The new Fit hit Japan back in October, overtaking Toyota’s Corolla to become Japan’s number one selling new car, and it is to be at Tokyo’s Auto Salon next month that Honda will debut the Fit Luxe’ster - a new concept in supermini customisation. While it may be no Type-R, this RS-based luxury model Fit is a healthy stretch towards the D-segment with an abundance of luxurious splashes and stylish highlights.

An exclusive range of upholstered seats are available on the new Luxe’ster, although the leather tan upholstery somewhat more attractively adorns door panels, steering wheel, gearstick knob and a section of the dash than it does the seats. A two-toned fabric option is however of particular intrigue and available combined with white in blue, red and gray. Without a leather upholstered cabin, plastic panels for dashboard and doors are available in the above matching colours.

Fifteen inch aluminium wheels and a rear spoiler accentuate the exterior for a more individually-tailored Fit while for a more ambient entry, the Fit’s footwell, complemented by chrome sports pedals, can be lit in blue, red or amber upon door opening. Exclusive Fit nameplates on the door thresholds and new chrome details front and rear finish off the Luxe’ster. All modifications are individually-priced for ultimate customisation.

For the supermini that has toppled the Corolla, this is a Fit whose finish is set to win over yet more Japanese buyers with its new options range. The Fit, branded for Europe as the Jazz, will hit US and European markets from early 2009.

When the Acura Advanced Sports Car Concept made its debut at Detroit in 2007, it became evident that a new Acura NSX would not be available in 2008. Now, a Honda official has confirmed to Ward’s Auto that the next generation Acura NSX will debut in 2010.

“We are developing it without any delay, so most probably we will have it in the period we already promised,” American Honda President and CEO Tetsuo Iwamura told a Ward’s Auto reporter.

Previously, Honda CEO Takeo ***ui had said the car would come out between 2008 and 2009. In a 2005 speech, ***ui had said Honda would like to introduce a V-10 sports car “in three to four years.” When the Advanced Sports Car Concept was shown off in Detroit, ***ui said a production version would be introduced at the October Tokyo Motor Show.

Despite the pressure placed on Honda by Nissan, which had planned - and succeded - in introducing their GT-R at Tokyo, Honda was unable to complete their production model. Rumors have since surfaced that an unenthusiastic responce to the concept sent the model back to the engineers for a reworking. The concept was designed by Acura’s Los Angeles-based design team.

The end result is likely that the introduction of the Acura brand to Japan will be delayed, which could mean Americans might get the first shot at the NSX. If Honda retains similar specs as the Acura Advanced Sports Car Concept, then you can expect the new Acura NSX to be a supercar with a front-mounted V-10, and a highly-tuned rear-wheel drive version of Acura’s Super Handling All-Wheel Drive system

Honda has decided to start a little early in the hype-building game for the all new Honda Accord Tourer. Set to debut at the Geneva Motor Show on March 4, the new Accord Tourer will be targeting the BMW 3-Series and the rest of the compact executive car class.

Introduced as a concept car at Frankfurt last year, Honda pushed development of the five-door Accord Tourer rapidly, bringing out this production version just five months later. The Honda Accord Tourer will keep many of the styling cues of its siblings, but as we can see from the close-up photos provided by the automaker, there will be some key differences to the shape of the headlights and LED taillights. Driving capabilities should be similar to the other Accords, while designing the interior to be as sleek and comfortable as possible for everyone in the cabin.

Although the press release says that both the “new Accord and Accord Tourer models will be unveiled” at the event, the Honda press office has told WorldCarFans that the lid will be lifted off the Tourer only. However, we wonder if Honda will in fact show off the Euro version of the Accord spied last October.

Sadly, the Japanese automaker has refused request to release specifications about the car, but we do know the car will be Euro 5 compliant (like the rest of the Accord lineup), and that it will posess a bevy of safety features. This should make the Accord Tourer something to scare the folks over at Volvo. Honda is expected to release more information about the car in less than three weeks.

Sales of the all new Honda Accord Tourer will begin in early summer.
Press Release
Close-up of the all-new Honda Accord

23 January, 2008 - Honda has released first glimpses of the new Accord which debuts at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show.

