Honda has already locked down 7,000 orders for its CR-Z hybrid sports car, more than half of the car’s annual sales target of 12,000 units. Still, Honda should be cautiously optimistic as last year sales of the new Insight model started out strong but started to dwindle once Toyota released its third-generation Prius – a direct competitor. Overall, Honda still managed to move 92,283 Insights in 2009, 50 percent more than the sales target. In the U.S., sales of the Insight weren’t nearly as good, with Honda missing the mark of 100,000 units by a fair margin. The good news for Honda is that the CR-Z will have no competitor in the near future, when it goes on sale in the Summer.

Honda is hoping to sell 15,000 CR-Z models in the U.S. this year.

The CR-Z stands alone in the marketplace, as a two-seater hybrid, using a 1.5-liter gasoline engine and electric assist motor, to deliver 122-hp and a 36/38 mpg (city/highway) rating. The car’s biggest potential problem is that as good as those numbers are, they aren’t as good as the standard Insight and performance is less than impressive with a 0-62 mph time of 9.7 seconds. Still, as the only hybrid on the market with a six-speed manual transmission and Honda’s reputation for driving dynamics, we’ll hold off on a final comment until we get to drive it.

GALLERY: Honda CR-Z

[Source: Automotive News]

Honda has announced that it will recall a total of 412,000 vehicles due to a problem with the Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) modulator, that could cause a soft brake pedal feel. In total, 344,000 Odyssey minivans and 68,000 Elements, from the 2007-8 model years are affected.

Honda claims a “self check” mode for the system may allow a small amount of air into the modulator, which over time can result in what it calls a, “soft break pedal,” or “low brake pedal.”

A notification will be sent to all owners starting at the end of April, at which point Honda encourages owners to take their vehicle to an authorized dealer.

In order to make the process more user-friendly, Honda has announced it is setting up a website (as well as a dedicated call center) where owners can go as of April 19th, to see if their vehicle is in need of a recall. The contact number is 800-999-1009 (option 4) and the website is www.recalls.honda.com

Official release after the jump:

While most of the popular aftermarket manufacturers in Japan are welcoming the hybrid craze with open arms, Spoon Sports has been quiet as of late. This can mostly be attributed to the fact that Spoon focuses and specializes with the Honda platform, and quite honestly, Honda hasn’t had an attractive enough hybrid platform in the recent years.  But this is all about to change, with the CR-Z gaining a lot of momentum as the new “hot-hatch” appealing to passionate Honda aficionados worldwide.  Needless to say it’s a perfect fit for Spoon Sports and their tuning prowess.

We’ve seen the entry from Mugen and in typical Spoon Sports fashion, they’ve thrown down the gauntlet as well. Going back to the late 1990s and early 2000s, Mugen and Spoon Sports were the most respective pair of brands for JDM Honda fanatics stateside. In fact it’s easy to argue that Mugen and Spoon Sports delivered a rivalry on its own with their prestigious and rare parts, many of them carrying a hefty price tag once they were on American soil. There’s no mistaken that this CR-Z has been Spoon-inspired.

There’s none of the traditional yellow and pastel blue to be seen, yet, but the CR93 wheels have been refinished in a stylish dark blue in true Spoon fashion.  As with almost all of Spoon Sports’ projects, the focus is on excellent tuning and track-ability.  They paid close attention with suspension and brake upgrades lowering the vehicle with coilovers in the front and a traditional shock/spring combination in the rear.  15-inch slotted rotors along with upgraded calipers are probably overkill for the hatch, but we believe Spoon has much more in terms of performance up their sleeve.

Specializing in naturally aspirated performance over the years, Spoon is currently tuning their staple N1 exhaust system along with ECU upgrades for the CR-Z. No concrete numbers have been released yet, which is understandable given how new the technology is. We have faith though and it will be an exciting time to see two of Honda’s most notorious brands battling it out on the track again, this time with CR-Z hatchbacks hopefully flying the colors we’ve grown and love over the past decade.

GALLERY: Spoon Sports CR-Z

[Source: Spoon Sports]

Famed Honda tuner Mugen has just released a full line of aesthetic and “performance” accessories for the new CR-Z. While in stock form the CR-Z doesn’t seem overly sporty with just 122-hp, Mugen is hoping to improve on that with a new stainless steel exhaust system which will be good for maybe a pony or two. New brake pads are also offered, as well as a completely new suspension. Also helping in the handling department are two new wheel designs in several finishes, which will no doubt be larger and lighter than the stock rollers with the ability to handle some slightly wider and lower profile tires.

As for the Mugen dress-up parts, they really give the CR-Z an aggressive side, although we’re not quite sure about the LED bumper insert. Oh, and that rear spoiler seems a bit much too. We do, however, particularly like the triangle-shaped exhaust finisher.

Other accessories include a Mugen shift knob (already being copied and sold on eBay, no doubt), as well as Mugen floor mats and a three-gauge cluster.

Have a look at the full gallery below and download your Mugen CR-Z wallaper here.

GALLERY: Mugen CR-Z

According to AutoExpress, the automotive journalists equivalent to the National Enquirer, Honda is planning a CR-Z Type R model. While a host of modifications would be included, like larger brakes and a stiffer suspension, the real boost will apparently come under the hood.

Instead of the lackluster 122-hp hybrid setup, the CR-Z Type R will make 200 healthy horsepower. Surprisingly, this won’t come as the result of K20 (or better yet, a K24 swap) but due to a more powerful gasoline engine, as well as a larger electric motor. While the stock 1.5-liter 4-cylinder makes 102-hp, the new version will make 150-hp. The 20-hp electric motor will then be replaced by a more powerful 50-hp unit. The result will be a much-improved 0-60 mph time of roughly 6 seconds.

