Honda

Airbag maker Takata to book $307 million loss after Japan autos recall

April 18, 2013 09:31 CET
Takata, the airbag manufacturer that last week was cited in the recall of 3.4 million vehicles made by Japanese automakers, said on Thursday it will book an annual extraordinary loss of $307 million.... Read More »

 

Recall of airbags shows risk of global supply chains

April 18, 2013 06:01 CET
A massive vehicle recall by four Japanese automakers because of faulty airbags underscores the perils of huge global supply chains as companies increasingly rely on a handful of suppliers for common or similar parts.... Read More »

 

Consumer acceptance key to autonomous vehicles, SAE panel says

6:05 pm U.S. ET | April 16, 2013
The biggest barrier to autonomous vehicles could end up being consumer acceptance, one expert said during a panel discussion on driver distraction that marked the first day of the SAE World Congress here on Tuesday.... Read More »

 

MARK RECHTIN

The story behind low Acura ILX production numbers

2:18 pm U.S. ET | April 16, 2013
Those with keen eyesight will have noticed an aberration in the production numbers listed by the Automotive News Data Center. The Honda plant in Indiana built just 91 units of the nearly new Acura ILX entry-luxury sedan in March. This came after a couple of previous slower months.... Read More »

 

Suppliers hustle to fill orders

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 15, 2013
As automakers in North America crank up production, suppliers that chopped capacity during the recession have become a critical bottleneck. Asked to boost production, many suppliers say they finally are making money again and are loath to take risks.... Read More »

 

Airbag recall shows risk of global supply chains

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 15, 2013
A massive vehicle recall by four Japanese automakers because of faulty airbags underscores the perils of huge global supply chains as companies increasingly rely on a handful of suppliers for common or similar parts.... Read More »

 

SHANGHAI AUTO SHOW PREVIEW

A bevy of crossovers and SUVs will take center stage at China's auto extravaganza

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 15, 2013
Automakers will test China's huge appetite for crossovers and SUVs with introductions this week at the Shanghai auto show. Acura, BMW, Citroen, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen plan world debuts for compact crossovers, while Jeep -- which arguably started the SUV craze -- will roll out its new Cherokee.... Read More »

 

PRODUCTION LINE

Feds' goal: Daily drivers fueled by natural gas

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 15, 2013
Natural gas -- clean, cheap and plentiful -- fuels a small but growing fleet of 150,000 commercial vehicles in the United States. Now, the U.S. Department of Energy wants to see whether natural gas can be a practical fuel for light vehicles.... Read More »

 

Toyota, other Japanese automakers recall 3.4 million vehicles over airbag

April 11, 2013 10:49 CET
Japanese automakers including Toyota, Nissan and Honda are recalling about 3.4 million vehicles worldwide due to defective airbags supplied by Takata. The recall underscores the risk of huge global supply chain problems as automakers increasingly rely on a handful of suppliers for common or similar parts to cut costs.... Read More »

 

Startup company envisions auctions for CAFE credits

11:36 am U.S. ET | April 9, 2013
Dale Kardos' startup company wants to help car companies buy and sell CAFE credits, which have the potential to tilt the competitive balance of the auto industry toward companies that sell more fuel-efficient cars. Experts say companies with large stockpiles of credits, such as Toyota and Honda, could use them to sell fuel-thirstier vehicles than would otherwise be allowed or simply save them for a rainy day. But they could also sell credits to rivals.... Read More »

 

TONS OF CREDITS

As Obama's CO2 regulations get tough, automakers -- especially Japanese -- have already earned a big cushion

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 8, 2013
As automakers ratchet down the fuel consumption of their cars to meet tougher federal standards, the top Japanese automakers already have an enormous head start from credits they earned since the 2009 model year.... Read More »

 

BMW mulls exports of China joint-brand cars

April 4, 2013 06:01 CET
BMW may export cars built under a new brand developed with Chinese partner Brilliance Automotive to mature and developing markets, global sales boss Ian Robertson said. BMW hadn’t decided which markets outside China the new brand would be sold in, but mature markets such as Europe hadn’t been ruled out, Robertson said.... Read More »

 

Japan automakers' China sales continue to struggle

3:38 pm U.S. ET | April 3, 2013
Japanese car makers' sales in China in the first three months of the year have yet to recover fully from last year's slump, and foreign rivals are capitalizing in a market which expects 7 percent growth in 2013.... Read More »

