We were teased last week with a taste of Honda’s Ferris Bueller Super Bowl ad. Now the full 2:25 commercial is available to watch… and we’ve got it!

We were pretty excited after watching the 10 second teaser, and the full-length ad doesn’t disappoint. It stars Matthew Broderick, who calls into work sick and enjoys a day off in his Honda CR-V. It features new takes on a few famous scenes from the iconic movie – even the one that showed after the credits rolled on the original film.

Other, much smaller ties to the original film are included in the commercial as well, but if your not paying attention they are hard to spot. At the 54 second mark the name appearing on the CR-V’s screen is Grace, Rooney’s secretary in the original film. At 57 seconds there is a flower delivery man who walks through the shot and at the 1 minute mark there is a trench coat clad clarinet player in the background. Can you spot any more ties to the original film?

Honda went all out to make this ad, which includes hiring “The Hangover” writer/director Todd Phillips to bring this vision together.

Watch the ad after the jump and tell us what you think in the comments section below.

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Bueller? Bueller? Anyone? It’s been 26 years since Ferris Bueller (aka Matthew Broderick) took a day off, but he’s back and he’s starring in Honda’s new Super Bowl ad.

Although the ad won’t be shown until game day, Honda has released a tease of the commercial to hold us over. The 49-year-old actor stars in this Ferris Bueller-themed ad, which will prominently feature Hondas… perhaps the Honda CR-V? There’s no word if his buddy Cameron will be joining him on his latest adventure or if a Ferrari will be meeting an untimely end.

The teaser ad takes its inspiration from the movie’s famous opening scene, as Broderick pulls back the curtains and asks: “How can I handle work on a day like today?”

To see the full ad, you’ll have to wait until February 5 (bow-bow-chik-chika-chika). Watch the teaser after the jump.

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Pricing details are now available for the rethought 2012 Honda Crosstour featuring a more cost-minded four-cylinder engine.

The 2012 Crosstour will start at $27,655 and go all the way up to $36,540 for the four-wheel drive version with navigation. At the base price, you get a 192-horsepower engine that squeaks out an extra three miles-per-gallon in the city and two on the highway. The 271-horsepower V6, which is unchanged over previous models, is still available as well.

The company made the official announcement about their plans to launch a less expansive version of their crossover last December. They hoped it would help the Crosstour finally feel marketable in light of failed sales. Despite that failure, Honda still seems confident and determined to make the Crosstour work.

“The new four-cylinder Crosstour offers sleek design, unmatched passenger comfort and ingenious functionality now with four-cylinder pricing and fuel economy,” said John Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda Motor Co. “With four-cylinder and V6 options and a long list of standard features, Crosstour should be on every CUV buyer’s shopping list.”

That might be how Honda feels, but the Crosstour has been consistantly criticized as the ugly duckling in the lineup. Consmers complain that it’s too much like a larger Accord, which makes sense because that’s how it was originally marketed.

Speaking of ugly ducklings, it’s probably important to point out that the top-of-the-line Nissan Juke sells for about $4000 less than the base Crosstour. It also gets better mileage than the two-wheel drive crosstour, with all-wheel drive. Sure, you sacrifice four horsepower, but who cares?

The only new selling point for Honda’s less potent 2012 Crosstour is a lower price, but we say that fails to deliver against the competition.

Gallery: 2012 Honda Crosstour

The Sports Car Club of America’s B-Spec class is growing in popularity as enthusiasts enjoy a relatively inexpensive entry into amateur racing while automakers are discovering B-Spec to be a great platform for grassroots motorsport marketing.  Honda, one of the early adopters to B-Spec racing, is committed to the series and hopes to gain even more fans.

Honda Performance Development, HPD General Manager Marc Sours said, “A cornerstone of our grassroots motorsports marketing initiative has been to establish a connection between Honda’s passenger cars and the racing cars that evolve from these models. The B-Spec category provides a relatively low-cost means for the prospective racer to enter the sport, and the Honda FIt offers a natural point of entry. These are inexpensive, great-handling cars that should provide both excellent competition and help grow the sport at the entry level.”

