Stolen, Stolen, Gone!

Despite Honda vehicles ranking in the top-10 again for the National Insurance Crime Bureau's annual list of most stolen vehicles of 2010, more domestic vehicles are on the list. The most stolen vehicle remains the 1994 Honda Accord. Car and truck thefts however in general, continue to decline due in part to technological improvements. 52 000 Accords were stolen in 2010, the majority (around 44 000) were 1990s Accords. The 1995 Honda Civic took second place with the other Honda, the Acura Integra taking 8th spot.

Honda Malaysia Reveals 2012 Civic

Honda Malaysia has released images of the new 2012 Civic set to debut this fall in the Malaysian market. Although the overall body remains the same compared to the U.S. - Civic, there are a few differences to be noted including the revised front grille and HID front headlights and the rear-strip along the middle trunk-lid. The interior will also be slightly more upscale with premium touches and soft surfaces throughout the interior.

Honda Philippines Announces Civic MUGEN

To phase out 2011 Civic models in the Philippines, Honda is announcing a limited-run of a MUGEN Limited Edition special series for the 2011 Civic. Only 26 units will be available consisting of factory-installed MUGEN accessories tacked onto the region's 2.0 S model. The model includes front and rear under spoiler, front sports grille, door visors, a rear wing, alloy wheels, door under garnish and MUGEN emblems. The 2.0 S variant is powered by a i-VTEC engine making 155 hp. Units are on sale in the Philippines right now.

Civic Gets a Recommended Checkmark

Despite the recent negativity surrounding Consumer Reports' sudden thumbs down towards the recommendation of the 2012 Civic, cars.com is releasing a press release stating that it recommends the Civic and stands behind the vehicle. For more on the release, you can visit their website @ http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2011/08/carscom-recommends-the-2012-honda-civic.html

Spied! 2012 Honda Civic Euro

A few more spy shots of the new Civic Euro. The Civic Euro will be heavily redesigned despite keeping a similar 5-door hatchback look to the previous generation. The new 2012 Civic Euro has been tuned specifically on European roads so that the ride and handling are top-notch in comfort and sport levels. Honda has fitted fluid filled bushings on the rear suspension and retains the torsion-beam suspension for practicality and versatility. More to come ...

Consumer Reports Advises Against the 2012 Honda Civic HF

With skyrocketing fuel prices and a general shift to more economic cars in our world today, more and more consumers are looking towards purchasing vehicles that go further on a gallon of gas and automakers are seizing this chance to produce as many fuel efficient varieties of certain vehicles as possible. A large majority of car manufacturers offer fuel-efficient vehicles for more money than their conventional counterparts. Case in point, the 2012 Honda Civic HF, only available in the United States. The trim level is $800 more expensive than the LX model with a small increase in combined miles per gallon from 32 in the LX model to 33 in the HF model. The biggest difference is the highway mpg where the HF scores 41 mpg, passing the "Golden-40mpg" barrier compared to the regular Civic's 39 mpg.

Consumer Reports claims that it will take up to 18 years in order to return on the extra $800 investment a consumer makes when buying the HF model compared to the LX model because it estimates that the small increase in fuel economy will only really save consumers $45 a year.

An interesting option to help consumers save their money when purchasing fuel-efficient vehicles is to refinance their car loans. This process allows drivers to lower monthly payments while driving the same car.

The Civic HF offers alloy wheels, a decklid spoiler, underbody aero wind-cheating panels and a lowered suspension compared to the LX and is only available with an automatic transmission. Unfortunately, there are only two colors available on the HF, grey and white.

2012 Honda Civic EX Review

"The Honda Civic is like the Golden Retriever of cars. It's a vehicle that feels like a friend from the start, has the utmost loyalty to its owner (and vice versa) and is always ready to go where you want to, when you want to."

For more information, visit the OC Register's website @ http://www.ocregister.com/articles/civic-309218-honda-compact.html

Honda Promotes the 2012 Civic Natural Gas

National environmental consulting firm Gladstein, Neandross & Associates (GNA) announced today that it has been selected by American Honda Motor Company (Honda) to promote the newly redesigned Honda Civic Natural Gas sedan. GNA is widely recognized for its efforts in leading the successful deployment of clean, alternative fuel transportation projects across the U.S.

GNA will collaborate with Honda to market the Civic Natural Gas sedan in 19 states spanning the Mid-West to Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions including the District of Columbia. The project will be managed by GNA's East Coast office, based in New York City.

GNA chief executive officer Erik Neandross stated, "GNA is extremely fortunate to have played a role in managing the deployment of a number of nationally recognized NGV projects. We are excited to work with American Honda to promote its Honda Civic Natural Gas sedan, which is the nation's leading light-duty natural gas vehicle product."

