honda

Consumer Reports rate some Japanese used cars as 'more reliable'

In the market for a used car? Here's some good news. Consumer Reports today released its list of used cars that rate as more reliable than their brand-new counterparts.

The Consumer Reports' Annual Auto issue lists 11 2008 models with about the same or even fewer problems than comparable 2010 models. That list includes the 2008 Toyota FJ Cruiser and Yaris with a reported 11 and 12 problems per 100 vehicles, respectively. Although Consumer Reports reveals the average 2010 car had 13 problems per 100. Consumer Reports did not rate the FJ Cruiser and Yaris with high in road … Read more

Cars, confidence fill Geneva

The Geneva auto show is filled with signs that the industry turnaround under way in North America has reached Europe.

Automakers are bouncing back from the downturn of the past two years with a number of production vehicles and concepts in Geneva.

Volkswagen Group, helped by its new subsidiary Italdesign Giugiaro, will unveil an array of concept cars to show the industry it has the design depth, as well as the production capability and the financial strength, to topple Toyota as the world's No. 1 automaker.

BMW will debut the Vision ConnectedDrive, a futuristic roadster concept that shows how … Read more

2012 Honda Civic hybrid gets li-ion battery, Si gets more torque

When we got our first look at the next generation of the Honda Civic at the 2011 Detroit auto show, we were generally underwhelmed. The Civic Concept resembled the outgoing Civic so closely that it was easily overshadowed by more visually interesting reveals, such as the Hyundai Veloster. Today, with the unveiling of the production versions of what will be the 2012 Civic coupe and sedan, we're unsurprised to find that Honda's bread-and-butter model is just as visually underwhelming as when we last saw it. However, digging into the specs, we find that there are a few revisions … Read more

Honda Civic GX tops green list again

The Honda Civic GX is the greenest car of 2011, according to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.

The nonprofit organization released its 14th annual environmental ratings list yesterday with the Honda Civic GX, which runs on compressed natural gas, once again winning first place. The ACEEE ranked the all-electric Nissan Leaf second, with the Smart Fortwo in third, and the Toyota Prius in fourth. The Chevy Volt was ranked last at No. 12.

However, topping the ACEEE's list doesn't necessarily mean the Honda Civic GX is the most consumer-friendly green car available. The car, which has … Read more

Electric cars you can buy, soon

The time for talk is over; electric cars are hitting the streets. Over the next few years, at least 14 electric car models are slated for mass production. Although Tesla took an early lead with its Roadster in 2008, the risky move by Nissan to put the Leaf on sale late last year appears to have opened the flood gates. Now, names such as Ford, Honda, and Toyota are ready to join the fray.

Many of the electric cars hitting the road in the next couple of years will first find their ways into testing programs, leased to utilities and … Read more

CNET Car Tech: 2011 Honda CR-Z

It's the spritual return of the legendary CR-X, in hybrid form. But is there any real point to that, other than being part of current engineering fashion? The 2011 CR-Z doesn't wow us with either performance or efficiency, yet somehow it's still an appealing little car. Brian Cooley takes you for a drive to check the tech.

Compact SUVs dominate Detroit concepts

DETROIT--At this year's Detroit auto show, the concept cars looked like serious moves toward a production vehicle rather than a designer's fever dreams. And telling among this crop was the predominance of compact SUVs, a segment that automakers expect to grow.

We started off with a new Civic concept, and in Honda style this car was a mere preview of a production vehicle. Toyota also had a small hatchback concept in its Prius line.

More exciting concepts came from Ford, Hyundai, Kia, and Mini. This crop of compact SUVs featured upright seating positions and raised rooflines. Among these, … Read more

Honda reveals 2012 Civic coupe, sedan concepts

DETROIT--Today, Honda drew back the curtain on a pair of concept cars. The Honda Civic coupe and sedan concepts sit at the end of the nameplate's almost 40-year history and offer us our first glance at what will eventually be the model's 9th generation.

Both concepts feature profiles that aren't much different from the sedan and coupe currently on the road, but they have more muscular sculpting in the side panels. Glaringly, the 2012 concepts feature more aggressive front ends, with angular headlamps sweeping back from their honeycomb grilles. Where the sedan features chrome bright work atop … Read more

Follow-up report: HondaJet takes to the skies

Honda Aircraft's HondaJet owns the ski in this test flight. The video, posted this week on YouTube, shows the "Civic of the Skies," take off, land, and fly around a bit over Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro, N.C.

As we reported last month, the FAA-confirming flight puts HondaJet one step closer to becoming FAA certified.

The advanced light business jet is powered by a fuel-efficient, low-emission HF120 turbofan engine with a cruising speed of 420 knots and a range of 1,400 nautical miles (1,611 miles).

Honda Aircraft plans to deliver HondaJet to costumers … Read more

Millions of Honda owners victims of data breach

Carmaker Honda is warning more than 2 million of its customers in the U.S. that an e-mail database containing some of their personal information has been stolen.

It's not yet 100 percent clear if this breach is connected to the recent breach of the e-mail marketing firm Silverpop Systems, but it sure looks that way. Honda was an enthusiastic Silverpop customer as recently as 2009, according to this press release. It's the same company whose data was breached in thefts of customer data from McDonald's and deviantArt. A similar incident was reported concerning the drugstore chain … Read more