Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (TYO:7267) has announced that it will begin selling aftermarket parts for the Beat, a kei-class two-seat convertible sold from 1991 to 1996. Initial sales will include five parts: front and rear wheels, driver’s seat belt, license plate light and heater motor. The company will release an additional 75 parts sequentially starting...
Honda
Honda Looks to Quadruple Acura Sales, Expand Store Network in China
Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (TYO:7267) has announced that it plans to quadruple the sales of its Acura luxury brand in China, selling 30,000 units per year from 2020 onward. As part of this initiative, Honda will ramp up its promotion of the brand in an attempt to reach a wider customer base and gain a...
Honda Turns to Continental as Sole Parts Provider for New Driver Assist System
Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (TYO:7267) will adopt a system from Germany’s Continental AG for its expressway autonomous driving technology to go into commercial use in 2020. The Japanese automaker is aiming to gain a competitive edge in the competitive development of autonomous driving technology by procuring parts from Continental, which has extensive know-how in this...
Honda Announces Launch of New Accord for North America
Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (TYO:7267) announced on July 17 that it will launch the new Accord in North America this autumn. The new model marks the 10th generation of the Accord and has been completely redesigned to offer new features. With a sporty design that has an increased width to keep total height low, the...
BorgWarner Gives Boost to Honda Civic With New Wastegate Turbocharger
BorgWarner Inc. announced on July 12 that its electrically actuated wastegate turbocharger has been adopted by Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (TYO:7267) for a new 1.0-liter gasoline-powered engine. The turbocharger regulates the exhaust gas inflow into the turbine and is to go in Asian and European versions of the Honda Civic. The new B01 turbocharger improves...
Nissan Makes Full-Fledged Effort to Increase EV Sales in China
Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. (TYO:7201) has announced a full-fledged effort to increase its sales of electric vehicles (EVs) in China, developing new SUV and sedan EVs exclusively for the Chinese market. In addition to introducing these new EV models as Nissan brands in 2018, the company will also add local Chinese brand, Venucia, to its...
Honda Moves Toward Domestic Procurement for New Chinese-Market EV
Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (TYO:7267) will begin locally procuring batteries and motors for an electric vehicle (EV) to be launched exclusively for the Chinese market in 2018. Thus far, Honda has supplied batteries and motors for hybrid vehicles (HVs) in China with exports from Japan. Utilizing the EV launch as an opportunity, however, the company...
Honda Reveals Strategy to Tackle Next-Generation Technologies
Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (TYO:7267) announced on June 8 its strategy for next-generation technologies. In autonomous driving technology, Honda is targeting 2025 for the introduction of a Level 4 highly automated driving system, which allows for fully autonomous driving in most situations. Under its vehicle electrification strategy, the company will develop an electric vehicle (EV)-dedicated...
Prius Climbs Back to Top New Car Sales for First Time in Three Months
Toyota Motor Corp’s (TYO:7203) Prius reclaimed the top spot in May for best-selling vehicle among those with engine displacement above and below 660 cc. It is the first time in three months that the Prius has retaken the lead, with the new model Prius plug-in hybrid (PHV) launched in February contributing to the boosted sales....
Honda Unveils Japanese Version of New Civic
Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (TYO:7267) unveiled a prototype for the Japanese version of the new Civic on May 23, with an official announcement to come in late July. Honda went for a sportier design with the five-door hatchback, which comes with a six-speed manual transmission (MT). The Japanese automaker plans to use driving performance that...
Honda to Leverage EV Technology in Support of Japan’s Rapidly Aging Population
Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (TYO:7267) announced on May 18 that the company this summer will start demonstration testing of its products aimed at realizing smart cities in response to Japan’s rapidly aging population. The testing will take place at at Tokyu Fudosan Holdings Corp. (TYO:3289) and the Kiminomori suburban housing complex in Chiba Prefecture. Japan...
Honda Brings in Boston University to Research AI Data Security
Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (TYO:7267) announced on May 16 that subsidiary Honda Research Institute (HRI) and Boston University have agreed to begin joint research in the area of AI data security. Honda works on AI that cooperates with people, which will require collecting and analyzing personal information about the users. To this end, the joint...
Yachiyo to Boost Sunroof Production in China on Strong Honda Sales
Yachiyo Industry Co. Ltd. (TYO:7298) will double production capacity for automotive sunroofs at its manufacturing base in Wuhan, China, to more than 500,000 units a year. The company is adding a new production line to its existing plant that will start operating within fiscal 2017. Yachiyo has been prompted to boost its production capacity on...
Japanese Automakers Show Strong Sales Performance in US, China for 2016
Five Japanese automakers in fiscal 2016 enjoyed year-on-year growth in sales in China, with four of these companies doing so also in the U.S., according to sales volume data collated by Japan Automotive Daily. In China, Toyota Motor Corp. (TYO:7203), Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. (TYO:7201), Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (TYO:7267) and Mazda Motor Corp. (TYO:7261)...
Honda to Launch New Clarity PHV With Two-Motor Hybrid System
Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (TYO:7267) will adopt a two-motor plug-in hybrid system with a 1.5-liter Atkinson-cycle engine in the automaker’s new Clarity PHV plug-in hybrid. Scheduled to launch in the U.S. in the second half of this year, the Clarity PHV will use the same two-motor hybrid system as that used in the Honda Accord...
