New Accord CrossTour will get on sale in the U.S. this November. We don’t know if it’s spacious or more practical than the saloon model, but the five-seater crossover does feature an 8-inch deep under-floor Hidden Removable Utility Box with a reversible lid in the compartment area
“Honda has a continuous reputation for maximizing interior space and utility in its vehicles,” said Erik Berkman, vice president of corporate planning and logistics for American Honda Motor Co., Inc. “The Accord Crosstour uses a multiplex design to create an interior that functions with the practicality of a larger vehicle.”
The Japanese automaker also discovered that when the Accord CrossTour reaches the firm’s dealerships in November, it will be launched with a 3.5-liter V6 engine and available four-wheel drive. Honda did not release any fulfillment or economy figures, but in the Accord sedan, the 3.5 V6 churns out 271HP at 6,200 rpm and 254 lb-ft of peak torque at 5,000 rpm.
And just to tick you off, its latest press release Honda announced that, “The exterior styling evolves the Crossover Utility Vehicle (CUV) concept by integrating a sleek and aerodynamic shape that blends sporty, low-profile contours with versatile CUV functionality.”
Honda has finally launched Acura 2010 TL SH-AWD onto the U.S. market. The new manual transmission equipped with TL SH-AWD allows the enthusiast driver to take full advantage of the performance of Acura’s SH-AWD system,” said Jeff Conrad, vice president of Acura sales, “Not only is the new 6-speed manual transmission model the best performing Acura TL ever, it is the top handling performer among every vehicle in its class.”
Acura tweaked the TL SH-AWD’s chassis by upgrading the suspension and steering wheel system. Along with the specially tuned coil spring and shock absorber rates for flatter cornering with reduced pitching motions under acceleration and braking -or so Acura claims, the front dampers on the manual model incorporate 5-percent more compression damping to improve turn-in feel and generate 14-percent less high speed compression damping better ride quality. While Acura has yet to disclose performance figures, the automaker did announce that the TL SH-AWD with the 6-speed manual gearbox returns an EPA estimated 18mpg city and 26mpg highway, which is 1mpg better in both cases than the automatic version.
The manual model keeps the same pricing as the five-speed automatic SH-AWD at $42,385 when combined with the Technology Package and at $43,385 with the Technology pack and high performance tires. Just so you know, the above prices do not include taxes, license or an $810 destination and handling charge.
Honda reminds us every once in a while that the CR-Z hybrid sports coupe and the hybrid version of the Jazz – Fit will enter production. This time the Japanese automaker released some new information in the form of the JDM launch dates. Customers in Japan will be able to buy the CR-Z from February 2010 and the Fit Hybrid (Jazz in Europe) sometime before the end of 2010.
Honda added that the start date for European sales of the spiritual
successor of the CR-X coupe that is based on the 2007 Tokyo Show CR-Z concept car will be released toward the end of 2009.
And what about the Jazz Hybrid? Well, Honda’s exact words were “the IMA system will also be introduced into the award-winning Honda Jazz within the next few years.” In other words, don’t expect to see the hybrid supermini arriving at Honda’s European showroom any time soon.
Currently the car manufacturer Honda is developing a new crossover vehicle, which is designed to cover a wider range of segments in its lineup. Recently a number of prototypes of this car have been spotted testing in the U.S. After the spy photos the company has announced that the new crossover model, which is most likely to be called the Crosstour, will go on sale in the third-quarter of the year.
The executive vice president for North America branch of Honda, John Mendel, has previously announced that a crossover model will arrive “in the fall” but revealed no other details. However, according to Detroit News the new Crosstour is scheduled to enter production in September at Honda’s East Liberty factory in Ohio, with sales to start shortly after.
The most likely powertrain options will be the current 2.4-liter and 3.5-liter units from the Accord, although the spirited 2.3-liter turbocharged unit form is also possible. Some sources confirm that the Crosstour will be equipped with an AWD system.
Honda’s range is missing a crossover vehicle , while the popularity of such models is high in the market. This is why the production of the new model is very important for the automaker in the current market. This means that Honda’s CR-V and Element compact SUVs will be joined by a new midsized crossover based on the Accord platform, finally providing the automaker with a decent competitor to cars like the Toyota Venza and Subaru Legacy wagon.
Honda has announced that it will unveil the final limited edition S2000 at the coming Geneva Motor Show this March. Since its first debut in UK in 1999 there have been 110,673 units of the car sold worldwide. A decade after this the S2000 will reach the end of its production at the end of June 2009. As the name suggests only 100 models of the rear-wheel drive roadster will be released.
The special edition S2000 will get the same 2.0-litre, 240HP engine. On the exterior the car will be unchanged with Grand Prix White paint, dark alloy wheels, black budging, red leather interior and numbered kick-plates.
Inside the limited production model will be equipped with a red leather interior and red coloring for stitching on the gear lever gaiter. All Edition 100 limited production models will have their unique numbered plaques on the kick-plates, which will denote the car’s position in the special edition series.
Honda S2000 Edition 100 is expected to go on sale in Europe in March with the price starting from £29,086.
