Honda Resumes Production at Automobile Plant in Thailand

March 26, 2012 - Honda Automobile (Thailand) Co., Ltd. (HATC), the Honda automobile production subsidiary in Thailand (headquarter in the Rojana Industrial Park, Ayutthaya), today resumed production of automobiles after suspending production since October 4, 2011, due to the damage sustained from the flooding in Thailand.

CR-Z reviews to start soon

I just returned the CR-Z to Honda Malaysia, during lunch time. I had the car for around 4 days, picking it up early Friday morning. To be honest, I did not have much expectation for the car, due mainly to what I perceive to be its 'below spec' engine. I.e. us Honda freaks are used to sporty Honda cars with 8000rpm redlines and sky-high specific output engines, so a 1.5l i-VTEC with 'only' 125ps didn't exactly stir any excitement when I picked the car up. 

Perhaps it is this lack of expectation, though I would think it has more to do with the generally high-quality of execution Honda did on the CR-Z, I am happy to say it has exceeded my expectations a lot ! I really did enjoy driving the car over the extended weekend. Due to its 'status', as the flag bearer for Honda's sporty driving DNA, i.e. the only truly sporty Honda in the current line-up, I did an almost full suite of testings on the car, like what I used to do on TOVA back many years ago. And the CR-Z really did perform well in most of them.

I will start on my reviews for the CR-Z soon. I will be doing a series of them, covering various aspects of the car. For now, as some sort of teaser, I can say that the CR-Z out-deliver in many areas, at least based on my personal expectations. For the standing start acceleration test for e.g., despite a less than ideal environment, I managed to dip below 9.5 seconds for the 0-100kph test, and below 9 seconds for the corresponding 0-60mph test which required one gear change less. 

And just now, on the dyno, the CR-Z once again surprised me with its much much higher than expected delivered power at the front wheels. The power I registered on the Dynojet just now was more on par with an engine in the 140+ps power output range, rather than the 'only' 124ps that Honda spec'ed it for. 

The series of articles I plan to write on the CR-Z includes an initial preview, then how it performed on the Genting run, coverage of it on the dyno, and the standing start acceleration test. All of these I will compare against other models in the local Honda line-up. Then I will close with a series of three more articles - assessment of the CR-Z from both the Honda enthusiasts and the regular driver points of view and a final assesment. Please check back here at TOVA Honda-Fan for previews of the articles and at TOVA to read the articles themselves.

The Jazz Hybrid is coming !

I can confirm that Honda will be launching the Jazz Hybrid here in Malaysia in the very near future. It will be this month itself though I don't think I should disclose the actual date of the launch at this time. I believe interested buyers will probably already know roughly when as they should be able to place a booking for the car now. This makes a total of three hybrid models in the Malaysian line-up.

Office NSX Concept Video from Honda

Honda has released an official video of the new NSX Concept supercar. This is the same video as that we initially featured in our main site at www.vtec.net but I thought I should also offer for viewing here for those who might have missed it then. This video differs from the earlier Sony one in that there is a short sequence featuring the original/outgoing 1Gen NSX. Also the concept car is now badged as a Honda instead of Acura. This video is also done by Sony as part of their Playstation sequence.

Awesome new NSX video by Sony

TOV member TSX69 found this video on youtube and posted the link on our forums. Done by Sony, this is an awesome video of the new NSX concept. Watching it brings me goosebumps all over and if you are as fanatical a Honda fan as I, you will probably feel the same too.

The NSX is Back !!! Photos from the NAIAS

The NSX makes a dramatic return to Honda's, or rather Acura's lineup in the U.S., in the form of the 2nd Gen Acura NSX. Slated to be launched in 2014 and be built in Honda's Ohio plant, this is surely THE most awaited event for all Honda enthusiasts for a long long time. 

The new NSX continues the legendary tradition of the original NSX by being an MR and featuring superb power-to-weight ratio as the means to deliver high performance befitting a Honda supercar. It features a new version of Honda's SH-AWD with electric motors powering the front wheels instead of being driven by the engine via a prop-shaft. The engine itself is a direct-injection V6, displacement unknown, and quite certainly DOHC and VTEC. During the special preview in December, Acura told TOV that it will be a higher spec version of the circa 400hp 3.5l V6 that they had been working on thus far. It is unknown if this engine will feature Honda's much awaited A-VTEC system. It is mated to a 'dual-clutch' transmission, i.e. a DSG, number of gears not specified. The engine is a new generation IMA hybrid, with an electric motor reinforcing drive when needed. The new NSX will be developed for production by an R&D team led Honda R&D Americas.

The photos below are selected from TOV's own personal collection, taken at the NAIAS 'Detroit Motor Show'. More photos and the complete press release are available at our Temple Of VTEC main site at http://www.vtec.net.

 

The NSX is Coming !!! Part Four

The most accurate rendering of the new 2nd Gen NSX so far

Of all the renditions by various automobile publications, internet or published, that we have seen so far, Jeff says the Auto Express magazine of U.K. has come the closest. The illustrations on the left are those we featured on our TOV NNR article and the text below are also from our article. As noted by Jeff, more illustrations are available at the AutoExpress website but the technical details are still unconfirmed at this stage. It is worth remembering that AutoExpress got the engine details for the CR-Z wrong, eventhough it was later confirmed that the engine was changed late in the development cycle for that car. AutoExpress quoted the Insight 1.3l IMA engine for the CR-Z whereas it debuted with a newly developed 1.5l engine.