Li Nian “Everus” sedan – Chinese market Honda concept

Honda will be exhibiting this Li Nian concept car at Auto China 2010 in Beijing this year. Li Nian is basically a Chinese market only brand that Honda and their Chinese partner Guangqi Honda Automobile (previously known as Guangzhou Honda Automobile – the namechange happened in April 2009) have been working on.This is not the first Li Nian car we’ve seen – a compact SUV concept built on the Jazz platform as well as an open top roadster that looks like it’s meant to be a somewhat like a next generation Honda S2000 was first shown at Auto China 2010 in April 2008.

This latest Li Nian Concept is a sedan that I’m assuming is called the “Everus” and it looks something like a Honda City with rear design cues from the Honda Airwave and a large Acura-like grille on the front. The photos don’t really give any indication on what size the vehicle is – the front looks very grand like it belongs on a larger vehicle but the side profile looks like a smaller sedan.

I am guessing that this is the City-based C-segment sedan that Guangqi Honda said they were working on back in September 2008. Honda in China is sold by two companies – Dongfeng Honda and Guangqi Honda. In the C-segment market, the Honda Civic is sold by Dongfeng Honda, leaving Guangqi Honda with no C-segment sedan competitor.

Honda Freed “premium compact MPV” – RM112,980

Honda Malaysia has launched the Freed, which the company describes as a “premium compact MPV” in a new market segment. The “premium” slant is meant to distance this seven-seater from rivals’ compact MPVs, and the Freed’s price of RM112,980 (OTR with insurance) backs up the positioning – it’s costlier than the Nissan Grand Livina 1.8 and the much larger Toyota Innova, for instance.

The Freed has a unique trump card however – automatic sliding doors that can be operated from the key fob (and from within the car, of course). These doors come with anti-pinch sensors and open to a gap of 600 mm. Honda also points out the low 410 mm height from the ground to the Freed’s floor; this plus grip handles enable easy access for children and the elderly, it says.

The doors open to a “walkthrough cabin” that has four “captain chairs” for the first two rows and third row seats that fold up sideways, like in old scool 4X4s. Up front is a dual layer dashboard with the instrument binnacle situated ahead of the driver. Everything else is in the middle – an aftermarket 2-DIN Alpine stereo with USB port, a chunky gearknob and the air-con controls. The parking brake is a foot brake. Safety kit wise, the Freed comes with dual airbags, ABS with EBD, Brake Assist and “neck-shock mitigation seat” – the latter basically reduces whiplash injury in an accident, although Honda’s term for it sounds very bombastic. 

The Freed sits on the Jazz/City platform, although its 2,740 mm wheelbase is quite a bit longer than the City’s 2,550 mm. The wheelbase is actually 140 mm longer than the Grand Livina’s although the Nissan is longer overall. The drivetrain is similar to the what we’re familiar with in the City – a 1.5-litre single-cam i-VTEC paired to five-speed automatic. For this application, the gear ratios are shorter and the 116 bhp/146 Nm engine makes 2 bhp less and 1 Nm more than the City. The steering is EPS, suspension consists of MacPherson struts up front and torsion beam at the rear, while the brakes are front discs and rear drums.

It’s official: FD2 Civic Type R to be discontinued after August, Japan to get 2010 spec UK-built hatchback

The impending demise of the FD2 Civic Type R is confirmed; Honda has announced that it will discontinue production of that manic machine after August 2010. However, Honda is out to sooth broken hearted Japanese enthusiasts with the 2010 model year Civic Type R Euro, which comes with mild exterior revisions and a “limited edition” tag.

The sharply styled three-door hatchback rolls off from Honda’s Swindon plant in the UK, which is the only factory in the world to build the car. The first FN Type R units boarded ships from Southampton in October 2009 to make the long trip to Japan. Since it went on sale in November last year, Honda has shifted over 1,850 units. 

