Auto Blitz: Honda Accord

Showing posts with label Honda Accord. Show all posts

10 Most Stolen Cars in the USA: Honda Accord and Civic Top the 2009 List, No Love for the Koreans or Germans

Do you own a car that's likely to be stolen? Maybe, maybe not. Here is the list that the NICB (National Insurance Crime Bureau) has compiled concerning the most stolen vehicles in America. Honda's 1994 Accord and 1995 Civic along with Toyota's 1991 Camry occupy the first three places ahead of Ford's 1997 F-150 pickup truck and Dodge's 2004 Ram pickup.

If your car is on the list (scroll down), you should make sure to keep that chunk of metal locked down. As in, put a ring on it and don't let anyone near it.

Most Stolen Vehicles in the US in 2009:

More than 3,300 units of the 2010MY Honda Accord Crosstour are being recalled in the States because of a potential issue with the front passenger airbag.

The Japanese automaker told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that the airbag " may not have been assembled according to correct specifications" and that in the event of a crash, "it may not deploy as intended and could place an unbelted child seated in the front passenger seat at greater risk of injury should the airbag deploy." No incidents or injuries have been reported related to this issue.

Hot on the heels of the presentation of the updated 2011 Accord sedan and coupe models for North America, Honda today released the refreshed JDM version of the saloon that goes by the name Inspire in Japan. Since the Inspire already featured the 2011 Accord's reflector extensions at the back, Honda focused its attention on the front end that receives the same treatment with new grille and bumper designs as the American model. The JDM car also gets newly styled 17-inch alloy wheels.

And yes, we have another recall. This time it's Honda issuing two recalls, one for 384,220 vehicles including the 2003 Accord and Civic Coupe / Sedan, and the 2003 and 2004 Element to fix a potential problem with their ignition interlock systems, and another separate recall for 585 Element models from the 2010 model year for an issue with the automatic transmission.

Earlier today, Honda came out with official info and photos of the mildly refreshed for the 2011 model year [U.S.-market] Accord sedan and coupe. Given all the negative talk lately about the design direction Honda has taken as well as the not-so-positive comments on the facelifted Accord, we thought of a poll; which is the best looking generation of the North American Honda Accord to date? .

To help you out in your decision, we've added a comprehensive picture gallery of all eight generations of the Honda Accord. Check out the photos and vote for your pick after the jump.

Honda has lifted the covers of the refreshed for the U.S. market Accord sedan and coupe model. Both iterations of the Accord enter the 2011 model year with some styling and aerodynamic upgrades, improved fuel economy on certain versions and new features.

On the outside, the Accord coupe and sedan get a new grille more or less inspired from the controversial Accord Crosstour, revised front and rear bumpers, new alloy wheel designs and reworked tail lamps, with the four-door version gaining a (totally unnecessary in our opinion) pair of Chris Bangle-7-series-like reflector extensions.

Interior improvements concern the repositioning of the climate-control buttons on the left side of the control stack, closer to the driver for ease-of-use, with less-frequently used buttons now located on the right side. In addition, all models get new seat fabrics and an updated instrument panel design.

In its latest promotion for new customers, Honda is giving U.S. buyers a chance to win a ride with Mario Andretti in a two-seater IndyCar at the Grand Prix of Sonoma at Infineon Raceway. According to the Japanese automaker, the winner will ride in the IZOD IndyCar during the parade laps, and be on course for the start of the race.

To create a bit of a buzz around the contest, Honda released this commercial with Mario Andreti. Sounds interesting, but it isn't. See why in the video after the jump.

Here's a video relating the story of a New York teacher who had her 1996 Honda Accord stolen 3 years ago. Obviously, she never expected to get the car back.

It turns out that when a car IS stolen (even in Brooklyn), the man is on the case. A little while back, the Accord was found in a chop shop in Queens with the VIN filed off. Luckily, the police still l managed to track the car back to its original owner.

When the woman got it back, the Honda had been updated with a VTEC power train and its transmission was converted over to a stick shift!

Back in October of 2009, Acura told us about its plans to expand its TSX lineup with a more practical station wagon variant in the fall of 2010. Today, the Japanese automaker announced that we'll get our first look at what is essentially the North American market version of the European Honda Accord Tourer (pictured here) at the New York International Auto Show on March 31.

A defective airbag that has been linked to one death and 11 injuries in the United States over the past few years is still haunting Honda as the company today announced that it is adding 437,763 cars to its existing global safety recall over the airbag inflation problem.

The expanded recall is concentrated mainly in the United States, where nearly 378,758 vehicles are affected, but the latest announcement also covers Japan, Mexico, Taiwan and Australia.

The models added to the list concern certain 2001 and 2002 Honda Accord, Civic, Odyssey, CR-V, 2002 Pilot, 2002 Acura CL and selected 2002 Acura TL vehicles.

According to the automaker, the driver's airbag inflators in these vehicles may deploy with too much pressure causing the inflator casing to rupture and send metal fragments through the airbag cushion material possibly resulting in injury or even fatality to vehicle occupants.

