Items tagged with Honda
Earlier this month, a U.S. Appeals Court ruled in favor of Qualcomm following an FTC antitrust lawsuit. Qualcomm was cleared after "no evidence" of anticompetitive behavior was found, and the company's $5 billion a year licensing business was left unscathed. Now, car and tech companies are up in arms, requesting that the FTC not back down yet. In 2017, the FTC brought up a lawsuit against Qualcomm alleging antitrust law violations and anti-competitive behavior. Initially, the ruling was against Qualcomm, whereby they would have to renegotiate patent licensing agreements with the companies to which they provided parts. The 9th circuit court with a panel of judges, however, reversed this decision...
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In the words of Ron Burgundy, "I'm not even mad, that's amazing!" Honda is setting out to deliver the world's faster lawnmower with its Mean Mower V2. Don't ask us why -- it seems like a silly crown for a distinguished automotive giant like Honda to seek, but the results will no doubt be a crowd pleaser. The Mean Mower V2, which is based on Honda's HF 2622 lawn tractor, is powered by a 999cc four-cylinder engine that was ripped from the CBR1000RR Fireblade SP motorcycle. While your typical riding lawnmower might have 14 to 16 horsepower on command, Honda scoffs at those lowly numbers. This engine is packing a heady 190 horsepower at a dizzying 13,000 rpm. Even better, the lawn mower has a dry...
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Following Honda's unveiling of a concept version of its third-generation Insight hybrid back in December, the Japanese automaker has pulled the wraps off the production version of the vehicle. As we reported last year, not much has changed in the translation from concept to production model with the only major difference appearing to be the fitting of smaller rolling stock. The new 2019 Insight is heavily based on the current generation Civic as you can tell from the overall body lines, greenhouse, and side mirrors. The primary changes in the design come up front and in the back. Up front, you'll find the latest incarnation of Honda's "Flying Wing" grille design, which features a chrome bar bisecting...
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Honda has been rather hit of miss in recent years with its dedicated hybrid vehicles. The first-generation Insight was a spunky, CRX-esque two-seat hybrid that was incredibly efficient (up to 70 mpg), but not exactly a practical vehicle. Honda followed up with the second-generation Insight in 2009 (which looked like a warmed-over Prius) and the CR-Z, which was in essence the true successor for the first-generation Insight. Neither was a sales success, and both have since been discontinued. Now, Honda is ready to try again with a new dedicated hybrid vehicle, and it will once again bear the Insight nameplate. Given the body lines, glass, mirrors, and overall stance, there's no question that this...
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Honda hasn't exactly had the best track record with hybrid vehicles, as we've seen with sales dudes like the original Honda Accord Hybrid, the Civic Hybrid along with the unloved CR-Z and second-generation Insight. But the company is still pressing forwards with its electrified vehicle efforts as witnessed by the debut of the new Sports EV Concept at the Tokyo Motor Show this week. First off, let's talk about the styling of the all-electric vehicle concept. It's quite refreshing to see a new vehicle design that is devoid of obscene panel surfacing, slashes, gashes and tacked on fake vents (we're looking at you, Civic Type-R). The Sport EV Concept has smooth, flowing lines with just enough contrasting...
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It seemed for a moment that the WannaCry ransomware that wreaked havoc at hospitals across Europe had been neutralized, but apparently it is still causing disruptions. The latest report comes from Honda Motor Co., which said on Wednesday that it had to shut down one of its factories in Japan after discovering that WannaCry had wormed its way onto the company's computer network.Honda temporarily ceased production at its Sayama plant located northwest of Tokyo. That particular factory produces several Honda automobile models, including the Accord sedan, Odyssey minivan, and Step Wagon compact vehicle. On any given day, it churns out around 1,000 vehicles, making a halt in production more than just...
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Honda is trying to catch up with it competitors, announcing plans to reveal its first dedicated electric vehicle by the end of 2017 and introduce self-driving vehicles by 2025. Honda has been working tirelessly to revamp its automobile line and increase its popularity among buyers. Seven and a half years feels like quite a ways off, however, Honda appears to be starting from scratch with autonomous vehicles. Honda Chief Executive Officer Takahiro Hachigo noted, “We are not concerned about plans of Nissan or other car-makers. We set the 2025 target because if we don’t set a plan, it will be very unclear for our R&D staff to know what they should do by when.” Nissan, Ford, and Volvo plan to...
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Earlier this week, Waymo gave us all an early look at its Chrysler Pacific Hybrid minivan that is outfitted with all the hardware necessary for fully autonomous driving. We first learned of the partnership between Alphabet (the parent company of Waymo) and Chrysler back in early May, and now all 100 vehicles have been delivered. It now appears that Waymo has another suitor — Honda. The Japanese auto giant announced that it has begun talks with Waymo to provide vehicles that will be used for self-driving trials. So far, Honda has only entered into “formal discussions” with Waymo, and no agreements have been made for final vehicle production.2017 Honda CR-V “This technical collaboration between...
