2010 Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR PicturesWednesday, June 2, 2010
2010 Scion xB Release Series 7.0
2010 Scion xB will be Release Series 7.0 limited edition at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The 2010 Scion XB RS 7.0 will retail for $18,320 standard, with an automatic transmission adding $950 to the price.The new xB RS 7.0 comes fitted with a four-piece DAMD body kit including front, rear lower lips along with side skirts and a TRD sport muffler on the center of DAMD rear lip.On the interior the xB RS 7.0 will feature exclusive black fabric seats with color-tuned highlights, the RS logo and a leather-wrapped RAZO GT Formula Spec shift knob that delivers a sporty feel.
2010 Scion xB Release Series 7.0 Limited Edition2007 Ferrari F430 cars
2007 Ferrari cars pictures
2007 Ferrari F430 Scuderia
2007 Ferrari F430
2007 Ferrari F430
2007 Ferrari F430 Scuderia
2007 Ferrari F430
2007 Ferrari F430 Scuderia
2007 Ferrari F430
2007 Ferrari F430
2007 Ferrari F430 Scuderia
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
"In our view, the key to winning this race is not declaring a winner until the technology has actually run the race."
John Mendel
Executive Vice President
American Honda Motor Co., Inc.
American Honda’s Executive Vice President of Sales John Mendel, along with other business leaders and academics, gathered at The Ohio State University May 3 to discuss ways of reducing gasoline in transportation in a three-day conference called: Moving Ahead 2010. Following are his excerpted remarks.
It’s great to be in Columbus... a real hometown for Honda. Our first U.S. manufacturing operations were established here 30-plus years ago … and we have a major R&D center that creates many of the products we build here.
Both our manufacturing and R&D operations have a strong relationship with our host, Ohio State University. We have partnered with OSU in advanced research … we employ their graduates …and our associates root fanatically for the Buckeyes. So, we’re very happy that this important new event is kicking off here.
And this is a critically important event. The realization of more efficient and sustainable forms of mobility is key to the future of our planet … and to the future of personal transportation for millions of people around the world.
It’s also key to the future of the auto industry. I’ve been a part of the industry for more than 30 years now. And I think I can say that for all automakers … the ability to develop advanced environmental technologies is no longer just a means to gain competitive advantage. The truth is that any manufacturer without these technologies will not long survive. And you can look at the mergers and joint technology ventures in our industry over the past year as proof of this new reality.
This pursuit of sustainable transportation solutions amounts to something of a new race for our business, with many promising technologies vying for the lead and various companies racing to bring these technologies to market.
But in our view this shouldn’t be the kind of race where different companies or technologies are pitted against one another. Rather, we should race with each other toward a common goal … of creating technology that provides the world with greater mobility … while dramatically reducing CO2 emissions and creating a more sustainable energy future for generations to come.
"The effort to promote the virtues of one technology should not result in the demonizing of another" In our view … the key to winning this race is not declaring a winner until the technology has actually run the race. That’s a critical distinction, because the race for a cleaner and more sustainable future is a marathon, not a sprint. It will be decades before any new technology can be called the all-out winner. And while there are a lot of opinions … and even more desires … no one can say with certainty today which technology or combination of technologies will be first to the finish line. The effort to promote the virtues of one technology should not result in the demonizing of another. … or in policymakers laying all of their chips on the technology du jour … rather than promoting fair and open competition among all the players and all promising technologies.
This is a crucial point. Because rushing to select a winner could lead us in the wrong direction … resulting in the loss not only of time and substantial investment of development resources … but, more importantly, the trust of our customers and society.
Regulators and legislators at both the federal and state levels should adopt this perspective. To put the country on a course toward a single technology without fully understanding the implications … including whether consumers will buy it … will put us behind in achieving our objectives. And in the long run will be very costly to boot.
Rather, the critical role of policymakers should be to tell industry what goals must be met … a performance standard if you will … and leave it to the industry to figure out how to get there. To do that, we will vigorously pursue a variety of viable technologies for the near-, mid- and long-term to determine which approaches best meet the multiple challenges of air quality … climate change … and energy sustainability.
Certainly, there is a lot riding on the ability of the auto industry to create a new technology pathway. But it would be wrong to believe that the right path to the future of the automobile rests solely with the automakers. Indeed, real progress can not be achieved without the efforts of energy companies, governments and NGOs. And all of us must keep our focus on the customer.
Automakers can’t just build technologically advanced automobiles. We must make automobiles fully functioning … so people want to buy them … and affordable … so people can buy them.
