Wednesday, March 31, 2010
HONDA hasn't shared similar success with its various hybrid automobiles as cross-town rival Toyota, despite the fact that the two Japanese automakers introduced their first gasoline/electric models around the same time. The reasons for the sales disparity are many and varied, and at least due in part to the design of Honda Integrated Motor Assist drivetrain, which doesn't quite match the level of sophistication and fuel mileage of Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive.Still, Honda is pushing forward with the next generation of its IMA system, and it will be added to larger, thirstier models within the next three years or so. The last time Honda put a hybrid powertrain in a larger car, the results were more than a little disappointing with the Accord Hybrid failing to meet sales or efficiency expectations. As such, it will be interesting to see how Honda improves the upsized hybrid system and whether it will be enough to compete with the likes of Toyota, Ford and General Motors.
In somewhat related news, Honda is apparently still working on diesel engines, though apparently not for the U.S. market. According to Tomohiko Kawanabe, chief operating officer of automobile research and development at Honda, "If you want to compete in markets like India, and also Europe, (a small diesel engine) is necessary."
10 October 2007
Sambut musim mudik dan lebaran, Honda siagakan bengkel darurat di jalur mudik
Sambut musim mudik dan lebaran, Honda siagakan bengkel darurat di jalur mudik
Menyambut musim mudik dan perayaan Idul Fitri tahun ini, PT Honda Prospect Motor (HPM) kembali mengadakan program layanan bagi konsumen Honda yang mengadakan perjalanan mudik dengan mobilnya.
Melalui program “Honda Emergency Service”, Honda menyiagakan bengkel darurat di titik-titik rawan jalur mudik yang dilengkapi dengan “Honda Service Car” serta bengkel di dealer resmi Honda yang tersebar di beberapa kota besar di Indonesia. Program ini ditujukan untuk melayani pelanggan yang mengalami masalah dengan kendaraannya selama perjalanan.
“Honda Emergency Service” atau yang disebut sebagai kampanye “Honda Siaga” dimulai tanggal 9 – 20 Oktober 2007, dimana Honda menyiagakan 43 bengkel siaga Honda, yang terdiri dari 12 bengkel siaga 24 jam dan 31 bengkel di dealer resmi Honda yang beroperasi selama jam kerja di sepanjang jalur mudik dan beberapa kota besar di Indonesia. Jumlah ini meningkat dibanding tahun lalu, dimana Honda menyiapkan 35 bengkel siaga.
Berbicara dalam acara peluncuran New Odyssey sekaligus buka puasa bersama yang diadakan di Rumah Daksa, Kebayoran Lama, Jakarta, Yukihiro Aoshima, President Director PT HPM menjelaskan bahwa program “Honda Emergency Service” telah menjadi agenda tahunan Honda untuk menyambut musim libur Lebaran. “Dengan jumlah bengkel yang lebih banyak pada tahun ini, kami harap customer Honda dapat menikmati perjalanan mudik mereka dengan lebih aman dan nyaman,” kata Aoshima.
Sementara itu, Jonfis Fandy, Marketing & After Sales Service Director PT HPM mengatakan bahwa program ini dikhususkan untuk pelayanan darurat bagi konsumen Honda yang mobilnya mengalami masalah di perjalanan. “Kami tentunya tetap menghimbau para pemudik untuk melakukan perawatan secara rutin di bengkel resmi agar mobil mereka berada dalam kondisi prima saat mudik. Namun jika terjadi situasi darurat dengan mobil mereka di perjalanan, kami siap membantu dengan program Honda Siaga ini,” jelasnya.
Dua belas Bengkel Siaga Honda tersebar di titik-titik rawan sepanjang jalur mudik di Pulau Jawa dan Bali, yaitu di Cipanas, Cisarua, Tol Cikampek KM 57 + 500, Tol Cipularang KM 88, Nagrek, Cirebon, Kebumen, Rembang, Madiun, Tuban, Situbondo, dan Negara (Bali). Selain itu, Honda juga tetap membuka 31 dealer resminya untuk melayani konsumen pada jam kerja biasa selama masa liburan tersebut. Dealer-dealer resmi tersebut berlokasi di kota-kota besar seperti Jakarta, Depok, Bekasi, Bogor, Bandung, Cirebon, Semarang, Pekalongan, Yogyakarta, Solo, Surabaya, Malang, Medan, Lampung, Palembang, Pekanbaru, Samarinda, dan Balikpapan.
