Honda cars

2013 Honda Crosstour Concept

As promised, Honda has unveiled the Honda Crosstour Concept at a catered media reception at the 2012 New York International Auto Show (NYIAS) in hopes of reviving a vehicle that has had less than stellar performance on the market. This new concept follows the original Accord Crosstour that was launched back in 2010 and the renamed Honda Crosstour in 2012 (when it dropped the Accord nomenclature). The Honda Crosstour Concept is our first taste as to what we can expect for the 2013 model of this struggling crossover.

The list of changes for the new Honda Crosstour Concept include exterior and interior upgrades, a new 6-speed automatic transmission for the V6 versions, and safety upgrades for both four-cylinder and V6 versions.

"Fueled by a combination of versatility, luxury, and efficiency, owners have demonstrated remarkable devotion to the Honda Crosstour," said John Mendel, executive vice president of sales for American Honda. "The 2013 Crosstour Concept shows how Honda will strengthen the styling and add even more content to one of the most efficient offerings in the class."

UPDATE 04/05/2012: This review has been updated with the official details and images of the 2012 Honda Crosstour Concept.

Hit the jump to read more about the 2013 Honda Crosstour Concept.

2013 Honda Crosstour: Can a Redesign Save this Struggling Crossover?

As we quickly approach the New York Auto Show, automakers are coming out of the woodwork announcing that they are debuting new cars or simply reveling redesigned versions of existing cars. One car in need of a boost is the upcoming 2013 Honda Crosstour – yes, Honda misses the mark sometimes too – and Honda plans to reveal its 2013 Crosstour Concept at the upcoming auto show.

Honda hopes that new exterior styling on the 2013 Crosstour will help boost its sales. We will be the first to admit that the Crosstour is in desperate need of a redesign, but the redesign will have to be significant to make a difference. Fortunately for Honda, the Crosstour isn’t the only strange looking crossover vehicle in for a reveal, as Toyota plans to reveal a redesigned Venza at the same auto show.

With additional competition from the firmly entrenched Subaru Outback, which also has a redesign to show off in New York, Honda needs to pull out all the stops to save the suffering Crosstour, which has sold just 51,380 units since its 2010 debut. Even worse, only 1,991 units have made their way into people’s driveways two months into 2012.

Will this refresh and the new four-cylinder be enough to save the Crosstour from elimination? Well, given Honda’s conservative nature, the 2013 Crosstour Concept will only receive very mild changes. Also, given the fact that it always has been and likely will remain based on the popular Accord, we wouldn’t expect anything drastic. Of course, no one expected Honda to do what it did to the Civic in 2006.

Honda has kept a pretty tight lid on this release, so we will all find out together on its April 4th release.

2012 Honda NSX Concept

Since the NSX will be headed Stateside as an Acura, we got the Acura NSX Concept when the Detroit Auto Show opened its doors. Other markets like Europe and Japan, however, will be given a Honda to serve as their NSX base, so the Geneva Motor Show will find itself with a Honda NSX Concept to preview their production supercar.

The Honda NSX Concept will feature the same design language and the same technology as the Acura NSX Concept. It will be powered by the company’s next generation VTEC 3.5-liter V6 with direct-injection engine which is then combined with a dual clutch transmission and a range of new technologies, including the innovative Sport Hybrid SH-AWD (Super Handling All Wheel Drive) hybrid system. This system combines a unique 2 Electric Motor Drive Unit with a bilateral torque adjustable control system that allows the car to instantly generate negative or positive torque to the front wheels during cornering. Honda hasn’t released any details on the final output of this setup, but rumors say it will go up to about 400 HP, or just enough to sprint the car from 0 to 60 mph in less than 5 seconds.

The production Honda NSX will be unveiled in the next three years.

UPDATE 03/12/2012: Honda has unveiled a very cool promo video for their NSX Concept which was unveiled at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. Enjoy!

Video: Honda NSX - Past and Future

Honda brought back the NSX name this year at the Detroit Auto Show with the unveiling of the Acura NSX Concept, but the history of the NSX begun back in 1990 when the first generation was unveiled on the market. Today, the company has unveiled a very cool video that presents a tribute to the NSX - both past and future.

The NSX was offered with a choice of two engines: a 3.0 liter V6 with 270 HP and a 3.0 liter V6 with 252 HP and 210 lb.-ft. of torque. With the new generation, Honda promises to impress the masses even more than they did with the first model. Rumors state that the new NSX be a hybrid sports car that combines a 3.5-liter V6 engine with a unique 2 Electric Motor Drive Unit with a bilateral torque adjustable control system. This system allows the car to instantly generate negative or positive torque to the front wheels during cornering. This setup will be just enough to deliver a total of 400 HP.

Super Bowl Ad: Matthew Broderick reprises Ferris Bueller role in Honda’s Super Bowl commercial

When this Matthew Broderick teaser first surfaced last week, speculation ran rampant that there was a Ferris Bueller movie in the works. If you were one of those people that thought the same thing, you’re both right and wrong on that one.

First of all, there’s no Ferris Bueller movie currently in development, but there’s this Super Bowl commercial from Honda that brings "Ferris Bueller’s Day Off" back to life.

Some of you might be too young to remember the movie and the success it generated in the box office, but for those that remember Bueller’s clever attempts at skipping school and spending the entire day in Chicago just having some fun, then you’ll certainly notice all the movie references made in the two-and-a-half minute commercial where Broderick plays himself and decides to skip a movie shoot just so he could enjoy his all-new Honda CR-V.

Charming as the ad is on a lot of fronts, it does cast a generational tone to it, especially for those that never got the chance to see the movie and won’t understand what the big deal is all about.