Continuing its support, Honda has announced a new line of “manufacturer-approved suspension components” for the Honda Fit that will be available via HPD on February 1, 2012. The suspension components kit includes coil-over shocks, front and rear race springs, cat-back exhaust, performance front brake pads, camber bolts, braided stainless brake lines, an air filter,  and an A/C delete belt.

Despite the thorough list of performance parts in the kit, Honda fit owners and racers will still need to be responsible for a competition roll cage, racing seats, harness and other safety equipment.

[Source: Inside Line]

Honda took the first major step in its Honda Electric Vehicle Demonstration Program by delivering the first 2013 Fit EV to the city of Torrance, California.

The program will set up the retail market launch of the Fit EV to customers in California and Oregon starting this summer. Over the past year, the city of Torrance and Honda has been working together to gather input from local residents about potential recharging station locations and held numerous public awareness events with the Fit EV. The city of Torrance will also receive a Honda plug-in hybrid for additional testing at a later date.

“This is an exciting day as we take another important step toward Honda’s comprehensive vision for reducing CO2 emissions while at the same time advancing our relationship with the city of Torrance,” said Steve Center, vice president of the Environmental Business Development Office at American Honda. “Honda has a long history with electric vehicles starting with the introduction of our first battery-electric car, the EV Plus, nearly 15 years ago. With Honda’s extensive experience and the real-world feedback from the city of Torrance, we will be even more prepared for the further customer adoption of electric vehicles.”

The Honda Fit EV will have a 123 city-mile per charge (76-mile range combined adjusted city/highway), powered by a 20-kWh lithium-ion battery and 92 kW coaxial electric motor. The Fit EV can be fully recharged in as little as three hours when connected to a 240-volt circuit.

Honda will also be testing the Fit EV with Google and Stanford University in order to receive real-world feedback on the new electric vehicle.

It’s amazing to think that it’s been 12 years since Honda introduced its first hybrid vehicle – the first generation Insight – to the world. Back in November 1999, the Insight was a peculiar hybrid but still boasted the world’s highest fuel economy among all gasoline-powered vehicles.

And despite Toyota clearly surpassing Honda in hybrid development (and sales), the Japanese automaker is still proud to announce that it has surpassed 800,000 hybrid vehicle sales worldwide.

Currently, Honda sells seven hybrid models in approximately 50 different countries around the world. The Acura ILX, which will launch in the North American market in spring 2012, will bring that total to eight.

Honda’s hybrid sales have increased steadily over the last couple of years. In 2005, with just the Civic Hybrid, Accord Hybrid and first-generation Insight on the market, Honda hit 100,000 units. May 2007 saw the achievement of 200,000 units, but it wasn’t until August of 2009, when the second-generation Insight came to the market, that Honda topped the 400,000 mark. In 2010, Honda introduced the CR-Z and the Fit Hybrid and by the end of the year has surpassed the 600,000 unit landmark. A year later in December of 2011, Honda was happy to have surpassed 800,000 hybrid vehicles total.

While Honda continues to be one of the biggest names in hybrid technology and sales, it’s well off the pace of Toyota which to date has sold well over three million gas-electric vehicles.

Perhaps the most bizarre of Honda‘s show cars at this year’s Tokyo Auto Salon is the Flash Box. Based on the brand’s new N Box Kei car, there’s a matte-gray paint job, reflective decals and an excessive use of LED lights – inside and out. And let’s not forget the custom rims that look like steelies.

The N Box recently launched at the Tokyo Motor Show as Honda’s new city car offering. Designed as the perfect vehicle for those living in urban centers, it’s obvious through this show car that Honda wants to push the car with the younger crowd.

Other Honda models on display include a Mugen-tuned CR-Z Race car as well as two Mugen CR-Z RR Concepts.

See AutoGuide’s complete Tokyo Auto Salon coverage here.

GALLERY: Honda Flash Box

With the launch of the CR-Z, Honda wanted to emphasize that hybrids can in fact be sporty, now the automaker is continuing to promote the idea in its home market with the Honda Sports & Eco Program.

Essentially an amateur racing series it lets drivers compete using spec CR-Zs (outfitted with Mugen wheels and an aero kit) on track. Each car also features a complete roll cage and Recaro driver’s seat with racing harnesses.