Government can have tremendous influence on this outcome through regulations and energy policies that foster a marketplace that will remain open to a fair competition among the various technologies. This will allow the marketplace to do its job as the ultimate judge of who wins and who loses.
As a case in point, a little more than ten years since Honda introduced America’s first hybrid vehicle, there are some 26 distinct hybrid models on the market … but they still represent just around 2 percent of the total market. And even this level of penetration has benefited from generous incentives from the government and industry.
The reality is that the price of gasoline is the single greatest influence on the sales of more fuel-efficient vehicles including hybrids. If we can’t convince people to move to a hybrid … which is as fully-functioning and as easy to refuel as an internal combustion engine vehicle … we have to seriously consider what will get them to accept battery electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles with their myriad limitations including cost, driving range, and re-fueling or recharging issues.
"We must ultimately replace petroleum as the fuel that powers personal transportation." What we do know … is that we must ultimately replace petroleum as the fuel that powers personal transportation. But accomplishing this challenge requires that we focus on two critical needs … a reduction of petroleum use and a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. These are related goals in many cases because burning less gasoline reduces CO2 emissions. But the size of that reduction depends on which alternative is adopted and how it is deployed.
Looking at the technology race … will this mean hybrids … plug-in hybrids … biofuel … battery electric vehicles … fuel cell electric vehicles? The answer is … well … “yes.” Because we need to manage short, mid- and long-range demands of society in balance with the evolution of all these technologies. And the reality is that each technology has unique challenges somewhere along that timeline. And even long term solutions require step-by-step progress that must begin today.
So, developing multiple pathways makes more sense than trying to pick tomorrow’s winner today. And by the way, there may well be more than one winner. For instance, we might find that small battery electric vehicles work for commuting … with a fuel cell electric vehicle a better solution for heavier vehicles or for longer trips.
Surely, the internal combustion engine will continue to play a role in personal transportation ... and can be made more efficient. Additionally, bio-fuels represent a great potential alternative to gasoline. But it has to be the right biofuel. The key to the success of biofuels is that we should be able to simply “drop it in” to the existing fleet using the existing infrastructure.
But the drive for bio-ethanol derived from food stocks was a case where prematurely picking a winner may not have made a big contribution to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. And while I realize that it was good business for our nation’s farmers, it actually created a host of unintended problems … and undermined credibility with consumers.
Honda is now working on so-called second-generation biofuels – which means the sustainable production of alcohol-based fuels from plant waste material, instead of edible plants. The potential for algae-derived bio-gasoline is also promising because it would offer the additional merit of not needing to change-over cars to run on ethanol…and avoids new infrastructure costs. But these technologies are a long way from mass production.
One of the best alternative fuel opportunities in our grasp today is natural gas. I don’t suggest this to promote the fact that Honda is the only automaker mass-producing a natural gas vehicle … the Civic GX. Natural gas is an inexpensive, clean burning and abundant domestic fuel. The Civic GX is the cleanest vehicle powered by an internal combustion engine that the EPA has ever certified for everyday use. And natural gas results in 25 percent lower CO2 emissions than gasoline.
However, without a convenient and affordable refueling infrastructure natural gas cannot succeed. It’s an important lesson. When it comes to an alternative fuel … no matter how good the technology … no automaker can go down the path alone.
For the near-term, expanded use of hybrid technology represents the best direction to reduce petroleum use … because hybrids leverage both existing internal combustion engine technology and our existing petroleum refueling infrastructure … and represent a bridge to the next generation of electromotive technologies.
But even with hybrids, cost and affordability must continue to be addressed. As I said earlier, there is a strong correlation between hybrid sales and the price of gasoline which demonstrates that consumers are looking closely at the cost benefit ratio … and many still don’t see the overall benefit.
"Honda's strategy is focused on affordability" That’s why Honda’s strategy is focused on affordability, with the goal to make hybrid technology available and appealing to more people.
We have created a family of hybrid models that meet a variety of needs and interests … high fuel economy … a fun-to-drive sporty coupe … and a mainstream family sedan … with additional plans to introduce hybrid technology to our luxury Acura brand lineup in the coming years.
Looking ahead, what will advance and extend the contribution of hybrid vehicles is the introduction of lithium ion battery technology. But improvements in both the performance and cost of batteries are required. Toward this end, Honda has invested in a joint venture to accelerate our ability to introduce lithium ion batteries in future hybrids.
