Man allegedly takes car on 1,000-mile test drive

AP) JANESVILLE, Wis. (AP) - A Massachusetts man who allegedly kidnapped a car salesman during a test drive and drove the vehicle more than 1,000 miles was in custody in Wisconsin. Authorities said a Wisconsin State Patrol trooper pulled over a 32-year-old man near Edgerton, Wis. on Friday for speeding, reckless driving and operating a motor vehicle without owner consent.

The suspect is expected to be extradited back to Massachusetts to face charges of kidnapping, larceny of a motor vehicle and unarmed robbery.

The incident began Thursday afternoon when the man and a Honda car salesman went on a test drive but the man refused to turn back around. The salesman was able to get out of the car when it slowed at a tollbooth near the Massachusetts state line.

Source (via Jalopnik);
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/10/19/ap/strange/main5397769.shtml

Sales Watch: Honda Accord sales creeping up on Toyota Camry?

While the Honda Accord dominated the 1990s, it has been virtually all Toyota Camry in the new century. Yet a look back at the first six months of 2009 shows that the newer, larger Accord is continuing to gain ground on its chief rival. Camry sales have so far remained top in its segment, with 150,242 sales in the first half of the year. The Accord isn't far behind, though, as it has amassed 131,143 sales through June; only 19,199 behind Camry.

Wards Auto reports that the Accord's gains have been consistent over the past three years, as the sales gap went from 94,004 in 2006 to 80,877 in 2007 and 63,828 in 2008. With sales deeply depressed so far in 2009, though, the numbers can be a bit deceiving. Still, the Camry has seen a 37.4% drop in sales, as compared to 36.3% for the Accord.Toyota told Wards that one reason for the Accord's improved sales verses the Camry are increasing incentives on the full-size Honda. According to Edmunds, the Accord's April incentives increased four-fold verses the automaker's April, 2008 numbers. Even more interesting is the fact that cash on the hood has increased since April, hitting $2,183 in June. The Camry, on the other hand, had $1,538 on the hood last month; down over $400 compared to May.

Source;
http://www.autoblog.com/2009/07/16/sales-watch-honda-accord-sales-creeping-up-on-toyota-camry/

New Honda CEO: U.S. Recovery to Take Two Years or More

New Honda Motor Co. Ltd. CEO Takanobu Ito says the light-vehicle market in the U.S. may be depressed for another two years, possibly longer.

“When you look at the state of the (U.S.) economy, it's difficult to imagine that it would recover in the next two years,” Reuters reports Ito as saying at his first public speech in Japan today.

Honda’s U.S. sales are down 33.5% through June, slightly better than the total LV falloff of 35.1%, Ward’s data show.

Ito says the emerging markets of China and India still hold promise for Honda. As such, he wants Honda to go head-to-head with Tata Motors Ltd.’s Nano, a stance opposite that of former Honda CEO Takeo Fukui, who believed Honda’s motorcycles were an appropriate, low-cost option for Indian buyers.

“In India, they adore such low-cost vehicles, and we should respect such desires,” Ito says of the Nano, without divulging any details about Honda’s plans for a rival vehicle.

Meanwhile, Ito reiterates Honda’s desire to bring two new hybrid-electric vehicles to market next year in Japan.

The CR-Z sport coupe is due to arrive in February, while an HEV version of the Fit subcompact is to launch sometime before the end of 2010, he says.

Only the CR-Z is slated for the U.S. and Europe, with timing still undetermined.

Honda recently launched its next-generation Insight HEV, which Ito says is doing well in Japan.

Honda added another shift of production at its Suzuka plant in mid June to meet demand.

However, U.S. sales of 7,524 units through June are off pace of the 80,000-90,000 Honda hoped to sell in the U.S. this year, which Ito blames on prioritizing Japan orders and production capacity limitations.

Ito says Honda has placed almost all engineers formerly devoted to its Formula One racing activities on hybrid development.

Honda, Ito says, is accelerating development on a hybrid system similar to that of rival Toyota Motor Corp., which utilizes two electric motors in concert with a gasoline engine. The system is due to be installed in medium and large vehicles.

Source;
http://wardsauto.com/home/honda_us_recovery_090713/

Japan; Honda's Insight hatchback makes lightning fast entry into top-10 list

Kyodo News

Honda Motor Co.'s Insight hybrid hatchback, which only made its showroom debut Feb. 6, made the top-10 sales list for February with monthly sales of 4,906 units, an industry body said Thursday.

The Japan Automobile Dealers Association attributed the five-door, gasoline-electric hybrid's entry to the list to its high fuel-economy and affordable sticker price.
The main customer groups of the Insight were middle-aged and senior drivers, as well as people with families, it said.

In contrast, Toyota Motor Corp.'s Prius hybrid hatchback fell to 12th from January's fifth place with sales of 4,524 units, down 22.2 percent, according to data released by the association.
The drop in demand for the Prius was due to competition from the Insight, as well as to the economy's overall deterioration, which has weighed heavily on the auto market, according to association officials.

The basic Insight model retails for ¥1.890 million, compared with ¥2.331 million for the basic Prius.

Orders for the Insight topped 15,000 units by the end of February, triple Honda's monthly sales goal.

Saitama green deal

Honda Motor Co. said Thursday it has agreed with the Saitama Prefectural Government to strengthen their cooperation to preserve the environment, including by increasing the use of fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly cars.

Under the agreement, signed by Honda President Takeo Fukui and Saitama Gov. Kiyoshi Ueda, the two parties will also cooperate in the promotion of environmental education, with Honda dispatching instructors to programs for teaching fuel-efficient driving.

Honda's announcement came a day after Nissan Motor Co. announced a five-year joint project with Yokohama to realize a sustainable zero-emission transportation system in the city.

Source;
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nb20090306a4.html

Honda Malaysia scores highest monthly sales ever thanks to new 2009 Honda City

The Honda City seems to be defying the current financial downturn as it has helped propel Honda Malaysia Sdn Bhd achieve its highest monthly sales ever in history, bringing Honda market share up to 10% of the Total Industry Volume, in a market that has shrunk by 17.5% year on year. Honda scored 1,693 units of the Honda City in January 2009, which is nearly 50% of total Honda sales of 3,815 units. The Civic, Accord and CR-V scored sales of 734, 803 and 413 units respectively. Honda dealership traffic has also doubled ever since the City’s launch. Honda Malaysia has bumped up production for the City by 20% to shorten the waiting period and the Pegoh Plant in Malacca is running at full capacity on two 10-hour shifts and even the occasional runtime during holidays. Read our past coverage of the 2009 Honda City linked below.

Source;
http://paultan.org/archives/2009/02/27/honda-malaysia-scores-highest-monthly-sales-ever-thanks-to-new-2009-honda-city/