The car will even gain a fourth driving mode, known as Sport Plus, which will deliver maximum performance from the hybrid setup, while firming up the steering and throttle response.

AutoExpress claims the vehicle is being planned for next year’s Tokyo Auto Show with sales beginning in Japan in late 2011 as a 2012 model. We certainly hope this report is right, but knowing AutoExpress and the vehicles Honda has been rolling out lately, we won’t get our hopes up. Prove us wrong… please… prove us wrong.

[Source: AutoExpress]

Honda will deliver an all-new second-generation Ridgeline pickup for the 2011 model year. Vicki Poponi, Honda’s VP of product planning told PickupTrucks.com in an interview that the truck will arrive in 2011 as a 2011 model year, so expect it very early on – likely at the Detroit Auto Show.

Introduced in 2005 the Ridgeline embodies Honda’s “I did it my way” philosophy, which sometimes works. In the case of the Ridgeline it certainly didn’t, with low sales that keep getting lower. Last year Honda moved just 16,464 Ridgelines, a drop of over 50 percent from the year before.

And while the truck was never intended to appeal to the hard-core truck audience, it’s even loosing ground with its less-traditional customer due to fuel economy that is less than stellar – particularly for a Honda. So expect a more fuel-efficient engine and improved aerodynamics, for starters. Otherwise, it’s likely to keep the crew-cab layout with an independent rear suspension. Knowing Honda, we expect some impressive new innovations as well.

[Source: PickupTrucks.com]

When Honda announced it would show a next-generation Odyssey minivan concept at the Chicago Auto Show, we assumed it would be one of the wild and wacky concepts that automaker debuted at the Tokyo Auto show last year. We were wrong.

Instead, Honda has unveiled a concept that it says very closely resembles the 2011 production model. At first glimpse we thought the new design smacks of the misguided ideas coming out of Honda these days, but just a few moments later and looking through our photos and we’re already changing our minds. Honda hopes this concept and the production model to follow will also change a few minds.

In fact, Honda designers set out to target the new Odyssey at the minivan “fence-sitters.” Through market research, Honda determined that there are those who love the minivan, those who hate it and those who like the functionality but who don’t like the minivan image. So to appeal to these potential customers Honda move the windshield forward, added a unique lighting-bolt style element to the side of the car, all while making it wider and sit lower to the ground.

As a result of these changes the concept van gets even more cargo and passenger room including more third-row leg room and (surprisingly) more third-row head room. We say surprisingly because the roof seems to slope and yet head room has been increased.

During Honda’s press conference at the Chicago Auto Show, a company representative confirmed that this concept is very close in shape and style to the upcoming production model, which is expected to debut at the 2010 New York Auto Show. A cylinder-deactivation V6 engine will return and Honda claims improved fuel economy of 19-mpg city and 28-mpg highway, which should help the Odyssey maintain its segment-best fuel economy rating.

GALLERY: Honda Odyssey Concept

Honda is expecting that its new Insight hybrid won’t meet its sales target because it’s to small. That, at least, is the opinion of Honda Executive Vice President Koichi Kondo, who told Bloomberg, “I think we compromised too much on size in pursuing fuel efficiency.”

Honda had expected to sell as many as 200,000 units during the Insights first year on the market, but managed only 130,445 in 2009, with sales beginning in the automaker’s home market of Japan in February. Honda had expected the car to be a particular success in the U.S., where it had planned to sell 90,000 (almost half) of its Insights worldwide. Instead, Honda managed to move just 20,572 units.

Kondo also admitted that considering the how well the Fit has done in the marketplace and the prohibitive cost of making a hybrid version of the car, it might not look at building a hybrid Fit after all. “Our engineers are really struggling,” he said.

Interestingly, Kondo didn’t touch on the fact that it might not be the Insight’s size, but rather its fuel economy numbers (well, below those of Toyota’s Prius), that might be a contributing factor in the car’s unpopularity.

[Source: Bloomberg]

Not one to let Toyota get all the publicity, today Japan’s number two automaker, Honda Motor Co., has announced its own recall. The recall affects 646,000 Honda Fit models from the 2007 and 2008 model years built in Japan, China, Brazil, Thailand, Malaysia and India. These models were sold in the U.K., Latin American and in the U.S. In total 141,140 of the affected Fit models were sold in the U.S.

The recall is for a window switch that can overheat and potentially catch fire when wet. A minority of recalled Fits will need replacement switches, while the rest will be fitted with a waterproof cover for the electrical components.

“Under some severe operating conditions, water, rain, or other liquid may enter the driver’s window and reach the master power window switch, resulting in impaired function of the switch,” reads a statement released by Honda today. “If the master power window switch is damaged as a result of the liquid intrusion, it may result in failure of the switch and overheating. An overheating switch may cause smoke, melting or, potentially, fire.”

With Toyota having just released its new Sienna minivan, Honda is following close behind with a concept version of the next Odyssey minivan set to debut at the Chicago Auto Show next month. While Honda is keeping tight-lipped about the new model, it has said that the fourth-generation Odyssey, “will further enhance its hallmark qualities of innovation, quality, safety and fun-to-drive character, while increasing its overall efficiency.”

AutoGuide will be sure to bring you all the new details on the Odyssey Concept with live coverage of the Chicago Auto Show starting February 10th. We expect that the final production model won’t change much from the concept.

For complete 2010 Chicago Auto Show coverage click here

Official release after the jump: