Category Archive:
Posted by Keagan Patrick on May 17, 2006 at 5:00 pm
Mitsubishi Endeavor won its first
AutoPacific VSA when it was launched in 2004 and repeats in 2006. Endeavor’s 5-passenger interior package gives good spaciousness to front and rear passengers without the compromises often made by SUVs trying to shoehorn 7-people into the space designed for five. Endeavor has good performance and driving dynamics. While Endeavor’s somewhat controversial styling may limit its sales, clearly, once a person has made the commitment, the Endeavor clearly provides what they want.
Continue Reading
Posted by Keagan Patrick on May 17, 2006 at 5:00 pm
In its last year before being replaced, the
Hyundai Santa Fe continues its string of category-leading performances in AutoPacific’s Vehicle Satisfaction Awards. Santa Fe has won or tied in its category for five of the six years it has been on the market. In fact, Santa Fe was the first Korean brand vehicle to win one of the coveted
AutoPacific Vehicle Satisfaction Awards. This is a testament to Santa Fe’s strong combination of product competence, value and warranty. Santa Fe satisfies its owners and continues to help Hyundai build its brand image in the United States.
Continue Reading
Posted by Keagan Patrick on May 17, 2006 at 5:00 pm
The
Honda Odyssey Minivan wins top satisfying Minivan honors in
AutoPacific’s 2006 Vehicle Satisfaction Awards. The Odyssey, in a three-way tie with other Japanese brand Minivans in 2005, moves into the lead for 2006. Odyssey’s relatively sporty performance, ride and handling combined with traditional Minivan styling and innovative interior features nudge Odyssey ahead of the Nissan Quest for 2006. Honda’s perceived product quality was the deciding factor.
Continue Reading
Posted by Keagan Patrick on May 17, 2006 at 5:00 pm
The all new
Mitsubishi Raider is the top rated Compact Pickup. Maybe that is a misnomer because Raider is clearly Mid-Size and is the only Japanese-brand Compact Pickup available with a V8 engine. Raider is a derivative of the Dodge Dakota but with more aggressive styling. Styling makes the Raider a love it or hate it proposition which actually is good for a niche vehicle in a lower volume brand. Raider owners, having made a commitment to the new Mitsubishi entry, are very satisfied with their vehicle rating Raider tops in the
AutoPacific 2006 Vehicle Satisfaction Awards. Mitsubishi’s long warranty helps, and with its Dodge base, Raider is a downright good truck.
Continue Reading
Posted by Keagan Patrick on May 17, 2006 at 3:42 pm
In Suzuki’s first win ever, owners of the all-new
Grand Vitara rate it best in the Compact SUV class in
AutoPacific‘s 2006 Vehicle Satisfaction Awards. New styling, larger, up-graded interior, up-graded powertrain, affordable pricing and a more-than-competitive warranty, make Grand Vitara a satisfying value proposition. With the introduction of the new Grand Vitara Suzuki proves they can achieve impressive satisfaction results with their customers.
Continue Reading
Posted by Stephanie Brinley on May 17, 2006 at 11:19 am
Site to Be Determined
Among news of manufacturing facilities in all kinds of industries leaving the United States, several auto manufacturers are continuing to invest in expanding and building more North American production, and the latest news is from Honda.
Honda has steadily and consistently expanded its North American production base since their first plant here. Back in September 1979, Honda began building motorcycles in Marysville, Ohio, and still does. That was followed in November 1982 with auto assembly at a new plant, also in Marysville. Since then, Honda has consistently increased its manufacturing presence in the United States and Canada, with engine and transmission facilities as well as additional vehicle assembly plants.
Honda has capacity to build 1.4 million vehicles in North America from six auto plants, supported by several engine and transmission facilities. With the latest CR-V joining the assembly line in Ohio, there will be only a few products in Honda’s U.S. lineup not built here for 2007 model year. These are the newly introduced Fit, the low-volume S2000, and the even-lower-volume and now-cancelled Insight, though the Hybrid Civic is also imported. And we’re not even mentioning facilities for motorcycles, generators, and lawn mowers.