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In late May, Hyundai became the first automaker to officially support Android Auto with a software update to its 2015 (and newer) Sonata midsize sedans. At the time, Hyundai said that it would add support for Apple CarPlay at a later date. This week, however, Honda announced that is refreshed 2016 Honda Accord, a direct competition for the Sonata, is debuting with both Android Auto and CarPlay support fresh out of the box. CarPlay requires iOS 7.1 or higher, while Android Auto requires Android 5.0 Lollipop or higher. Both allow you to mirror functions from your smartphone like texting, navigation, and streaming audio playback (that would otherwise take your eyes too far off the road) to your...
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Expanding a recall dating back to 2008, Japanese automobile airbag manufacturer Takata Corp is doubling the number of recalls for its potentially lethal product in the U.S. from 16.6 million to approximately 34 million vehicles (about one in seven of the over 250 million vehicles on American roads), which makes it the largest such recall in American history. The U.S. Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in conjunction with Takata state that the recall affects passenger- and driver-side airbag inflators that are installed in vehicles made by 11 automobile manufacturers. “We are committed to continuing to work...
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Acura has taken so long to bring the NSX to production that I’ve sort of lost interest. That’s not to say that the NSX won’t be an amazing vehicle, but Ford has pretty much stolen the show at this year’s Detroit Auto Show with the all-new GT supercar (Ford didn’t hype the GT prior to its unveil; it just dropped the mic this morning and walked off stage). And we have to also realize that Acura first unveiled the concept for the second generation NSX way back in 2012. Three years a long time, but here were are with the official reveal of the production model. Like the aforementioned GT, the 2016 Acura NSX makes use of a V6 engine that is force-fed via twin turbochargers. But the NSX’s V6 is augmented...
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The Acura NSX first hit U.S. streets in 1990 and soldiered on relatively unchanged until it received a facelift in 2002; worldwide production of the aluminum-based two-seater ceased in 2005. During its 15-year production, the NSX was praised for its performance, handling, and everyday drivability. In the nearly ten years that have passed since the first NSX went out of production, its successor has undergone an extremely long gestation period. Honda went back to the drawing board at least once during the development of the second-generation car, but finally showed the world a near-final version of what the vehicle would look like with a fresh NSX concept vehicle in 2012. Now, Acura is teasing...
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In what could be one of the biggest violations ever, Honda Motor Co. admitted that it had failed to report more than 1,700 claims of injury or death to US regulators from July 1, 2003 to June 30, 2014. Because of the company’s negligence, it could be fined $35 million.According to an internal review that was filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Honda blamed its under-reporting of the incidents to “inadvertent data entry or computer program errors.” During the aforementioned time period, Honda had only reported 1, 144 serious injury claims with the omissions only being revealed due to the recent investigations focusing on the airbag recalls by Takata Corp.“The audit identifies...
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Robots... they're taking over! That's a refrain we've heard for years, of course, but you have to wonder how close we're actually getting when they start to appear in popular music videos. Honda's Uni-Cub, described as a 360-degree personal mobility device, is shown front-and-center in OK Go's latest music video. Granted, the band has a penchant for oddities when it comes to crafting videos to showcase their songs, but this is certainly one of the most interesting uses to date. The song, "I Won't Let You Down," has been viewed over 11 million times on YouTube, and much of the attention has come to the robot within. In the video, OK Go's members ride the Uni-Cub in a synchronized maneuver with...
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NVIDIA's Tegra processor is a pretty great slice of silicon to find in a tablet. But finding it in a car? Yeah, that's a reality as well. The company announced today an expansion of its automotive ecosystem in partnership with Honda. Together, the two are launching Honda Connect, which is NVIDIA's first Asia-based partner to use its chips for in-car audio and information systems. To boot, Honda Connect is being hailed as the "world’s first infotainment system using embedded Android as the operating system running on Tegra." NVIDIA knows a thing or two about putting Android in new places, and the car does indeed feel like a logical next-step. Honda Connect will boast a touch-based interaction...
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Some things are easier said than done, and some technologies are easier to draw up on paper than to actually implement across a wide array of partners. Apple's Siri technology put voice command on the mainstream map, but a few years back, it proudly stated that Siri would be coming to the vehicle, and soon. By and large, that hasn't happened, but the gears seem to be slowly turning now. Honda and Acura jointly announced that select Honda and Acura models including the 2013 -2014 Honda Accord and 2013 Acura RDX and ILX now offer Apple's Siri Eyes Free mode as a dealer-installed accessory. Once installed, customers will be able direct Siri to perform tasks wihle keeping their eyes on the...
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Apple's Siri voice recognition software gets around, and later this year, it will be integrated into 2013 model Honda Accord, Acura RDX, and ILX models as a dealer installed option, American Honda announced. Using Eyes Free mode, drivers with a compatible iPhone running iOS 6 will be able to chat with Siri without ever taking their hands off the wheel or eyes off the road. "iPhone has become so integral to people's lives that they continue to use them in their vehicles," said Vicki Poponi, assistant vice president of automobile product planning, American Honda. "Offering Honda and Acura owners Siri and its Eyes Free mode via Bluetooth is an incredible opportunity to provide next-generation connectivity...
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