate a new list compiled by British warranty specialist MB&G of marques that have generated the fewest claims over the past year, giving an indication of brand reliability.

Honda took top spot, followed by Lexus, Mitsubishi, Toyota and Suzuki. Kia took sixth place followed by Hyundai, Subaru, Mazda and Nissan.

It is no coincidence the top 10 most reliable cars are Japanese and Korean manufactured, with many cars including Toyota, Honda and Nissan manufactured in Britain. They have had a reputation for reliability for many years, which is demonstrated by these results.

“Our survey only looks at frequency of claims and not the average value of the claim, which can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. The average claim value is affected by labour rates and parts prices and can also vary by region,” a spokeman for MB&G commented.

The average age and mileage of cars being handled by MB&G is increasing, but the corporate/SME market generally resists extending warranties beyond the one provided by the manufacturer.

Source;
http://www.advertiser.ie/galway/article/41737/honda-tops-british-brand-reliability-poll

Ten Honda Manufacturing Facilities in North America Achieve Zero Waste Sent to Landfill

Honda Motor Co. said 10 of its North American plants now send no waste to landfills and four others in the region cut scrap and trash to “virtually” nothing as the carmaker seeks to curb manufacturing-related pollution.

Honda, which claimed in 2001 that its Alabama auto-assembly plant was first in the U.S. to send no trash to landfills, aims to lead the industry in waste reduction, Ed Miller, a spokesman for the Tokyo-based carmaker, said in a telephone interview. The company isn’t aware of a competitor that’s achieved a higher level, he said.

“We now have 10 of 14 facilities that are absolute zero, and for the four that still have some there are extenuating circumstances,” said Miller, who is based in Detroit.

Those include a lack of recycling options for cafeteria waste at Honda’s Mexican motorcycle and auto plant, and a byproduct material from painting aluminum hoods at its Ohio auto plants that can’t be recycled under U.S. rules, Miller said.

Honda, Japan’s third-largest automaker, in 2010 built more than 80 percent of cars and light trucks it sold in the U.S. at North American plants, the highest proportion among Asian and European-based companies. Honda’s U.S. headquarters are in Torrance, California.

Source;
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-07-14/honda-cuts-waste-at-10-north-american-plants-to-absolute-zero.html

Natural-gas-powered Honda Civic can stay in California carpool lane

By JAKE LINGEMAN on 7/11/2011
Honda Civic GX drivers in California are smiling this week as they continue to have access to the high-occupancy-vehicle lane, even with just one person in the car. Even though one-occupant hybrid cars have lost access to the carpool lane, natural-gas-powered vehicles get to use it for another four years.

Beginning on July 1, yellow-stickered partial hybrids were banned from HOV areas on the highways unless they carried the mandated number of people. Natural-gas-powered cars and fully electric cars with the super-ultralow-emission-vehicle notation get a white sticker. Both the Nissan Leaf and the Tesla Roadster also fit the mold.

Demand for the natural-gas-powered Honda is up, with sales tripling over the same period last year. Owners of no-longer-exempt cars have gone to dealerships in droves trying to snatch up the remaining copies, new or used. Dave Conant, owner of Conant Auto Retail Group, told Automotive News that he found only one or two used models that were available as of last week.

Unfortunately for Honda, and for HOV-lane drivers, the 2012 Civic NGV won't be ready until the fall. It has a 1.8-liter engine capable of delivering 110 hp and 106 lb-ft of torque. It gets 31 mpg combined in the gasoline-gallon equivalent. New interior features include a multi-information display and, for the first time, navigation.

The price of natural gas historically has been about 30 percent less per gasoline-gallon-equivalent compared with gasoline.

Source;

http://www.autoweek.com/article/20110711/CARNEWS/110719982

Police in China changes Mercedes-Benz ML350 into Honda CR-V

You've gotta be kidding me....
Police in the good city of Fengchenggang in Guangxi Province re-badged their Mercedes-Benz ML350 into a Honda CR-V. There is a lot of criticism in China lately about local governments who waste taxpayers money. Police in Fengchanggang so made some changes to their 900.000 yuan ML350, a Honda CR-V only costs 200.000 yuan.

But the plan went wrong. Citizens of Fengchenggang were not to be fooled and posted pics of the Benz CR-V on the internet where ‘netizens’ had a field day ridiculing the local government as hard as they could. Best part: the police flatly denied they made any changes to their car. I guess it depends on what you call a ‘change’…

Source (via www.autoblog.com)
http://www.carnewschina.com/2011/07/08/police-in-china-changes-mercedes-benz-ml350-into-honda-cr-v/

BESTCAR Front Cover: Next Gen Honda Beat Rendering

Let's hope that if they do 'green light' something like this that we see this here in North America.