 

U.S. sales climb again, reach volume last seen in '07

5:08 pm U.S. ET | April 2, 2013
In the highest-volume month since August 2007, automakers broadly advanced to sell 1.45 million light vehicles in March. That's only 3 percent higher than strong year-earlier results. But the seasonally adjusted annual selling rate of 15.3 million made March the fifth straight month above 15 million and signaled a continued industry rally.... Read More »

 

MARCH U.S. SALES

Honda, Detroit 3 set pace as March sales advance 3%

8:00 am U.S. ET | April 2, 2013
Light-vehicle sales -- led by strong pickup and crossover demand at Detroit's automakers -- rose 3 percent to 1.45 million units last month, slightly below forecasts but a positive signal the spring selling season is off to a solid start. It was the industry's best month since 1.48 million light vehicles were sold in August 2007.... Read More »

 

Accord fuels Honda gains in March

4:40 pm U.S. ET | April 2, 2013
Boosted by strong Accord sales and new Acura products, American Honda's March sales of 136,038 units rose 7 percent over last March's numbers.... Read More »

 

APRIL FOOLS' NEWS

Today's innovations: In-vehicle hair care, dating app, more

2:31 pm U.S. ET | April 1, 2013
The auto industry was full of revolutionary technology and new product announcements today. Honda and BMW said they are carving out new niches by putting hair-care and dating technologies at busy drivers' fingertips. Subaru announced a new BRZ variant and Volvo heralded a new safety system.... Read More »

 

SPECIAL REPORT

The juggernaut that's not: Japan

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 1, 2013
Thirty years ago, Japan Inc.'s formidable battery of domestic auto plants seemed ready to conquer the world. But in a dramatic reversal, the Japanese are tensely witnessing the decline of the auto industry on their own turf. Much of the lost production is moving to North America.... Read More »

 

THE U.S. VIEW

Reversal of fortune: N.A. boom, Japan gloom

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 1, 2013
As Japanese companies grapple with the unfamiliar reality of auto worker layoffs and offshoring, their North American counterparts are racing to build plants, expand existing ones and hire workers.... Read More »

 

GM targets higher resale values to boost profits, margins

12:19 am U.S. ET | March 30, 2013
GM, seeking to boost its profit margins, says it can save as much as $200 million annually by improving resale values of its vehicles and further narrowing the gap with competitors who don't have to spend as much to offer lease deals.... Read More »

 

2013 NEW YORK AUTO SHOW

Acura adds longer wheelbase, roominess to MDX

12:00 pm U.S. ET | March 27, 2013
While slightly narrower, the redesigned 2014 Acura MDX gains several inches of wheelbase and two inches of overall length to increase roominess. Responding to Sun Belt dealers' requests, the MDX will be sold with a front-drive powertrain as well as with its traditional all-wheel-drive setup.... Read More »

 

MARK RECHTIN

Why the '14 Honda Odyssey won't be a crummy minivan

5:00 pm U.S. ET | March 26, 2013
Don't take this the wrong way, but the 2014 Honda Odyssey sucks. Literally. For its midcycle freshening, the Odyssey is including the "HondaVAC," which Honda claims is the first-ever in-vehicle vacuum system.... Read More »

 

NEW YORK AUTO SHOW PREVIEW

Show to star a cavalcade of crossovers and SUVs

12:01 am U.S. ET | March 25, 2013
A parade of new and redesigned crossovers and SUVs will headline the New York auto show this week. The list includes the Jeep Cherokee, which replaces the Liberty, and new renditions of the Acura MDX, Toyota Highlander and Range Rover Sport. Subaru will debut a hybrid version of its XV Crosstrek.... Read More »

 

Pizazz, passion, props win Acura ad account

12:01 am U.S. ET | March 25, 2013
With a flashy and well researched pitch, Mullen Advertising won American Honda's Acura account over incumbent RPA and others by promising to focus Acura's message and inject more emotion into its ads.... Read More »

 

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

RPA has been part of Honda's success

12:01 am U.S. ET | March 25, 2013
RPA has been a great part of the Honda success story. I look forward to the next generation of Honda products and the next level of RPA marketing support.... Read More »