The company says that the CTR Euro has been “especially well-received by buyers in their thirties to forties, who value a sports car as part of an upscale lifestyle.” We can only presume that the buyer profile for the FD2R is younger and more “hardcore”, which can also be used to describe its uncompromising ride quality.

While similar in basic concept (howling high revving i-VTEC engine, slick six-speed manual, super grip), the European Civic Type R is not the car we know with a different skin. The 2.0-litre engine makes 198 bhp/193 Nm, less than the FD2R’s 221 bhp/215 Nm and the rear suspension is a torsion beam as opposed to double wishbones. 

Local FD2R owners might want to hang on to their cars, which will very soon be “collector’s items”. The hatchback would be very expensive for Honda Malaysia to import, so this should be the last we’ll see of official Type Rs in Malaysia. It was fun while it lasted.

Honda to discontinue the FD2R Civic Type R?

Japanese press site 47News claims that Honda will be announcing the discontinuation of the Honda Civic Type R FD2R on the 19th of April 2010, which is basically this Monday. The report was published on the 15th, a good two weeks after April Fool’s day so it’s definitely not a joke, but then again we’re not discounting that it could be some pretty wild speculation.

According to the report, the reason for discontinuing the product is a sluggish market for high performance gas-guzzling cars. Honda is taking the whole green thing very seriously and perhaps a little too far – the end of the FD2R will mean the European Civic Type R (which sits on a different platform and is built in the UK) will be the last of the Type Rs.

And that’s just assuming that Honda will be leaving the Euro Type R alone while it pulls the plug on the FD2R. But I think the FN Type R will soldier on – this would explain why there was news in August last year that the FN Type R would be exported to Japan. Anyway if this is true, the sedan will follow the Integra and the NSX’s demise along with their F1 project. And Honda will be left with the 122 horsepower CR-Z as its ’sportiest’ car.

Honda EV-neo electric scooter – perfect delivery machine

Honda has revealed the latest prototype of its EV-neo electric scooter and announced plans to begin lease sales in Japan by the end of this year to businesses that provide delivery services.

The EV-neo was designed with the durability required for commercial use, and when the maker of the Honda Cub says it’s durable, we’ll take their word for it. Powered by a Toshiba lithium-ion battery and a brushless motor, the EV-neo provides zero emissions commuting of “over 30km per charge”. This figure is calculated at 30 km/h on a flat road, so real world range should be less than that. 30 km isn’t much, which explains the delivery service target market. In Japan, these businesses need transport to move about swiftly in crowded inner cities, and don’t cover long distances. 

About 80% of the battery capacity will be charged in 20 minutes (200V power source) with a quick charger. Using a normal charger, a full charge takes four hours (100V). Honda says the EV-neo provides performance equivalent to that of a 50cc gasoline engine motorcycle. The electric motor’s immediate response and strong low end torque should make it a nippy little thing to ride.

Honda Malaysia achieves monthly record sales in March

March must be a very lucky month for the auto industry. Not only did Perodua achieve its best ever monthly figures, now Honda Malaysia has announced that the 4,041 units it sold in that month is the highest ever in the company’s history. March was the biggest contributor to Honda Malaysia’s first quarter sales of 10,025 units, and they are looking good to meet the annual target of 40,000 units, especially when a new model will join the range next week.

The B-segment City was responsible for 43% of the total sales, with more than 4,000 units sold. Honda Malaysia would be happy to maintain City sales at this level with fresh rivals in this price segment – besides the C-segment Kia Forte, buyers can opt for superminis like the Mazda 2 and soon to be launched Ford Fiesta. 

The just facelifted CR-V has done well too – 556 units have been sold while 1,600 of bookings are in line. The Accord and Civic respectively contributed 19% and 18% to the total sales, while CBUs models Jazz and Stream stood at 6%. 

It’s no longer a secret now that the new model is the Freed, which is described by Honda as a “compact premium MPV”. The seven-seater based on the Jazz/City platform will be launched on 22 April. Click here for a “plant tour” of PT Honda Prospect Motor Indonesia, where our Freed will roll out from. Watch this space for the launch report.