Honda juga bekerjasama dengan Telkomsel dan Fren untuk menyediakan akses telepon “Telkomsel 5000” dan “Fren #5000” yang bisa dihubungi langsung oleh konsumen Telkomsel dan Fren untuk mengetahui lokasi bengkel siaga Honda terdekat. Sementara XL menyediakan nomor khusus untuk masing-masing posko Honda Siaga.
Informasi mengenai nomor-nomor tersebut terdapat dalam leaflet Honda Siaga yang tersedia di seluruh dealer resmi Honda di Indonesia. Selain berisi informasi mengenai lokasi bengkel dan posko Honda Siaga, dalam leaflet tersebut juga terdapat informasi penting lainnya seperti alamat rumah sakit, pos polisi, hingga tujuan wisata.
Melengkapi pelayanannya, Honda juga menyiagakan “Honda Service Car” di setiap bengkel siaga 24 jam dan bengkel-bengkel di dealer resmi Honda. “Honda Service Car” merupakan layanan servis yang disediakan Honda, berupa mobil Honda CR-V 2.0 yang dirancang khusus untuk memuat berbagai peralatan servis untuk melakukan pekerjaan servis darurat langsung di lokasi dimana kendaraan pelanggan mengalami kerusakan.
“Honda Service Car” dapat melakukan pekerjaan darurat untuk masalah yang sering ditemui pengendara mobil di jalan, diantaranya mogok, tambal ban, belt putus, dan kelistrikan mesin (charging, starting, dan ignition system). Selain itu, “Honda Service Car” juga dapat melakukan pekerjaan perbaikan lainnya, seperti: mengganti plat kopling, mengganti timing belt, mengganti alternator belt, mengganti saringan bensin, mengganti busi, mengganti / memeriksa rem, mengganti fluida transmisi, mengganti / menambah radiator / coolant, mengganti saringan oli, mengganti fluida power steering, mengganti saringan udara, dan mengganti / memeriksa aki.
BMW Test Drive Event
BMW Canada team of drivers would like to invite you to a special event this spring, it’s called “BMW Innovation Drive”. It features five cars for you to drive in 2 hours .
The 135i coupe, 335i coupe and also the wonderful and surprising 335 Diesel and all new BMW 5 Series. In addition you’ll have the opportunity to have a hard look at the new X6 Active Hybrid and BMW 5 series Grand Turismo.
It will take place in:
BMW Test Drive Event
BMW Canada team of drivers would like to invite you to a special event this spring, it’s called “BMW Innovation Drive”. It features five cars for you to drive in 2 hours .
The 135i coupe, 335i coupe and also the wonderful and surprising 335 Diesel and all new BMW 5 Series. In addition you’ll have the opportunity to have a hard look at the new X6 Active Hybrid and BMW 5 series Grand Turismo.
It will take place in:
Opel Agila, 2008
Opel Agila 2008
With five doors and five seats, the new Opel Agila is not only as practical as its predecessor, which sold over 440,000 units, but is now also much more dynamically designed. The small, versatile Opel was unveiled to the public at the 2007 IAA in Frankfurt (September 13 - 23, 2007) and made its market premiere in spring 2008. It boasts balanced proportions, soft curves and a distinctive side graphic. Its passengers still sit high and upright, but the roofline has been dynamically lowered and now blends into a smooth arc toward the rear. This helps create the Opel Agila's aerodynamic drag coefficient of 0.35 - a relatively low figure for a vehicle of this size. The urban car is now 20 centimeters longer, six centimeters wider, but seven centimeters lower than its predecessor.The front boasts typical Opel styling. With its round headlamps integrated into almond-shaped lamp units that echo the new Corsa, the Opel Agila sees the world through wide eyes. The tapering of the front and rear bumpers are also typical Opel elements, just like the crease in the hood.
The same is true for the interior: the boring days are over. A wide selection of fresh colors and modern styles create an ambience that's enhanced even more by the spacious headroom. The versatile five-seater's high seating position ensures good visibility, while the high placed gear stick and height-adjustable steering wheel with radio remote controls ensure easy operation. The rev counter is housed separately on the instrument panel.But it's not just car essentials that the new Opel Agila stows away easily. Despite its compact exterior dimensions, the new Opel urban car boasts a surprisingly large luggage compartment. Its standard capacity up to the luggage compartment cover is 225 liters, large enough for a strollere. One turn of a handle drops the rear bench seat back, increasing the load volume to an impressive 1050 liters - a top value in this segment. The rear bench seat and back also splits 60:40 for even greater versatility.