Plug-in hybrids are also being looked to with increasing interest. Certainly, plug-ins would contribute positively to energy sustainability and energy security concerns. But in some areas plug-ins are actually worse than regular hybrids in reducing CO2 emissions.
Also, the larger battery required for a plug-in hybrid vehicle increases the vehicle weight and cost, reducing overall efficiency, while raising additional concerns about battery durability and cost. These issues diminish the payback for a smaller-sized plug-in hybrid vehicle. I don’t mean to suggest that Honda doesn’t believe in plug-ins … with our focus on original technology, we obviously have a few things in the kitchen. But any near-term alternative energy technology we green light for production must offer promise in reducing CO2 emissions and be affordable and practical for the customer.
Of course, there is renewed excitement about battery electric vehicles. And Honda understands electromotive technologies as well as anyone. Starting in 1997, we leased some 340 Honda EV Plus electric vehicles to customers … primarily in California. We developed the EV Plus from scratch as an electric car and it was the first to use non-lead acid batteries.
Looking at real world electric range … which includes the EPA’s 30 percent downward adjustment … our 1997 EV Plus had superior or at least comparable driving range to most of the models now coming “to market.” Fifteen years later, even with the advent of lithium ion batteries, the cost of the battery remains extremely high … as much as half the cost of the vehicle. So, despite legitimate advancements … the technology and the infrastructure remain significant hurdles to high-volume market appeal.
Battery electric vehicles contribute to energy security and the reduced use of petroleum … but like plug-ins they’re not the best solution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions until there are fundamental changes in the nation’s grid. This is a concern shared in other regions of the world. A top executive with a Chinese automaker said just last week that with China deriving 83 percent of its electricity from coal that now is “not the right time to promote pure electric vehicles” in that country.
"Honda is conducting research on a short-distance battery electric vehicle as a 'city commuter car'" There remains hope for the future … and that’s why Honda is conducting research on a short-distance battery electric vehicle as a "city commuter car" – which we see as the practical limit of the technology at the present time. We're now studying the U.S. market with a view to introducing this electric commuter car in the future.
But we continue to believe that a fuel cell electric vehicle is the ultimate solution to reduce CO2 emissions … and meet the real world needs and expectations of consumers. A fuel cell car is a full electric vehicle. But rather than use electricity from the grid, it generates electricity on board.
Among all electromotive technology options fuel cell electric vehicles are about as close to identical to the functionality of existing gasoline-powered automobiles as you can get. As a practical daily driver, the Honda FCX Clarity is a fuel cell electric vehicle with 240 miles driving range … nearly triple that of today’s EVs. And compared to the slow recharging requirements of a battery electric vehicle, the fuel cell electric car can be refilled with hydrogen in minutes. Clarity is also a spacious and comfortable mid-size sedan that has surprised the people who have driven it … including our 15 lease customers in California now driving it on a daily basis.
Importantly, even using natural gas to produce the hydrogen, the Clarity achieves a 62 percent reduction in CO2 emissions. And a 40% reduction versus a battery electric vehicle that uses electricity from the U.S average power grid. For the long-term, we are working on producing hydrogen from renewable sources. One such interesting approach is Honda’s long-term investment to develop a next-generation prototype solar hydrogen station … now operating at our Los Angeles R&D center. This compact system was designed with the idea of daily home refueling of a fuel cell electric vehicle.
Certainly, as with other alternative fuel technologies, fuel cell electric vehicles have challenges to overcome … including a refueling infrastructure and cost reduction. But the full functionality of the vehicle and the potential of a solar hydrogen station are the reasons we view the fuel cell electric vehicle as the ultimate alternative to petroleum … and the best path to reduce CO2 emissions in the long run.
But as I said at the outset … when it comes to alternative fuels, no automaker can be successful without support from energy companies, policymakers and consumers. For fuel cell electric vehicles, there was the promise of a hydrogen highway in California … as well as federal support for fuel cell technology. But this seems to be in constant peril … whether due to the difficult economy or as some new technology comes along. There must be consistent and sustained policy in the near term … to realize the tremendous benefits that fuel cell electric vehicles offer for the long term.
"Policymakers must play an expansive role by defining the goals but not the specific technologies." Policymakers must play an expansive role, not a limiting role … by defining the goals … but not the specific technologies. Government can also contribute through effective energy policies that support both near and longer-tem solutions, and working in partnership with all the key players … while avoiding the temptation to pre-determine the winners and losers before the race has been run.