Running at Honda company tracks like Suzuki and Twin Ring Motegi, drivers get to feel just how much fun driving green can be. Exactly how fuel efficient a CR-Z at wide-open-throttle is, well…

GALLERY: Mugen CR-Z

Click here for AutoGuide’s complete 2012 Tokyo Auto Salon Coverage

Known for modifying wagons like the Honda Odyssey and Nisaan Stegea, Japanese tuner Takero’s recently expanded its product offering to include the Honda Fit – with impressive results. First came aerodynamic components, followed by suspension parts, now Takero’s has revealed a wide body kit for the Fit at the Tokyo Auto Salon, plus a turbocharger setup.

Head-on the Takero’s Fit still looks impressive, but the widebody sub-compact looks a little absurd from any other angle. The obvious advantage, however, is the ability to fit wider tires for more grip, with some massive 225/35/18 rubber on this machine. And that extra tire is no doubt necessary to help put down the extra power generated by the new turbocharger setup. Unfortunately, Takero’s hasn’t released any specs on the kit, but we’d expect something close to the 180 hp mark.

GALLERY: Takeros Honda Fit Turbo

Ohio Governor John Kasich and Missouri Governor Jay Nixon made a visit to Detroit this week during the North American International Auto Show in an effort to bring U.S. automotive manufacturing to their respective states.

John Kasich said, “Contrary to popular opinion, the auto industry is getting stronger.” Ohio currently possesses the second-largest automotive industry work force in the nation behind neighboring Michigan. Home to Chrysler Group, Ford Motors and Gerneral Motors, Michigan also is the home to most of the world’s automotive parts suppliers. It is also in Michigan where government regulators are tasked with policy making in auto safety, emissions and fuel economy.

The chief engineer of Honda Research and Development in Detroit, Toshiaki Shimizu said, “People may have the wrong idea. Detroit is not becoming less important. It is more important. It remains the center of the automotive industry. We all come here because we must.”

Well aware of Michigan’s relevance, Ohio Governor John Kasich and Missouri Governor Jay Nixon spoke to a number of auto executives to reach agreements that prove to be mutually beneficial. Ford committed to $1 billion over a span of four years to upgrade Ohio’s driveline manufacturing plants. Honda will invest $400 million in improvements to its Ohio facilities to prepare for the production of its new Acura NSX hybrid sports car. Chrysler will add another 1,100 jobs and invest $1.7 billion into its Jeep plants of Toledo, Ohio. GM continues to build its Chevrolet Cruze in the Lordstown, Ohio, plant and will put in another $204,000 to upgrade its Toledo transmission plant.

On his first day in office, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon assembled the Automotive Jobs Task Force to attract investments to the state. In October, Ford announced that it will spend $1.1 billion  and add another 1,600 workers to assemble the Transit van alongside the F-150 Ford pickup trucks at the Kansas City, Missouri plant. GM will also invest $380 million into its Wentzville, Missouri plant, adding another 1,660 jobs as it expands assembly to include the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon.

Nixon explains, “we are here not just to talk to the manufacturers, but also to the suppliers. As the manufacturers invest and production rises, we are asking the suppliers what we can do to help them make the investments they need to make to support this.”

[Source: Detroit News]

Built by Honda‘s Mugen tuning division in Europe, the on-again-off-again CR-Z RR concept is, at last word, off again. So weren’t we shocked then to discover not one, but two of the cars on display at the Tokyo Auto Salon.

As much as we’ll miss its good looks of the CR-Z RR with its wide body style, the bigger loss is the supercharged 1.5-liter hybrid engine that makes an impressive 197-hp while retaining much of the Honda’s fuel economy thanks to several different drive-mode settings.

The good news, however, is that we may miss out on such a Mugen model because Honda is planning one itself. Recent reports indicate the CR-Z Type-R is moving ahead with a Honda rep hinting to AutoGuide that the supercharged 1.5-liter hybrid engine is in the pipe.

GALLERY: Mugen Honda CR-Z RR Concept

For the last number of years, automakers have been pushing gas-electric products at auto shows across the world. However, according to researcher LMC Automotive, hybrid sales in the United States have slowed last year to 2.2 percent compared to 2.4 percent in 2010.