Honda first issued a recall on the matter on less than 4,000 model year 2001 Accord and Civic back in November 2008. After the original recall, the Japanese automaker said that two additional incidents were reported, including one fatality from a vehicle not included in that recall.

That led Honda to expand the recall in July 2009 to include approximately 440,000 model year 2001 and 2002 Accord, Civic and certain 2002 Acura TL vehicles.

VIDEO: Honda Touts New Accord Crosstour in Super Bowl XLIV TV Ad

A funky animated squirrel is the protagonist of Honda's new 30-second TV spot for its 2010 Accord Crosstour that will air during the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl XLIV on Sunday. The ad shows an animated squirrel stowing away various things in the cargo area of the Accord Crosstour, with the car featured only for a few seconds towards the end of the spot. Watch the video after the jump.

Honda Accord Tourer Taxi Cab: You Won't Be Seeing this Acura in the States

While Acura has confirmed that it will bring the European Honda Accord Tourer to the U.S. as the 2011 TSX Sport Wagon in fall 2010 (the Euro Accord and the TSX are virtually one and the same), it's highly unlikely that you'll ever see one in a yellowish finish with a Taxi roof sign. But if you're planning a trip to Germany, you might very well be able to hitch a ride on a Accord Tourer Taxi - that is, if you manage to spot one among all the Mercs.

The Euro-spec model is powered by a 2.2-liter i-DTEC four-cylinder diesel that delivers an output of 150 horsepower and 350Nm or 258 lb-ft of peak torque returning a combined fuel economy of 6.6 lt/100 or 35.7mpg US in the European cycle.

The new Accord Tourer Elegance cab comes equipped with a taximeter case, wireless telephone pre-installation and special brackets for the taxi sign while the station wagon's standard features include an electric tailgate, cruise control, leather steering wheel and shift knob, heated front seats, MP3-capable CD player, dual-zone automatic climate control and 16-inch alloy wheels.

The taxi version of the Accord Tourer is available for order now in Germany with pricing set at €20,690 or at today's exchange rates, US$29,800.

Motor Trend: The Blogs got it All Wrong with the Honda Accord Crosstour's Design

One of our readers brought to our attention a rather intriguing review of the new Honda Accord Crosstour from Motor Trend magazine. To make a long story short, the author of the article, Kim Reynolds, says that "we blogs" and "you internet users" got it all wrong about the Accord Crosstour, which according to him, is -ahem, cough, cough- "a pleasant visual adventure".

And there's more from where that came from. Here's what Reynolds wrote on Motor Trend:

"Guess what, automotive blogosphere, Honda's Accord Crosstour is not the design catastrophe you so deliriously predicted."

"Prior to the new Crosstour's traditional introduction, Honda, rather innocently, released early images of the Crosstour on Facebook. However, these social networks can often be less than sociable gatherings."

"Snap a finger, and a bunch of collegial car-loving "friends" can transform into a pack of frenzied piranhas. And on their menu last September was the complicated-looking Crosstour, which was spilling blood in the water even before it was properly introduced to the mainstream press."

And for all of you "collegial car-loving friends" and "frenzied piranhas" that dared to express your opinion and are now seeking answers, fear not, because pastor Reynolds will lead you to the path of understanding.

Reyonold writes: "In my humble opinion, the miscalculation with the Crosstour's Facebook moment was that its shape is so complex, so unusual, it's almost impossible to accurately convey to a 2D audience (even here in this story)".

"The car almost refuses to be photographed; it needs to be physically pondered on two moving feet, watching the surfaces blend and emerge as you change perspective."

And Motor Trend lived happily ever after....

You, our readers on the other hand, are invited to share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Link: Motor Trend - Kudos to Greg for the tip!

Honda Shows Off Accord CrossTour Accessorized with Factory Parts at SEMA

Even though the 2009 SEMA Show is still under way, we can't wait for next year's event to see how the tuning industry and Honda will react to the new 2010 Accord CrossTour. But for now, we'll have to do with this factory accessorized version of the Japanese automakers much criticized for its looks, crossover model. Among other parts, the SEMA show car features a ground effects package with a front apron and side skirts finished in a different shade, chromed alloy wheels and roof bars.

Honda Announces MUGEN Accessories for U.S.-Spec Accord Sedan at SEMA

Today at the SEMA Show, Honda previewed its new line of MUGEN accessories for the U.S. market 2010 Accord sedan that will be available on an a la carte basis through the firm's authorized dealers starting on November 11. The Japanese firm displayed an Accord sedan fitted with various goodies from its in-house tuner such as 18-inch alloy wheels, front sports grille, front under-spoiler, side skirts, rear apron, sports floor mats, machined aluminum oil filler cap and a unique front emblem.

Honda said that all of the painted Mugen parts will come color-matched to one of five popular colors for the Accord that include: Polished Metal Metallic, Crystal Black Pearl, Alabaster Silver Metallic, White Diamond Pearl and Taffeta White.

In addition to the Mugen-ized Accord sedan, Honda also displayed several other accessorized models including the Fit with MUGEN accessories, a Honda Factory Performance (HFP) Civic Si Sedan and a HFP Accord Coupe.