You know … I realize there is a lot of skepticism about the will and skill of the traditional auto industry to make a real contribution to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions … and to wean America and the world from its dependence on petroleum. After all, we have earned a reputation … as an industry … as being anti anything the government wanted us to do. Years ago, this actually prompted a quote from our founder Mr. Honda that I will paraphrase for you … he said “when the government passes new regulations, some companies hire 50 more lawyers while Honda hires 50 more engineers.”
I know that the industry CAN lead. Air quality advances over the last 40 years have been nothing short of astounding. And I’m proud to say that Honda led the way … or as some have said … showed the way in meeting virtually every low emission vehicle standard established by the federal government and the state of California.
I’m talking about a thousand-fold reduction in hydrocarbon emissions that the entire industry has now achieved … to the point where we have gasoline internal combustion engines that can achieve credit as Partial Zero Emission Vehicles.
I cannot make the case that this success is an indication of what we can do on every issue … but I think it demonstrates what can be accomplished when the industry and policy makers focus on a key objective. And that’s what we must do now.
The challenges we now face are different … but by entering into a race with each other. by focusing on the same finish line … and by making certain our technology solutions meet the needs of our customers … I know we can advance personal mobility … and protect our planet. And that will make winners out of us all.
Thank you for your attention. And enjoy the rest of the conference.
Source;
http://www.hondanews.com/categories/1346/releases/5459
Executive Vice President
American Honda Motor Co., Inc.
American Honda’s Executive Vice President of Sales John Mendel, along with other business leaders and academics, gathered at The Ohio State University May 3 to discuss ways of reducing gasoline in transportation in a three-day conference called: Moving Ahead 2010. Following are his excerpted remarks.It’s great to be in Columbus... a real hometown for Honda. Our first U.S. manufacturing operations were established here 30-plus years ago … and we have a major R&D center that creates many of the products we build here.
Both our manufacturing and R&D operations have a strong relationship with our host, Ohio State University. We have partnered with OSU in advanced research … we employ their graduates …and our associates root fanatically for the Buckeyes. So, we’re very happy that this important new event is kicking off here.
And this is a critically important event. The realization of more efficient and sustainable forms of mobility is key to the future of our planet … and to the future of personal transportation for millions of people around the world.
It’s also key to the future of the auto industry. I’ve been a part of the industry for more than 30 years now. And I think I can say that for all automakers … the ability to develop advanced environmental technologies is no longer just a means to gain competitive advantage. The truth is that any manufacturer without these technologies will not long survive. And you can look at the mergers and joint technology ventures in our industry over the past year as proof of this new reality.
This pursuit of sustainable transportation solutions amounts to something of a new race for our business, with many promising technologies vying for the lead and various companies racing to bring these technologies to market.
But in our view this shouldn’t be the kind of race where different companies or technologies are pitted against one another. Rather, we should race with each other toward a common goal … of creating technology that provides the world with greater mobility … while dramatically reducing CO2 emissions and creating a more sustainable energy future for generations to come.
"The effort to promote the virtues of one technology should not result in the demonizing of another" In our view … the key to winning this race is not declaring a winner until the technology has actually run the race. That’s a critical distinction, because the race for a cleaner and more sustainable future is a marathon, not a sprint. It will be decades before any new technology can be called the all-out winner. And while there are a lot of opinions … and even more desires … no one can say with certainty today which technology or combination of technologies will be first to the finish line. The effort to promote the virtues of one technology should not result in the demonizing of another. … or in policymakers laying all of their chips on the technology du jour … rather than promoting fair and open competition among all the players and all promising technologies.
This is a crucial point. Because rushing to select a winner could lead us in the wrong direction … resulting in the loss not only of time and substantial investment of development resources … but, more importantly, the trust of our customers and society.
Regulators and legislators at both the federal and state levels should adopt this perspective. To put the country on a course toward a single technology without fully understanding the implications … including whether consumers will buy it … will put us behind in achieving our objectives. And in the long run will be very costly to boot.
Rather, the critical role of policymakers should be to tell industry what goals must be met … a performance standard if you will … and leave it to the industry to figure out how to get there. To do that, we will vigorously pursue a variety of viable technologies for the near-, mid- and long-term to determine which approaches best meet the multiple challenges of air quality … climate change … and energy sustainability.
Certainly, there is a lot riding on the ability of the auto industry to create a new technology pathway. But it would be wrong to believe that the right path to the future of the automobile rests solely with the automakers. Indeed, real progress can not be achieved without the efforts of energy companies, governments and NGOs. And all of us must keep our focus on the customer.