Honda has announced more increases for the last half of this decade. Though Honda already knows what locations are in contention and isn’t telling, during 2008 an all-new vehicle assembly plant will go on-line somewhere in the United States. This new plant will eventually have capacity for 200,000 units and Honda expects it will bring in another 1500 jobs. Which vehicles will come from the plant has not been announced, but if the Fit does well, building the next generation in the States is a logical choice. Honda’s also develops plants that are flexible and can build several different models; the new facility will also be able build several models. Along with the new assembly plant, a new engine plant is also going up next to the Alliston, Ontario, plant. Engine and transmission capacity is also being expanded in existing Ohio and Georgia facilities.
Summary: Honda’s North American Auto Assembly
Alliston, Ontario, Canada: Honda Pilot and Ridgeline, Honda Civic sedan (Canada only), Acura EL (Canada only), and Acura MDX
Lincoln, Alabama: Honda Odyssey and Pilot
East Liberty, Ohio: Honda Civic sedan, Civic coupe, Civic GX, Element
Marysville, Ohio: Honda Accord sedan and coupe, Acura TL
Mexico: Honda Accord sedan (Mexican market)
Continue Reading
Posted by George Peterson on May 17, 2006 at 12:00 am
AutoPacific has released the results of its 2006 model year owner satisfaction research. AutoPacific’s VSA (Vehicle Satisfaction Award) study is an industry benchmark for objectively measuring how satisfied an owner is with their new car or light truck. VehicleVoice automotive Internet panel members also contributed to this research.
The vehicle registering highest overall satisfaction in 2006 is the Lincoln Navigator Luxury SUV. The highest rated car is the new-for-2006 Hyundai flagship – Hyundai Azera.
Unlike 2005, when Nissan North America had seven winners, the 2006 results are distributed across the industry. There are eighteen Vehicle Satisfaction Award categories. Honda won four categories, General Motors won three categories, Ford won three categories, Nissan won two categories, Hyundai won two categories, Mitsubishi won two categories.
Top 2006 model year performers are:
TOP VEHICLE: Lincoln Navigator
TOP PASSENGER CAR: Hyundai Azera
TOP TRUCK: Lincoln Navigator
PASSENGER CARS:
Premium Luxury Car: Lexus LS
Entry Luxury Car: Cadillac CTS
Luxury/Large Car: Hyundai Azera
Premium Mid-Size Car: Volkswagen Passat
Mid-Size Car: Mercury Milan
Image Compact Car: MINI Cooper
Compact Car: Honda Civic
Sports Car: Chevrolet Corvette
Sporty Car: Acura RSX
LIGHT TRUCKS:
Large Light-Duty Pickup: Nissan Titan
Large Heavy-Duty Pickup : Chevrolet Silverado HD
Sport Utility Truck: Honda Ridgeline
Compact Pickup: Mitsubishi Raider
Luxury Sport Utility: Lincoln Navigator
Large Sport Utility: Nissan Armada
Premium Mid-Size Sport Utility: Mitsubishi Endeavor
Mid-Size Sport Utility: Hyundai Santa Fe
Compact Sport Utility: Suzuki Grand Vitara
Minivan: Honda Odyssey
Continue Reading
Posted by George Peterson on May 15, 2006 at 12:46 am
Ford Motor Company, including Ford and Mercury vehicles, and
Volvo Cars were the sponsors of Los Angeles radio station
KABC 2nd Annual Clean-Air Car Showcase. Using
The Block at Orange in Orange County, California as the venue, KABC, Ford and Volvo attracted Southern Californians interested in their new green offerings. While Ford showed the hybrid Escape and Mariner SUVs, other vehicles on display were almost-as-clean PZEV powered vehicles. Ford also brought its fuel cell Focus down from Sacramento for the day.
I decided to mosey on down to The Block to see what the Showcase was all about. When I got there at about 2PM, the morning haze had burned off and the temperatures were approaching 80. Wow, are these VehicleVoice folks dedicated!
There were vehicles on static display with folks there to discuss their merits with mall passers-by. After completing an insurance waiver, people who were interested were given the opportunity to drive the vehicle accompanied by Ford and Volvo dealer personnel.