Mike Jackson, chief executive of auto retail chain AutoNation Inc., said that while 75 percent of customers that walked into his showrooms wanted to talk about hybrids, hybrids only make 2.5 percent of AutoNation sales. Jackson revealed, “What happens from the 75 percent consideration to the 2.5 percent commitment? They look at the price premium for the technology, which is already subsidized and discounted, and say ‘the payback period is too long; not for me.’ It’s a back-of-the envelope conversation on the part of the American consumer.”

According to Chevrolet vice president of U.S. marketing Chris Perry, the Chevy Volt gets people into the showroom but with less than 8,000 units sold last year, consumers often entered a dealer to have a look at the Volt but eventually left with something else.

The challenge hybrids face is the continuing development of the conventional internal combustion engines. David Champion, senior director of the Auto Test Center of Consumer Reports, pointed out that the basic Honda Civic reaches a 32 mpg combined city and highway mileage while the Civic hybrid achieves 44 mpg. Saving a consumer approximately $322 dollars a year in fuel, the sticker price premium will require an owner to operate the Civic hybrid more than six years to see any financial advantages.

Realizing the trend here, Ford has dropped plans for a hybrid version of the next generation Escape crossover.

What’s more, improvements to an internal combustion engine can potentially improve fuel economy by 40 percent while costing an extra $2,000 per model by 2020. Weight reduction and better aerodynamics can lower fuel consumption by up to 10 percent and would account for costs of approximately $200 per car by 2020. Comparatively, the battery in an electric car still adds $10,000 to the price of a car at current costs in technology and remains a challenge to reduce in the near future.

Scott Corwin, vice president of consulting firm Booz & Co., New York, explained, “The advantages of hybrids are getting harder to justify. It’s the cost differential. Consumers are rational and they understand the cost of ownership.”

Despite the unpopularity, hybrids remain important to every automaker’s strategy, even if it’s just to attract prospective customers into dealerships or to showcase a company’s dedication to green technology. Ford showed off its new Fusion hybrid family sedan at the Detroit Auto Show. Toyota expands its Prius range with a Prius C, costing just $19,000 and achieving 50 mpg.

[Source: Bloomberg]

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that investigations of the Honda Accord Hybrid and the Kia Sorento have both ended.

The NHTSA first looked into Accord Hybrid models after initial investigations linked unintended acceleration to a fatal accident. After a thorough investigation, the agency found no evidence of defect within the Accord Hybrid. No safety recall has been issued for the Accord Hybrid.

A total of 18 complaints have been reported, relating to fuel spilling from the filler port of Kia Sorento models from 2003-2004. The Sorento’s fuel evaporation system has a canister filter that may clog over time. Excess pressure could build due to the clog and may cause gasoline to spill out of the filler neck. A total of 86,000 Soreno units will be repaired and Kia agreed to provide a one-time replacement of the canister filter, at no cost to the owner.

10. Chevy Tru 140S Concept

For some of the more minor auto shows, a Top 10 list of the most important cars often covers most of the new debuts, but not so at the North American International Auto Show. Held each January in Detroit it’s the obvious launch site for major products by the Big Three domestic automakers and over the years has also become the venue for important new models by the rest of the auto industry.

Domestics made their mark at this year’s Detroit show, starting with one very different concept car revealed by Chevrolet. Called the Tru 140S it may look like some outrageously fast and expensive exotic machine, but it’s neither. Based on the same front-drive platform as the Chevy Cruze, it is powered by the same 1.4-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder, which makes just 138 hp in that car. Designed, along with the Code 130R concept, as part of an initiative to attract youth buyers back to the brand, Chevy seems serious about the concept, even announcing that if it made production, the target price would be around the $20,000 mark.

Polk automotive is an automotive industry research company that provides statistical reporting and analysis to manufacturers and consumers alike. Honda announced today that Polk has awarded the automaker with its 2011 Polk Automotive Loyalty Award in the category of Hispanic Market Loyalty to Make.

“Honda is thrilled to accept this award from Polk, which demonstrates how strong our products and brand resonate with buyers in the important Hispanic market,” said David Hendley, assistant vice president of sales, American Honda Motor Co., Inc. “The quality and value of our products continues to generate strong loyalty from consumers.”

