TOP 100 RACING SITES
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| Honda's Insight makes a solid start in Japan The new Honda Insight hybrid is doing well in Japan. Since going on sale on Feb. 6, Honda has received 18,000 orders or about three times its initial target. Of course, the novelty of a new model will account for some of the orders and a big ad campaign featuring characters from the Peanuts cartoon strip has drummed up interest. Still, it is a commendable performance given Japan's auto sales are plunging. In January, the most recent month for which sales data is available, industry sales were down 32.4% compared to a year earlier. Honda hopes to sell about 5,000 Insights a month in Japan over the course of the year. The Insight is benefiting from its relatively low price. In Japan, the Insight starts from 1.89 million yen or about $19,000. That's almost the same as the $19,800 price, which Honda confirmed yesterday, and less than a Prius. It's harder to say what, if anything, a solid debut in Japan means for the Insight's U.S. sales potential. Honda is certainly aiming high and hopes to sell 100,000 a year in the U.S. However, competition from the new Prius will be stiff even if Honda says the Insight isn't competing directly with its larger rival. And U.S. hybrid sales are slumping--down 29% in February, compared to a year earlier. That said, hybrid sales are falling less quickly than the market as a whole despite the current Prius, which dominates hybrid sales, being six years old and about to be replaced. It's feasible that, in addition to the credit crunch and impact of lower gas prices, many would-be hybrid buyers have deferred splashing out on the new model because they are waiting for the new Insight and Prius models to arrive in U.S. showrooms. I got to briefly try out he Japan spec version of the Insight recently. I was fairly impressed. It drove nicely enough and I enjoyed the Eco Assist functions which help drivers improve fuel efficiency by driving more smoothly. I was also liked the good all-round visibility--that's useful when driving on Tokyo's congested roads. I also cycle and am painfully aware of how difficult it is for many drivers to spot those of us on two wheels. I did have one gripe, though. I wonder if there is enough room in the back. At 6'1", I found it was a bit of a squeeze sitting behind the driver's seat. rss.businessweek.com |
Veterans looking to hold off youngsters at 93rd running of Indy Looking at the top contenders and some of the dark horses after Friday's Carb Day in Indianapolis. rssfeeds.usatoday.com |
European GP organizers want Renault ban reversed Organizers of the European Grand Prix want Formula One authorities to rescind Renault's suspension from the race so Fernando ... rssfeeds.usatoday.com |
Toyota "Recall" Will End Up Being a Positive For Brand Toyota yesterday instructed 3.8 million vehicle owners to take the floor mats out of their cars, trucks and SUVs.News reports to the contrary, Toyota is officially calling this a "safety advisory" and says it has not yet issued a recall. But it's more like a directive in real life."Sudden Acceleration" is the reason for the action. It turns out there have been a few cases of people suddenly accelerating out of control with some fatal consequences because the mat got caught up in the accelerator pedal."Sudden Acceleration" is a scary terrible phrase in the auto industry. Worse than "gas taxes" to American drivers. Audi took a beating in the late 1980s and 1990s after CBS's Sixty Minutes gave a spotlight to some trial lawyers whose clients had claimed "sudden acceleration" was to blame for some accidents. Audi issued denials. But the story dragged on. Investigations were done. There was never any finding that a design or engineering flaw in an Audi was to blame. Yet, enormous damage was done to Audi sales and the brand. It has only been in the last five years or so that people have let the false charges of sudden acceleration drift into the archives of their memories.Today, Audi vehicles are world-class competitors to Mercedes, BMW and Lexus, and the brand is one of the fastest growing in the category worldwide.Toyota has had some recalls for engine sludge, bad ball joints, etc. Its own management has admitted that it grew too fast, especially in the U.S., and took its eye off the ball in terms of quality amidst all that growth.The last thing the company needed to do in this sales-challenged economy was deny any responsibility. And easy for them, all they have to do is tell the owners to take the factory-issued mats out of the vehicles. My belief is that while it is the single biggest "directive" of its kind, the act of dealing with it straight-up will be a plus for Toyota. Even better would be if they came up with a fix to the problem: anchored mats. Then, they could give everybody nice clean, new mats that don't bunch up.I have to straighten out the mats in my own cars from time to time because they ride up into the pedal area. It's common sense. But assuming common sense is wide spread is a dangerous thing to do.Now, the search goes on to see what company has the smartest mat design that prevents the problem. Then, let every automaker copy that good design, eh?Any suggestions? rss.businessweek.com |
Formula One Driver Moving to Nascar The former Renault Formula One driver Nelson Piquet Jr. is moving to Nascar. nytimes.com |