General Motors to Sell a Diesel Powered Car in North America

I hope that if this car actually comes about that it is a success, then maybe companies like Honda can bring their diesel products over here to North America....
General Motors has confirmed that it will sell a diesel-powered car on U.S. soil in the future. According to Ward’s Auto, the source of the news is none-other than GM Vice Chairman Tom Stephens. The use of a diesel would mark the first time in almost three decades that a diesel car was sold in the U.S., with the last diesels being sold in Cadillac, Buick and Oldsmobile vehicles in the late ’70s and early ’80s.

There’s no additional info on what vehicle could get the new diesel powerplant or even if the diesel engine being considered is new. GM has been offering a diesel version of its Ecotec 4-cylinder in Europe and other markets since 1996. That being said, it would seem easiest to offer a diesel engine in a car like the Buick Regal, which is based off the European Opel Insignia and is already offered with a choice of several diesel powerplants overseas including an upcoming twin-turbo 2.0-liter CDTi Ecotec motor making 190-hp and 300 ft-lbs of torque.

Source;
http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2010/09/general-motors-to-sell-a-diesel-powered-car-in-north-america.html

Honda’s Ito Defends Efficiency Lead as Hyundai Gains

By Makiko Kitamura and Alan Ohnsman
June 23 (Bloomberg) -- Takanobu Ito became a star at Honda Motor Co. with his work on the NSX sports car, the company’s most powerful model. Now, as chief executive officer, he’s focusing on fuel efficiency as Ford Motor Co. and Hyundai Motor Co. threaten Honda’s leading position in North America.

While Honda’s fleet is rated the most fuel-efficient in the U.S., Ford’s Fiesta subcompact gets up to 33 miles per gallon in combined city/highway driving, compared with 31 mpg for Honda’s rival Fit hatchback. Hyundai’s Sonata sedan tops Honda’s top- selling Accord in economy and horsepower, and its revamped Elantra compact promises to use less fuel than Honda’s Civic.

“Ford is coming back, and Hyundai is gaining market share,” said Tadashi Usui, an analyst at Moody’s K.K. in Tokyo. “The gap between Japanese automakers and rivals is shrinking.”

Honda, after axing its V-10 NSX supercar project in 2008, is redoubling efforts to boost fuel efficiency to fend off growing competition. Ito delayed the release of a revamped Civic compact after telling engineers he was unhappy with its size and fuel economy, said Tomohiko Kawanabe, president of Honda’s research and development unit.

Even as factors including pricing and design shape research efforts, “fuel efficiency has become the first priority in our discussions,” Kawanabe said in an interview at Honda’s research center last month in Wako, west of Tokyo.

Risking Reputation
Honda’s U.S. sales gained 13 percent in the first five months of 2010, trailing industry growth of 17 percent. Ford’s rose 31 percent in the same period, while Hyundai’s sales grew 23 percent.

Japan’s second-largest carmaker has focused on only mild improvements in fuel economy recently, risking its “green” reputation, said Ed Kim, an industry analyst at AutoPacific Inc. in Tustin, California. For example, Honda uses 5-speed automatic transmissions as the industry adopted more efficient 6-speeds, and seems reluctant to use direct-injection and turbocharging technology, Kim said.

“Even before the green thing was big, they were into green,” said Kim, a former Hyundai product planner. “Over the last few years, they’ve been completely leapfrogged in new engine technologies.”

Honda’s U.S. fleet of Honda and Acura 2009 models averaged 23.6 mpg in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s fuel efficiency assessment, adjusted for real-world driving.

Hyundai- Kia group vehicles were second in the 2009 model-year survey, averaging 23.4 mpg.

Hyundai models alone, excluding those of Kia Motors Corp., exceeded Honda’s fleet with an adjusted average of 23.9 mpg, according to EPA.

Depositary Shares
Toyota Motor Corp. had an adjusted fleet average of 23.2 mpg, and Ford, with a 20.5 mpg fleet, ranked seventh.

Honda’s American depositary receipts, each representing one ordinary share, fell 9 cents to $29.90 at 4:15 p.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading, have dropped 12 percent this year. The shares fell 1.5 percent to close at 2,720 yen in Tokyo.

Another motivation for Honda to raise vehicle efficiency is a U.S. regulation forcing an industrywide increase by model year 2016. Honda’s fleet must average 37.4 mpg by that time, a 50 percent improvement from about 26 mpg now, John Mendel, head of Honda’s U.S. sales operation, said June 8.

The global recession following the collapse of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. in September 2008 also spurred Honda’s strategic shift, said Ito, who became CEO a year ago.

“In a certain sense, Lehman was a blessing,” Ito said in Tokyo last month
.
Unlike before the recession, price increases are tough to justify and vehicle size and fuel economy need to “conform to these times,” Kawanabe said.

Prius Competition
Expanding Honda’s line of hybrid cars is part of the strategy. Honda plans to introduce a new hybrid Civic with a lithium-ion battery that can store twice the power of a nickel- metal hydride battery, Kawanabe said. The company will unveil a new hybrid version of the Fit later this year.

Honda’s Insight and Civic hybrids haven’t gained ground on Toyota’s Prius, the world’s top-selling hybrid. The Prius outsold the Insight 6-to-1 in the U.S. this year through May.

One reason may be fuel economy. Toyota’s hybrid gets 51 mpg in city driving, while the Insight gets 40 mpg. Honda Executive Vice President Koichi Kondo also said the Insight, a compact model in the U.S. compared with the midsize Prius, may be too small for Americans.

The company is also exploring stop-start technology, turbochargers and expanding continuously variable transmissions to boost fuel efficiency, said Hiroshi Ataka, a Tokyo-based analyst at consulting company IHS Global Insight.

Favoring Hydrogen Power
While Honda is researching electric cars, it’s less optimistic about demand for them than Nissan is and favors hydrogen-powered cars as the ultimate zero-emission vehicle.

Honda set up a lithium-ion battery venture with GS Yuasa Corp. and can shift gears quickly if necessary, Ataka said.

The company stopped producing the NSX supercar, its fastest production model, in 2005. It planned to reintroduce it this year. Instead, it built the low-priced, sporty CR-Z hybrid that arrives in the U.S. in August.

As a young engineer Ito consulted bullet-train designers to develop an all-aluminum body for the first-generation NSX when superiors considered the notion impossible, according to a company publication.

“I love sports cars,” Ito said at the Beijing Motor Show in April. “But we have to watch the economic situation and our purse strings.”

Source;
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-06-23/honda-s-ito-defends-efficiency-lead-as-hyundai-gains.html

EPA reveals top 10 most fuel-efficient cars since 1984, original Honda Insight takes top honors

Best overall REAL WORLD Gas mileage vehicles since 1984....

Best Overall EPA Rated Gas Mileage vehicles since 1984....

Fuel efficiency has increased dramatically in the last decade, or at least that's what we've been told. So it might come as a surprise to find out that six of the Top Ten EPA-rated Fuel Sippers from 1984 to present were built prior to 2000. Don't believe it? We didn't either, but this info comes straight from the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) website, the authoritative source on this fuel efficiency stuff.

While some current vehicles, such as the 2010 Toyota Prius, 2010 Honda Insight and the 2006-2010 Honda Civic Hybrid, garnered a spot on the top ten list, it's really older lightweight models like the 1986 Chevy Sprint ER or 1990-1994 Geo Metro XFI that make it obvious efficiency hasn't come as far as we'd like to think. Overall, Honda holds top honors for automakers with five models present on the list, while Toyota's Prius made its mark twice. All of the vehicles on the list run with either 3- or 4-cylinder engines and five out of the top ten rely on hybrid motivation.

The overall winner, the 2000 Honda Insight (pictured above), scores a combined rating of 53 miles per gallon, a number that exceeds even the modern-day Prius by three mpg. In many cases, we've been mistakenly led to believe that buying a new car equates to increased efficiency, but this list clearly shows that many of the relics from days gone by can easily hold their own with the most efficient vehicles made today. However, finding a running example of some of these old fuel sippers may prove impossible and we'd venture to guess that many of them are far from safe to drive by today's standards.

Source

http://www.autoblog.com/2010/06/11/epa-announces-top-10-most-fuel-efficient-cars-insight-takes-top/

Honda’s VTEC System Explained

VTEC stands for Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control and represents a variable valve control system developed by Japanese car manufacturer Honda for its gasoline engines. The system was the first of its kind and although most car makers worldwide started developing their own variable valve timing and lift control systems, the VTEC witnessed the biggest success becoming a trademark and an integral part of Honda’s consumer perceived identity.

History of the VTEC System

Because of the growing demand in the early 80s for high powered sports bike engines Honda embarked on a mission to try and achieve an engine that would display both high power output and driveability over the entire revolution range. So following a feasibility study, Honda’s research and development team set on course to achieve a 200HP per liter power output and stable idling. The team discovered they needed to come up with a method to counteract the air inlet resistance from low to medium engine revolutions.

The solution arrived through the REV (Revolution-modulated valve control) valve pausing mechanism. The system had the task to forcibly stop multiple valves when needed in order to optimize airflow and achieve a stable idling and increased smoothness for low to medium engine operation. The first production motorcycle marketed with the new REV system was the CBR400F in 1983.

From the REV used in motorcycle engines, Honda developed the VTEC valve actuation system for automobiles by building on the idea to have both variable valve opening times and two camshaft profiles: for low to middle engine speeds as well as for middle to high engine speeds. The first Honda automobiles to receive the VTEC system were the 1989 JDM-spec Integra and Civic CRX SiR, which used a 160 hp B16A DOHC engine. The American market received the VTEC system in 1991 with the Acura NSX supersports car which used a DOHC VTEC V6 unit which developed 270 hp at 7100 rpm.

So How Does VTEC Work?

Initially designed for DOHC (Double Overhead Camshaft) gasoline engines, Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control has the role to switch between fuel saving operating mode to performance operating mode. This is done by running in a low speed valve timing and small cam profile at low engine speeds for improved fuel consumption and leaner fuel burning. On the other hand, when the engine needs more power a higher output is achieved through the VTEC system by speeding up the valve timing and switching to the larger cam profile which allows for a further and longer valve opening time.

The switch from the low profile cams meant for improved fuel consumption to the high profile cams meant for increased power output is done via a locking pin which connects the two independent cam lobes at a certain engine speed. Now depending on the engine’s characteristics this can be set to occur further up the engine range or lower for increased torque but poorer fuel savings. On the returning phase, when the engine switches from high profile cams to the low profile ones, the pin retracts at a lower engine speed than when it first activates in order to avoid the engine running around VTEC activation border.

The VTEC system works much in a way as a mechanical compressor or turbocharger would, by creating a high swirl effect and excellent filling efficiency materializing in higher power output. In terms of reliability, most of you have probably heard in the news regarding the automotive industry that Japan's second largest car maker has an outstanding positive record in this respect and the VTEC units are no exception from this rule.

Honda has developed several VTEC variations over the years, altering the valve system to suit different engine output or fuel consumption requirements. The VTEC system can also be applied to SOHC (Single Overhead Camshaft) engines, but loses the high profile cam advantages on the exhaust side, as there is only one camshaft to activate the lift. So, even with further developments the SOHC engine can benefit from the VTEC system only during either the intake or exhaust side.

To better understand the mechanism we recommend you take a look at the short video clip below, depicting the VTEC activation system.

As mentioned earlier, Honda worked on several variations of the VTEC system:

VTEC-E : is a valvetrain system in which the two normal cam profiles which activate the valves have different sizes. The shorter one allows one valve to open just a small amount and achieve better fuel consumption. As with the original VTEC system, when the engine hits higher rpms, the pin locks the high profile cams and valve timing increases to reach higher power output.

3STAGE VTEC : this variant uses three different cam profiles that literally operate in three stages. Each one controls a different valve timing and lift pattern.

i-VTEC : which stands for Intelligent VTEC is the Japanese manufacturer’s most successful valve actuation system to date and saw broad implementation in production models. The i-VTEC system was introduced in 2001 and uses continuously variable intake valve timing and computer controlled management for optimized torque output and fuel efficiency.

AVTEC : Advanced VTEC was announced by Honda in 2006 and seeks to combine the benefits of the i-VTEC system with continuously variable phase control, which is meant to respond to the driver’s power needs independent of engine speed. Honda announced the AVTEC system will allow for 13 percent better fuel economy over i-VTEC and 75 percent lower emissions than the 2005 standards. As of early 2010, the AVTEC system still hasn’t been implemented in production vehicles.

So what does it do and why is it so important?