Polk bases their loyalty award on a manufacturers ability to retain owners over repeat buying cycles. 5.5 million new vehicle purchases between October 1st, 2010 and September 30th, 2011 were the source of information for Polk to make it’s decision. Loyalty is defined by Polk as a household that returns to market to buy a new vehicle and stays with the same make or model as their previous automobile purchase.

Honda has announced its lineup of vehicles for the 2012 Tokyo Auto Salon, the automotive aftermarket expo of Japan. The Honda exhibit will feature a variety of models including automobiles, motorcycles, power products, racing vehicles and other highlights in order to convey the joy of mobility and motorsport excitement.

Honda Access Corp., manufacturer of genuine Honda aftermarket parts, will exhibit an all-new N BOX Custom minicar, which just went on sale in December 2011. Called the FLASH BOX, the custom Honda features a special body color, reflective decal sheets and LEDs used as a decorative element in both exterior and interior designs. Honda Access will also display a custom build based on the Freed Hybrid compact minivan. Known as the Freed Wa, the car aims to evoke traditional Japanese culture through inspirations from the ancient Japanese art of lacquering, and flowers that are featured on the car that represent the four seasons. The last car from Honda Access is the Honda BEAT Auto Salon Special, featuring genuine BEAT Accessories and special aero pieces. Finally, the last custom Honda car at the exhibit is the Freed Spike Transportation Version, loaded with off-road motorcycles.

As for Honda’s motorcycle exhibit, the NC700S, NC700X, and Integra midsize motorcycle that debuted at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show will make an extra appearance at the Tokyo Salon as well. The CB 1100 VT1300CX will be featuring new genuine aftermarket parts and accessories to grab the attention of motorcycle tuners.

A fantastic racing season for Honda, the RC212V motorcycle that brought home the riders’, team and constructors’ championship for 2011. Honda’s GT500 class Supger GT HSV-010 GT race car and a racing CRZ will also be on display.

GALLERY: Honda at Tokyo Auto Salon 2012

With a recently launched new Camry and Ford unveiling the production version of the new Fusion mid-size sedan at the Detroit Auto Show, Honda previewed its next-generation Accord with a stylish concept coupe. With no dramatic new styling changes, the 9th generation Accord will be the first Honda to receive the brand’s new lineup of powertrains, including direct-injection 4-cylinder and V6 engines as well as CVT transmissions. Plus, the Accord will get an innovative new hybrid system. To learn more about the next-gen Accord, watch AutoGuide’s first look video below.

GALLERY: 2013 Honda Accord Coupe Concept

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No one will accuse Honda of breaking the mold with the new Accord Coupe concept, revealed today at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Then again, consistency is part of the Honda plan and has earned the company an excellent reputation. On hand for the car’s debut, American Honda Motor Co. Executive VP John Mendel pointed out the Accord’s unprecedented 26 times it has been named to Car & Driver’s Top 10 car of the year list.

Looking like a slightly stylized version of the current Accord, the new model is smaller overall and with a lower roofline, although Honda claims it has achieved the same interior space. It’s also a lighter vehicle, although Honda isn’t getting into specifics at this point.

The Accord will be the first model to use Honda’s new powertrains, featuring direct-injection among other technologies. Both a V6 and a new 2.4-liter 4-cylinder will be offered, with a newly developed CVT transmission for the 4-cylinder and a 6-speed automatic for the V6. Honda hasn’t announced specs but says it expects the Accord to deliver class leading fuel economy. Whether it can best the new Fusion’s 26/37-mpg rating will be, however, be tough.

In addition, Honda will offer an Accord plug-in hybrid which will offer three driving modes: electric, gas and gasoline/electric. The system will allow 10 to 15 miles of emissions free driving and let you choose when you want to use that electricity. Honda also promises a charge time of 1.5 hours on a 240 volt charger.

To help deliver improved fuel economy across the range, all Accord models will get Honda’s ECO Assist button.

As for safety, Honda will offer the accord with a lane departure warning system and a collision alert system. Plus, it will offer a unique blind spot monitoring system that will actually show, with video, what is in the car”s blind spot.

Look for the 2013 Accord to go on sale later this year.

