Motor Authority - blog Category: Pilot

Honda will be showcasing more than 16 custom vehicles at this year’s SEMA Auto Show in Las Vegas, with a lineup consisting of project cars, concepts and accessorized production vehicles. Specially featured in the display is a 2009 Fit equipped with Mugen accessories, a Civic Coupe Concept fitted with Honda Factory Performance (HFP) accessories, and the 2009 Ridgeline Powersports Concept.

Honda also used the SEMA event to announce that it will make a complete line of new Mugen accessories available for the 2009 Fit that will be available through authorized dealers in the first half of next year. Some of the pieces will include 16in... Honda will be showcasing more than 16 custom vehicles at this year’s SEMA Auto Show in Las Vegas, with a lineup consisting of project cars, concepts and accessorized production vehicles. Specially featured in the display is a 2009 Fit equipped with Mugen accessories, a Civic Coupe Concept fitted with Honda Factory Performance (HFP) accessories, and the 2009 Ridgeline Powersports Concept. Honda also used the SEMA event to announce that it will make a complete line of new Mugen accessories available for the 2009 Fit that will be available through authorized dealers in the first half of next year. Some of the pieces will include 16in alloy wheels, an aluminum oil filler cap, front sports grille, front under spoiler, side spoiler, rear under spoiler, sports silencer, rear emblem, quick shifter, shift knob, sports pedals, sports floor mats and a mirror cover. Honda also revealed a Civic Honda Factory Performance (HFP) Concept sedan that looks to improve vehicle performance while also conserving fuel. Honda Access America, Honda's accessory development company, took on that challenge. Through aerodynamic improvements to the next generation HFP body kit, super-light alloy wheels with aerodynamic covers, a lighter HFP exhaust system and an upgraded HFP suspension kit, this concept offers the possibility of improving both fuel economy and performance. In the truck display area, the 2009 Ridgeline Powersports Concept represents what Ridgeline owners could build using currently available Honda Genuine Accessories. The highlights include a custom grille, 18in alloy wheels, and an experimental painted black finish. The complete list of vehicles at the Honda booth are as follows: 2009 Civic HFP Concept 2009 Ridgeline Powersports Concept 2009 Fit Sport with Mugen accessories 2009 Accord Coupe HFP 2009 Civic Coupe HFP 2009 S2000 CR 2009 Element EX with accessories Carr "Ridgeline Racing" Baja truck Carr "Pilot Safari" Baja support vehicle Compass 360 Racing Civic Si Sedan Fenton Motorsports Civic Si Coupe Galpin Honda 2009 Accord two-door project Tjin Edition 2009 Fit project Ryan Shutt 2009 Pilot project DSO Eyewear 2009 Pilot project Danica Patrick IndyCar Racecar 2009 Honda Big Red (sold through Honda motorcycle dealers)2008 Honda SEMA lineup Read More

While U.S. automakers are rushing to develop new small cars to take advantage of the rapidly growing market, established players in the segment like Honda are having trouble keeping up with demand. Sales of the Honda Civic in the U.S. have increased 14.8% in the past four months alone, and demand for the four-cylinder Accord is up by almost the same amount.

To meet this extra demand Honda needs to increase supply, and to do so it will add more shifts and overtime to its East Liberty plant in Ohio and Alliston plant in Ontario. These two plants are primarily responsible for the Civic sedan, which gets 25mpg in the city and 36mpg on the... While U.S. automakers are rushing to develop new small cars to take advantage of the rapidly growing market, established players in the segment like Honda are having trouble keeping up with demand. Sales of the Honda Civic in the U.S. have increased 14.8% in the past four months alone, and demand for the four-cylinder Accord is up by almost the same amount. To meet this extra demand Honda needs to increase supply, and to do so it will add more shifts and overtime to its East Liberty plant in Ohio and Alliston plant in Ontario. These two plants are primarily responsible for the Civic sedan, which gets 25mpg in the city and 36mpg on the highway when equipped with a five-speed automatic transmission and sells for $15,645. The four-cylinder Accord is produced at the Marysville plant, also in Ohio, and to boost capacity for this particular version Honda will move production of the V6 model to a plant in Lincoln, Alabama. While demand for Honda’s four-cylinder sedans is up, the opposite is true for its Odyssey minivan and Pilot SUV. So far this year Honda has cut production of these two vehicles by 10,000 units per year, and there are plans to reduce them by an additional 22,000 units. “We are trying to use our plant flexibility to minimize the effects of the market going down and satisfy our customers’ desire for more cars and fewer trucks,” Honda spokesman Ed Miller told the Detroit Free Press. So far this year, Honda has sold 313,032 Accords through the end of September - up 2.4% from the same period last year. Sales of the Honda Pilot, meanwhile, have decreased 16.8% through September to 79,430, while Odyssey sales declined 14% to 112,041.2009 Honda Civic Read More

We were treated to a preview of the next-generation Honda Pilot at this year's Detroit auto show, and now that the official production variant has been released, we see how accurate a preview it was. Honda's newest mid-size crossover SUV focuses on building its already strong reputation for efficiency, comfort and quality while adding more SUV-like characteristics.