H-One Plans to Install New Welding Line at Kameyama Factory
H-One Co. Ltd. (TYO:5989) plans to accelerate workforce reductions at its Kameyama Factory in Mie Prefecture. The company will install a state-of-the-art welding line within the year and expand automation. It will enable H-One to reduce the workforce at the plant to approximately 100 employees, about two thirds the current workforce while maintaining current production...
Prius Claims Back Top Spot in New Car Sales Rankings
The Toyota Prius was the best-selling new car in Japan in fiscal 2016. It is the first time in five years that the Prius has topped the domestic new car sales rankings, coming partly due to a market-expanding strong first-half performance. The Honda N-Box came in second for the second year in a row, followed...
METI Drafts Guidelines for Virtual Simulation Practices in Automobile Development
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) announced on March 31 that it has drafted a policy to promote model-based development (MBD) for the virtual simulation of automobile development and performance assessments. METI released its guidelines for defining the intermodal interfaces used, as well as the vehicle performance simulation model that forms a common...
Major Passenger Automakers Show Strong Production and Export Figures for February
Eight Japanese passenger car manufacturers on March 29 announced their respective output and export figures for February 2017. All the companies posted higher numbers for overseas production over the previous year thanks to strong performance in North America, China and elsewhere in Asia, as well as other major markets. Six of the companies set new...
Honda Moves to Ramp up Acura Production in China
Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (TYO:7267) is stepping up local production of its Acura luxury brand models in China. Following on from local production of the Acura CDX compact SUV in 2016, the automaker will start producing the TLX sports sedan this year and the RDX midsize SUV in 2018. China has seen ongoing market growth...
Honda and Japan Post Sign MOU for Electric Motorbike Postal Delivery Service
Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (TYO:7267) and Japan Post Co. Ltd. announced on March 23 that they have begun discussions and signed a memorandum of understanding for the development of social infrastructure through postal deliveries using electric motorbikes. Japan Post will make use of the Honda-developed electric motorbikes for postal delivery operations, in addition to which...
TS Tech to Shift Export-Bound Production From China to Bangladesh
TS Tech Co. Ltd. plans to shift the focus of its Chinese business on to internal demand by gradually reducing its exports of trim covers and other automotive parts from the country to the U.S. and Japan. With labor and material costs rising in China, it has become less advantageous as a parts supply base...
Honda and GM Announce Management Structure of Fuel Cell JV
Following the January reveal of Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (TYO:7267) and General Motors Co.’s (GM) joint venture to develop fuel cells, the two companies announced on March 8 the management structure of the new JV, Fuel Cell System Manufacturing LLC (FCSM). Located in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., the company will be headed by President Suheb Haq...
Honda to Reduce Weight of New N-Box Light Vehicle by 100 Kilograms
Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (TYO:7267) aims to defend its number one position in kei-class light vehicles by reducing the weight of its new model N-Box by close to 100 kilograms. Driving performance and fuel efficiency will be improved while maintaining strength by combining a revised chassis design with the use of the latest materials. A...
Honda to Launch New AI and Robotics R&D Lab
Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (TYO:7267) announced on Feb. 28 that subsidiary Honda R&D Co. Ltd. will be establishing a new lab, R&D Center X, to take on challenges in high-tech fields such as robotics, mobility systems and energy management. The company intends to create new value by combining its strengths in two-wheel, four-wheel and general-purpose products...
Honda to Establish Formal CEO, COO Positions, Revamp Corporate Governance
Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (TYO:7267) announced on Feb. 21, the day of its board of directors meeting, that President Takahiro Hachigo will additionally serve as CEO from April 1, with Executive Vice President Seiji Kuraishi adding the position of COO to his role. The company to date has had no official positions of CEO or...
Honda and Hitachi to Establish Joint Venture for Electric Motors
Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (TYO:7267) and Hitachi Automotive Systems Ltd. (Hitachi AMS) announced on Feb. 7 the signing of a memorandum of understanding aimed at establishing a joint venture company to develop, manufacture and sell motors for electric vehicles. The new company would be established in Japan, with subsidiaries established in the U.S. and China....
Honda and GM Team up to Produce Fuel Cell Systems
Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (TYO:7267) announced on Jan. 30 that it is partnering with General Motors Co. (GM) to form a joint venture to produce fuel cell systems, targeting 2020 for the start of mass production. This joint venture is the auto industry’s first attempt at joint production of fuel cell systems. Production will take...
Honda, Takata Deal With First Injury in Japan Caused by Faulty Airbag Inflator
Honda Motor Co. (TYO:7267) announced on Jan. 17 that a person was injured in an accident due to improper deployment of the driver side airbag. This is the first time an injury has occurred in Japan caused by a faulty airbag inflator (gas generator) made by Takata Corp. (TYO:7312). The car involved in the accident...
Toyota and Honda Among 13 Founding Members of Global Hydrogen Council
Toyota Motor Corp. (TYO:7203), Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (TYO:7267) and German company Daimler AG have joined with fellow automakers, energy companies and other firms to form the Hydrogen Council. The thirteen-member group was founded in Davos, Switzerland on Jan. 17. It is the world’s first global organization to promote hydrogen as the primary energy source...