Automakers can’t just build technologically advanced automobiles. We must make automobiles fully functioning … so people want to buy them … and affordable … so people can buy them.
Government can have tremendous influence on this outcome through regulations and energy policies that foster a marketplace that will remain open to a fair competition among the various technologies. This will allow the marketplace to do its job as the ultimate judge of who wins and who loses.
As a case in point, a little more than ten years since Honda introduced America’s first hybrid vehicle, there are some 26 distinct hybrid models on the market … but they still represent just around 2 percent of the total market. And even this level of penetration has benefited from generous incentives from the government and industry.
The reality is that the price of gasoline is the single greatest influence on the sales of more fuel-efficient vehicles including hybrids. If we can’t convince people to move to a hybrid … which is as fully-functioning and as easy to refuel as an internal combustion engine vehicle … we have to seriously consider what will get them to accept battery electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles with their myriad limitations including cost, driving range, and re-fueling or recharging issues.
"We must ultimately replace petroleum as the fuel that powers personal transportation." What we do know … is that we must ultimately replace petroleum as the fuel that powers personal transportation. But accomplishing this challenge requires that we focus on two critical needs … a reduction of petroleum use and a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. These are related goals in many cases because burning less gasoline reduces CO2 emissions. But the size of that reduction depends on which alternative is adopted and how it is deployed.
Looking at the technology race … will this mean hybrids … plug-in hybrids … biofuel … battery electric vehicles … fuel cell electric vehicles? The answer is … well … “yes.” Because we need to manage short, mid- and long-range demands of society in balance with the evolution of all these technologies. And the reality is that each technology has unique challenges somewhere along that timeline. And even long term solutions require step-by-step progress that must begin today.
So, developing multiple pathways makes more sense than trying to pick tomorrow’s winner today. And by the way, there may well be more than one winner. For instance, we might find that small battery electric vehicles work for commuting … with a fuel cell electric vehicle a better solution for heavier vehicles or for longer trips.
Surely, the internal combustion engine will continue to play a role in personal transportation ... and can be made more efficient. Additionally, bio-fuels represent a great potential alternative to gasoline. But it has to be the right biofuel. The key to the success of biofuels is that we should be able to simply “drop it in” to the existing fleet using the existing infrastructure.
But the drive for bio-ethanol derived from food stocks was a case where prematurely picking a winner may not have made a big contribution to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. And while I realize that it was good business for our nation’s farmers, it actually created a host of unintended problems … and undermined credibility with consumers.
Honda is now working on so-called second-generation biofuels – which means the sustainable production of alcohol-based fuels from plant waste material, instead of edible plants. The potential for algae-derived bio-gasoline is also promising because it would offer the additional merit of not needing to change-over cars to run on ethanol…and avoids new infrastructure costs. But these technologies are a long way from mass production.
One of the best alternative fuel opportunities in our grasp today is natural gas. I don’t suggest this to promote the fact that Honda is the only automaker mass-producing a natural gas vehicle … the Civic GX. Natural gas is an inexpensive, clean burning and abundant domestic fuel. The Civic GX is the cleanest vehicle powered by an internal combustion engine that the EPA has ever certified for everyday use. And natural gas results in 25 percent lower CO2 emissions than gasoline.
However, without a convenient and affordable refueling infrastructure natural gas cannot succeed. It’s an important lesson. When it comes to an alternative fuel … no matter how good the technology … no automaker can go down the path alone.
For the near-term, expanded use of hybrid technology represents the best direction to reduce petroleum use … because hybrids leverage both existing internal combustion engine technology and our existing petroleum refueling infrastructure … and represent a bridge to the next generation of electromotive technologies.
But even with hybrids, cost and affordability must continue to be addressed. As I said earlier, there is a strong correlation between hybrid sales and the price of gasoline which demonstrates that consumers are looking closely at the cost benefit ratio … and many still don’t see the overall benefit.
"Honda's strategy is focused on affordability" That’s why Honda’s strategy is focused on affordability, with the goal to make hybrid technology available and appealing to more people.
We have created a family of hybrid models that meet a variety of needs and interests … high fuel economy … a fun-to-drive sporty coupe … and a mainstream family sedan … with additional plans to introduce hybrid technology to our luxury Acura brand lineup in the coming years.
Looking ahead, what will advance and extend the contribution of hybrid vehicles is the introduction of lithium ion battery technology. But improvements in both the performance and cost of batteries are required. Toward this end, Honda has invested in a joint venture to accelerate our ability to introduce lithium ion batteries in future hybrids.