Standard features across the line include a 3.5L V6 i-VTEC engine delivering 250hp and 253lb-ft of torque. Emissions meet CARB's ULEV-2 rating, and the Pilot delivers fuel economy of 17/23mpg city/highway in 2WD guise, while the 4WD model slides in just below at 16/22mpg - a... We were treated to a preview of the next-generation Honda Pilot at this year's Detroit auto show, and now that the official production variant has been released, we see how accurate a preview it was. Honda's newest mid-size crossover SUV focuses on building its already strong reputation for efficiency, comfort and quality while adding more SUV-like characteristics. Standard features across the line include a 3.5L V6 i-VTEC engine delivering 250hp and 253lb-ft of torque. Emissions meet CARB's ULEV-2 rating, and the Pilot delivers fuel economy of 17/23mpg city/highway in 2WD guise, while the 4WD model slides in just below at 16/22mpg - a solid improvement over the old model's 16/22mpg in 2WD and 15/20mpg in 4WD. A five-speed transmission is standard, although an automatic is available. The new 2009 Pilot is also larger in nearly every dimension, with interior volume up over four cubic feet. Ground clearance remains the same at eight inches, despite the more aggressive visual treatment. Aesthetically, the Pilot has always been a very mild-looking SUV - not a rugged, brutish brick like a Hummer, but more of a tall wagon. That car-like demeanor is what helped the Pilot break ground in the crossover SUV category, but Honda is working to add some of the visual appeal of a more rugged vehicle while holding on to its excellent ride quality and moderate size. New features not found on the 2008 Pilot include Variable Cylinder Management on all trim levels, which allows the engine to deactivate cylinders when appropriate to aid fuel economy. A tailgate with a lift-up glass hatch makes quick access to the back of the vehicle easier, and hill-start assist will keep your rear bumper off the hood of the car behind you in steep driving. A new power tailgate and Bluetooth hands free system are available on the Touring trim level. 2009 Honda Pilot Honda Pilot Concept at Detroit2009 Honda Pilot2009 Honda Pilot Concept Read More

A prototype of the next-generation Honda Pilot was unveiled today at the Detroit Auto Show, just months ahead of the production version’s debut pencilled in for the second quarter of the year. Honda is calling its new Pilot a crossover-SUV, because it apparently offers the benefits of both a car and a truck. For example, it features the smoothness and packaging advantages of a unit body car design with the utility and capability of an SUV design.

The new model’s V6 engine will once again feature Honda’s fuel-saving Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) technology, which allows the engine to operate in 6-cylinder mode for... A prototype of the next-generation Honda Pilot was unveiled today at the Detroit Auto Show, just months ahead of the production version’s debut pencilled in for the second quarter of the year. Honda is calling its new Pilot a crossover-SUV, because it apparently offers the benefits of both a car and a truck. For example, it features the smoothness and packaging advantages of a unit body car design with the utility and capability of an SUV design. The new model’s V6 engine will once again feature Honda’s fuel-saving Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) technology, which allows the engine to operate in 6-cylinder mode for power and 4- and 3-cylinder modes for efficiency. You may recall that previous generation Pilots could only run in 6- and 3-cylinder modes. Inside, there’s seating capacity for eight passengers thanks to the three rows of seats and for added flexibility the second and third rows come with a 60/40 fold split. Design and development of the new 2009 Pilot was handled by Honda’s R&D teams in the U.S. at facilities in both Ohio and California. The new model will be assembled at a plant in Alabama.Next-Generation Honda Pilot Read More

A prototype of the next-generation Honda Pilot will be unveiled at next month’s Detroit Auto Show, the carmaker revealed today. The prototype will convey design features of the next-generation Pilot, including improved interior packaging and advanced technologies for safety, fuel efficiency and convenience.

Alongside the new Pilot prototype, Honda will display its FCX Clarity hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, introduced back at the Los Angeles Auto Show, and the CR-Z concept vehicle, introduced at the Tokyo Motor Show. The FCX will eventually go on sale by the middle of next year, while the CR-Z is a preview of Honda’s a... A prototype of the next-generation Honda Pilot will be unveiled at next month’s Detroit Auto Show, the carmaker revealed today. The prototype will convey design features of the next-generation Pilot, including improved interior packaging and advanced technologies for safety, fuel efficiency and convenience. Alongside the new Pilot prototype, Honda will display its FCX Clarity hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, introduced back at the Los Angeles Auto Show, and the CR-Z concept vehicle, introduced at the Tokyo Motor Show. The FCX will eventually go on sale by the middle of next year, while the CR-Z is a preview of Honda’s a next-generation lightweight hybrid sports car. Read More