All of this was designed not only help Ford and Volvo convert lookie-loos into prospects, but also to educate the typical Southern Californian about the merits of clean-air technology. Naturally, the hybrids got most of the attention and a common question was “Where do you plug it in?” Ford has been selling PZEV vehicles in California for several years and is expanding availability of these very, very clean gasoline powered vehicles.
John Clinard, Ford’s Western Regional Public Relations Manager
The 1st Annual Clean-Air Car Showcase was held in 2005 at the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica. Ford Motor Company and Toyota Motor Sales were the principals in the 1st Annual event. As a low-key, relatively low expense event, Ford has found this an effective way to leverage its resources to get the word out to the public.
Continue Reading
Posted by Stephanie Brinley on March 27, 2006 at 1:17 pm
Camry Hybrid Launches with $25,900 Price Tag
Toyota has just announced pricing for its latest hybrid, the Camry. Sitting at the heart of the car market, this family sedan has a 187HP four-cylinder hybrid system that offers almost as much power as the launch V6-powered 2002 Camry. For a mere $25,900, one can get a hybrid powertrain and standard equipment including automatic headlights, premium audio, cruise control, Bluetooth, power driver’s seat, sixteen-inch wheels, heated side mirrors, dual-zone automatic climate control, and an ECO button that further improves fuel economy by controlling the HVAC system in certain situations. It arrives in dealers in May 2006.
This is an issue that VehicleVoice and AutoPacific has been tracking. Will a performance-oriented hybrid be more persuasive than a fuel economy biased hybrid. Honda has adopted the performance strategy with Accord, but not with Civic. Toyota has gone the fuel economy route with its Toyota brand hybrids, but with performance-oriented strategies with its Lexus brand hybrids. Over time, it will be very interesting to see how these differing strategies play out.
Accord Hybrid Versus Camry Hybrid
Camry launches with a price about $5000 less than
Honda‘s
Accord hybrid sedan, which uses a V6 and, with 253HP, offers significantly more horsepower. This dramatic difference in horsepower ratings presents an interesting case study. So far, hybrids have been primarily for improving fuel economy, as with the Prius and Civic hybrids, or for getting luxury performance with a smaller hit at the pump, as with the Lexus hybrids. But the Camry and the Accord hybrids go head-to-head in segment and size with slightly different philosophies, giving the market an the opportunity indicate a preference for hybrids with improved overall performance versus for hybrids focused more purely on improved fuel economy.
Continue Reading
Posted by Stephanie Brinley on March 21, 2006 at 5:39 am
New Entry in Dealers April 2006
Honda has just announced pricing for their newest entry, the Fit. This five-door hatchback has been offered in international markets for a few years, and joins the U.S. lineup after an introduction at the 2006 North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January 2006.
According to AutoPacific, the Fit competes in the Economy Car segment, populated with several other all new or fresh entries. Fit competition includes the Toyota Yaris (all-new for 2007MY), the Kia Rio and Hyundai Accent (both all-new for 2006MY), the Chevrolet Aveo (gets a major change for 2007MY), and the Scion xA. While these are all basic transportation entries, the segment itself is poised for some growth over the next few years.
Though a $12,000 base price point was expected, Honda launches the Fit with a base price of $13,850. The base price gets you the same engine as at any other price point, a 109HP 1.5L DOHC 16v I4, six standard air bags (driver and front passenger, seat-mounted side airbags, and side curtain airbags), and an anti-lock braking system. The standard car gets a five-speed manual transmission, though another $800 gets you a four-speed automatic. The uplevel model is the Sport ($15,170), and it adds a rear roof spoiler, fog lights, keyless remote entry with security, cruise control, upgraded stereo, aluminum alloy wheels, and an aero body kit. Opting for the automatic in the Sport for the same $800 also gets you steering-wheel-mounted shift paddles.
It will be interesting to see how pricing the Fit at the high end of the segment affects their 60,000-unit annual sales target. Fit slots below the Civic in Honda’s lineup, but in pricing it only $500 below the cheapest Civic, the clear space is not as distinct as it should be. It helps that the Fit is offered in a different bodystyle than Civic and therefore there is no directly comparable model. Civic is offered only in two-door coupe and four-door sedan forms and Fit provides a hatchback, but the Civic offers more standard equipment and a 140HP engine.
Continue Reading