Plug-in hybrids are also being looked to with increasing interest. Certainly, plug-ins would contribute positively to energy sustainability and energy security concerns. But in some areas plug-ins are actually worse than regular hybrids in reducing CO2 emissions.
Also, the larger battery required for a plug-in hybrid vehicle increases the vehicle weight and cost, reducing overall efficiency, while raising additional concerns about battery durability and cost. These issues diminish the payback for a smaller-sized plug-in hybrid vehicle. I don’t mean to suggest that Honda doesn’t believe in plug-ins … with our focus on original technology, we obviously have a few things in the kitchen. But any near-term alternative energy technology we green light for production must offer promise in reducing CO2 emissions and be affordable and practical for the customer.
Of course, there is renewed excitement about battery electric vehicles. And Honda understands electromotive technologies as well as anyone. Starting in 1997, we leased some 340 Honda EV Plus electric vehicles to customers … primarily in California. We developed the EV Plus from scratch as an electric car and it was the first to use non-lead acid batteries.
Looking at real world electric range … which includes the EPA’s 30 percent downward adjustment … our 1997 EV Plus had superior or at least comparable driving range to most of the models now coming “to market.” Fifteen years later, even with the advent of lithium ion batteries, the cost of the battery remains extremely high … as much as half the cost of the vehicle. So, despite legitimate advancements … the technology and the infrastructure remain significant hurdles to high-volume market appeal.
Battery electric vehicles contribute to energy security and the reduced use of petroleum … but like plug-ins they’re not the best solution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions until there are fundamental changes in the nation’s grid. This is a concern shared in other regions of the world. A top executive with a Chinese automaker said just last week that with China deriving 83 percent of its electricity from coal that now is “not the right time to promote pure electric vehicles” in that country.
"Honda is conducting research on a short-distance battery electric vehicle as a 'city commuter car'" There remains hope for the future … and that’s why Honda is conducting research on a short-distance battery electric vehicle as a "city commuter car" – which we see as the practical limit of the technology at the present time. We're now studying the U.S. market with a view to introducing this electric commuter car in the future.
But we continue to believe that a fuel cell electric vehicle is the ultimate solution to reduce CO2 emissions … and meet the real world needs and expectations of consumers. A fuel cell car is a full electric vehicle. But rather than use electricity from the grid, it generates electricity on board.
Among all electromotive technology options fuel cell electric vehicles are about as close to identical to the functionality of existing gasoline-powered automobiles as you can get. As a practical daily driver, the Honda FCX Clarity is a fuel cell electric vehicle with 240 miles driving range … nearly triple that of today’s EVs. And compared to the slow recharging requirements of a battery electric vehicle, the fuel cell electric car can be refilled with hydrogen in minutes. Clarity is also a spacious and comfortable mid-size sedan that has surprised the people who have driven it … including our 15 lease customers in California now driving it on a daily basis.
Importantly, even using natural gas to produce the hydrogen, the Clarity achieves a 62 percent reduction in CO2 emissions. And a 40% reduction versus a battery electric vehicle that uses electricity from the U.S average power grid. For the long-term, we are working on producing hydrogen from renewable sources. One such interesting approach is Honda’s long-term investment to develop a next-generation prototype solar hydrogen station … now operating at our Los Angeles R&D center. This compact system was designed with the idea of daily home refueling of a fuel cell electric vehicle.
Certainly, as with other alternative fuel technologies, fuel cell electric vehicles have challenges to overcome … including a refueling infrastructure and cost reduction. But the full functionality of the vehicle and the potential of a solar hydrogen station are the reasons we view the fuel cell electric vehicle as the ultimate alternative to petroleum … and the best path to reduce CO2 emissions in the long run.
But as I said at the outset … when it comes to alternative fuels, no automaker can be successful without support from energy companies, policymakers and consumers. For fuel cell electric vehicles, there was the promise of a hydrogen highway in California … as well as federal support for fuel cell technology. But this seems to be in constant peril … whether due to the difficult economy or as some new technology comes along. There must be consistent and sustained policy in the near term … to realize the tremendous benefits that fuel cell electric vehicles offer for the long term.
"Policymakers must play an expansive role by defining the goals but not the specific technologies." Policymakers must play an expansive role, not a limiting role … by defining the goals … but not the specific technologies. Government can also contribute through effective energy policies that support both near and longer-tem solutions, and working in partnership with all the key players … while avoiding the temptation to pre-determine the winners and losers before the race has been run.