GALLERY: 2013 Honda Accord Coupe Concept

Watch AutoGuide’s First Look Video of the new Accord Coupe Concept below:

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The past 20 years were pretty stable in the automotive industry. Mostly predictable releases with a steady rate for manufacturers to introduce new models that seemed like a consistant recipe for success.

Then, suddenly with the start of the current model year, things changed. In fact, it looks like this is just the start of a serious upswing in new releases. According to a story published on CNN Money, the auto industry replaced 16 percent of its fleet annually between 1991 and 2011.

That figure jumped to 23 percent with the 2012 model year, which started in October. Apparently keeping this fresh is the snake oil for successful car companies, because next year that number will grow to 32 percent, effectively doubling the rate new models hit the market. Given this manufacturer mayhem, we decided to round up the new cars you should expect to see soon.

Honda is an interesting case as they’ve recognized that their luxury brand, Acura, is simply being outdone by the competition at every turn. They decided to completely redesign their line to quell complaints that their cars are little more than rebadged Hondas. The first to look for: their new ILX compact sedan. As for Honda, they are already planning to release a new generation Civic after the media chastised them for an uninspired release.

Next up, Nissan. While they don’t hold a big market share in the U.S., Carlos Ghosn, their CEO is making plans to expand the 8.2 percent they have now to ten by 2015. In order to do that, they are revamping half of their entire line. Nissan is targeting the burgeoning EV market with their Leaf, which first became available last year. Look for updated Altimas, Sentras and Pathfinders in the near future.

Toyota suffered after the tsunami, but is coming back with a fury. The automaker is releasing a brand-new sports car, the FR-S, developed in partnership with Subaru and set to sell with a Scion badge. The RAV-4 and Lexus ES sedan will also get updates.

Chrysler will move toward smaller cars, something the brand has historically struggled with. The shrinkage can be attributed to Fiat, their new owners, and how their new 40 mpg Dodge Dart borrows heavily from the Italian engineers.

Ford and GM are trying to hang on to their chunky market shares, 17 and 19.7 percent respectively. Both companies are following the industry strategy: refreshing their popular sellers and releasing redesigned cars in their luxury brands. Look for a re-engineered Lincoln MKZ from Ford and Cadillac‘s new compact ATS and larger XTS sedans from GM.

Finally, there are some changes in the pipeline for German luxury cars. Audi just confirmed that their compact Q3 SUV will be sold in the U.S., along with the re-release of the compact A2 sedan. Mercedes-Benz is opting to offer their smaller B-Series and A-Series cars to remain competitive in the Yankee market.

[Source: CNN Money]

10. Chevrolet Cruze: 231,732

The sales have been tallied and the numbers are finally in. The list of the Top 10 best selling vehicles in the U.S. has now been released  lots of familiar faces and a few surprises – starting with number 10, the Chevrolet Cruze. Sales for the new compact sedan total 231,732 units for the first full year on sale, with the Cruze launching late in 2010 and amassing just 24,495 sales in a short period of time then.

Acura closed the year on a sour sales note with the new year resolution to move on with their brand despite most car companies being on the rebound.

This year, Acura fans and new customers alike can look forward to a refreshed and redesigned Acura, less focused on competing with the luxury segment and more focused on a mid-market segment between what Honda already offers and the premium car market. So why the change?

The Acura MDX only sold 4,588 units this year, down more than 22 percent over last year. Total sales also dropped eight percent, marking a bad year for the brand.

Honda has often been criticized for stepping too closely within their comfort zone with the Acura variations on their cars, as many owners felt like they were driving slightly fancier Civics.

That doesn’t mean the horse is ready for the glue factory just yet, though. Honda has a plan to make Acura more competitive, including a new NSX, set to debut at next week’s North American International Auto Show.

While supercars are nice, they have never sold in high volume and can’t come close to rescuing a lame duck brand. However, writing Acura off as a lame duck, despite comparatively poor sales, is probably rash. The company plans to debut a line of totally redesigned cars starting this spring in an effort to rethink the brand.

“Acura will start off 2012 strong with the debut of three all-new products at the North American International Auto Show. Although we still had low inventory in December, our production levels are now back to normal. With a great line-up of products and all-new ILX and RDX models coming in the spring, 2012 will be a very good year for Acura,” said an Acura representative.