Honda Shines

Honda has won 5 categories in Edmunds.com's 2011 Lowest True Cost to Own awards. They name the 2011 car and trucks in 23 categories with the lowest projected ownership cost in a 5 year period. The Accord won the Coupe $25-$35K category while also winning the Sedan $20-$30K category while the Civic Hybrid won the hybrid category, the Pilot winning the SUV $35-45K category and the Ridgeline nailing the Large Light Duty truck category.

One of the key factors were free maintenance plans that helped push the award winners to the top. Edmunds.com uses an algorithm that takes into account depreciation, financing interest, taxes and fees, fuel, maintenance and repairs, insurance premiums assuming these vehicles are driven 15 000 miles per year.

RECALL ALERT: Loose Bolts

Honda is recalling 200 000 cars around the world, NOT IN NORTH AMERICA, to replace water pump pulleys that may become loose and stall the engine. In Africa, this includes 1638 Civics and 283 FRVs. 4 200 vehicles in Singapore are affected. 7 000 UAE Honda Civics are affected by this recall. 50 000 vehicles are recalled in Japan with a total of 150 000 vehicles recalled in Latin America, Europe and parts of Asia. There have been 63 reports of engine malfunctions due to this problem in Japan alone. Globally, they include the Stream, Crossroad and Civic. These models were built at Honda's Japanese plant between July 2008-2010. Warning signs of problems include bolts becoming loose, a dislodged water pump, warning lights on the dashboard and lost power steering.

Honda's 2012 Civic CNG gets Cali. HOV Access until 2015

Honda is announcing that the Civic Natural Gas model will continue to qualify for the White Clean Air Vehicle decals in California that allows vehicles to access the HOV lane until January 2015. These HOV decals are very important to California drivers because they allow solo access to the HOV lane on streets that otherwise are heavily backed up on regular lane traffic. With this announcement, the Civic Natural Gas model will retain the luxury of being the only car able to use the HOV lane until 2015.

Honda's 2012 Civic Natural Gas model rates 27 mpg in the city and 38 mpg in the highway meanwhile it has a combination of 31 mpg of both city and highway. Honda claims by owning a Civic Natural Gas model, consumers are able to reduce their total costs of owning a vehicle by 30% compared to a traditional gasoline vehicle. Honda's Civic Natural Gas sales have also tripled in the first half of 2011.

Taking On Its Duties: 2012 Honda Civic Si

The all-new, Canadian-built 2012 Honda Civic Si Coupe took on duties as a Safety Car for the IZOD IndyCar Series this past weekend at the Honda Indy Toronto. The 201-horsepower Si Coupe was recently transformed by Honda Performance Development (HPD), Honda's racing subsidiary in Los Angeles, into an official IZOD IndyCar Series Safety Car.

"The high-performance new Honda Civic Si is the perfect match for the IndyCar Safety Car fleet," said Jerry Chenkin, executive vice president of Honda Canada. "With its larger and more powerful 2.4-litre engine and enhancements provided by HPD, it is ready to lead the IZOD IndyCar Series field at the Honda Indy Toronto and beyond." Modifications to the already highperformance stock Civic Si include: Sparco seats and four-point racing harnesses; an HPD high-performance brake system with four-piston calipers; competition rotors; racing pads and stainless brake lines; a Honda Genuine Accessory aerodynamic body kit consisting of front, side and rear under spoilers; and Firestone Firehawk tires mounted on Enkei alloy wheels. An exclusive graphics theme completes the conversion from a showroom Civic Si Coupe to an IZOD Indy-Car Series Safety Car. The Safety Car was be driven during IZOD IndyCar Series events by three-time Indianapolis 500 champion Johnny Rutherford.

Unveiled in April at the New York International Auto Show, the 2012 Honda Civic features more streamlined and expressive "mono-form" exterior styling, wrapped around a spacious cabin with more style and convenience. Available new technology features include an intelligent, Multi-Information Display (I-MID), USB audio interface, hands-free Bluetooth and a satellite-linked Navigation System with voice recognition and FM traffic.

Celebrating the History of the Honda Civic

Honda recently released a new commercial for the 2012 Honda Civic with elements from the 39-year history of the compact car. There are several vintage Honda commercials and footage of current Civic models mixed together with an indie vibe set to a track by Dirty Vegas. If you look closely, the commercial highlights several bright spots of the numerous Civic generations throughout its 39 years including the first Civic Si, the Civic CR-X and the Civic Del Sol. When the ad closes, a few Civic stats are unveiled on the screen including the car's 39 years in production and a sales figure of 19 000 000 sold. While this is a commercial produced on a cheaper scale, it certainly is somewhat better than the To Each Their Own ad campaign done by Honda to launch the 2012 Civic earlier this year. Check it out above!

A Canadian Perspective: 2012 Honda Civic DX

Honda Canada is now busy selling the deal – the deal that is the reinvented 2012 Honda Civic.

The base 2012 Honda Civic DX, for instance, starts at $14,990 and comes equipped with a standard five-speed automatic transmission, versus $16,990 for the 2010 Civic DX with autobox. 

