Recovery situation of affected Honda facilities as of April 8, 2011

 Honda has issued the following information related to the actual status of their operations following the aftermath of the Tohoku earthquake. Read the whole statement after the jump.

Overview of Honda Exhibition at Auto Shanghai 2011

The Shanghai Auto Show will be running this month, from 19th-20th for the media and 21st-28th for the public. Showcase for Honda in this show will be the Fit EV, an electric only vehicle. However the bigger news in this show would be the announcement by Honda about their plan to launch the Acura brand in China. AFAIK, this would be the first time the Acura brand makes an appearance outside of the U.S. Three models will be launched, RL, TL and MDX. Read the whole press release after the jump.

Honda BRIO Makes World Premiere in Thailand

Bangkok, Thailand, March 17, 2011 - Honda Automobile (Thailand) Co., Ltd. (HATC), Honda's automobile production and sales subsidiary in Thailand, unveiled its highly-anticipated Honda BRIO which makes its world premiere debut. The latest innovation from Honda is expected to raise the bar and set a new standard for eco-cars in terms of design, packaging, cabin comfort and fuel-efficiency in Thailand. The starting price will be 399,900 baht, with an annual sales plan of 40,000 units. (1 baht = approximately 2.7 yen)

Honda BRIO is being developed with Honda's advanced technologies, while further advancing Honda's "man maximum, machine minimum" concept^*1. Being developed as a commuter car which is easy-to-use even in urban areas, the Honda BRIO adopts an easy-to-handle compact body while ensuring sufficient cabin space achieved through highly efficient packaging. With this vehicle, Honda thoroughly pursued the creation of an advanced exterior form, which is compact while asserting a strong presence.

The BRIO is equipped with Honda's 1.2-liter 4-cylinder i-VTEC engine delivering 90 horsepower. This i-VTEC engine combines stress-free driving throughout the rpm range with outstanding fuel economy of 5 liters/100km^*2. Its fuel economy-enhancing technologies and nimble performance makes the compact car enjoyable and fun to drive. Emissions from the Brio meets the stringent Euro 4 emission standards.

BRIO features Honda's safety technologies including dual SRS front airbags, disc brakes, Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) which prevents wheel locking and Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD) which enhances braking performance. (available in all versions).

Incorporating Honda's G-Force Control (G-CON) technology, the BRIO's high-performance body features several outstanding elements that enhance its design, driving performance, ride comfort and collision safety performance.  Its high performance body satisfies safety standards for both front and side impacts as specified by the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)'s regulations 94 and 95, respectively.

Atsushi Fujimoto, President of Honda Automobile (Thailand), said, "It brings Honda great pride to unveil the first BRIO in the world, manufactured, assembled and marketed here in Thailand. The BRIO will meet the driving and lifestyle needs of people who are looking for a stylish and compact, yet spacious and fuel-efficient car that carries a brand that they can trust for its advanced and safety technologies.

*1 Honda's "man maximum, machine minimum" concept is a basic approach to Honda car design calling for maximizing the space available for people and minimizing the space required for mechanical components.

*2 Measures with ECE R101 mode

OFFICIAL STATEMENT : Tohoku Earthquake impact on Honda operations across Asia

Honda Malaysia issued the following press release as a clarification on the status of Honda's operations here in the important regions of Japan (home market), Asia, and Oceania (Australia, New Zealand, etc). The main message is that Honda will resume operations of ALL their plants on April 11th, INCLUDING the Tochigi R&D center which got hit quite badly. Any potential impact on production due to parts supply will be handled on an as-is where-is basis -IF- they occur. Read the full official release after the jump.