You know … I realize there is a lot of skepticism about the will and skill of the traditional auto industry to make a real contribution to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions … and to wean America and the world from its dependence on petroleum. After all, we have earned a reputation … as an industry … as being anti anything the government wanted us to do. Years ago, this actually prompted a quote from our founder Mr. Honda that I will paraphrase for you … he said “when the government passes new regulations, some companies hire 50 more lawyers while Honda hires 50 more engineers.”
I know that the industry CAN lead. Air quality advances over the last 40 years have been nothing short of astounding. And I’m proud to say that Honda led the way … or as some have said … showed the way in meeting virtually every low emission vehicle standard established by the federal government and the state of California.
I’m talking about a thousand-fold reduction in hydrocarbon emissions that the entire industry has now achieved … to the point where we have gasoline internal combustion engines that can achieve credit as Partial Zero Emission Vehicles.
I cannot make the case that this success is an indication of what we can do on every issue … but I think it demonstrates what can be accomplished when the industry and policy makers focus on a key objective. And that’s what we must do now.
The challenges we now face are different … but by entering into a race with each other. by focusing on the same finish line … and by making certain our technology solutions meet the needs of our customers … I know we can advance personal mobility … and protect our planet. And that will make winners out of us all.
Thank you for your attention. And enjoy the rest of the conference.
Source;
http://www.hondanews.com/categories/1346/releases/5459
2011 Honda Accord CrossTour to Get Improved Fuel Economy
When we reviewed Honda’s new Accord Crosstour model, one of our few gripes was in the fuel economy department. Rated at 18/27 mpg (FWD), its not bad, but the lack of a six-speed transmission makes getting the most out of each gallon a bit hard.Honda appears to be ready to announce the addition of a six-speed auto-box for the 2011 model year car, which will go on sale before the end of the year. This is well-ahead of a mid-cycle update, which should take place in the 2013 model year. The new transmission will likely deliver a slight improvement in city fuel economy and as much as 2 mpg out on the highway, making the CrossTour more competitive with the Toyota Venza when it comes to fuel economy.
Honda still has yet to announce any plans on if the CrossTour will be offered with a 4-cylinder.
Source;
http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2010/05/2011-honda-accord-crosstour-to-get-improved-fuel-economy.html
Chinese Honda Strike a Wake-Up Call for Japan
TOKYO — A strike that crippled production at Honda Motor’s factories in China has come as a wake-up call to Japan’s flagship exporters as they seek to remain competitive and make a push into China’s burgeoning market with the help of low-wage workers.The strike, staged by local workers to protest low pay and tough working conditions, has cost the automaker, Japan’s second largest after Toyota, thousands of units in lost production in the world’s biggest auto market. The walkout began May 17 at a Honda transmission factory in southeastern China and has shut down all four of the Japanese automaker’s factories on the mainland.
In Tokyo, the labor action has driven home a salient point: that as Chinese incomes and expectations rise in line with the country’s rapid economic growth while Japan’s own economy falters, the two countries face a realignment that will permanently alter the way their economies interact.
Complicating the picture is that Japanese companies see the Chinese as crucial consumers of their goods to make up for a shrinking, aging market at home. Some of the most profitable Japanese companies, like Fast Retailing, which runs the budget clothing line Uniqlo, have relied on production in China since the 1990s to keep prices low.
Despite the consequences for production costs, a rise in wages and standards of living in China is welcome news for many Japanese exporters: The same companies that produce in China have also scrambled to sell their wares there, moving factories to the mainland to drive costs down further and meet the needs of local customers. In Uniqlo’s case, as incomes in China rose, it followed up with local stores in 2002; the company has opened 64 outlets in China so far, and it aims to open 1,000 stores there in the next decade.
“Japan is starting to realize that the age of cheap wages in China is coming to an end, and companies that looked to China only for lower costs need to change course,” said Tomoo Marukawa, a specialist on the Chinese economy at Tokyo University.
He said the likelihood that Beijing would let the renminbi appreciate in the long term would also eventually add to rising production costs.
“Japanese companies also understand that China is a huge market,” he said. “And to sell there, it makes sense to produce there.”
The 1,900-person strike over pay and work conditions at Honda’s Foshan factory came as a particularly big shock to Honda, which had announced just days before the walkout that it would increase production in China to meet booming demand. Honda’s president, Takanobu Ito, said the automaker would begin major expansions at two joint ventures in China, Guangqi Honda and Dongfeng Honda, increasing capacity by 30 percent to 830,000 cars and minivans by 2012.