Stay in touch with us next week as we unveil more details about Acura’s new models and their plan for the coming year.

Honda is rumored to be planning another crossover model to join its lineup in the near future. Slotting in between the CR-V and Civic, it would be the brand’s smallest utility vehicle.

Word of the new model comes out of Europe where Honda sells a Civic hatchback that rides on a different platform than the Civic sedan and coupe sold in North America. The new crossover will reportedly be based on that architecture, raising doubts that it might not be available in North America.

Designed to compete against the European Nissan Qashqai, Honda is looking to regain much of the ground lost to smaller compact crossovers in Europe.

The yet unnamed car is scheduled to go on sale as early as next year.

[Source: AutoExpress]

Click here to read AutoGuide’s 2012 Honda CR-V Review

She’s had it with Honda, and Heather Peters, a former lawyer, hopes her unusual legal approach will garner as much as 10 times the cash reward and potentially serious consequences for the company if others follow her lead.

Peters, unlike the hundreds of Civic Hybrid owners who joined class action suits, decided to take Honda to small claims court over her 2006 Civic Hybrid achieving sub-par mileage. The car is said to get 50 mpg, but according to Peters, her car never came close and only managed 30 mpg as the battery wore.

Her choice seemed more attractive after finding out that people taking part in the suit would probably only receive about $200 cash and a $750 to $1000 rebate incentive to buy a new Honda. She aims to be awarded the maximum $10,000 allowed as of 2012 in California small claims court.

While taking the Japanese car giant to court might seem sort of senile, Peters is far from crazy. The first fist in her corner is that she has a legal background, so she will be able to prepare a case better than your average Honda customer. Second, California small claims court doesn’t allow lawyers, so Honda will have to keep their legal crack shots at home. Third, as Richard Cupp Jr., who teaches product liability law at Pepperdine University, told the associated press, ”the judge will have a lot of discretion and the evidentiary standards are relaxed in small claims court.”

It’s true that most people probably won’t have the time, education, or energy to take Peters’ path against Honda. If she succeeds and others choose to take similar action, she estimates that it could cost Honda as much as $2 billion. For now, she’s launched a site to promote her cause: DontSettleWithHona.org.

As for her future car plans, she is willing to trade her Civic for a comparable car with a manual transmission because it’s all she trusts anymore.

[Source: MSNBC]

After having taken quite a beating with reviews of the new Civic, Honda has been on the offensive, promising updates while announcing its new “Earth Dreams Technology” plan to reestablish itself as a fuel economy leader. With the debut of the EV-STER electric sports car concept and confirmation that a new NSX is on the horizon, company president Takanobu Ito is now going a step further, while explaining the faults of the past.

In an interview with the The Nikkei, he explains Honda’s old product planning method. “We divided the world into six regions, and Honda’s regional operations were each responsible for their respective regions. Whenever we planned a product for the global market, our thinking was that we needed to listen to each regional supervisor.”

The result, says Ito, was a lowest-common-denominator approach to building a car, watering down all the characteristics of a vehicle to the greatest mass-market appeal. The problem admits Ito is that, “When you harmonize all the different opinions, you end up with a safe, boring car.”

Under the old method of doing business, the vehicle development team was essentially taking the designed-by-committee idea and building a car around it.

Ito says that since he took over in April of last year, changed the system. “I had three corporate officers each supervise luxury, midsize and small vehicles,” he said. “Putting more authority in their hands, I asked them to create more competitive autos and to speed up coordination with product planning and regional operations. I set up a structure that would allow them to take the lead in realizing the wishes of the development team. The fruits of these moves will begin to appear in the market next fiscal year.”

Exactly what those fruits are, says Ito, will be cars that are environmentally friendly and safe, but also ones that are “highly distinctive”. Honda, after all, has a long history of unique vehicles from the NSX, S2000, CRX and del Sol. But perhaps most importantly, he says, “This strategy will be represented by our effort to make vehicles more sporty.”

The first true example of this plan will be evident when Honda unveils the next-generation NSX at the Detroit Auto Show next week.

[Source: Nikkei via TTAC]