The new Accord boasts quality features to challenge established premium contenders in the executive D-segment. Sporty styling and enticing driving dynamics are offered while strong environmental credentials impress in an all Euro 5 emissions-compliant engine line up.

The refined interior is designed with carefully selected materials to create an outstanding standard of fit and finish. To complement the exceptional level of travelling comfort the interior is characterised by a strong feeling of personal space for both the driver and passengers.

Technical details are still under wraps but the new Accord has a unique package of passive and active safety features to deliver even greater confidence.

The new Accord and Accord Tourer models will be unveiled on Honda’s stand at 08:30 on 4 March, 2008, at the Geneva Motor Show.

Sales of the models will commence in early summer.

More information will follow on 11 February, 2008.

Hybrid engines work by combining an energy storage unit and a fueled power source, normally a battery and an internal combustion engine. The battery is meant to recapture and store any source of energy produced and wasted throughout various driving stages; for instance the energy wasted during braking. Interestingly, Honda has found a new alternative source of energy in respect of this.

The Japanese automaker is currently involved in a research using a Rankine cycle co-generation unit, in which the system works by capturing the exhaust heat from the engine and converting it to electricity. The physics behind this concept is very simple. High-pressured water is pumped into the evaporator and converted into steam by using the heat from the engine. This steam is then channelled into a volumetric expander to rotate a generator and produce electric current, which is stored in the battery pack.

Honda managed to successfully defeat the uncertainties on this system, by fitting the said unit into a standard Honda Stream and testing it. The test unit generated three times more electricity than other common systems found in hybrid cars these days.

http://www.worldcarfans.com/9080218.017/honda-tests-advanced-hybrid-system

The new Honda hybrid coupe, based on the Honda CR-Z concept, is expected to cost roughly 25,000 euros with higher trim levels bringing the price up to 28k. This news comes from Honda UK’s Mark Turner in an interview with Automotive News.

Turner indicates that “Europe is a key market for this model,” and it should be. With European legislators making it clear they will continue to press for emissions reductions and fuel economy, the production version of the CR-Z could play an important role in Honda reaching their target of selling 400,000 to 500,000 hybrids per year.

Honda CEO Takeo Fukui mentioned that target figure at the NAIAS last January, with expectations of hitting that target by 2011. A sports coupe derived from the CR-Z concept will be one of the three hybrids on Honda’s roster, according to Fukui.

Because of the importance of this vehicle, Europe will have a lot of influence on the final design of the car already three years in the making. “We have a big say in the design, and the engineering and R&D are being finished at Offenbach in Germany,” Turner was quoted as saying.

But don’t expect the car to diverge too far away from the design of the CR-Z concept. “If we could deliver a car that looked like that,” Turner said, “it would be a big success whatever power unit we had in it.” The CR-Z, which stands for Compact Renaissance Zero, was originally designed to be more open than other small cars.

Although a fully petrol version of the production CR-Z is also under consideration, expect to see the CR-Z production model with a mild hybrid powertrain, similar to Spring 2009’s expected Global Hybrid. This system allows an electric motor to work in tandem with a petrol engine, but not on its own. Energy from braking is used to help recharge the batteries and fuel the electrics.

http://www.worldcarfans.com/9080220.014/honda-cr-z-production-update

One of the most prestigious and sought-after awards in the world has been won by the new Honda Accord Tourer (for Europe). The 51st International Red Dot Award for high design quality now belongs to the sharp Accord Tourer. This is actually the third time Honda has received the nod on this particular award, the first being for Honda 2000 in 2001 and Civic in 2006.

Entries numbered over 3,000 for this time, coming from far far away places – none off the planet though – numbering 51 countries to be exact.

Prof. Dr Peter Zec, Initiator of the red dot design awards, said: “Faced with the greater number of high-quality products, our international jury of acknowledged experts this year found the task of selecting the winner to be particularly challenging. This distinction explicitly acknowledges your creativity and innovative drive, and pays tribute to the high quality standards of your product.”

The future for these awards will be even more challenging as automotive design moves into the next phase where consolidation is key, at the same time consideration for safety, environment, more performance comes to the fore.

http://www.worldcarfans.com/9080322.002/honda-accord-tourer–wins-international-red-dot-award