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Along with building high revving engines, Honda is also well known for building cars that are fun to drive, which is part of the reason why journalists universally panned the Insight hybrid. The suspension on the Insight was more up to Toyota standards than Honda ones and so Honda has decided to rectify the situation – in the UK at least.
Recently announced updates for the 2011 Insight in England include changes to the recoil rate of the springs, new rear camber angles and modifications to the rear suspension brace. Honda claims the changes will, "deliver improved ride, handling and stability".
Inside upgrades include higher quality trim and new chrome and silver surrounds.
It's not yet clear if Honda plans to announce these same changes for 2011 Insights in the U.S.
Interestingly, no fuel economy improvements have been made to help the Insight edge closer to Toyota's Prius.
Honda is set to make some big changes to its product lineup, at home and abroad, eliminating the Acura RL and dropping the gas-powered Civic model from its lineup in Japan.
We can't say we're surprised about the demise of the slow-selling RL, especially after Acura recently released the TL SH-AWD model with the same engine, essentially making the RL redundant. Many blame the lack of a V8 and a true rear-drive architecture for Acura's lack of success in the full-size luxury segment. The RL is sold as the Legend in other markets. In addition, Honda will also eliminate the Elysion minivan.
The biggest surprise, however, is that in Japan Honda will no longer offer a gasoline-powered Civic. Hybrid cars are increasingly becoming the norm in Japan, and so Honda will continue to offer the Civic in Japan, only in hybrid form.
Instead, Honda will focus on models like the Insight and other green models, as well as more entry-level cars.
This news comes via Japan's Nikkei business paper, which also reports that the new Civic will debut in the Fall of 2011.
Hybrid cars are a huge hit in California and for a number of reasons. The first reason you might think of is the that citizens of the fine state are concerned about the environment. And while that might be true, there's also a more self-serving reason, namely, that the California DMV issues 85,000 "Clean Air Vehicle" stickers to hybrid cars owners allowing them to drive in the HOV (high occupancy vehicle) or carpool lanes.
According to spokesman Steve Haskins, the DMV has now received as many request as it can fill and so no more passes will be given out.
As a result, those looking to purchase a hybrid like the Toyota Prius or Honda Insight to avoid rush hour chaos are now out of luck.
Instead those folks will now be heading over to Nissan to pick up a Leaf, as a new California Bill allows EVs and cars running on compressed natural gas to drive in the carpool lanes – at lest until 2015.
As competition heats up in the compact car segment, Honda is hoping to lure customers with more than just the promise of a well-built, efficient and reliable sporty car. The Japanese automaker is also looking to appeal to your aesthetic sensibilities with a futuristic design similar to that found on the new CR-Z. This doesn't surprise us as Honda has developed some more progressive designs lately, including the current Fit.
The next-gen Civic will more than just look like the CR-Z, however, with a hybrid variant getting a setup similar to the CR-Z's, using the larger 1.5-liter 4-cylinder to deliver added power and fuel economy. Also planned for the 9th generation Civic is a 3-cylinder engine, although it's not clear if that engine option will be available in North America.
Set to debut in 2012, the 9th generation Civic will go on sale as either a 2012 or 2013 model.
The Honda CR-Z hybrid sports car will slot it at just under $20,000, with a base price of $19,200, not including a $750 destination charge. The EX model with Bluetooth, a leather wrapped steering wheel and and 36-watt stereo will take you to$20,760, while an in-dash navigation unit tops you out at $22,560.
The CR-Z is generating a lot of controversy for its "neither here nor there" approach to blending both hybrid and sporty characteristics, but Honda seems determined to press on with their 2-seater coupe. The ultimate test will be when the vehicle comes to market later this year, and whether the vehicles move off the lot quickly or not.
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