In April alone, Honda made 58,814 cars in China, a 28.7 percent increase from the same month the previous year and a monthly record.
The surge was seen at other automakers: Five of six Japanese car manufacturers with factories in China broke production records in April.
“The wave of motorization in China will not abate for the foreseeable future,” Mr. Ito, Honda’s chief executive, said last week. He said that Guangqi Honda would introduce a compact car designed especially for the Chinese market that would be produced there in 2011.
The rise in output in China has been driven by a strong economic recovery in that country, which is buoying auto sales more than in any other major market. The rebound has been a godsend for Japanese automakers, hard-pressed to cut costs in a bid to return to profit following a collapse in car sales in the global economic crisis.
Japanese carmakers are also racing to catch up with rivals after arriving relatively late in the market. The first Honda rolled out of a plant in Guangzhou in 1999, while Toyota did not produce in China until 2002.
Though sales have grown rapidly since then, Japanese carmakers are still struggling against local rivals because of a dearth of small, low-cost models, which are driving market growth in China.
Carmakers have been much more reluctant than other Japanese manufacturers to move the bulk of their production to China and elsewhere, despite high costs at home, because it took longer to relocate production.
Until 2009, when it was overtaken by China, Japan was the world’s biggest producer of cars.
At home, Japanese automakers were reeling from a strong yen, which makes their cars more expensive overseas and erodes the value of overseas profits (see Honda FIT). A public backlash against the layoffs of thousands of temporary workers in Japan in the midst of the economic crisis has raised the specter of more rigid labor laws and clouded the outlook for production lines in Japan, many of which are still idle.
Meanwhile, sales in Japan have remained sluggish while newly frugal consumers in the United States and Europe have kept global auto sales from rebounding to their pre-crisis levels.
That makes the Chinese market even more important to Japan, experts say.
“The significance of the Chinese market to Japan’s automakers is that it has the potential to act as a multi-year growth pillar at a critical juncture when the major driver of the past two decades — the U.S. market — appears less promising from a long-term perspective,“ Clive Wiggins, an auto analyst for Macquarie based in Tokyo, wrote in a report earlier this year.
For Honda, the promise of access to a huge, growing market in China was as much a factor luring it to produce in the country as was cheaper labor. A 25 percent import tariff on foreign cars is also a major incentive for foreign automakers to produce in China.
More quickly than any other major Japanese automaker, Honda has started exporting cars made in China to third countries, with a small plant in Guangdong making its Jazz model for export.
But just as Honda announced it would also increase the number of factory workers it employed in China, workers went on strike. On top of low wages, workers complained about early shifts and working conditions like the temperature produced by the factory’s air conditioning system. The strikers also voiced frustration over a wage gap that has workers dispatched by Honda from Japan paid about 50 times what local Chinese workers receive.
Experts say that at the factory level, Japanese companies will need to start changing the way they work with employees, analysts say — giving local hires fair pay, benefits and a chance for promotion in line with those accorded to employees from headquarters in Japan.
“Japanese manufacturers need to raise morale by making sure that local staff can also climb within the company,” said Tatsuo Matsumoto, Asia researcher at the Japan Center for International Finance.
Japanese companies operating overseas have long been reluctant to promote local hires, partly because managers are afraid that the non-Japanese employees will not be as loyal to the company and will move on to competitors, taking their training and expertise with them.
Even though production costs are expected to rise, an extensive supply base of parts and materials for the auto industry makes it unlikely that Japanese automakers can abandon manufacturing in China. Transplanting what has grown into an unrivaled ecosystem of suppliers would be expensive and take years, analysts say.
“Japanese automakers are heavily invested in China. They’ve already set up a network of suppliers,” said Mr. Marukawa at Tokyo University.
“The strike may trigger a change in thinking at Honda about doing business in China,” he said.
“But they will find it difficult to leave.”
China has begun paying subsidies of as much as 60,000 renminbi, or $8,784, a car to makers of electric and hybrid vehicles on a trial basis in five cities, The Associated Press reported from Shanghai.
Separately, private buyers of such cars can get subsidies of 3,000 renminbi from dealers. The subsidies will be available in Shanghai, Changchun, Shenzhen, Hangzhou and Hefei. The cities are locations of headquarters for major automakers.
The program aims to “help promote faster technological innovation of automotive technology,” the Ministry of Finance said.
Source;
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/02/business/global/02honda.html?src=busln
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