2012 Honda Accord Coupe Concept

The calendar might have just flipped over to a new year, but that doesn’t mean that auto show fever is subsiding anytime soon, especially since the 2012 North American International Auto Show just opened its doors. Many automakers are on hand to show off their newest concepts and production models, including Honda and their first preview version of the ninth-generation 2013 model set to go on-sale in Fall 2012. The Honda Accord Coupe Concept shows off a new exterior and interior design, as well as a choice of three all-new powertrains, including the first U.S. application of both a 2.4-liter direct-injected engine and two-motor plug-in hybrid system.

At the front of the new Accord will be a revised four-sided honeycomb grille and deeply set multi-reflector headlights, lower fog-light spoilers accented by crystallized chrome inlays, a trunk -lid spoiler, and larger exhaust finishers integrated into the bumper.

"Marking the 30th anniversary of U.S. production, this new ninth-generation Accord will raise the bar again through a tour de force of new Honda powertrain and safety technologies, geared to ensure that Honda and the Accord continue to lead in fuel economy, safety and fun-to-drive performance," said John Mendel, executive vice president of sales for American Honda.

Hit the jump to read more about the 2012 Honda Accord Coupe Concept.

2012 Acura NSX Concept

After years of speculations, Honda is finally taking the first steps in offering a successor for the very prominent NSX supercar with its first concept version revealed at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show. The company has promised that a production version will follow in the next three years and will be manufactured at the company’s plant in Ohio.

Not only does the concept revealed in Detroit preview the future NSX supercar, it also presents the first application of Acura’s innovative new Sport Hybrid SH-AWD (Super Handling All Wheel Drive) system. This system combines a unique 2 Electric Motor Drive Unit with a bilateral torque adjustable control system that allows the car to instantly generate negative or positive torque to the front wheels during cornering. The company then throws in their next generation VTEC 3.5-liter V6 with direct-injection and a dual clutch transmission with built-in electric motor.

"This Sport Hybrid SH-AWD system will make NSX the ultimate expression of Acura’s idea to create synergy between man and machine," said Takanobu Ito, president and CEO of Honda Motor Co., Ltd. "The NSX will make the driver one with the car to enhance dynamic driving abilities without getting in the way."

"Like the first NSX, we will again express high performance through engineering efficiency," added Ito, who led the development of Acura’s first NSX supercar. "In this new era, even as we focus on the fun to drive spirit of the NSX, I think a supercar must respond positively to environmental responsibilities."

Updated 04/06/2012: The new NSX Concept has also been presented at the New York Auto Show and we were just there to shot a few more pictures of it. Found them in the picture gallery section.

Updated 04/25/2012: While until now we have seen the new Acura NSX sports car in a gray exterior paint, for the Beijing Auto Show the NSX has dressed a very cool red paint.

Next Honda NSX will feature a four-wheel-drive hybrid drivetrain

Honda is previewing the new NSX supercar with the first concept version set to be released next month at the Detroit Auto Show. But before that happen, British magazine, AutoExpress, a few new details to pacify the masses. The new NSX, built as a Japanese rival to models like the Audi R8, will be a 400bhp four-wheel-drive hybrid model and will be heavily based on the concept car seen on the set of the new Avengers movie.

The hybrid system will combine a 3.5-liter V6 engine driving one axle with a pair of in-wheel electric motors driving the other ones. This system will offer a total of 400 HP and will propel the FWD NSX from 0 to 60 mph in under 5 seconds. The model will be revealed as an Acura badge concept, but on markets like Europe, it will be sold as a Honda.

The biggest news offered by AutoExpress is that the NSX will also be offered as a roadster, but no other details about this model were provided.

Stay tuned! We’ll have more details on the new Honda/Acura NSX after its official debut in Detroit.

2012 Detroit Auto Show Preview

With the calendar turning over a new page to 2012, the very first major auto show is set to open its doors in Detroit when the North American International Auto Show welcomes automakers - both local and foreign - to the Motor City.

This year, American brands are coming to Detroit in full force where they will be joined by a number of international automakers in presenting a steady diet of concept cars, production debuts, and just about everything else in between.

Among the notable debuts set to take place include the brand-new 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL, as well as the 2013 Bentley Continental GT V8. German automaker Porsche has also penciled in the 911 Cabriolet for the festivities, while Lexus will be on-hand to display the intriguing and mysterious LF-LC 2+2 sports coupe concept.

As for the local contingent, Ford is leading the way with the premiere of the Fusion global mid-size sedan while Dodge is set to introduce their Alfa Romeo Giulietta-based compact sedan, the Dart.

There’s plenty of action headed to Detroit when the 2012 NAIAS opens its doors on January 14th. Head over after the jump to check out a preview of all the cars scheduled to be part of all the festivities.

2013 Honda CR-Z Type R

Ever since the official launch of the Honda CR-Z, it has been rumored that it would be followed by a Type R version. We haven’t heard anything else about the possible sports upgrade for the past few months, but now it seems the rumors have returned. The first rendering of the future car was inspired by the CR-Z Hybrid R Concept and we have to admit, it looks pretty cool.

The most powerful CR-Z currently offered by Honda is the iCF Mugen announced earlier this year. It uses a modified 1.5-liter engine that delivers a total of 173 HP - a significant improvement over the car’s standard 124 HP. It has also been announced that Mugen will offer a more powerful version for the CR-Z, but these two versions will play second and third to Honda’s new, more powerful Type-R model. Previous rumors suggest that the Type-R version will go up to 200hp, thanks to a 2.0 liter four-cylinder engine developing a total of 150 HP and a larger 50 HP electric motor. The result will be a sprint from 0 to 60 mph in less than 6 seconds and a top speed of 140mph.