Mazda, Mitsubishi and Honda post record 2007 profit
While Ford is being praised for posting its surprise $100 million first quarter profit, its Mazda subsidiary has shocked just as many analysts with a record profit of $1.55 billion for 2007 – up 2% on 2006’s record level. The jump in profit was on the back of a 7% jump in revenues and a 5% increase in sales 1,363,000 units worldwide. The carmaker is so confident that it’s predicting an even better sales result in 2008 despite rising fuel prices, unfavorable exchange rates, and shrinking demand for...

Honda announces lithium-ion battery venture
Honda has delivered some good news after disappointing its high-performance fans this morning when it announced that it has suspended plans to built the 2010 Honda NSX. The Japanese automaker announced today that it has found a partner for lithium-ion battery development - Japan’s GS Yuasa Corp.CEO Takeo Fukui said today that Honda will team up with GS Yuasa Corp. to manufacture next-generation lithium-ion batteries for Honda’s future hybrid vehicles. The new company will be owned 51 percent by GS...

Honda building up to big sequel for famous "Cog" commercial
Click above to view teaser videos after the jumpHonda's famous "Cog" commercial proved that the process of making something cool is often more interesting than the cool thing itself. The Japanese automaker is going to try and wow our socks off again with a new commercial coming in June for the launch of the redesigned European Honda Accord the same vehicle launched in the original "Cog" commercial, and in advance of its debut will be airing four short teaser ads. The teaser ads will document the process...

Hot Wheels Honda Racer arrives in May. The kid in you is excited
Click above for high-res gallery of the Hot Wheels Honda RacerLast November at the 2007 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Hot Wheels unveiled a troop of concepts to celebrate its 40th anniversary. These new Hot Wheels cars were not designed by everyone's favorite 1:64 scale model toy maker, but rather were all new designs penned by designers from Lotus, Chevy, Ford, Mitsubishi, Dodge and Honda. The Lotus Concept, Mitsubishi Double Shotz, Dodge XP-07, Gangster Grin from Ford, Chevroletor GM, and Honda Racer, along...

Honda Fit Hybrid coming in 2010
According to AutoCar, Honda will be adding a hybrid version of the Jazz - aka the Honda Fit on our side of the world - by 2010. The publication reports that the hybrid version of the Jazz/Fit will use the same mechanicals as the upcoming Honda Insight Hybrid which will make its debut next month at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show.Sources say that the 1.3 liter gasoline engine mated to Honda’s new hybrid system should deliver around...[source]

Honda system warns motorists of crime hotspots, steers clear of Detroit
Honda's launching the next step in navigation system evolution that will automatically warn drivers to be on guard when traveling through areas of high crime. The system is launching in Japan on Tuesday, but we haven't heard of any plans to bring it to the United States. It's probably for the best, as there'd be wide swaths of the country that this navi would recommend you avoid. Places like Washington DC, where crime is apparently legal and perpetrated by criminals with offices and staffs. Detroit...

Earnings will drop this year, Honda says
Honda Motor Co. predicted a drop in earnings for the fiscal year that began April 1 because of the weakness in the U.S. auto market, its biggest source of profit, and unfavorable currency rates. Honda, Japan's second-largest automaker, reported a record $6 billion profit for the year that ended March 31, but the effects of the deterioration in demand in North America took a toll on its January-March, or fourth-quarter, results. Its fourth-quarter profit slid 86 percent to $254 million after Honda also...

2009 Honda Pilot designer says number-crunchers won out
Click above for high-res gallery of the 2009 Honda PilotAfter reading what Honda R&D Americas Inc. Chief Designer Dave Marek has to say regarding the 2009 redesign of the popular Honda Pilot CUV, we sense that he might not think of the boxy model as his team's best work. We've heard our fair share of comments regarding the new Pilot's design, many of which are less than flattering. It seems as if Marek has heard the same detractors, and he explains away some of the more controversial elements, such...

BREAKING NEWS: Honda Kills The NSX For Financial Reasons Is The Lexus LF-A Next?
Honda has cancelled the new NSX as part of a radical restructuring of its car making business.The V10-engined supercar, which was a direct challenge to Ferrari and Porsche, would have been the most powerful production car that the company had ever produced.Honda CEO Takeo Fukui announced the move in his end of year speech, saying that all development of the car would be cancelled. The company has also withdrawn its plan to introduce the Acura brand to Japan in 2010.The Honda boss had previously...

Mazda, Mitsubishi and Honda post record 2007 profit
While Ford is being praised for posting its surprise $100 million first quarter profit, its Mazda subsidiary has shocked just as many analysts with a record profit of $1.55 billion for 2007 – up 2% on 2006’s record level. The jump in profit was on the back of a 7% jump in revenues and a 5% increase in sales 1,363,000 units worldwide. The carmaker is so confident that it’s predicting an even better sales result in 2008 despite rising fuel prices, unfavorable exchange rates, and shrinking demand for...