All Opel Agila models have a wide range of standard equipment, including safety features such as ABS, front and side airbags for driver and front passenger, front passenger airbag deactivation and mountings for the ISOFIX child seat system.
Two gasoline engines make their world premiere in the new Opel Agila. Supplied by cooperation partner Suzuki, they share the same design - aluminum cylinder block and head, as well as two overhead camshafts.
The entry-level unit is the almost one-liter, three-cylinder gasoline engine. The four-valve unit produces 65 hp (48 kW) and has a top speed of 160 km/h. The 1.2-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine produces 86 hp (63 kW), accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in less than 12 seconds and has a top speed of 174 km/h (values for five-speed manual version).
The fuel-saving master among the Opel Agila engines is the 1.3-liter common-rail turbo-diesel. Developed by GM Powertrain, the diesel engine is a true multi-talent and also offers an especially efficient alternative in the Corsa and Astra model lines. In the new Opel Agila it produces 75 hp (55 kW), has a top speed of 162 km/h and a zero to 100 km/h sprint of 13.5 seconds. The powerful diesel unit with a maximum torque of 190 Nm is very economical: on average it consumes less than five liters per 100 km, which represents a CO2 per kilometer value of under 130 g (finalized values not yet available).Make the Opel Agila even more agile - that was the aim during chassis development. The new dynamic look is also reflected in the car's responsiveness. The Opel Agila's chassis, which features A-arms and McPherson struts in front and a torsion beam axle in the rear, is tuned for driving fun. Depending on the market and equipment variant, the Opel Agila also features an Electronic Stability Program (ESP).
Rover 75, 2004
Rover 75, 2004
The new evolutionary design style for the highly-regarded Rover 75 Saloon and Tourer models embraces a sharper-edged front and rear exterior appearance, a larger integrated radiator grille, halogen projector headlamps and three distinct trim identities - Classic, Connoisseur and Contemporary, with SE derivatives are supported by additional option packs that offer carefully tailored specifications across all points in the range.
The established appeal of the Rover 75 range - with its unrivalled reputation as the definitive luxury premium Upper Medium saloon is further enhanced by the addition of the "Contemporary" derivative theme, providing a younger, more modern interpretation of traditional Rover values. Other features include a selection of new alloy wheel designs and options like Personal Assist - Smartnav voice navigation and concierge service.
The exterior has the clean lines of the sharper-edged Rover 75 design to capture a fresh spirit of style with a larger and more prominent Rover grille, complemented by a new headlamp design incorporating standard fit halogen projector units. The style of Rover 75 has been updated to offer cleaner, more progressive lines without jeopardising the integrity of the original design, widely regarded as one of the most beautiful cars in the world.Rover 75 Saloon and Tourer already possess one of the most admired interiors in the motoring world. With the introduction of the Classic, Connoisseur and Contemporary variants this interior is now available in three distinctive identities. In particular,
Contemporary models offer an entirely new and progressive interior based around a new black oak wood finish. The provides a distinctive, younger and more continental flavour to the cabin. Full leather seat trim is standard on SE derivatives of both Connoisseur and Contemporary models.
For security and peace of mind, superlocking disables door and tailgate lock releases and sophisticated electronic networks stand ready to trigger the alarm. Highly convenient 'plip' operated remote unlocking of the boot or tailgate is now available on all derivatives, while a robust engine immobiliser and remote control with a continuously changing security code complete the anti-theft defences.
Scion t2B Concept, 2005
Scion t2B Concept 2005
The t2B is a concept car from Scion, designed by Calty Design (Toyota's design studio in California) and built by Five Axis Models in Huntington Beach, California. It debuted at the 2005 New York Auto Show.
Its name stands for Tall 2 Box.It appears rather like a mini-van, with 2 rows of bench seats, although the exterior is similar to the xB. On the passenger side there is 1 automatic sliding door.
The driver side has doors that open 180 degrees, the rear door being a suicide door. The idea of the t2B is to be a social and entertainment enigma to the occupants.
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