Source;

http://jp-cardesigncorner.blogspot.com/2011/07/latest-rendering-of-upcoming-honda-beat.html

Osamu Suzuki Blog Bombs Volkswagen

Interesting.... did not see this one coming....Things are not going well between Volkswagen and Suzuki. In 2009, Volkswagen invested $2.5 billion for a 19.9 percent share in Suzuki. Suzuki sent $1.13 billion back and bought 2.5 percent of Volkswagen. Suzuki netted $1.37 billion, domo arigatou gozaimasu, but then nothing happened. End of last year, Ferdinand Piech became impatient. Volkswagen stockholders asked discomforting questions at the annual meeting. Now, it turned into a war of the words. Volkswagen uses old media. The octogenarian Osamu Suzuki drops a massive blog bomb on Wolfsburg.

A month ago, Volkswagen leaked to Der Spiegel that the German-Nipponese axis is “a big disappointment.” Old prejudices were unearthed. “Suzuki wants as much modern technology as possible from Volkswagen, but is not willing to reciprocate,” wrote Der Spiegel after an obvious (but unsaid) tête-à-tête with Martin Winterkorn, who allegedly said that “the Japanese still need some training in proper cooperation.”

Now, Osamu Suzuki fires back. He could have summoned a few trusted Japanese journos and dropped some deniable off-the-record remarks. He did not. He sat down and wrote a blog that was published in The Nikkei [sub] in the Japanese language. Suzuki uses strong language:

•“Since the companies differ in size, people of Volkswagen may develop a mistaken impression that Suzuki is placed under their umbrella.”
•“The initial basic agreement seems to falter.”
•“We learnt about Volkswagen’s technologies, but we did not find any one of them interesting enough to adopt immediately.”
•“If we are short of any technology, we have an option to ask other companies with which we benefit from technological exchanges.”

Oddly enough, the piece never made it to the English wire of The Nikkei, and a Google search tells me that it was only circulated in Japan. Here is what I believe is a faithful translation from the Japanese, uncut.

“Blog by Osamu Suzuki

Present and future of cooperation between Suzuki and Volkswagen

It has been one and a half years since Suzuki signed a partnership with Volkswagen in December 2009. Many people criticized us for being unable to announce any specific fruit of the cooperation. Let me summarize what I have in my mind.

Lately, people of Volkswagen are telling their shareholders that Volkswagen can largely influence the corporate policy of Suzuki. I feel somewhat uncomfortable with the statement because the two companies agreed to remain independent partners on an equal footing when we signed the partnership in the first place. Since the companies differ in size, people of Volkswagen may develop a mistaken impression that Suzuki is placed under their umbrella. However, Suzuki signed the agreement under the condition of being an equal partner. Thus we cannot simply accept this notion. The two companies have been having a lot of exchanges. We learnt more about Volkswagen. I assume that Volkswagen gradually developed understanding about Suzuki. As a result, the initial basic agreement seems to falter.

Does Suzuki face an immediate difficulty? The answer is “Not at all.” We learnt about Volkswagen’s technologies, but we did not find any one of them interesting enough to adopt immediately. Suzuki is working on its own green technologies. Our engineers are gaining more capabilities than I expected, and are developing surprisingly good technologies. For example, our new minicar engine that was developed for the first time after 16 years enjoys class-leading fuel efficiency in Japan. We are producing more than 200,000 units of our diesel engine, which is attracting a lot of attention, in India. Thus for the time being, particularly in critical markets like the minicar market and India, we are not in a hurry to collaborate with Volkswagen. Suzuki is also working on eco-friendly cars. One example is our original EV equipped with a standby generator, which is under development for commercialization.

If we are short of any technology, we have an option to ask other companies with which we benefit from technological exchanges. Supply of diesel engine from Fiat that was announced the other day is one example. Technology race intensifies in the auto industry. The scheme of capital participation to take control of another carmaker will no longer work. We need to remain independent to be perceived as an attractive partner by other automakers around the world. According to a recent report by a major German business magazine, Volkswagen seems to gain visibility of developing low-priced cars for emerging markets such as South America and India. I am relieved.

I assume that many of you are interested in what would happen to Suzuki’s relationship with Volkswagen. We intend to continue having dialogues in all sincerity with our partner in order to build a relationship of equality. After all, this has been the purpose of joining hands with Volkswagen. I will do my utmost to develop Suzuki into an independent and distinctive company, and measure up to our shareholders’ and users’ expectations.

I am increasingly excited in face of many challenges. Recovery from the earthquake is urgent. We have to do it NOW. I am certainly older, but I am ready to continue working hard with the employees of Suzuki.”

Source;
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2011/07/osamo-suzuki-blog-bombs-volkswagen/#more-401798

2012 Toyota Camry Spy video

Here's more on that spy photo of the next generation Camry.... I'd be surprised if this stayed up more than a couple of days....

2012 Toyota Camry Teaser Video

Promises to exceed expectations

Toyota has released the first teaser video for the 2012 Camry.

While there isn't much to see, Toyota president and CEO Akio Toyoda says the model is the "best Camry ever" and will "exceed your expectations." He also promised the Camry will be a "remarkable car in terms of handling, safety and fuel economy."

Additional information is limited, but the redesigned Camry will be available this fall.

Read more: http://www.worldcarfans.com/111063034613/2012-toyota-camry-teased-video#ixzz1QxKBTDba

Source;
http://www.worldcarfans.com/111063034613/2012-toyota-camry-teased-video