Well Honda’s VTEC system represents a very important milestone in gasoline engine research and development because it identified and successfully handled a very delicate matter of any internal combustion engine: operating efficiency. The fact of the matter is most people today, just like most people a century ago, have little knowledge about the working principles of the things that make their daily lives easier and they just take them for granted (like a computer or a car’s engine). So, as you would expect, before this mind-the-environment propaganda began, people settled for thirsty and inefficient petrol engines looking to make their lives better through uncontrolled spending. And why shouldn’t they? After all, progress requires hard work and dedication and who likes that?

Leaving the jokes aside now, what people looked and still look for in vehicles are power and thrilling sound. And as Honda followed for most of its time a policy which believed in passion for engines and doing what you love (an attitude which earned them respect in many countries all over the world and an approach which led to numerous technological achievements most of which never even entered production), they started to work on their engines to better optimize and develop them. Thus, the VTEC valve actuation system was born, which not only increased a gasoline engine’s combustion efficiency, but managed to offer customers the perfect marriage between low fuel consumption and performance characteristics from a single powerplant.

Source;
http://www.autoevolution.com/news/hondas-vtec-system-explained-20338.html

Honda tops 2009 corporate fuel economy charts, Chrysler trails

The Environmental Protection Agency is currently in the process of compiling the the fleet average fuel economy numbers for model year 2009, which recently concluded, and it looks like Honda will be on top yet again. The final numbers are still some months away as the data is collected on exactly how many cars were sold and in what configurations. Based on early numbers, Honda's fleet average comes out to 23.6 mpg with Hyundai-Kia close behind at 23.4 mpg. Both of those companies are down slightly from 2008 when they averaged 23.9 and 23.7 mpg, respectively. Of course, last year Honda sold huge quantities of Civics and Fits when gas went to $4 / gallon. This year, those sales – along with everything else – are down, bringing the average mpg number down.

The three Detroit brand automakers brought up the rear with Ford, GM and Chrysler at 20.5, 19.9 and 18.7 mpg, respectively. All three of those manufacturers had a higher proportion of truck sales than cars but even their car numbers are lower because they sell more large cars than their foreign counterparts. As the new small cars from GM and Ford come to market in the next 12-18 months, this should change their position significantly. Chrysler will have to wait a bit longer for Fiat-based cars to hit the U.S. market before their numbers improve. You can find the full 2009 report here.

Source;
http://green.autoblog.com/2009/11/23/honda-tops-2009-corporate-fuel-economy-charts-chrysler-trails/

Automotive News: Acura to shift focus towards fuel efficiency, Honda may stretch product cycles

Mark Rechtin of Automotive News has two stories concerning Honda today. John Watts is (once again) a central figure in these stories. In the first story, Rechtin reports that Honda is looking at the possibility of stretching certain model cycles and quotes an analyst who says that the Accord would be a good possible candidate for an extended cycle, but it would be unlikely to see this happening to the Civic. Several months ago, we reported on tips we had received from anonymous sources claiming that the next generation Civic's introduction could be delayed by anywhere from 6 months to a year. Since then there have been several sources contradicting these claims, however. After reading the article at Automotive News, it's not really clear which direction Honda is really headed with this, as John Watts seems to make a number of arguments against the idea.

Link: Honda may stretch U.S. product cycles to cut global costs (subscription req'd)

The second story concerns Acura and how they are said to be shifting their focus away from performance and more towards fuel efficiency. John Watts mentions that the upcoming 2016 CAFE standards are proving to be very difficult to meet (side note: Honda was one of the few automakers who supported the very stringent standards), and that they see a much stronger (luxury) consumer focus on fuel efficiency when the market emerges from the current recession.

Link: Acura says it's putting fuel economy ahead of performance (subscription req'd)

Source;
http://www.vtec.net/news/news-item?news_item_id=847654

Cars Vs. People: What's More Fuel Efficient?

Ever wondered whether walking was more resource efficient than driving? Although we know we poop more when we exercise, this chart finally helps us to answer that question a bit more scientifically.
It turns out the human body is an extraordinarily efficient machine — much more so than even the most efficient car. Which gets us to wondering — shouldn't we be running our cars on people or Soylent Green?
While we ponder that question — take a look at the full chart here.

Source;
http://jalopnik.com/5165228/cars-vs-people-whats-more-fuel-efficient