It’s a similar story right down the Civic lineup, including the sporty Si which for 2012 is $890 cheaper than the less powerful, less well-equipped 2010 version.

In fact, Honda Canada officials such as senior product planner Matt Wilson argue that not only are prices down, but content across the board is up to the tune of thousands of dollars in value. 

Make no mistake, with the 2012 Civic that is being advertised with some pretty incomprehensible commercial spots, Honda Canada is selling the deal at least as much as the latest engineering and design developments.

That’s shocking. For decades Hondas have pretty much sold themselves on the usual left-brain merits of durability, reliability, safety and resale value. Honda’s sales strategy has been more about finding ways to let people buy the cars as opposed to selling them with discounts, low-interest financing and savvy showroom tactics. No more.

The consequences of starting down the road of a discount brand are many for Honda. First among them is resale value.

The latest research from Canadian Black Book shows that Honda brand vehicles have the fourth-best 48-month residual values in Canada. Four years from now your Honda car should be worth 47.7 per cent of its original price, while on the light truck side the four-year residual value for a Honda is 48.8 per cent. 

What will happen to Honda resale values now that the company has started moving metal by cutting prices, offering payment deals and sweetening offers with cash-back incentives. Surely this can only have a negative impact on residuals.

This ninth-generation Civic is as much about the deal as it is about the engineering, design, comfort, reliability, safety and fuel-efficient performance. As I said, a shocker and perhaps also a sign of the times.

Honda Tops JD Power Study

Honda has earned its best ranking, at 2nd place in a recent J.D. Power and Associates Initial Quality Study for 2011. Honda led the industry having 7 models earn the top initial quality spots including the Honda Accord and Honda Civic. Honda's premium brand, Acura was next in line, topping out at 3rd place. This is the first time since 2002 that an automaker has won to the amount 7 1st place awards out of 11 models. Honda received 2nd overall but 1st among non-luxury brands.

Honda's Ridgeline earned the highest in the truck category while the Odyssey improved upon its initial quality score from last year's model. The Element and the CR-V earned 1st and 2nd place respectively while the mid-size crossover Accord Crosstour also earned the top initial quality. The Honda Fit and Honda Insight joined the list as well.

The Initial Quality Study surveys new car buyers to measure the initial quality of new vehicles after the first 90 days of ownership, it is recognized as a measure of vehicle quality and owner satisfaction. The study recognized Honda's Indiana, Ohio and Japan plants for superior manufacturing quality. 

Spied! 2012 Honda Civic UK

Honda was caught testing a batch of its 2012 Honda Civic 5-door hatchbacks in the Alps earlier in the week. The overall shape of the new car seems to be keeping in line with the current Civic 5-door model in the UK but it seems behind the camouflage, there are several major design changes for the new Civic including a new side, front and rear ends.

2012 Honda Civic Awarded Top Safety Pick from IIHS

IIHS has announced that the 2012 Honda Civic is part of an array of vehicles that have earned the highest top safety rating, the Top Safety Pick. In order for a vehicle to qualify, the vehicle must have standard stability control, have good scores in front, side and rear crashes and perform well in rollovers. The Civic received the highest score possible, (Good) in the four categories. 

PR: Canadian Honda sales for May 2011

Combined May sales of 9,831 units by the Honda and Acura divisions represented a 15% decrease over last year's sales. The Honda Automobile Division reported May sales of 8,739 units, down 13% from last year. The Acura Division reported May sales of 1,092 units, down 27% over last year.

"It was not surprising that our May sales were down because of a product shortage resulting from a parts supply disruption that was caused by the natural disaster in Japan," said Jerry Chenkin, executive vice president of Honda Canada Inc.

"Especially hard hit was our all-new 2012 Honda Civic that went on sale late April. We are pleased that the new Civic is generating a very positive reaction by Canadians. We hope customers will come in to place their orders, and we apologize for any inconvenience to our customers and we appreciate their patience during this difficult time."

Dire Disaster

Honda is saying that production levels for U.S. consumption are set to drop to 50% capacity due to the events and the fallout from the March Japanese earthquake. This will have a massive effect on the availability of the Civic model in the States, Canada will also be affected by the output capacity of the Civic. Normally the plants run on a 90-100% capacity but cutting that in half will surely have ripple effects for Honda as consumers deviate towards other compact car models such as the Hyundai Elantra, Ford Focus and the Chevy Cruze. Time will tell if Honda can recoup back the lost sales or if the Civic will finally lose the title as Canada's Best Selling Car for 2011. 

Pop! Out Comes the 2012 Civic!

BC Honda Dealers along with a Canadian ad company have come up with a new ad featuring the 2012 Honda Civic. It will be advertised in BC and shows a Civic popping out of a giant skyscraper-sized cereal box. Trendy, young marketing, that's for sure. Will this help the sagging Civic sales compared to the new Elantra and Focus? Well ... Civic inventory is already at an all time low in Canada.

View the advertisement at Vimeo, http://vimeo.com/23980651